Nangong Wan clenched her fists, her eyes churning with rage and urgency. She almost stumbled through the noisy crowd, her gaze locked firmly on Madam Ye, who sat at the head of the banquet hall.
She knew that in the entire Ye Family, only Madam Ye could suppress the maddened Ye Moran and rescue the boy imprisoned in that cage.
But she had only taken two steps when two tall bodyguards in black silently blocked her path. Their expressionless faces and the oppressive aura they radiated caused the surrounding guests to instinctively step aside.
“Move! I want to see Madam Ye!”
Nangong Wan shouted sharply, her voice trembling slightly with anger. However, the bodyguards remained motionless, like two cold sculptures, completely disregarding her resistance.
Not far away, Ye Moran leaned against a corridor pillar, carelessly stroking the rim of her wine glass with her fingertips. Watching Nangong Wan’s pathetic state as she was blocked, a cold and cruel smile curled at the corners of her lips.
She had long expected this woman to act out of desperation. From the moment she appeared in this banquet hall and dared to say those things, her every move had been under Ye Moran’s control.
“How foolish.”
Ye Moran whispered, her eyes as dark as a frozen pond. She turned around and didn’t spare Nangong Wan another glance.
Nangong Wan was held back firmly by the bodyguards, unable to get even an inch closer to Madam Ye. She watched as Madam Ye chatted and laughed, surrounded by the crowd, and despair began to spread through her heart.
She knew it would be impossible to see Madam Ye today, let alone reveal what Su Ling was going through.
Ye Shuyu stood nearby, taking it all in. Seeing Nangong Wan’s distress and remembering Ye Moran’s piercingly cold eyes, her body couldn’t stop shaking.
The memories she had deliberately tried to forget, hidden deep within her mind, resurfaced. She felt as though she could hardly breathe, her body nearly giving out.
Su Xing noticed her distress and immediately ran over to support her.
“I… I’m fine…”
Ye Shuyu gripped Su Xing’s arm tightly, feeling the warmth of his body. Only then did her fear gradually begin to fade.
After a long time, she finally recovered, a bitter smile appearing on her face.
“I thought I had already forgotten, that I didn’t care anymore.”
After her struggle proved fruitless, Nangong Wan was eventually “invited” out of the banquet hall by the bodyguards. Standing outside the cold gates of the manor, she looked at the closed doors, a burning hatred igniting in her eyes.
She wouldn’t give up. Absolutely not. She would definitely find an opportunity to save Su Ling from that devil’s side!
Ye Moran stood on a high vantage point and exchanged a glance with her father, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.
She turned and left. The situation was mostly handled; it was time to accompany the little fellow.
That little fellow was still waiting for her in the room. If she kept him waiting too long, he would surely show that aggrieved and frightened little expression again.
At the thought of Su Ling’s reddened eyes and trembling shoulders, a strange sense of pleasure bubbled up in Ye Moran’s heart — it was a satisfaction that belonged only to her, the feeling of holding someone firmly in the palm of her hand.
***
On the other side, after Ye Moran left, Su Ling had originally curled up under the covers. Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
Thinking his elder sister had returned, he immediately pulled down the blanket. However, the more he listened, the more it didn’t seem right. The footsteps would walk for a bit, then stop, as if someone were looking for something.
He shrank back under the covers, wrapping himself tightly. His small body curled into a ball, and his heart pounded frantically.
The room was terrifyingly quiet, save for the rustling of the manor’s woods in the wind outside and the sound of his own breathing.
After an unknown amount of time, the footsteps outside started again, this time getting closer and closer!
The footsteps stopped at the door, and someone gently turned the handle.
Ye Moran hadn’t locked it when she left, so the door was pushed open instantly.
A woman with exquisite clothing and a capable aura walked in. There was a hint of exhaustion in her eyes, and she held a room card and a paper guide issued by the manor.
“This should be the place, right?”
Gu Qingyuan rubbed the space between her eyebrows. Right after getting off the plane, her parents had arranged for her to attend this banquet. She was truly exhausted.
Fortunately, these banquets provided guest rooms for attendees to rest overnight. Originally, an attendant was supposed to accompany her, but the attendant had an emergency bathroom break. Left with no choice, she had to follow the general direction the person pointed out.
She set her suitcase aside and glanced at the slightly messy bed, frowning slightly.
‘Has this room not been cleaned yet?’
Forget it. She would sleep first and worry about it when she woke up.
With that thought, she walked toward the bed and sat down. Feeling the warmth of the mattress, she relaxed.
Her body finally lost control and tumbled backward.
“Ah!”
“Hmm?!”
Gu Qingyuan quickly got up and turned around, staring at the bed in confusion.
Su Ling slowly crawled out from under the covers, revealing a panic-stricken little head.
‘What the…?’
‘Why did a person — a young boy — pop out from the blankets?’
The moment her gaze landed on Su Ling, who was trembling on the bed, her breath hitched.
‘So… so beautiful…’
“Who… who are you?”
Su Ling clutched the blanket, his eyes looking at her uneasily.
A possibility instantly popped into Gu Qingyuan’s mind. Could this be someone the Ye Family had arranged for her?
She had heard that some banquets prepared “playmates” to serve guests when they retired to rest.
At this thought, the confusion in her eyes immediately turned into blatant scrutiny and greed.
Her gaze lingered on Su Ling’s pale and delicate face, moving down inch by inch to his slender neck and trembling shoulders. A smirk of determination involuntarily curled on her lips.
It turned out this wasn’t just a guest room; there was such a “surprise” waiting for her.
“Who are you? Why are you here?”
Gu Qingyuan’s voice softened, yet it carried an undeniable pressure as she slowly approached him.
“Did the Ye Family arrange for you to accompany me?”
Su Ling’s skin crawled under her gaze. He instinctively shrank back, his hands tightly gripping the blanket. His eyes reddened, and his voice was soft and fearful.
“I… I’m not… I live here… You’re in the wrong room…”
“The wrong room?”
Gu Qingyuan chuckled, not believing him at all. She merely thought the boy was being shy or playing hard to get.
“This is the guest room assigned to me by the manor. How could it be wrong? Since you’re already here, stop pretending.”
She reached out, grabbing directly for Su Ling’s wrist. The moment her fingertips touched his cold skin, Su Ling jolted violently. He let out a scream and tried his best to hide.
“No… don’t touch me… go away…”
Gu Qingyuan’s expression darkened. She decided not to be polite anymore and reached out to pin him down.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m very gentle. Besides, you’re so beautiful; I wouldn’t have the heart to be too hard on you.”
“Sob… no, please… let me go, okay?”
“No.”
“Little thing, you smell so good. I really want to eat you up.”
“No!”
Gu Qingyuan licked her lips and aimed for the little thing’s charming, lovely mouth…