Loyalty

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingyan became serious.

He sat up straight and looked at Zhao Ruxi: "What exactly happened?"

Zhao Ruxi remained silent and picked up a pastry to eat.

"You woman..." Xiao Lingyan was extremely annoyed.

Zhao Ruxi ignored him, finished her snacks, took a sip of tea, and then glanced at him sideways. "Is there such a thing as a free lunch? And what kind of attitude is this? Believe me or not, I'll just walk away and never speak to you again?"

Xiao Lingyan glared at her, but after looking at her for a while, he deflated like a punctured balloon, waving his hand and saying, "Fine, fine, now I'm begging you. Tell me, what do you want?"

"Didn't you set up any businesses or anything during your trip to Jiangnan?" Zhao Ruxi asked.

Xiao Lingyan: "..." He looked at Zhao Ruxi as if she were a monster.

Zhao Ruxi was just guessing when she said that. But looking at his expression now, she knows she made the right bet.

She laughed, "We're not rivals for nothing. What's that saying again? The one who knows you best is your enemy. You went to Jiangnan as soon as you transmigrated, and I don't believe you didn't take this opportunity to prepare a backup plan."

"Hmph." Xiao Lingyan chuckled sarcastically, "You're just guessing based on your own thinking, aren't you?"

"I'm short on time, I don't want to argue with you about this. Just tell me, are you going to give it to me or not, and how much? If we can't agree on a price, I'm leaving."

"Don't be like that." Xiao Lingyan changed his tune, revealing a warm smile. "We're from the same hometown, and we know each other well, so let's not be so formal, okay? Look at me now, I'm a prince, what a powerful backer I have, I can completely protect you. If you want to gain some fame or profit for your Earl of Suiping's Residence, no problem. If you want to do business and make big money, I can partner with you."

"No, I refuse." Zhao Ruxi stood up. "If that's what you think, then we can't talk anymore. Let me tell you, the last people I want to be associated with are you princes. Once we walk out this door, we'll be complete strangers."

Xiao Lingyan stared at her without saying a word.

Only after Zhao Ruxi reached the door, opened it, and prepared to leave did he say, "Okay, I agree."

Zhao Ruxi turned around and looked at him quietly without saying a word.

Xiao Lingyan, "I haven't been here long, and I don't have much money. Although there are many things displayed in the palace, they cannot be taken out to be sold."

Seeing Zhao Ruxi's impatient expression, as if she was about to turn away again, he quickly said, "So I only bought two shops and one estate, and even then, it was bought in the name of a distant relative of the Cen Family."

Zhao Ruxi frowned, looking at him suspiciously. "So poor?"

Xiao Lingyan shrugged helplessly.

Zhao Ruxi glanced at him, then had no choice but to go back and sit down, saying, "I won't take all your things. Give me a shop, and the rest..."

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Give me another twenty thousand taels of silver, and that will do. If you don't have it now, you can put it on my tab. Although you're not a very good person, you have a good reputation, so I'm not afraid you'll renege on your debt."

Xiao Lingyan stared at her without speaking, his deep eyes like a bottomless pool, his expression becoming serious.

He said in a deep voice, "Okay."

He had been Zhao Ruxi's rival for many years and knew very well that this woman was the type to plunder every passing goose, especially people like him whom she disliked; she would plunder as many as possible.

But the price she asked for was completely unexpected. He now felt that things were more serious than he had imagined.

She wouldn't have left him anything if she hadn't been afraid he wouldn't be able to handle the situation.

She has many flaws, but she has one great virtue: she is loyal and righteous.

Back then, her mentor was falsely accused of plagiarizing the work of an internationally renowned author. All the other students left him, fearing that their futures would be jeopardized. Only she remained steadfast, running around everywhere, trying every possible way to clear her mentor's name. In the end, the truth came out, and after her mentor's reputation was restored, he publicly stated that he only acknowledged Xu Xi as his student.

Now, instead of extorting him to the extreme, she only took a token amount, leaving him some capital to make money from. This suggests that what she said was true, not an exaggeration. The final fate of this body might be even more tragic than he imagined.

She may shout loudly, but deep down she's soft-hearted. If he asks her for help, she'll ultimately help him, won't she?

"If..." he said earnestly, "If I survive that disaster, I'll grant you two wishes. As long as they don't involve my personal safety or my moral principles, I'll agree to them."

Zhao Ruxi was finally satisfied.

"Deal," she said.

"Now you can at least tell me what will happen next, right?"

Zhao Ruxi nodded, glanced outside, and then sat down next to Xiao Lingyan. In a voice only the two of them could hear, she told Xiao Lingyan everything she knew about the plot.

When Xiao Lingyan heard that he had transmigrated into a sweet romance novel, his expression was quite interesting.

When he's bored in modern times, he might read some online novels, but he never reads romance novels.

Once, his aunt's younger cousin, who was about fifteen or sixteen years old, came to visit and left a physical book in the living room. Out of boredom, he flipped through a couple of pages and discovered that his cousin kept muttering about a sweet and domineering CEO romance novel that was completely illogical and mindless.

The female lead, who is a secretary, can easily trip and fall into the male lead's arms while walking, scatter documents all over the floor when she picks them up, burn her hands when pouring coffee, and make mistakes when answering the phone.

Unfortunately, she wasn't highly educated, dressed unfashionably, and her bangs covered her eyes, making her look rather plain. She was always as timid and cautious as a rabbit.

This kind of secretary is adorable in the eyes of the domineering male protagonist!

He almost forgot what the word "cute" meant at that moment.

"You mean, the male lead in this sweet romance novel is Fu Yunlang, and the female lead is the woman whose identity you swapped? What's her name again?"

Zhao Ruyu.

Xiao Lingyan's expression was indescribable. "No wonder I always felt that Fu Yunlang's behavior... was refreshingly stupid."

He looked at Zhao Ruxi: "Is this the kind of novels you girls like to read?"

Zhao Ruxi rolled her eyes at him. "Don't generalize, I'm not like that. Besides, Fu Yunlang will grow stronger too, please give him time to develop."

Xiao Lingyan: "..."

"Okay, that's not the point." He waved his hand. "The point is, do I, Xiao Lingpu, and Fu Yunkai all have to die?"

"Yes, and the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince as well," Zhao Ruxi said.

Xiao Lingyan stroked his chin. "So it was all done by the Third Prince?"

"That's your family's business. Go back and think about it slowly," Zhao Ruxi said.