Fu Yingying finished speaking, twisted around, and strode away.
"Miss Fu, wait! Hear me out..." Chen Shi'an called out urgently.
But before he could finish, Fu Yingying stormed out of the rear courtyard in a huff and vanished from sight.
Once Fu Yingying was far away, Liu Qingyi emerged from a corner by the wall and came up behind Chen Shi'an. "Master, isn't this method of yours a little cruel?
"I can tell that Miss Fu genuinely likes you."
Chen Shi'an sighed softly. "I have a lot on my plate right now, and not much time to spend on her.
"Fu Nantian told me not to hurt her.
"Doing this should be a little better than rejecting her outright, shouldn't it?"
Liu Qingyi shook her head. "Not necessarily. This little act of yours was riddled with holes, Master.
"Fu Yingying could only enter the Three-Killing Battalion with your permission. You clearly knew she was coming, yet you couldn't wait to do those things to me.
"Once she calms down a little, she'll spot that flaw."
Chen Shi'an shook his head. "Not necessarily. Just because you thought of it doesn't mean she will.
"If she can't even figure that out, I'm even less willing to spend time on her.
"Doing this also counts as cutting through a tangled mess with a sharp blade."
Liu Qingyi asked, "What if she sees through your plan?"
Chen Shi'an turned his gaze toward the window. "Then she's a clever person, and she should understand my intentions and know what to do."
Liu Qingyi shook her head. "You're so young, Master, yet your thoughts run so deep. You're an old fox!"
Chen Shi'an turned back and looked at Liu Qingyi, his gaze slowly traveling down from her face to her bright red bellyband as the corners