Xu Ran appeared silently behind Zhu Zhuqing and looked at the girl before him.
At that moment, bright moonlight spilled over her, lending her already snow-white skin an even more lustrous sheen. Her shapely figure looked a little fuller in the pale yellow glow. Her glossy black hair also shimmered, and she looked so beautiful. Yet she also seemed beyond reach, as though that beauty would vanish at a touch.
At the sight, Xu Ran felt a faint pang in his heart. He no longer had any dirty thoughts about Zhu Zhuqing; he only wanted to protect her and keep anyone else from hurting her. Although he lusted after her body, he was certainly not the sort to simply have his fun and be done with her. He wanted her heart even more. Only then would he have all of her. A mere shell, however beautiful, lost its meaning without a soul.
"What are you thinking about out here all alone?" Xu Ran walked over to Zhu Zhuqing and sat down beside her.
"Xu Ran, what are you doing here?" Zhu Zhuqing startled inwardly. The sudden voice had given her a fright, and she only breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that it was Xu Ran.
"I went to your room and saw you weren't there. I was a little worried, so I came here to look for you."
"Oh." Warmth filled Zhu Zhuqing's heart. So Xu Ran cared about her this much and was this worried about her safety. But they were destined to remain strangers. Nothing good could come of them, so they had better keep their distance.
"Xu Ran, don't come looking for me anymore. You mustn't fall for me, either. You're very talented, and you'll meet plenty of beautiful girls in the future, so don't waste your time on me. I'm not worth it," Zhu Zhuqing said softly, her head lowered.
"You don't get to decide whether it's worth it. I do." Xu Ran looked at the girl beside him. Her dress was rather thin, and sitting like this left her snow-white calves exposed. The chilly breeze blowing against her seemed rather cold. Without hesitation, Xu Ran took off his outer garment and tied it around her exposed calves.
"From now on, you're not allowed to wear dresses at night. Even if you do, they have to be long ones. It's so cold out. You could easily get sick."
"Oh." Zhu Zhuqing's pretty face flushed, and she wrung her delicate hands together, somewhat at a loss. Few people had ever shown her this kind of concern, let alone someone of the opposite sex, and it left her feeling a little embarrassed. She wanted to argue that he was no one to her, so why should she listen to her? But when the words reached her lips, she could not say them.
Xu Ran cared about her, and she, too, enjoyed the feeling of being cared for.
"Xu Ran, what do you want, treating me so well? I might not be able to give you what you want." Zhu Zhuqing raised her beautiful eyes and looked straight at Xu Ran.
Could Xu Ran be that sort of lecher, too?
What she hated most in her life was that sort of shameless person. Could Xu Ran be someone like that?
But if he was not, why would he treat her so well?
She, the Second Miss of the Zhu Family, was nothing more than a sacrifice in the family struggle in countless people's eyes, someone who would be dead in the future. How could someone like her attract Xu Ran's attention?
All she had now was this pretty skin.
Perhaps Xu Ran had come looking for her only because he valued her face. Xu Ran was no different from the men outside; they all merely judged people by their looks.
Zhu Zhuqing smiled self-mockingly. Who in this world truly cared about her? Perhaps no one did.
"I just want you to be a little happier. I don't want anyone bullying you. That's all," Xu Ran said calmly, a trace of resolve in his eyes. Of course, there was another half of that sentence he had not spoken. Only he could bully her. Naturally, when a husband bullied his wife, it would not really hurt much. He could not bear to do that to her, either.
"Is that so?" At Xu Ran's words, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes suddenly reddened. She turned her head aside and wiped away the tears in her eyes when he was not looking.
She could barely hold back the urge to have a good cry.
How many years had it been? Ever since she awakened her Martial Soul at six, even her older sister had begun to hate her. Her father was busy with affairs of state, everyone in the residence avoided her as though she were a god of plague, and even the teacher who taught her cultivation dared not have any connection with her.
She was the Second Miss of the Zhu Family, with a noble status, but so what?
No one had any faith in her. She would be a sacrifice in the family struggle and had no value at all. What everyone revered and feared was merely her status and bloodline. Were it not for her status, she might have been someone everyone in the family cast aside like a worn-out shoe.
She had thought Xu Ran was merely a lecher, but she had been wrong, completely wrong-absurdly wrong, even.
Xu Ran was not that kind of person!
All Xu Ran wanted was for her to be happy. He asked for nothing else.
"But I'm not worth you treating me this way," Zhu Zhuqing said softly, turning away once more to wipe the tears from her eyes.
"You should know that although I'm a member of the Zhu Family, I'm only from a branch line. I've cultivated alone away from the family since I was little, and I don't have much affection for the Zhu Family. With my current talent, even if I didn't return to the Zhu Family, I could get plenty of resources at Spirit Hall. I might even get a little more there. But I still came back."
"Because I knew there had always been someone in the Zhu Family waiting for me. If I didn't come back for her, I would never forgive myself for the rest of my life. I won't allow the person I like to become someone else's fiancée," Xu Ran said, gazing at the moonlit sky, his eyes carrying a hint of world-weariness and resolve. He looked so convincing that even the System Lady stared in a daze. Had she not known the situation, she would certainly have thought everything Xu Ran said was true.
Likewise, Zhu Zhuqing froze. So Xu Ran had returned to the Zhu Family this time for her. Had he already fallen for her before? But she had no memories of Xu Ran from before.
"I still remember how you were being bullied on the streets of Star Luo City six years ago. Back then, you even called me Brother Xu Ran. From that moment on, I began to fall for you. But I was still very weak then and couldn't protect you. Although I'm not strong now, either, I don't want to wait any longer. I'm afraid that if I keep waiting, I won't have another chance." Xu Ran gazed at Zhu Zhuqing with deep affection, looking so innocent and resolute.
At that moment, a brilliant light seemed to shine in Xu Ran's eyes, and beneath its radiance, everything in the world seemed to lose its color.
At that moment, there was only one girl in his eyes: Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing was so beautiful, with a shapely figure, skin fairer than snow, and lovely legs that were rounded and long. If he could win a girl like her, his life would be complete.
And after winning Zhu Zhuqing, he could even flaunt their love in front of Dai Mubai. Dai Mubai, that damned scumbag-while Zhu Zhuqing suffered alone, he went visiting brothels with Ma Hongjun. Xu Ran would settle the score for every grievance he had made Zhu Zhuqing endure, little by little.