"No, it's not," Feng Ran's eyes were filled with bitterness. She even covered her mouth, preventing herself from speaking, fearing she wouldn't be able to hold back.
After a long while, she regained her composure.
Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Feng Jin's longing gaze. In truth, it wasn't just Feng Jin who wanted to know; she also wanted to tell Feng Jin, "I am your sister."
But in the end, she held back. She knew better than anyone that these words could not be spoken aloud.
"Feng Ran, can you look at me and say that again?"
As Feng Jin spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Feng Ran, never wavering.
Feng Ran knew that if she didn't look up, it would only lead to unnecessary misunderstandings. After a moment, she raised her head and looked directly at the person before her, "Young Master Feng, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I do not know you."
Feng Ran sounded unusually flustered as she said this.
She didn't want Feng Jin to see her in such a dejected state.
They couldn't acknowledge each other now, but what about later? Perhaps there would still be a chance in the future.
At this moment, she was in a predicament.
Feeling unwell, she leaned on the side and said to Feng Jin, "Young Master Feng, the person who can be your sister must be someone very talented, someone of noble status. They would never be as lowly and humble as I am."
"Young Master Feng, I am merely a girl from Chun Manyuan. I am definitely not your sister."
"Those rumors outside must be false."
"Young Master Feng, please do not believe them."
Feng Jin's brow furrowed. He quietly watched the person before him, seemingly contemplating whether her words were true. Was he overthinking everything?
Or was it all a misunderstanding from the start?
Seeing that Feng Jin didn't seem to quite believe what she was saying, Feng Ran inwardly cursed her bad luck. She absolutely could not let Feng Jin become suspicious, otherwise, things would become difficult to manage later.
At that moment, Xuanyuan Heng suddenly appeared before her, grabbed her hand, and forcefully pulled her into his embrace. His hand restlessly moved around her waist.
Feng Ran tried to push Xuanyuan Heng away, but he whispered heatedly in her ear, "Don't you want Feng Jin to believe what you're saying?"
"Then, you will serve this King well, and Feng Jin will naturally believe your words when he sees it."
"What do you say?" Seeing the struggle on Feng Ran's face, Xuanyuan Heng felt an unusual excitement.
"Regent King, this..."
Feng Ran looked up, meeting Xuanyuan Heng's gaze. She knew she no longer had the right to refuse.
Finally, she sighed in resignation.
She obediently followed Xuanyuan Heng's instructions, attending to him with the same movements as the other girls from Chun Manyuan.
"Feng Ran."
Feng Jin looked at Feng Ran with disdain and said coldly, "I believe you. You are not the person I am looking for."
"Heh, it's my fault too. In my eagerness to find my sister, I mistook you for her."
Hearing this, Xuanyuan Heng let out a sneer. Heh, Feng Ran was truly remarkable. She was willing to do anything to protect the person she wanted to protect.
But Xuanyuan Heng did not want Feng Ran's situation to be resolved so perfectly.
She should be trapped, bound forever.
"Feng Ran, you wouldn't be so naive as to think this King would be so kind as to do things for you, would you?" Xuanyuan Heng's voice, like a demon's, echoed in Feng Ran's ear.
"Feng Ran, the real show is about to begin. You'd best hold on," Xuanyuan Heng said with a light laugh, his eyes filled with amusement.
"Regent King, no, you can't do that."
"Regent King, I will be good and obedient. Please, don't reveal those things, okay?"
Xuanyuan Heng pinched Feng Ran's chin and said coldly, "Now you know to beg this King? If you had known this earlier, why did you do what you did then?"
Feng Jin, standing nearby, couldn't bear to watch any longer. He looked at Xuanyuan Heng and said anxiously, "Regent King, please let her go. I don't know why she ended up in such a place, but her life is difficult. If it weren't for that, how could she be here?"
"Let her go this once."
Feng Ran's face turned pale, her expression extremely distressed. She did not want Feng Jin to step forward and speak for her.
She didn't want to drag Feng Jin down.
Feng Ran looked at Feng Jin and said fiercely, "This is my business and has nothing to do with you. Young Master Feng, please do not interfere casually."
"Young Master Feng, just mind your own affairs."
Feng Jin: "I merely pity you and spoke up for you. I never expected you to speak like this. You truly are ungrateful."
Feng Ran let out a cold scoff. Hearing these words, her heart truly ached. But even with the pain in her heart, she finally closed her eyes tightly and spoke after a long pause, "Since Young Master Feng knows I am ungrateful, then Young Master Feng, please do not appear before me again."
Feng Jin looked at Feng Ran and said coldly, "Feng Ran, you are truly ungrateful. I only spoke up for you because I pitied you. I never expected you to be such an ungrateful person."
Feng Ran remained silent, just staying there quietly, listening to him.
She only hoped that after this, Feng Jin would no longer focus his attention on her and would go on to do what he was supposed to do.
Seeing that Feng Jin still stood there and refused to leave, a peculiar glint flashed in Feng Ran's eyes.
"Young Master Feng, with your current status, it is incredibly easy to investigate my origins. Therefore, Young Master Feng can simply go and investigate."
"However, Young Master Feng, have you ever considered this? If I truly am your sister, and outsiders were to find out, how embarrassing would that be for you? In the future, you would become the subject of everyone's discussion. Would you be happy then?"
Feng Ran chuckled coldly. These were obvious matters, and Feng Jin must know them. Perhaps he had forgotten.
If she brought it up, he would likely remember.
Feng Jin looked at Feng Ran, seemingly taken aback by her words.
Feng Jin looked at Feng Ran and asked again in a low voice, "You are truly not my sister?"
Suppressing the pain in her heart, Feng Ran clenched her fists tightly. She averted her gaze, unable to look at him, afraid that if she met his eyes, she would blurt out the whole truth.
Taking a deep breath, she calmly said, "Young Master Feng, I am feeling unwell and require rest. If there is nothing else, can Young Master Feng please leave?"
At this moment, Feng Ran's heart had already turned numb.
"Feng Ran, I was abrupt today," Feng Jin said coldly. "In the future, such matters will never happen again."
"Mm," Feng Ran replied calmly. Looking at Feng Jin, she managed a smile and said, "Then, Young Master Feng, in the future, please never say such things again."