"Yan Xiao, I let you down..." At the thought of her disgraceful behavior today, Nalan Yanran's expression dimmed. She did not even stop to wonder why Yan Xiao had suddenly appeared here, nor did she notice anything wrong with the pill he had given her earlier. Instead, she felt that losing so miserably in front of the man she loved most must have left him terribly disappointed in her. With some trepidation, she asked, "You must think I'm useless, don't you?"
"How could I?" Xiao Yan still wore a smile. Even he found that smile utterly false, but he kept it up nonetheless. "No matter what happens, you've always been perfect in my eyes."
"Really?"
"Of course... not." Under Nalan Yanran's expectant gaze, Xiao Yan uttered those icy words. Then he abruptly released the arms holding her and dropped her straight onto the ground. Ignoring the pain of her injuries, Nalan Yanran looked up in bewilderment, only to see Yan Xiao's face gradually turn illusory and transform into Xiao Yan's.
"Well? Quite a surprise, isn't it?" As he watched the utterly blank expression on Nalan Yanran's face, Xiao Yan's smile grew ever more unrestrained. "The man you lowered yourself to befriend, the man you secretly gave your heart to, turned out to be the man you once despised most. Doesn't that feel wonderful?"
"Yan Xiao... Xiao Yan..." Nalan Yanran repeated the two names over and over, her face turning pale in an instant. Yet it was not only her face that turned white, but her hair as well. Reeling from the devastating blow, she simply had not noticed the change yet. "How is that possible?"
"To think Xiao Yan was actually Yan Xiao!" Jia Xingtian and Fa Ma exchanged a glance, each seeing the astonishment in the other's eyes. A