The moment these words left her mouth, before Gu Chengyin could even react, Luo Zhao exploded internally, almost switching out of her conscious puppet state.
What is wrong with Shangguan Yunying?!
Was this the plan?!
This wasn't what she said at all!
Weren't you, Shangguan Yunying, supposed to be the one being bullied?!
This was all to solidify the illusion of the hypnosis, to make Gu Chengyin believe that everything was truly under his control.
But now?
What is Shangguan Yunying doing?!
Not only was she not following the plan, but she was also saying such... such indecent things in front of Gu Chengyin!
Is Shangguan Yunying still the Chief Court Lady or not?!
Does she have even the most basic loyalty left?!
Or could it be...
Did Gu Chengyin drug Shangguan Yunying?!
Is this bastard really that good?!
Meanwhile, Gu Chengyin froze upon hearing her words.
Immediately after, alarm bells rang in his head.
Something was wrong.
This was a massive trap!
This was absolutely not something Shangguan Yunying would say.
At least, not something a dutiful Chief Court Lady would say.
Was she probing him?
Or seducing him?
But whichever it was, it carried an intent he could not currently comprehend.
"Yunying, what are you saying."
Gu Chengyin took a half-step back, creating some distance between himself and Shangguan Yunying, and said with a hint of mild anger:
"How could I possibly have such thoughts? Besides, the person I like is you."
Gu Chengyin spoke these words fluently and naturally, with utmost sincerity.
But what greeted him were Shangguan Yunying's smiling eyes.
She wasn't disappointed by his denial, nor did she retreat because he stepped back.
She merely gestured toward Luo Zhao on the bed, the corners of her lips curving into a sly arc.
"Really?"
"Then why are you controlling Her Highness, and using her to threaten me?"
Shangguan Yunying leaned forward a half-step, closing the distance between them once more.
Her gaze locked straight onto Gu Chengyin, the amusement in her eyes deepening.
"No matter how I look at it, you don't seem like a good person at all~"
These words...
Gu Chengyin's breath hitched slightly.
This tone, this demeanor, this phrasing...
Half-reproachful, half-angry, half-truth, half-falsehood.
She didn't seem at all like a court lady being blackmailed; rather, she seemed like she was flirting with her lover.
Gu Chengyin could no longer figure out Shangguan Yunying's thoughts at all.
What on earth was this woman thinking?
Could it be that because Luo Zhao was under hypnotic control, she lost her psychological burden and simply let herself go completely?
Or was this actually some sort of superior probing, using this borderline betrayal to test his true attitude?
Gu Chengyin's brain worked at lightning speed.
But no matter how he deduced, he couldn't find a completely reasonable explanation.
Because women, fundamentally, had no logic.
Especially a woman as smart and beautiful as Shangguan Yunying.
Gentle and capable on the surface, but actually incredibly meticulous and sensitive.
Seemingly unfailingly loyal, but harboring complex emotions.
She should hate him to the bone, yet she liked him so much she couldn't help herself.
The behavioral logic of such a woman had long surpassed the realm of deduction.
Ultimately, Gu Chengyin decided to give up guessing and asked directly:
"Yunying, what exactly are you trying to do?"
His voice was calm, with no questioning or anger, only a frank sincerity.
The smile on Shangguan Yunying's face slowly faded.
That sly, teasing look receded, replaced by an unparalleled seriousness.
"Gu Chengyin, you are actually still suspicious of Her Highness, aren't you?"
Gu Chengyin was slightly taken aback.
He didn't answer immediately, but quietly looked at Shangguan Yunying.
After a long while, he finally nodded.
"Yes."
Shangguan Yunying seemed to have expected this answer long ago; there was no look of surprise on her face.
She continued asking:
"Is it because last time, Her Highness broke free from your control, so this time you can never truly put your mind at ease, right?"
Gu Chengyin nodded again, admitting to this fact.
The moonlight shone through the window onto his face, casting his features in half-light and half-shadow.
A trace of complex emotion flashed in Shangguan Yunying's eyes as she slowly spoke:
"I want to give you an opportunity."
"An opportunity that will let you completely put your mind at ease."
Gu Chengyin's pupils suddenly contracted as he looked into Shangguan Yunying's eyes.
There was no trace of a joke in those eyes, only profound determination.
She was serious.
This realization made Gu Chengyin's heart skip a heavy beat.
Shangguan Yunying was Luo Zhao's Chief Court Lady.
Her loyalty had never wavered.
But now... she was saying she wanted to give him an opportunity?
Is this reasonable?
Countless questions flashed through Gu Chengyin's mind in an instant.
Is this a trap?
Is it a more advanced probe authorized by Luo Zhao?
Or could it be that Shangguan Yunying had developed feelings for him strong enough to betray Luo Zhao?
Gu Chengyin did not speak.
He just quietly looked at Shangguan Yunying, trying to find the answer in those eyes.
And Shangguan Yunying seemed to see right through his doubts.
"Are you thinking right now..."
"Aren't I the Chief Court Lady? How could I do such a thing?"
Gu Chengyin nodded.
Let alone him, anyone would be suspicious of such a thing.
Suspicious of Shangguan Yunying's motives, suspicious of her loyalty, suspicious of whether there was a grander conspiracy hidden behind this.
But Shangguan Yunying didn't explain, didn't justify herself.
She didn't even continue this topic.
Instead, she opened her arms and stepped forward to embrace Gu Chengyin once again.
Wrapping her arms around his waist, she buried her face in the crook of Gu Chengyin's neck.
"Gu Chengyin..."
"Have you ever thought about..."
"How important you are to me, and to Her Highness?"
Shangguan Yunying spoke these words very slowly, each syllable seemingly dug out from the deepest depths of her heart.
Gu Chengyin was stunned, momentarily not knowing how to respond.
Shangguan Yunying continued speaking on her own:
"Last time, Her Highness did indeed break free from your control."
"But did Her Highness do anything to you?"
"She didn't do anything at all, did she?"
Gu Chengyin frowned. Put that way, it wasn't wrong.
After breaking free from the hypnosis last time, Luo Zhao truly hadn't taken any action.
But not doing anything didn't mean forgiveness; enduring silently was just preparation for a counter-kill.
Gu Chengyin was still very clear on the difference between the two.
"Yunying."
"I understand what you mean."
"But this is merely mutual exploitation."
This was the most rational explanation he could provide.
Luo Zhao needed him, and he needed Luo Zhao.
Each taking what they needed, mutually exploiting each other.
Nothing more.
However, these words seemed to strike Shangguan Yunying's most sensitive nerve.
She abruptly lifted her head, her eyes already turning red. She stared straight at Gu Chengyin, her eyes churning with near-collapsing emotions.
"Then what about me!?"
Shangguan Yunying's voice suddenly rose, sounding particularly piercing in the quiet bedchamber.
But she didn't care at all whether she would wake up the soundly sleeping Luo Zhao.
She just stared dead at Gu Chengyin, tears finally rolling down from her eyes.
Sliding down her cheeks, sparkling in the moonlight.
"I am Her Highness's Chief Court Lady!"
"You are the person I like the most!"
"If in the future, it must come down to life and death between the two of you..."
"What am I supposed to do!?"
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
