She already knew, yet she still stepped forward as if to ask.
Heh, it was truly laughable to say it out loud.
A smile played on Feng Ran’s lips as she chuckled softly, "Actually, everything that’s happened to me now is exactly what the Regent wanted, isn't it?"
"Perhaps, it was all orchestrated by the Regent. And I am merely his plaything, to be toyed with when he’s pleased and happy."
"Perhaps, the Regent is wondering why I'm not dead yet? Why I can still appear before you?"
"Perhaps, my presence only makes the Regent’s mood even worse."
"After all, this is not the outcome the Regent desired."
Suddenly, Feng Ran burst into hearty laughter, almost gritting her teeth as she said, "Your Highness, you truly needn't have gone to such lengths. All this effort you’ve put into someone like me is truly not worth it."
"Regent, even if you hadn't acted, Lan Xian would have. In fact, Bei Chen Ye shouldn’t have appeared then. That way, Lan Xian could have had that wet nurse finish me off."
As Feng Ran spoke, she seemed to recall something, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips. She chuckled, "Oh, right, how could I forget? The Regent said he wanted me to live. To live as if in hell."
"How could I forget?"
"If I had been killed by that wet nurse, wouldn't that have been too easy for me?" Feng Ran said this with a smile on her face, but only she knew the depth of her pain and bitterness.
Xuan Yuan Heng’s dark and deep gaze fell upon Feng Ran, listening to her self-deprecating words. He thought: Wasn't Feng Ran’s current state exactly what he had wanted to see?
Yes, what Feng Ran said was not without reason.
Indeed, what was happening now was exactly what he had desired.
But even knowing the outcome, and now hearing it from Feng Ran’s own lips, he felt a flicker of doubt. Had he gone too far?
Xuan Yuan Heng’s somber and low voice resounded again, his tone chilling as he said, "Since you already know everything, if you were sensible, you would do as I wish, wouldn't you?"
His voice was so cold it sent shivers down one's spine.
Feng Ran’s hands clenched tightly. At that moment, she felt immense fear and hatred towards the man before her, yet she was powerless.
Indeed, Xuan Yuan Heng wielded immense power. Who in this world would dare to object to his will?
She met his gaze directly, smiling and asking, "So, Regent, are you satisfied with what you see today? Or am I still not miserable enough, and must I be further humiliated and tortured by those you arrange?"
Humiliated and tortured, must she be?
If it wasn't enough, the Regent could always arrange for more.
Xuan Yuan Heng’s gaze returned to Feng Ran, observing her now numb expression, her resigned demeanor, her tearful cries, her rambling as if she were mad.
After a long silence, Feng Ran seemed to awaken. Her eyes, like those of a vengeful spirit, fixed on Xuan Yuan Heng, and she said mournfully, "Regent, if you hadn't married me for your own purposes back then, then none of this would have happened."
"The Regent exploited the Feng family thoroughly. Now the Feng family is gone. I have no more value to you, so you can torture and discard me at will, is that it?"
"But Regent, have you ever regretted that while using me, you paid a price equivalent to blood?"
"Look, when people do bad things, they always have to pay. You used the Feng family, you used me, and you succeeded."
"But Regent, you lost the one you loved the most. This is heaven's punishment for you. Regent, you deserve this, it is your just deserts."
"Everything has its cause and effect. And this is what you must bear."
"Xuan Yuan Heng, you destroyed the happiness that originally belonged to me, so why didn't you just end my life? Taking my life would have been the best atonement for Yu Wan Yan."
"But for all these years, you never wanted to kill me?"
"Why is that? Is it because you feel guilty? Because you've done so many evil deeds, you think this is what you owe the Feng family, and these actions are just to ease your conscience. Nothing more."
"But I can tell you very clearly, Xuan Yuan Heng, it's no use. What you're doing is futile."
Feng Ran did not know if Xuan Yuan Heng had ever fallen in love with her.
However, she wished he had never loved her.
She wished she had been blind and loved the wrong man. She wished all the punishment fell upon her, and not upon the Feng family.
If she could bear all the suffering alone, and if that would bring back the Feng family, then she was willing.
But no matter how willing she was, no matter how many thoughts she had, they were ultimately useless.
What had happened, had happened. It could not be undone.
...
Feng Ran didn't know how she had returned to her room.
Or even what time she had left.
But she knew that Xuan Yuan Heng had left without leaving any marks on her, and that he had let her go. This indeed surprised her.
She stood by the window, watching the rain outside, which was falling heavier and heavier. She reached out and caught the raindrops, gazing at the downpour, and shouted loudly, "Xuan Yuan Heng, Xuan Yuan Heng. Xuan Yuan Heng..." The air was filled with Feng Ran's inexpressible sorrow and misery.
It was even permeated with her endless regret.
Her love for Xuan Yuan Heng had long since dwindled to almost nothing.
A cold smile played on Feng Ran's lips. This was merely her worrying about impossible things, and merely her own thoughts.
As Feng Ran turned to rest, she noticed Xuan Yuan Heng's presence. Instinctively, she reached out to close the window. As she moved to shut the door, she realized Xuan Yuan Heng had already entered. She had no opportunity.
Xuan Yuan Heng simply watched Feng Ran, saying nothing. He reached out, intending to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen across Feng Ran’s face behind her ear. But as his hand moved forward, Feng Ran instinctively recoiled, her eyes filled with wariness.
"What do you want?" Her hoarse voice was tinged with a pain that was almost heart-wrenching.
Xuan Yuan Heng looked at Feng Ran, who was like a hedgehog, defensive, her eyes full of hatred and anger. Yet, his hand did not retreat. He continued to reach out, tucking the hair behind her ear. However, Xuan Yuan Heng also felt her entire body stiffen as he touched her.
She was truly afraid of him.
Thinking of Feng Ran’s fear of him, a mocking smile tugged at Xuan Yuan Heng's lips. The woman who had once clung to him now hated him so deeply, and even began to fear him.