World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 555 - 284: Shameless Suo Lun, entangling with Liren!

Chapter 555: 284: Shameless Suo Lun, entangling with Liren!

At this moment, Suo Lun was holding his daughter Qin Qin as he drew.

After regaining his true appearance, he was able to fully utilize his artistic skills, sketching portraits with such masterful strokes that they seemed to bring the subjects to life on paper.

Currently, he was drawing Ashi Yuanba.

The Ashi Yuanba in the painting was looking at Qin Qin; an image imbued with a domineering swagger, yet also tinged with a cautious tenderness, was vividly captured.

Suo Lun held his daughter as he painted, with Fu Yan’er in the corner trying to curry favor with a forced smile.

This shameless woman realized that trying to please Suo Lun was futile, as he never showed her any kindness.

Winning over his daughter was the proper way, because Suo Lun loved his daughter. As long as she was inseparable from his daughter, her relationship with Suo Lun would also be inseparable.

All this time, Qin Qin had been very well-behaved. Even though Fu Yan’er was not always nice to her, sometimes took her frustrations out on her, frequently pinched her, and made perfunctory meals for her.

But every time someone scolded Fu Yan’er or showed her unfriendly faces, Qin Qin would cry.

In her heart, even if Fu Yan’er was not good, she was still her mother, her closest kin.

But now, things seemed to have changed.

Qin Qin no longer seemed to be heartbroken for her mother; she stayed close by her father’s side and did not seem as affectionate towards her mother, Fu Yan’er, anymore.

Suo Lun had always been unkind to Fu Yan’er, speaking coldly and harshly, but Qin Qin showed no intention of standing up for her mother.

Suddenly, Fu Yan’er couldn’t help feeling resentful. Such an ungrateful child, forgetting her mother once she had her father, after all the effort she’d put into raising her.

...

Ashi Liren burst in furiously, and her eyes immediately fell upon the portrait of her son, so spirited and lifelike as if he were real.

For a moment, her heart softened slightly.

Then, Ashi Liren saw Qin Qin, the little girl who had almost become her daughter-in-law.

Upon seeing her, Qin Qin smiled sweetly.

This child was almost always silent, even melancholic.

Liren had never seen her so joyfully delighted, truly like a blooming flower.

Qin Qin was clever, for she had learned from a young age in a unique environment to read people and situations. She could easily have seen that Ashi Liren was angry, fuming.

However, she was so happy and joyful now that she had begun to ignore her surroundings and focus on her happiness.

That was a good thing; a child should be selfish and not have to cater to others’ emotions so young; it meant that Qin Qin was regaining the mindset a little girl should have.

Seeing Qin Qin’s smile, Ashi Liren’s heart softened once more.

She had initially planned to slap Suo Lun a few times as soon as she arrived and then beat him half to death.

But now, he was painting a portrait of her son Yuanba and holding Qin Qin; how could Ashi Liren possibly bring herself to act?

"I have something to discuss with you, come with me," Ashi Liren said coldly.

Fu Yan’er immediately stepped forward and said, "Be careful with your words; my husband is the City Lord of Tianshui City, a prince among the kingdom’s nobles, and you’re just a noble’s daughter."

She had long found Ashi Liren disagreeable, with her coldness, pride, and beauty.

And she thought she had spoken quite well, standing up for Suo Lun.

"Step aside."

"Step aside."

Suo Lun and Ashi Liren said in almost perfect unison.

Qin Qin’s smile faded as she looked at her mother, showing distress on her face.

Oh, Suo Lun now understood.

It wasn’t that Qin Qin no longer cared for her mother; while it might be acceptable for Suo Lun to treat Fu Yan’er coldly, anyone else doing so was not.

"Dear, go play with Mommy. I need to speak with Auntie Liren for a moment," Suo Lun said, then handed Qin Qin over to Fu Yan’er.

"My lord, don’t give in to her; you have a higher status than her," Fu Yan’er still tried to ingratiate herself with Suo Lun, feigning a coquettish tone.

Suo Lun was at his wits’ end with this woman.

Cold looks were ineffective, insults useless, sarcasm went over her head; surely he couldn’t actually hit her.

No matter how you treated her, she would still cast amorous glances your way or come over and touch you.

Suo Lun had figured it out; Fu Yan’er had become immune to cold words and biting sarcasm at Qiufeng Academy and had developed an impossibly thick skin.

Now, all she thought about was hooking Suo Lun again, vying for favor, and continually elevating her own status in Tianshui City.

Fu Yan’er left with her reluctantly departing daughter, leaving only Ashi Liren and Suo Lun in the room.

...

Originally, Ashi Liren had come charging in to give a beating.

But energy fades after an initial burst; the impulse had passed, and now she could not bring herself to do it.

"Was the royal decree you prepared already planned?" Ashi Liren asked coldly.

"Yes," Suo Lun replied, "I wrote it last night."

Ashi Liren was taken aback.

She had thought the decree was something the King had written in advance, merely delivered by Suo Lun. Not just her, everyone had thought so.

Little did she know, the decree had been written by Suo Lun himself just last night.

This meant a lot; drafting royal decrees was the privilege of the King. Now that Suo Lun had written one himself, it implied that the King had granted him a blank decree, sealed with all the necessary Jade Seals, for him to fill as he pleased.

This was an immense trust, an immense power.

It signified that Suo Lun held an unchallengeable authority within the Zhiyan Group.

But this was not the reason Ashi Liren had come.

Liren said coldly, "You could have issued this decree to me in a few days, but you deliberately had Elder Sangaoweng deliver it today, exposing all the flaws. You wanted everyone to think that I was conspiring with you, with the Zhen Yan Princess, didn’t you?"