The Best Result

Gu Chengyin stood up from the edge of the bed and straightened out his robes, putting them back on properly.

He glanced at the two people on the floor, and then, acting exactly like a scumbag who had just gotten what he wanted, said lazily,

"Clean yourselves up. I'm leaving."

With that, Gu Chengyin strode toward the exit of the bedchamber.

It wasn't that he was heartless; it was mainly because he was afraid that once Shangguan Yunying came to her senses, she would draw her sword and hack him to death.

After all, he had just coaxed and deceived Shangguan Yunying into falling for his trap.

Now that reason was reclaiming the high ground, the best course of action was naturally to run away first.

He could always come back and coax her later when she had calmed down.

By the time Gu Chengyin's figure disappeared out the door and his footsteps faded into the distance,

Shangguan Yunying was still sitting on the floor, staring blankly.

Her brain felt like it was filled with paste, turning incredibly slowly.

Everything that had just happened was truly a bit beyond her comprehension.

She only remembered Gu Chengyin saying he wanted to share joys and sorrows with Her Highness.

She remembered him sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at her from above.

She remembered that she had eventually knelt down.

And then that scene...

Thinking about it now, Shangguan Yunying's cheeks began to burn again.

Especially with that lingering scent in the air.

This realization made her face turn even redder.

She shook her head, trying to throw out these messy thoughts.

By the time Shangguan Yunying finally snapped out of it, Gu Chengyin was nowhere to be seen in the hall.

When did he leave?

Shangguan Yunying took a deep breath, preparing to stand up.

But right at that moment.

A hand suddenly reached over from the side, firmly grasping her wrist.

Shangguan Yunying trembled all over.

She turned her head stiffly and met a pair of eyes.

They were not hollow, not blank, not filled with the submissiveness of being hypnotized.

Instead, they were lucid, cold, and suppressing an anger that was almost ready to erupt.

It was Luo Zhao.

Staring straight at her, she questioned through gritted teeth:

"Was it delicious?"

These words were like needles, piercing ruthlessly into Shangguan Yunying's eardrums.

Her body gave another shudder.

And she subconsciously replied, "...Delicious."

Luo Zhao: "..."

The expression on that stunningly beautiful face froze.

She couldn't help but take a deep breath, inhaling through her nose and slowly exhaling through her lips, carrying a desperately restrained tremble.

It was confirmed.

Her Chief Lady-in-Waiting really had water in her brain.

Shangguan Yunying's heart instantly leaped into her throat.

She spoke cautiously:

"Your... Your Highness?"

Luo Zhao glared fiercely at her, the churning anger in her eyes almost materializing.

Terrified, Shangguan Yunying immediately fell silent, even holding her breath.

Then, she heard Luo Zhao say, word by word, through clenched teeth:

"Gu Chengyin, that bastard..."

"I am definitely going to castrate him!"

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Shangguan Yunying's back.

She had no doubt that Her Highness truly had this intention, and had probably already mentally rehearsed the steps of castration countless times.

Having said this, Luo Zhao suddenly looked at Shangguan Yunying again, scolding angrily:

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Was this the plan we discussed?!"

Shangguan Yunying blinked and said somewhat innocently:

"But Your Highness..."

"You didn't lose your innocence, and neither did I."

"And Gu Chengyin really believed it."

"Isn't this... the best outcome?"

Luo Zhao was stunned.

Her brain seemed to jam, unable to process it for a moment.

Judging purely from the results... it seemed that was indeed the case.

Gu Chengyin had come to the Crown Princess's Palace to test if she was truly hypnotized.

And she had feigned being hypnotized to make Gu Chengyin lower his guard.

Now, Gu Chengyin had tested her, using an extremely excessive method.

And she had flawlessly passed the test; at least in Gu Chengyin's eyes, she was genuinely hypnotized.

Therefore, Gu Chengyin's suspicions were dispelled.

Neither she nor Shangguan Yunying had sacrificed their final bottom line in the process.

Looking at the outcome, it seemed like a win-win?

No!

Alarm bells instantly went off in Luo Zhao's mind.

Sure, from the results, that was true.

But looking at the process, that wasn't the case at all!

Luo Zhao suddenly reached out and grabbed Shangguan Yunying by the collar.

Before Shangguan Yunying could even react, she was yanked right in front of Luo Zhao.

Their faces were instantly close together.

Luo Zhao narrowed her eyes; those phoenix eyes were startlingly bright, churning with a dangerous light.

"Yunying, tell me the truth."

She locked onto Shangguan Yunying's eyes tightly, as if trying to pierce through her pupils and look directly into the depths of her soul.

"Were you trying to force me out, and then let Gu Chengyin run away?!"

This guess was the most reasonable explanation Luo Zhao could come up with during that absurd ordeal just now.

Shangguan Yunying pushing Gu Chengyin to do these things was an attempt to use this extreme method to force her to break character.

To force her to tear off her disguise, and then let Gu Chengyin know the truth.

That way, Gu Chengyin would inevitably run away without hesitation.

As for Shangguan Yunying, even if Luo Zhao knew she did it on purpose, she could only punish her lightly and couldn't really do anything drastic.

After all, this Chief Lady-in-Waiting's father, Shangguan Yuan, was a newly appointed Grand Secretary, the court representative of the emerging noble families.

Her mother, Jiang Jianli, was the only daughter of the Azure Sword Sect's Sect Master, a late-stage Foundation Establishment expert.

Even though Luo Zhao was the Crown Princess, she couldn't possibly do something akin to cutting off her own arms.

She might even have to order Shangguan Yunying to capture Gu Chengyin and lock him in a dark room.

Therefore, this guess was perfectly logical and reasonable.

It even fit Shangguan Yunying's personality very well.

Thus, when Luo Zhao asked this question, her tone was very certain.

However, the panic in Shangguan Yunying's eyes vanished in that instant.

She didn't dodge, didn't shrink back, and didn't even show any embarrassment.

She just looked straight into Luo Zhao's eyes, her gaze clear and open.

Then, she said, word by word, in an equally serious tone:

"No."

"It's because you like him."

Luo Zhao: "..."

She stared at Shangguan Yunying in utter disbelief.

She liked Gu Chengyin?!

This was simply the biggest joke in the world!

How could she possibly like that bastard!

Like a bastard who schemed against her, controlled her, blackmailed her, and even treated her like that just now!

Luo Zhao's lips moved, wanting to retort, wanting to harshly rebuke Shangguan Yunying for her absurdity.

She wanted to use the most scathing words to completely shatter this ridiculous guess.

But her throat felt like it was blocked by something; she couldn't utter a single word.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Yunying's gaze slowly shifted downwards, landing on the corner of Luo Zhao's lips.

Then, she spoke softly, her voice as light as a sigh:

"Your Highness, I know you hate him."

"But, would you really do that kind of thing..."

"...for your enemy?"

At these words, Luo Zhao fell silent.

Her gaze couldn't help but fall onto Shangguan Yunying's lips.

Under the moonlight.

They shimmered with a crystalline gloss.