"Must I forsake myself to live up to her expectations?" Nangong Yi asked in a low voice.
"You have made your choice, and you must be responsible for it," Xiao Man said softly. "She willingly married into the Qi King's mansion for you, drawing the family into the struggle for the throne. You should treat her well."
"Xiao Man, who will treat me well?" Nangong Yi asked, his eyes red. "We grew up together, childhood sweethearts, innocent and pure. You can feel pity for a lone woman you've only met once, so why can't you care more for me? What am I lacking compared to my fourth brother, or Wen Mohan, that you would exclude me from the start?"
"You don't need to compare yourself to others. Everyone is a unique, irreplaceable masterpiece. I haven't excluded you. In my eyes, you have always been my friend, my family."
"I don't want to be your friend or family. You know exactly what I want!" Nangong Yi shouted, raising his voice. Long ago, he had confessed his feelings to Xiao Man. At that time, Xiao Man had rejected him without hesitation, saying she liked his fourth brother, who was outstanding in every way. He had accepted that. But now, Xiao Man had chosen Wen Mohan!
"What you want, I cannot give!" Xiao Man said calmly. "If you insist on throwing a drunken tantrum here, then we need not see each other again."
Seeing Xiao Man about to close the window, Nangong Yi quickly reached out to stop her. His finger was caught, and Xiao Man, startled, immediately released her hand. Nangong Yi's finger was already bruised and swollen with accumulated blood, looking terrifying.
Xiao Man wanted to examine his hand but ultimately restrained herself. "We can only be friends. If you are unwilling, I will step back to the position of a stranger."
Nangong Yi wanted to laugh, but before a smile could form, tears streamed down his face. "Alright, we... will be friends."
"How is your hand?"
"It's nothing," Nangong Yi sniffled, forcing a smile. "It's late. You should get some rest."
Xiao Man nodded and watched until Nangong Yi's figure disappeared. Only then did she sigh and prepare to close the window to sleep. Suddenly, a hidden projectile shot towards Xiao Man. She caught it, and a strip of paper was tied to it. Opening it, she read, "Come to collect Nangong Yi's corpse!"
Xiao Man was startled. She leaped out and chased in the direction Nangong Yi had disappeared. Not far from the mansion, a figure blocked the path, revealing a row of white teeth and a sinister smile on his handsome face.
"Found you!" Murong Shengrui smiled with delight. "The cat-and-mouse game is over."
Xiao Man's expression turned cold, and she attacked instantly, aiming for Murong Shengrui's vital points. He dodged with a somersault and met her charge. "A'man, you're truly passionate. Eager to embrace me the moment you see me. You make me so happy."
Xiao Man remained silent. Her fingers formed claws, reaching for Murong Shengrui's neck. He leaned back slightly, evading her attack, but Xiao Man's nails left three bloody scratches on his neck.
Murong Shengrui touched his neck, looking at the blood on his fingers. His smile deepened. "I like your feisty nature. The angrier you get, the happier I become."
Xiao Man couldn't help but spit. "Pervert!" But thinking that this pervert was someone she had raised, a lump formed in her throat.
"Your life!" Xiao Man no longer hid her skills. She moved, suddenly appearing before Murong Shengrui, and struck his chest with a palm. With a crack, Murong Shengrui was sent flying.
Xiao Man pursued him, disregarding the consequences. She had to kill him!
At that moment, someone leaped out from the darkness, throwing several hidden projectiles at Xiao Man. While she dodged them, the attacker fled with Murong Shengrui. Su Dan Novel Network.
Wei Wuji carried Murong Shengrui a considerable distance before setting him down. "Your Majesty, are you alright?"
Murong Shengrui clutched his chest and coughed up blood. "I'm fine. Just a broken rib. Send word to Qu Yang. I wish to marry Xiao Man, the eldest daughter of the Protector General's mansion, as my Empress. For this, I am willing to offer ten border cities as a betrothal gift and establish Xiao Man's son as Crown Prince!"
Xiao Man's face was as dark as a pot's bottom after Murong Shengrui escaped.
"Miss, are you alright?"
"Do I look like I'm alright?" Xiao Man's expression was ferocious. It was one thing to be caught by Murong Shengrui, but for him to know her true identity! She could fully imagine how he would deal with her!
Ying Xue stepped back and whispered to Yin Zhu, "It feels like the sky is about to fall."
"Miss has been like this since she went out last night."
"Did she get entangled in more romantic debts last night?" Chu Xue asked, biting a pastry.
"Her romantic debts are so numerous she can barely cope. She probably has no energy to attract anyone else."
The three nodded in unison. "Could it be that business has been losing money recently?"
"No, Miss's businesses are all doing well. After the Cen family collapsed recently, she's been making a fortune."
"Then why is she so worried, as if someone owes her millions and hasn't repaid it?" Yin Zhu secretly glanced at Xiao Man. "Her brows are almost as wrinkled as a bitter gourd."
"No, I must kill him quickly!"
Yin Zhu was startled. Kill whom?
Xiao Man quickly got up, took out her hidden sword, and was about to leave. Opening the door, she saw Nangong Yu standing at the entrance. She immediately closed the door, quickly opened the window, and prepared to escape through it. However, Nangong Yu blocked the window again!
Xiao Man, annoyed, threw her sword onto the table. "Nangong Yu, what do you want?"
"What do I want?" Nangong Yu's voice became extremely sharp. Ever since Xiao Man accepted Wen Mohan's proposal, he had been waiting for an explanation from Xiao Man. But after several days, Xiao Man hadn't come, let alone offered any explanation!
"Don't you have anything to say?"
"Murong Shengrui knows my identity," Xiao Man said calmly. Nangong Yu's anger was instantly extinguished.
"What did you say?"
"Murong Shengrui knows my identity. He approached Nangong Yi and used him to find me," Xiao Man said with composure. "He must be hiding in the capital. I need to find him and kill him."
"If you act against him now, I fear Yun Qi will engage in a fight to the death with Yusheng," Nangong Yu said with a headache. "During the concubine selection banquet, when Yun Qi mentioned that the betrothed lady must also attend, I felt something was wrong. I didn't expect it to be discovered so quickly."
"I didn't expect to keep it a secret for long. I just wanted to delay it by a day, to gain more time. I didn't expect him to find me so soon," Xiao Man said with a headache. Sometimes, teaching children too well wasn't good, because it might ultimately backfire on oneself!