In this way, he can create a dignified and earnest appearance for Xue Lu even behind the scenes, where she cannot see. Xue Lu would then be touched by him and secretly think about him from time to time.

    Does this not mean that he will be able to embrace the beauty of his dreams soon?

    By the time he has conquered Xue Lu, he can reluctantly bring in Yue Ran. No matter what, he wanted both women, both beauties of different styles and temperaments, to be his.

    He, Ming Chen, has a kind of fanciful self-confidence, fully believing that Yue Ran would be his backup woman with no hesitation. It will not be too late to think about Yue Ran then.

    The more Ming Chen thought about it, the more absurd his imagination became.

    "Since Your Highness, the Crown Prince, has decided, then Yue Ran has nothing else to say," Yue Ran replied hoarsely.

    She rubbed her reddened eyes and left the rockery first, leaving Ming Chen''s figure behind.

    When she returned to the poem exchange banquet, she remained tactfully silent all throughout as she sat back in her original seat, ignoring Ming Chen''s gaze that shifted to her from time to time.

    Yue Yu''s eyes flashed when he saw the two people''s—Yue Ran and Ming Chen''s—reactions.

    It seemed that Ming Chen really did use his method.

    Soon, very soon, everything will fall back into its own respective places.

    Everything will soon be right again.

    …

    The days passed quickly, and now it was time for the noblewomen in the capital to burn incense in the temple to pray for the family''s safety, health, and wealth.

    Yue Ran felt that it was a little strange that so many people, noblemen and noblewomen, were flocking to the temple to pray for blessings. Moreover, there seemed to be many incidents occurring all around the capital in recent times after the flower-viewing banquet in the oldest princess'' mansion.

    Ruan Ruan informed his Master that it was all thanks to Yue Yu and Ming Ze''s revenge for her, which made her smile so charmingly and beautifully.

    Coincidentally, Yue Ran and Xue Lu''s carriages met on the narrow road leading to the entrance of the temple.

    Bored, Yue Ran lifted the curtain of the carriage with a hand and said, "What a coincidence, Young Lady Xue."

    "Yes," Xue Lu replied. She did not bother to lift the curtain of the carriage to greet Yue Ran face-to-face. "Young Lady Yue, it really is a coincidence."

    What a coincidence!

    Xue Lu''s well-manicured nails stabbed the palms of her hands, which were resting tightly on her knees.

    She had never believed in Buddhism, ghosts, or gods. The only reason she went out of the Xue Mansion to visit the temple today was because of her appointment with His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince.

    However, before she even got to her destination, she actually met Yue Ran, that hateful woman, on the road!

    What does His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, mean by this?

    Does His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, think that she and Yue Ran are of the same status or worth?

    Was it that the reason why His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, made an appointment with her was only out of his convenience to date two women at the same time?

    The more she thought about it, the bigger the fire in her heart.

    The more she thought about it, the more she hated Yue Ran in her heart.

    In fact, Xue Lu really misunderstood His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, Ming Chen. She was the only one invited to an appointment with Ming Chen.

    The reason Yue Ran came too was because of Yue Yu. Yue Yu had arranged the date and time of Yue Ran''s visit to the temple because he wanted to "help" Yue Ran win Ming Chen''s affection.

    Yue Ran could, of course, hear the female protagonist''s sarcasm. But does Yue Ran care about it? No, she even thought that it was fun. However, after waiting for a long time, there was only silence between them.

    Growing bored with nothing to do, Yue Ran took her hand back, and the curtain of her carriage covered the inner scene once again.

    Yue Ran easily let Xue Lu''s carriage pass her first, with her following behind.

    Yue Ran: I am just too kind.

    Since the two had nothing to say to each other, the rest of the journey was spent in total silence.

    Until—

    "Ahhhh!"

    There was a sudden, loud shout.

    "Is this not the coachman''s voice?" Xue Lu asked, "What happened?"

    Hearing such a loud cry, Xue Lu panicked. Her body froze as she heard the loud noise, followed by a series of screams, and some faintly red, watery liquid splashed onto the outer side of the curtains.

