The Beauty CEO's Personal Expert
Chapter 413 - 409: Estrangement

Chapter 413: Chapter 409: Estrangement

Shi Su’s words suddenly made Ling Chen stunned; he didn’t expect the other party to be so direct and disregard his feelings.

Looking at the flabbergasted Ling Chen, Zhu Xiaozhu’s beautiful eyes carried a hint of apology. She hadn’t expected her Master to speak such words in front of Ling Chen. Not just Ling Chen, even she felt somewhat uncomfortable after hearing these words.

"Master..."

"Enough, no more words. I’ve said all I need to say. Xiaozhu, let’s go."

As Shi Su turned to leave with Zhu Xiaozhu, Xia Yue, who had been standing beside Ling Chen, could not suppress her anger and indignantly said, "You think my brother Ling Cheng is not good enough for your disciple, but your disciple might not necessarily be worthy of my brother Ling Cheng either."

Hearing this, Shi Su turned back and said indifferently, "I’ve heard enough of such self-deceiving words. Say whatever you want. In short, I don’t want to see him hinder my disciple’s future."

"You..." Xia Yue became very agitated.

"Sister Five." Ling Chen pulled Xia Yue back and shook his head at her, saying, "Why bother arguing with her kind of people."

Xia Yue slightly frowned and said, "She spoke about you like that, aren’t you angry?"

Ling Chen shrugged and said, "What’s the use of being angry? Besides, what she said is the truth; I indeed am not as good as the top five on the Newcomer List."

"Ling Cheng is right," Qiu Yong patted Ling Chen’s shoulder and said, "Instead of having the upper hand in words, it’s better to speak with facts. Strength is everything, that has been the unchanging rule in Martial Arts for a thousand years. Let’s go, let’s head back."

Back in his room, Ling Chen sat alone on the sofa, legs crossed, idly fiddling with the teacup in his hands. Although he outwardly claimed not to care in front of Qiu Yong and the others, internally, he was quite troubled.

Nothing frightens a man more than being looked down upon. Shi Su’s words undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to his self-esteem.

Ling Chen scratched his head, his expression somewhat helpless. Now in a good situation, had one Yi Shuiyan to deal with, and now another Qu Jinxian had emerged. What was worse, both individuals were ranked fourth and third on the Newcomer List, respectively, both difficult adversaries.

Just then, the telephone in the guest room rang.

Ling Chen picked up the receiver and greeted, "Who is it?"

"Brother Ling Cheng, it’s me." Wei Jiahao’s voice came through the phone, "I just saw the Dangyang Sect people boarding the ship. Both Yi Shuiyan and Qin Wu have arrived. Big brother asked me to remind you, before the Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony officially starts, try to avoid conflicts with the Dangyang Sect to not offend the rules of Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion."

"Don’t worry, I know."

After hanging up the phone, Ling Chen immediately felt a sense of crisis. The gap between him and Yi Shuiyan was evident; even after nearly two months of special training, it would still be difficult to close this gap.

On this point, Ling Chen was very clear. To win, he needed a lot of luck. Although it frustrated him, he had to admit, luck was the key to his victory.

Sighing, Ling Chen put aside the distracting thoughts in his mind, and prepared to take advantage of the time to diligently practice the Prajnaparamita Sutra.

Polishing the gun before battle, even if not sharp, it would shine, always serving a purpose.

But at that moment, someone gently knocked on the room door. Ling Chen walked to the door and pulled it open. Instantly, a faint fragrance wafted in.

Looking at the visitor outside the door, Ling Chen was slightly stunned. He had thought it would be Qiu Yong or someone else, but he had never expected it to be Zhu Xiaozhu.

Coming back to his senses, Ling Chen smiled, "What brings you here?"

Zhu Xiaozhu bit her thin lips, glanced left and right down the hallway, and asked softly, "Can I come in?"

Without any hesitation, Ling Chen stepped aside to welcome Zhu Xiaozhu into the room. After she had taken a seat, Ling Chen brewed a cup of tea, brought it to Zhu Xiaozhu, and asked with a smile, "Aren’t you afraid of what your master might say by coming to see me?"

"I’m sorry!" Zhu Xiaozhu bowed her head, holding the teacup with both hands. The steam rising up blurred her delicate features, reminiscent of a silver moon reflecting in the lake, exuding a hazy beauty.

Hearing Zhu Xiaozhu’s apology, Ling Chen generously waved his hand and said, "It’s alright, no need to apologize. I’m not that sensitive."

"But I feel guilty. Master is usually very gentle and takes great care of me, but I didn’t expect her to say those words to you, maybe it’s because..." At this point, Zhu Xiaozhu unconsciously stopped talking, her face blushing slightly, her beautiful eyes shy, not daring to continue.

Ling Chen, who hadn’t noticed the shyness in Zhu Xiaozhu’s eyes, asked curiously, "Because of what?"

Zhu Xiaozhu’s face turned redder, unable to meet Ling Chen’s gaze, staring at the faintly rippling tea in the cup, she remained silent for a long time.

Her childhood was unlike other girls; while other little girls had dolls, her only toys were silver needles and ancient medical books. She spent almost ten years under Shi Su’s guidance, learning from her. It was only after she turned fifteen and had made some accomplishments in medicine that she was allowed to leave.

Therefore, in her childhood memories, it was not her parents who were important but her master, Shi Su. In her eyes, Shi Su was both a mentor and a friend. She confided everything to Shi Su, including her feelings for Ling Chen, especially after learning that Ling Chen was with Nanrong Wanqing, which left her heartbroken and urgently needing someone to talk to, making Shi Su the perfect confidant.

Thus, Shi Su knew everything about her and Ling Chen.

The unkind words Shi Su had to Ling Chen were largely out of a desire to defend her. For this, she felt very guilty, which was why she came to apologize to Ling Chen.

However, this was not something she could tell Ling Chen, as it would only make their relationship more awkward.

Seeing that Zhu Xiaozhu was still not speaking, the somewhat slow Ling Chen finally realized that she was uncomfortable answering, so he decided not to press further and tried to change the subject. Yet, as he opened his mouth, he found himself at a loss for words, unsure of what to say.

In the past, he and Zhu Xiaozhu could talk about anything and everything. However, since Zhu Hong appeared, there had been a subtle barrier between them, and their relationship gradually faded.

A significant reason might be his deliberate avoidance.

He did this because he wanted to avoid hurting Zhu Xiaozhu. He knew very well that there was no possibility of reconciliation with Zhu Hong unless one of them died in battle. As Zhu Hong’s sister, if Zhu Xiaozhu ever found out that he had killed Zhu Hong, she would probably never forgive him.

It was better to cut off their camaraderie early, so if Zhu Xiaozhu ever learned the truth in the future, it wouldn’t be as painful; at most, she would see him as an enemy.

He’d rather have Zhu Xiaozhu hate him than see her suffer through tremendous pain.

Lost in thought, neither of them spoke, both silently sitting there like two quiet statues.

Boom!

Just then, a thunderous explosion suddenly erupted.