Lan Xian's face, however, held a bitter smile. "Grandfather, don't worry. I'll do as we agreed, I won't disappoint you."
Feng Ran listened to Lan Xian's words and felt a pang of sympathy.
She knew very well that Lan Xian didn't want to do these things.
But for the sake of the Lan family, Lan Xian had no choice but to agree.
Her gaze fell upon Lan Xian. Just now, she had been hesitant, debating whether to stay silent, but now she couldn't hold back any longer.
"Lan Xian, you weren't like this before. You said you wouldn't yield to anything, no matter what happened."
"But now you've accepted your fate."
"Lan Xian, have you forgotten what you said back then?"
Listening to Feng Ran's words, Lan Xian smiled, but her smile was a little tragic.
She looked at Feng Ran and said sadly, "Feng Ran, everyone changes over the years. That was... how many years ago was that? People change."
"One cannot always be carefree and without worries."
"Feng Ran, haven't you changed too?"
Lan Xian said with a smile on her face.
Feng Ran just watched Lan Xian, unsure of what to say. Indeed, she couldn't refute Lan Xian's words.
But Feng Ran didn't want Lan Xian to give up on herself. She grabbed Lan Xian's hand and said emotionally, "Lan Xian, are you really going to accept your fate?"
Are you really going to accept your fate?
Lan Xian looked at Feng Ran quietly. She smiled and retorted, "Given the current situation, if I don't accept my fate, what else can I do?"
"Feng Ran, I am no longer the Lan Xian I once was. I have been through too much these past few years."
"Feng Ran, let's just pretend we never met. It's better for both of us this way."
Hearing this, Feng Ran looked at Lan Xian in shock. As she tried to persuade her, she met Lan Xian's cold and distant gaze.
At this moment, she finally understood that things had reached a point of no return.
No matter how much more she said, it would be useless.
Just as Feng Ran was about to speak again, the appearance of Xuan Yuan Heng made her stop short of saying the words she had planned.
Feng Ran no longer felt as at ease as before, able to say whatever she pleased.
Xuan Yuan Heng, standing beside Feng Ran, found the situation somewhat amusing.
It seemed she was truly terrified of him.
Feng Ran also felt the person beside her radiating anger.
Yes, she had disregarded everything and rushed to Lan Xian, speaking all that was on her mind.
She had thought she could bring Lan Xian back to her senses.
But in the end, Lan Xian had not awakened.
Feng Ran watched as Elder Lan took Lan Xian away, treating her marriage as a transaction. Elder Lan was now introducing Lan Xian to various people, seemingly looking for a better match.
Not a better match for Lan Xian, but someone who would be better for the Lan family and more helpful.
Looking at the scene before her, Feng Ran's lips curved into a bitter smile.
She gave a wry laugh: Yes, such is fate, what can be done?
Just like her, no matter how unwilling, in the end, one still had to accept it.
Lan Xian was merely sacrificing herself for the Lan family, for the so-called greater good.
This world is indeed cruel, isn't it?
Didn't her own experiences these years prove this point?
"You want to save Lan Xian? But Feng Ran, you can barely protect yourself right now. Even if you can save Lan Xian today, what about tomorrow? And the day after?"
"For so many days, can you stay by Lan Xian's side forever?"
"No..." Feng Ran shook her head, but couldn't utter the words with conviction.
Xuan Yuan Heng's gaze fell upon Feng Ran. A flicker of hope appeared in Feng Ran's eyes, and she said hesitantly, "No, it won't be like that. Lan Xian is still a member of the Lan family. They wouldn't be so cruel to her, would they? Aren't they afraid Lan Xian will disown them?"
But after saying these words, Feng Ran suddenly felt a little foolish.
If they were afraid, these things wouldn't have happened.
Suddenly, she even felt she was quite naive.
So many things were laid out before her, knowing that some things were bound to happen, and yet she still didn't want to face them.
And from the conversations of those around her just now, Feng Ran, despite her unwillingness to admit it, knew that some things had happened and they had happened. Talking about it further was pointless.
Feng Ran's hands clenched tightly. She had so much unwillingness in her heart, but at this moment, she couldn't say anything. Sometimes, certain things couldn't be said just because one wanted to.
"Feng Ran, at this moment, don't you despise your own powerlessness? Don't you even want to destroy everything before you?" Xuan Yuan Heng said coldly, his words exceptionally heartless.
Feng Ran gritted her teeth, her hands clenched tightly.
Yes, she truly hated her own powerlessness. Even when those people spoke insults about Lan Xian, she had wanted to step forward and shut their mouths.
But no matter how much she hated it, how much she wanted to help, in the end, she could only stand there, doing nothing.
Just watching.
The suitors naturally thought about how to please Elder Lan. They could all see that Elder Lan was making all the decisions.
"Hahaha, Prince Yelü is indeed a man of honor. Since you are so sincere, it would be improper for our Lan family to refuse any further."
Elder Lan's face was full of smiles, and he chuckled, "The one who won the prize today is Prince Yelü. Thank you all for coming."
Feng Ran looked at Elder Lan's joyous expression. When her gaze fell upon Prince Yelü, her face turned extremely grim.
She stared intently at Elder Lan, how could he utter such shameless words so casually?
He had even made it impossible to refute.
"However, although she felt Lan Xian didn't deserve this, everyone around was already congratulating Elder Lan. They were all flattering him."
In reality, they were more afraid of offending Prince Yelü and hoped to gain some benefit by currying favor with him.
Elder Lan naturally saw their flattery and knew they were acting this way for their own gain, but he was still very happy.
Elder Lan said to them with a face full of smiles, "That is natural. I will certainly help you."
Elder Lan felt very honored at this moment. He had been looked down upon for years, and today, he truly felt he had gained respect.