Lin Qingyan looked up at the bright moon hanging in the middle of the sky.
The moonlight shone quietly, as if watching an indifferent play.
Its light remained cold and clear, falling upon her face, illuminating the helpless smile clearly.
The situation now was clearly in Luo Zhao's favor, because she was hiding in the shadows.
Because she was the one striking, not the one being targeted.
She could stay behind the scenes, watching as Gu Chengyin was schemed against time and again, cornered time and again, forced to the wall time and again.
But this advantage was not significant.
Because once Gu Chengyin learned the truth, he would crush Luo Zhao with overwhelming force.
Lin Qingyan's gaze sharpened.
This man was too terrifying, too ruthless. When he didn't act, he was still; when he moved, it was like a thunderbolt.
He would calculate everything clearly and understand every heart thoroughly.
Then, using the simplest method, he would trample his opponent into the mud.
Luo Zhao had indeed learned a great deal from Gu Chengyin.
But whatever she could learn, Gu Chengyin mastered even more thoroughly.
And to prevent this one-sided situation from emerging,
Even Lin Qingyan had to help cover things up, or even lend a hand.
For this very reason, Luo Zhao had laid her cards on the table so bluntly.
When this thought surfaced, Lin Qingyan furrowed her brow.
Help Luo Zhao target Gu Chengyin?
Impossible.
She would never help someone else target Gu Chengyin.
But if she didn't help Luo Zhao, then Gu Chengyin would learn the truth.
If Gu Chengyin learned the truth, he would make a move against Luo Zhao.
If Gu Chengyin made a move against Luo Zhao, Luo Zhao would be defeated without a doubt.
Luo Zhao would be defeated without a doubt...
She was the only daughter of her elder sister.
The niece she had watched grow up since childhood.
Lin Qingyan took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
If she had known it would come to this, it would have been better not to come to the Crown Prince's palace at all.
If she hadn't come tonight, if she hadn't walked through this door,
If she hadn't spoken with Luo Zhao, if she hadn't heard those words,
Then she wouldn't know all this, and she wouldn't be caught in this dilemma.
Sure enough, there are some truths that are better left unknown.
Lin Qingyan felt even more helpless.
The moonlight shone quietly, the night breeze blew gently.
She stood there outside the bedchamber door, amidst all this cold silence,
Allowing her thoughts to churn, allowing the scales in her heart to swing back and forth.
On one side was Luo Zhao.
On the other side was Gu Chengyin.
In the middle was herself.
Lin Qingyan stood there for a very, very long time.
So long that the moon had imperceptibly shifted, so long that the night breeze had gradually taken on the chill of deeper night and heavier dew.
Then, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
This thought came so abruptly that even Lin Qingyan herself was stunned.
What if...
What if she let Gu Chengyin devour Luo Zhao?
As soon as this thought surfaced, Lin Qingyan's entire body stiffened.
Let Gu Chengyin devour Luo Zhao?
What did that mean?
Literally?
What... what was she thinking?
The tips of Lin Qingyan's ears suddenly grew hot.
That heat spread from behind her ears to her cheeks, tinged with a very faint blush under the moonlight.
Here she was, standing in the moonlight, outside the Crown Prince's bedchamber, and running through her mind was...
Let Gu Chengyin devour Luo Zhao?
Since when was this a win-win solution?
Since when was this a way to solve the problem?
This... this was clearly...
Lin Qingyan's heartbeat suddenly quickened a few beats.
But thinking about it carefully...
If Gu Chengyin devoured Luo Zhao, would Luo Zhao still hate him?
If Luo Zhao became Gu Chengyin's woman, would she still try every means to target him?
If Gu Chengyin had Luo Zhao in his grasp, would he still run?
Would he still defect to the Second Prince, still disappear from her sight?
No.
None of that would happen.
Luo Zhao wouldn't hate him anymore, because the hatred would turn into something else.
Gu Chengyin wouldn't run, because he would be even more unable to get away.
Trapped by Luo Zhao, how could he possibly escape?
And her...
Lin Qingyan's gaze suddenly darkened.
What about her?
If Gu Chengyin really did devour Luo Zhao, what would she do?
After all, she was Luo Zhao's aunt. If she really let Gu Chengyin devour Luo Zhao,
That would be letting Gu Chengyin off far too easily!
This thought came and went in a flash.
Lin Qingyan stood still, the blush on her face fading.
She shook her head, casting this absurd notion out of her mind.
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Not to mention whether Luo Zhao would be willing, as it stood, Luo Zhao only felt hatred for Gu Chengyin.
That frenzied look in her eyes, that gnashing tone of her voice, that determination to drag Gu Chengyin into the mire—
It wasn't love; it was hatred, a pure, pathological, maddening hatred.
In such a state of mind, normal methods wouldn't even be feasible, let alone anything else.
And then there was whether Gu Chengyin would be willing. This man only felt respect for Luo Zhao.
The way he looked at Luo Zhao was no different from how he looked at anyone else in the world.
And he was extremely cautious. If Gu Chengyin were truly told to devour Luo Zhao,
This man would only wonder if there was some earth-shattering trap lying in wait.
So it was impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Lin Qingyan told herself this.
But a small voice in her heart whispered from a corner.
What if it were possible?
If it really could be done, wouldn't everything be resolved?
Luo Zhao wouldn't have to hate, Gu Chengyin wouldn't have to run, and she wouldn't be caught in the middle, torn between both sides.
Everyone would be fine, nobody would get hurt, nobody would be sad.
Wasn't that a win-win? Wasn't that perfect for everyone?
Lin Qingyan took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
The night breeze blew, bringing a hint of chill.
That chill finally pulled her out of her wild thoughts and back to reality.
Absurd.
Too absurd.
How could she have such a thought?
She was Lin Qingyan!
She was Luo Zhao's aunt!
How could she...
How could she...
Lin Qingyan closed her eyes, letting the night breeze sweep over her.
The wind brushed across her cheeks, carrying away the last traces of warmth.
After a long while, she opened her eyes.
The cold clarity had already returned to the depths of her gaze.
No matter what, what had happened tonight needed careful consideration.
Luo Zhao's hatred, Gu Chengyin's predicament, and her own position—
These affairs were all tangled together like a ball of thread, needing to be slowly untangled.
As for that absurd thought... it was best to throw it away for now.
If worse came to worst, she could go back and ask Gu Chengyin, rather than standing here letting her imagination run wild.
What if Gu Chengyin didn't care about all this scheming at all, or even didn't take it seriously?
If that were the case, she might even have to go and help Luo Zhao,
To prevent this Crown Prince from being bullied into tears by Gu Chengyin.
Lin Qingyan took a step forward, heading back in the direction she had come.
The moonlight fell behind her, casting an extremely long shadow.
That shadow took a few steps, then suddenly paused.
Then, a voice so soft it was nearly inaudible, drifted away into the night breeze.
"What if...?"
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
