"Qian Renxue is my daughter. You know that, don't you?"
It was an open secret. Who didn't know? Hadn't she been the one to reveal it to him herself back then?
Lin Qian resisted the urge to argue. "I know."
Bibi Dong rested her chin on her hand and crossed her legs, her skin snowy white and smooth. "Did she tell you that beautiful women, money, glory, and riches would all be yours for the asking, as long as you joined her camp?"
Lin Qian stuck to his approach of agreeing with everything she said. "Yes."
Did that include herself? Xiao Xue, why did you hold yourself so cheap!
Thinking that Qian Renxue was willing to throw herself into the bargain just to take revenge on her, Bibi Dong felt a pang of distress. Her fingers clenched around her scepter, their tips turning white.
No one knew a daughter better than her mother. Qian Renxue was the person she understood best, and also the one she was most powerless to change.
Of course, the way Qian Renxue had turned out had much to do with her giving birth to her without raising her...
As for her daughter's attempt to poach someone from her, Bibi Dong asked, "Did you agree?"
Lin Qian shook his head. "I have no intention of leaving the Papal Palace."
Bibi Dong felt both gratified and helpless. "She's openly trying to recruit you to challenge me. Her motives aren't pure. Besides, she's disguised as the crown prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, which means she can only draw on the empire's resources. Beautiful women, money, or anything else-these things will only lead you into arrogance, extravagance, and debauchery, sinking into depravity while your strength stagnates. Will she still value you then?
"Staying in Spirit Hall gives you