"Regent, please let me go, can you?" Feng Ran pleaded softly, wanting nothing more than to leave.
"No... can you not come closer?" Feng Ran trembled as Xuanyuan Heng approached, as if she would scream if he came any nearer.
Xuanyuan Heng, however, ignored her plea, continuing to advance. Feng Ran, as if driven mad, shut her eyes tightly, flailing her arms upwards, crying out, "No, don't, don't touch me. Please, can you let me go?"
Xuanyuan Heng simply watched the woman wildly flailing her arms, saying nothing in the end.
Don't touch her?
Was she truly that afraid of him?
Did his touch elicit such revulsion?
Xuanyuan Heng's icy hand landed on her cheek, stroking it gently. A smile played on his lips as he said, "Feng Ran, if you continue like this, your beloved Feng Jin may not live in peace."
"Feng Ran, you should think carefully," Xuanyuan Heng said coldly, his voice so devoid of emotion it sent shivers down one's spine.
Feng Ran's arms immediately stilled, no longer flailing aimlessly.
"If you've thought it through, tidy yourself up and come to my study," Xuanyuan Heng said, turning to leave. "But Feng Ran, you know I won't wait for you forever."
As he turned, he cast a glance at Feng Ran, a look of intense threat and darkness in his eyes.
Feng Ran remained silent, head bowed, silently enduring the situation.
Half an incense stick's worth of time later, Feng Ran appeared before Xuanyuan Heng's study, lingering outside the door, hesitant to enter.
She didn't know what awaited her inside, but it certainly wouldn't be good.
As she paced outside, she paused, making up her mind, and turned to leave.
Xuanyuan Heng had asked, "Feng Ran, will you prioritize your own desires or your own brother?"
She had heard these words countless times, yet whenever she saw Feng Jin, he seemed well cared for. She believed Xuanyuan Heng wouldn't harm him.
This conviction gave Feng Ran a sense of peace.
She thought she wouldn't be a burden to Feng Jin.
She had been so obedient to Feng Jin before out of fear that Xuanyuan Heng would truly harm him. But later, she gradually realized that she had been mistaken about everything.
Xuanyuan Heng truly considered Feng Jin a close friend and would not harm him.
Just as Feng Ran was about to flee, Xuanyuan Heng's icy voice boomed from the study: "What's this? Is it hell? Lingering so long, even thinking of escaping? Heh, I truly underestimated you."
Feng Ran's face froze, and for a moment, she was speechless.
How could Xuanyuan Heng know her thoughts without even seeing her?
Xuanyuan Heng indeed understood people's hearts.
Feng Ran knew she had no escape. She pushed open the door and stood obediently, her hand clenched tightly in her sleeve, hiding her true feelings.
She had always thought she hid them well, but she realized she hadn't. From the moment she appeared, Xuanyuan Heng had noticed, but he hadn't revealed it.
"You've got some nerve, Feng Ran, even trying to run," a cold voice rang out.
Hearing Xuanyuan Heng's words, Feng Ran trembled all over. She lowered her head, daring not to utter a sound.
"Feng Ran, do you think you can escape my grasp within the Xuanyuan manor?"
Xuanyuan Heng shook his head, his voice growing colder. "Oh. No."
"Feng Ran, where in this world do you think you can hide? Who else will help you?"
"Feng Ran, if anyone were to help you, they would have stepped forward when the Feng family first declined."
"But Feng Ran, no one stepped forward then, so why would anyone step forward now?" Xuanyuan Heng's cold words, though harsh, were undeniably true.
A feeling of suffocation and helplessness washed over her. Everything was completely different from what she had imagined.
"Feng Ran, during your encounter with that nanny in the palace, didn't you act admirably? So ruthless."
"Feng Ran, do you want to bring Aunt Sheng back? But, Feng Ran, look, after all your efforts, you not only failed to save Aunt Sheng, but you also caused her to be beaten by that nanny."
"If it weren't for you, Aunt Sheng wouldn't have been treated that way."
"Because of you, all the trouble was left to Aunt Sheng, making her situation in the palace increasingly difficult. You even made her a target."
"Feng Ran, not only could you not save Aunt Sheng, but you almost lost your own life. If I hadn't sent Bei Chen Ye to rescue you, you would likely be a cold corpse by now."
"Feng Ran, when saving others, you should really think carefully about whether your actions might cause trouble for others."
"You thought you were helping Aunt Sheng, right? But do you know that because of your actions, Aunt Sheng is tortured daily and resented by that nanny?"
"You are the architect of this tragedy."
"Feng Ran, everyone who helps you ultimately meets a bad end. You are an ominous person."
Xuanyuan Heng spoke coldly, his gaze fixed on Feng Ran. He watched her clench her fists, bite her lips, and tears threatening to fall.
"Feng Ran, in everything you do, you always think you are doing it for the other person's good. But what you don't realize is that by acting, you are already pushing them into an abyss."
Feng Ran trembled, her face pale. Despite her fear, she finally managed to ask, "Where is Aunt Sheng? Is Aunt Sheng alright?"
She never imagined her good intentions could become a tool for destruction.
She even thought that if Aunt Sheng met a tragic end because of this, even sacrificing her own life would be meaningless.
Hearing Feng Ran's words, Xuanyuan Heng let out a low, sinister laugh. "What's wrong? Are you scared now? But did you consider this outcome when you decided to do this?"
"Feng Ran, ultimately, when you stepped forward to speak for Aunt Sheng, it was merely a moment of anger. You acted impulsively without any thorough planning. Were you trying to save someone, or kill them?"