Inside the Nalan Family's main hall, the atmosphere was like a taut veil, ready to tear at the slightest touch, and the tension was particularly delicate.
Liu Ling and Lin Ye exchanged a swift glance, a sly gleam flashing through both their eyes as their scheme fell into place.
The slight upward curve of their lips suggested they could already see Nalan Yanran firmly in their grasp, meekly submitting to them.
"Yanran, don't say I'm making things difficult for you. The truth is, you've always known how I feel about you."
Liu Ling's expression was utterly sincere, his eyes brimming with affection. He looked every inch the devoted lover whose heart and eyes held nothing but Nalan Yanran.
He leaned forward slightly, as though hoping to convey his love to her from closer range. "Everything I've done has been to build your reputation, to help you rightfully become the Misty Cloud Sect's junior sect master in the future..."
His words were heartfelt, and even his voice carried a barely perceptible tremor, as though he had kept them buried in his heart for a long time and had only just summoned the courage to speak.
Nalan Yanran, however, did not buy any of it. She snorted coldly, the sound like a thunderclap ripping across the night sky, laden with icy disdain.
Then her slender hand slammed down on the table. The resounding crack was especially jarring in the almost deathly silent hall, instantly shattering the tender atmosphere Liu Ling had so painstakingly created.
Nalan Yanran sneered. "Then I really ought to thank you properly!"
Her words dripped with mockery and contempt, each one a sharp dagger thrust straight at Liu Ling's hypocritical heart.
She utterly loathed this little performance of his. The man was hypocrisy itself, yet he still fancied he