Xia Zhiyuan slowly and meticulously put his veil hat back on. At this moment, someone pushed open the door – it was Jiang Yun Qiao. Her face was full of worry, and she relaxed slightly upon seeing Xia Zhiyuan.
“A Yao,” she smiled at me. “Why did you come alone without calling me?”
I strode forward, grabbing her arm. “Come with me.”
I pulled her for quite a distance until we entered an empty, deserted alley before releasing her. She stood behind me, carefully asking, “A Yao, what’s wrong?”
“Who is Bai Chen?” I turned around, asking sharply.
She tried to appear calm. “Didn’t you already know? He’s the one I love.”
“You still won’t tell the truth?” My anger surged. “He is Xia Zhiyuan! The former Eastern Palace heir of Qi Kingdom, one of the main culprits who caused my entire family to be destroyed and displaced! Do you think he’s really that pure, unblemished youth in the snow?”
She lowered her head. “I know all of this. But he had no choice. Those things that harmed your family were all done by the previous Qi Emperor.”
“You actually believe him?!” I pressed my forehead, completely losing rationality. “Yun Qiao, he is not the person you love.”
“I believe him,” Yun Qiao looked at me, her gaze persistent. “I know he did some wrong things in the past and hurt you. But he is still the person I’ve loved for so many years, and there’s still a pure land in his heart. I believe in this.”
I gripped her shoulders and shook her. “Wake up, Yun Qiao… he’s using you…”
“Perhaps now he is,” she said sadly. “But one day, I will enter that pure land in his heart. He will understand eventually.”
“Pure Land?” I laughed bitterly. “People change.”
If he truly had a pure land in his heart, he wouldn’t have incited you against me, wouldn’t have instructed you to tamper with the golden cup and try to completely eliminate me! If I hadn’t reacted quickly, he might have succeeded already!”
She looked shocked. “Tamper with the golden cup?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know,” I said angrily, dropping my hand. “He has already admitted it.”
