Jia Ling's Heart Flutters

The Jialan Empress was utterly devastated!

She had never imagined that upon waking, her own daughter would actually blame her, the mother!

Just what kind of bewitching potion had Jiang Che fed her?

How had her once sweet and obedient daughter turned into this?

"Ling'er... Ling'er, listen to me..."

Jia Ling'er's expression turned sorrowful, looking pitiful beyond words. Combined with her frail appearance after just being freed from petrification, she gave off the aura of a grieving widow.

"Mother... you... you still took action against him..."

The girl lowered her head. She didn’t openly rebel against her mother but chose silence instead—after all, her mother still held immense weight in her heart.

"I didn’t kill him! And I couldn’t even if I tried! You have no idea... Jiang Che has been..."

Just as the Empress was about to expose Jiang Che’s wicked deeds, his leisurely voice echoed in her ears.

[Your Majesty, have you forgotten our agreement? If I stop providing my heart’s blood willingly... Ling'er might just turn back to stone by tomorrow!]

Jiang Che’s voice was infuriatingly smug, transmitted directly to the Empress.

[You—!]

[Ding! Host successfully scammed the Jialan Empress, earning 400 million points.]

Truly, only the Empress could yield such massive rewards—over two billion points in such a short time. No ordinary person could pull that off!

"Mother... what has he been doing?" Jia Ling'er pressed urgently.

"You—he’s not even dead! Just turn around and look!" The woman pointed behind Jia Ling'er, exasperated.

The girl slowly turned her head...

"Cough..." A young man stood there, his clothes tattered, blood trickling from the corner of his lips. His chest was drenched in crimson, the terrifying wound visible even through the fabric.

Jiang Che’s face was deathly pale, looking like he was on death’s doorstep.

"Jiang Che!!!"

Jia Ling'er was overjoyed to see him, but the sight of his miserable state left her stunned.

She glanced at Jiang Che, then back at her mother.

"Mother... did you torture him?"

[Ding! Host successfully scammed Jia Ling'er and the Jialan Empress, earning 300 million points.]

The Jialan Empress was speechless. She had never met someone so shameless!

In just one second, Jiang Che had changed into this pitiful state—clearly to manipulate Ling'er’s sympathy. Once he revealed the truth about the "Midnight Heartbreak," Ling'er, with her tender heart, would undoubtedly fall completely for him.

There’d be no turning back then!

"Cough... Ling'er, it’s not like that. Don’t misunderstand Her Majesty. I... cough... volunteered!"

When it came to acting, the entertainment industry owed Jiang Che an Oscar.

Corny? Maybe. But who cared if it worked?

This smooth combo was bound to leave Jia Ling'er utterly fooled.

[You... what exactly are you trying to do? Lies will eventually be exposed...]

Jiang Che shot a sidelong glance at the frantic Empress. What’s the rush? Just stay there and keep generating points!

"Ling'er, I did it willingly."

Jia Ling'er blinked. "Willingly? What happened? Why am I no longer petrified?"

"It’s nothing. Her Majesty just... told me another way to save you, and I took it."

Jiang Che smiled weakly.

Jialan Empress: "???"

[What do you mean? Explain yourself... Since when did I tell you anything? Don’t you dare pin this on me!]

She had sorely underestimated Jiang Che’s shamelessness.

This guy was clearly shifting the blame onto her while painting himself as the noble hero—even risking Ling'er resenting her.

[Your Majesty, remember our agreement. Stay calm, alright?]

Calm? She was about to be branded a cruel mother! How could she stay calm?!

"Another way to save me? There’s another method?!" Jia Ling'er exclaimed excitedly.

"What is it???" Her beautiful eyes sparkled with hope.

Before, there had only been one way—Jiang Che’s death.

Now that there was another option, no matter what, it had to be better than dying, right?

The naive girl thought so.

Truthfully, if her feelings for Jiang Che had been ambiguous before, now... she had finally recognized her own heart.

She might not have fallen completely for him yet, but Jiang Che had already carved a permanent place in her heart.

This emotion had taken root in twisted circumstances, leaving even her bewildered.

"It’s nothing... as long as you’re safe, Ling'er." Jiang Che didn’t elaborate, merely gently smoothing her hair.

But his demeanor only deepened Jia Ling'er’s suspicion.

She studied him again, and her pupils shrank in horror.

"Jiang... Jiang Che, what’s with these injuries? You’re so badly hurt... is it because of... me?"

"Shh." Jiang Che pressed a finger to his lips. "Don’t ask, Ling'er."

Yet the more he avoided it, the more convinced she became.

Jiang Che must have paid an unbearable price to break her petrification.

She’d read enough romance novels to recognize this trope—the male lead striking a deal with the devil or wagering his life to save the heroine.

Tears streaming down her face, the girl threw herself into Jiang Che’s arms, right in front of the Jialan Empress, and the two began whispering sweet nothings.

Jialan Empress: "......"

She was on the verge of a breakdown. Despite her unrivaled power, she was helpless to change anything. Worse, this damned human was shamelessly fondling Ling'er right before her eyes!

And to think... not long ago, the same wretched human had kissed her too! Now this—!

"Enough! Ling'er, I’ll tell you the truth!"

Veins bulged on the Empress’s forehead as she used her magic to separate the two.

"Ling'er, I... I scoured our ancestors’ records and finally found a way to break the ancestral curse. But..."

In the end, the Jialan Empress caved, covering for Jiang Che.

With Ling'er’s life in his hands, she had no choice but to comply.

"What? Midnight Heartbreak?!"

Jia Ling'er clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with terror.

Then her gaze fell on the bloody wound over Jiang Che’s heart.

[Ding! Host successfully scammed Jia Ling'er, earning 50 million points.]

Instantly, twin trails of tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Waaah... how could you be so foolish?! Midnight Heartbreak... how much pain did you endure?!"

Girls were emotional creatures, and Jia Ling'er was no exception.

Once a haughty young mistress, she’d had her pride crushed by Jiang Che, her spoiled temper worn away...

Now that he’d saved her life, how could her heart not sway?

She wasn’t Shen Yu, after all.