    Gradually, the smell of the liquid began to spread to the inside of the carriage, following the wind. The strong odor at the tip of her nose told Xue Lu what it was.

    Blood.

    It was blood.

    Xue Lu''s face turned pale, but she still looked calm. Well, at least calmer as compared to the trembling maid beside her, Li Ya, who could not even let out a voice.

    Xue Lu''s body was also shaking, albeit not so much. Her hands that were on her knees were quivering, and cold sweat dripped from her forehead to the corner of her eyes and then to the edge of her lips.

    She breathed and blinked her eyes.

    The droplet of sweat entered her lips and touched the tip of her tongue.

    It was salty.

    It burned her eyes.

    She was scared.

    She was… scared.

    She did not want to die.

    "Young Lady Xue, what has happened ahead?" Yue Ran asked. "Why did your carriage stop so suddenly?"

    One could easily hear the impatience in her voice.

    Yue Ran''s carriage traveled behind Xue Lu''s carriage, so she could not see the conditions ahead. And thus, she still does not know that there was an attack.

    That was a joke.

    Of course, Yue Ran knew what was going on ahead. She was the most clear about what had transpired, yet she still asked Xue Lu those two questions with malicious intentions.

    This was why Yue Ran had so kindly let Xue Lu''s carriage go first. She had so kindly given up such a generous act to momentarily satisfy Xue Lu''s pride and vanity.

    This led to Xue Lu''s carriage being stuck in the middle of chaos with no chance of retreating. In front of her was a ruthless and merciless attack, while behind her was Yue Ran''s still carriage.

    This scenario was actually a plan constructed by His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, Ming Chen, following Yue Yu''s hints. However, this plan does not actually include Yue Ran, an irrelevant person, in it.

    The original attack would just make Xue Lu feel helpless, but there was still a chance to retreat so that Ming Chen could enact a scenario of saving a damsel in distress and thus gain Xue Lu''s good impression and then affection.

    However, how could Yue Ran want to let it go as usual? That would be too boring.

    Moreover, the favorability of the four men for her would only rise slowly if Yue Ran allowed the normal process to go on.

    It was time for her to unleash chaos on the world.

    There was no reason for her to endure doing things so selflessly, to do things that she did not want to do, for these kinds of men.

    She was not that kind.

    It would be the most fun to torture them. Not physically, but mentally.

    But sometimes, it would also be fun to torture them both physically and mentally, especially when the man likes things such as bondage and masochism.

    Watching such things was refreshing!

    Xue Lu''s throat seemed to be stuffed with a mouthful of cotton, and she nearly choked on it.

    How could she know what was happening other than an attack?

    Was it a bandit''s attack, a robber''s attack, or an assassin''s attack?

    She herself was not sure of it, okay? Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    She also wants to know what is happening!

    But she dare not look out the curtain; who knows if her hand would be cut once she stretched it out to lift the curtain?

    In spite of her turning thoughts, the curtain to her carriage was being lifted by a big and rough-looking hand, one that seemed to have held a sword for a long, long time.

    "Hey, the harvest this time is really not small," the man who lifted the curtain on Xue Lu''s carriage said. "Brothers, there is a beauty in the carriage—the kind that looks like a goddess here!"

    With zero to no difficulty, the group of men captured both Xue Lu and Yue Ran alive as their hostages and directly took them to the top of the mountain.

    Fortunately, both Ming Chen and Xia Zhan, who suddenly got the news, chased after them.

    It turns out that the group that captured the beauties were bandits.

    One group was desperately fleeing while carrying two hostages—Yue Ran and Xue Lu—like baggage, while the other group was desperately chasing after the former group.

    The mountain was their playing field.

    That was until...

    Ming Chen gritted his teeth in anger.

    He could not believe it!

    He only arranged for two hooligans to play an act in front of Xue Lu, so why did the two hooligans suddenly turn into a group of bandits that live and rob on this mountain?