Miss Truth
Chapter 288 - 182 Ying Luo (2)

Chapter 288: Chapter 182 Ying Luo (2)

It was said that the lady knew Madam Xing, and was not the person he had thought of, which eased Ran Yunsheng’s expression, and he slightly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although these were all subtle movements, they did not escape Ran Yan’s eyes. She half-jokingly said, "Shilang, didn’t you stir up some peach blossom debt somewhere?"

"Don’t you know me?" Ran Yunsheng glared at her and walked towards the courtyard.

Ran Yunsheng was handsome and exceedingly gentle and courteous. There were many ladies who had their eyes on him, like carp crossing the river. However, he had always been self-disciplined, never involving himself ambiguously with others. Even though he often had to entertain in brothels, he had never been promiscuous to this day.

In Ran Yan’s opinion, Ran Yunsheng was the kind of person who pursued a spiritual connection far more than physical desire.

Past the Inner Gate, the view suddenly became clear.

Under the ginkgo trees in the courtyard stood a woman in green. She hung her head, her ink-black hair loosely tied in a bun at the back, still dripping with water as if she had just taken a bath. Sunlight filtered through the yellow ginkgo leaves, dappled across her, making her skin, pale as jade, even more dazzling.

When the woman heard footsteps, she lifted her head, and her clear gaze fell on Ran Yunsheng. She opened her mouth, but her voice caught in her throat.

Ran Yan clearly saw the shape of her mouth form one word: Shilang.

Ran Yan recognized the arrival and nodded slightly as a greeting, "Lady Qi."

Lady Qi returned the greeting in a daze.

Ran Yan then tactfully led Huan Kong, Wan Lu, and Ge Lan away.

Ran Yunsheng looked at her somewhat pale face, his heart tightened, and the cold words he had intended turned into, "Why did you come?"

"I... I came to see you." Lady Qi’s usually emotionless voice carried many emotions this time, too complex to discern clearly. "Father has arranged a marriage for me."

After a long silence, Ran Yunsheng finally said, "Is that so, congratulations to you."

"I don’t want it." Lady Qi captured Ran Yunsheng’s gaze, staring intently at him, a blush spreading on her face, yet she said with a sense of relief, "In the past, I felt helpless and spoke nonsense to you... but now that the marriage is settled, I realize the so-called constraints are nothing much, it’s just that I didn’t dare to let go. Shilang... this is my only chance."

Towards the end, her voice carried a plea.

Lady Qi was the pride of the Qi family, held in a position as if among the clouds and the moon. She admired Ran Yunsheng, but knowing she couldn’t have him, she had spoken those words to him, seeking temporary comfort.

Ran Yunsheng stepped down the stairs, watching her shed her cold disguise. He sighed, "Have you ever asked if I liked you?"

That voice, as gentle and smooth as jade as ever, was like the edge of a knife gently skimming across Lady Qi’s heart. She didn’t feel the pain at first, only a gradual loss of warmth.

Ran Yan stood on a distant corridor, watching the couple that was within arm’s reach: Lady Qi’s movements were stiff, Ran Yunsheng looked at the crown of her head with downcast eyes.

"Are you spying?" Xiao Song’s voice suddenly sounded in her ear.

Ran Yan turned around and gave a slight bow, "Mr. Xiao."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Xiao Song’s eyes, "Did you start distancing yourself from me as soon as you stood up from the couch?"

"Thank you, Mr. Xiao, for taking care of me these past days. I will surely repay you in the future," Ran Yan said, her tone still even.

Although Ran Yan was as indifferent as usual, Xiao Song sensitively perceived that she seemed to be angry.

"Are you blaming me for deliberately making things difficult for Sang Suiyuan? Thinking it over, only this matter in recent days could have possibly angered you."

Ran Yan remained silent but lifted her dark eyes and stared at Xiao Song.

Having the chance to explain was good enough. Xiao Song felt elated inside, yet his face showed a penitent expression, "I admit it was wrong of me to lock them up overnight, and I shouldn’t have intentionally placed them across from Zhuang Yin. But in doing so, I had absolutely no intention of targeting Sang Suiyuan."

"Don’t tell me you did it for his own good. To help him build courage?" Ran Yan frowned.

"I just wanted him to understand that he is not suitable for you," Xiao Song said seriously.

Ran Yan stared into his eyes for a long while before nodding.

Ran Yan agreed with Xiao Song’s reasoning, but she could not bring herself to thank him for treating Sang Chen like that. She could only head back to her room in silence.

Xiao Song stood with his hands behind his back, and as she quickly approached the corner, he suddenly called out loud, "I have to hurry back to Chang’an, I will depart tomorrow."

Ran Yan stopped in her tracks, turned her head to look at him, and after a long thought, she asked, "Is the case in Jushui County concluded just like that?"

"No, it ends tonight," Xiao Song said somewhat helplessly, not expecting that Ran Yan’s first thought upon hearing of his departure was this matter.

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