Qi Yuan’s moment of panic lasted only an instant.
Before provoking Xiao Yunting, she already knew that there would be no secrets she could keep from him.
In her past life, she’d followed Xiao Yunting and witnessed his methods firsthand. The man known as the “Jade-Faced Judge” hadn’t earned the title for nothing.
So she quickly composed herself, rested her chin on both hands, and smiled at Xiao Yunting. “So, Your Highness, what does this have to do with us forming an alliance? Or… because I killed someone, are you planning to uphold justice and drag me to the magistrate?”
Logically, she knew that given the disparity in their power, she should lower herself, emphasize her usefulness, and carefully persuade Xiao Yunting to help her.
But just thinking about her past life made her hold her breath.
Even sitting down, Xiao Yunting still towered over Qi Yuan. He looked down at her. In the lamplight, her face looked particularly youthful and tender.
Such a delicate and pitiful-looking girl—who would believe she killed as efficiently as slaughtering a pig?
He had personally examined the corpses of Chengyong and Butcher Xu.
Chengyong’s head had been so badly smashed that even the best coroner couldn’t make out a face anymore.
Butcher Xu’s fatal wound was at his neck, a clean, precise stab to the artery. He probably died without even realizing how.
All of this had been done by the seemingly harmless girl in front of him.
The two stared at each other in silence for a moment before Xiao Yunting spoke in a low voice:
“They tried to harm you, but they were no match. Butcher Xu and Li Xiuniang died by your hand, and your fake sister is also in dire straits now. Do you still need an alliance with me?”
Honestly, with Qi Yuan’s decisiveness and ruthlessness, staying in the Qi family should be no problem at all.
He couldn’t understand why she needed to ally with him—just as he couldn’t figure out how she knew his secret about living in Jiangxi.
When he mentioned Butcher Xu and the Qi family, a faint look of disdain appeared on Qi Yuan’s face.
She casually played with her teacup, then suddenly flipped it upside down on the table and raised her brow: “Since Your Highness has investigated me and knows my fake sister was driven out, then you must also know how differently my real brother treats her compared to me, right?”
She could scheme to make Qi Jin disappear.
But she couldn’t do the same to Qi Yunting.
Not because she didn’t want to, but because Qi Yunting was the firstborn legitimate son—the rightful heir.
That meant everything in this household would one day be his. If she made a move against him, the entire Qi family would turn against her. The risk was too high—she didn’t have the power to kill Qi Yunting and get away unscathed.
And if she didn’t kill him, he would definitely kill her in return.
She had already taken away the sister he loved most.
“So it’s simple,” Qi Yuan said calmly, voice forthright. “I need to rise. I need the Eldest Princess’s endorsement. With that, the Qi family won’t dare discard me just for Qi Yunting’s sake.”
That’s right. From the very beginning, Qi Yuan hadn’t known the Eldest Princess. She hadn’t been raised by Jiang Momo either.
Those were all lies.
Lies told to Qi Zhen.
Only by doing that had she earned his favor and avoided being schemed out of the house by Qi Jin from the start.
Her plan was to eventually find a way to convince the Eldest Princess to support her and cover the lie.
But after weighing her options, she realized it was far too difficult to win the Eldest Princess over on her own.
So, she turned her attention to Xiao Yunting.
After all, it wasn’t like she was asking for something for nothing—she could pay him.
When she mentioned the Eldest Princess, Xiao Yunting’s expression instantly darkened. “You dare scheme even against the Eldest Princess? You’ve got some nerve!”
But then, suspicion crept into his face. “Qi Yuan, I’ve investigated you. You lived in Xu Family Village for the first fifteen years of your life. Never took a single step outside—not even into the city…”
Across the table, his gaze turned cold and sharp. “How would you know the Eldest Princess was convalescing on the mountain? How did you know me? More importantly, how did you know I lived in Jiangxi—and the code used by the group tracking me?”
Each question came more rapidly, and his tone grew increasingly frigid.
By the end, his strikingly beautiful eyes were filled with killing intent. “If you can’t explain yourself, I could kill you right now. What’s the point of making any deals?”
The air in the room turned deadly. Outside, perhaps waiting too long, Baizhi cautiously knocked on the door. “Miss, do you need to wash up?”
Qi Yuan responded calmly to reassure her, then took a deep breath and looked back at Xiao Yunting. “Your Highness, I can’t answer those questions. But as you said, I’m full of secrets—enough for you to kill me a dozen times. So what are you afraid of?”
They stared at each other across the table, both silent.
Finally, Xiao Yunting let out a cold snort and broke the silence. “That code—how much do you know?”
“I know they’re backed by Baotong Bank,” Qi Yuan answered without hesitation. She knew when to posture and when to get down to business. “Your Highness can send someone to investigate. You should be able to find what you want.”
Xiao Yunting gave a low grunt and abruptly stood. “As for the Eldest Princess, I’ll send word later.”
Qi Yuan knew she had succeeded. She’d been somewhat confident, but hearing him say it still made her smile sincerely. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
Xiao Yunting said nothing more and turned to leave.
But when he reached the window, he suddenly turned back, picked up the plate of taro dumplings, placed them in the food box, and left with it.
——
Qi Yuan was dumbfounded.
What happened to that terrifying murderous aura from before?
Now he was taking the food too?
But Xiao Yunting moved with incredible agility. With one leap, he vanished.
She could only roll her eyes. Seriously?! Now how was she supposed to explain the missing food box?
Outside, Baizhi knocked again, more urgently. “Miss, the Marquis has arrived!”
Qi Zhen was back?
Qi Yuan glanced at the sky. Judging by the time, he must have returned from the other estate. She thought for a moment, then opened the door.
Qi Zhen was just coming up the steps. Seeing her emerge, he asked coolly, “Still not asleep?”
Qi Yuan responded softly, obediently welcoming him in. “I heard Father and Mother weren’t back yet, so I didn’t dare sleep.”
Such a dutiful daughter. Qi Zhen finally felt a bit of the frustration in his chest ease.
He sat down beside the small table, and seeing Qi Yuan pour tea with lowered eyes, he said in a deep voice, “From now on, Qi Jin won’t be coming back.”
