Xie Qingyan's bouquet of ghost orchids was indeed an unexpected development for Yao, yet it carried no real sense of threat. Instead, it clarified two things.
First, Zhou Miao's efficiency was terrifying. She had already contacted and warned Xie Qingyan, otherwise, a man of his capabilities and temperament would never have let things rest with just a florist's taunt.
Second, and more crucially, Xie Qingyan had not yet discerned the connection between her and Oaks. This wasn't surprising, because…
In front of her employees, Yao remained perfectly composed. She pocketed the card with its crimson script and placed the striking bouquet in a prominent spot in the shop.
"You like this arrangement, Boss?"
"In a manner of speaking. The florist's technique is excellent."
The employees then watched as their young boss calmly priced the bouquet and put it up for sale.
"I thought you liked it?"
"I do. But wouldn't selling it to buy a few rounds of bubble tea for everyone be better?"
The young proprietress, her dark hair loosely tied back with a jade clip, smiled brilliantly. She seemed like the one exquisite bloom in the shop that needed no vase or foliage to enhance it. The employees suddenly felt the previous owner's elopement with his mistress had been a blessing in disguise.
The Economic Ministry, one of the Empire's four great pillars, lived up to its reputation. The speed and depth of its investigation were staggering, turning the Western Jin Academy inside out. The Vice-Director's connection wasn't part of the TK Consortium's core network but a hastily purchased conduit via a middleman, used to pressure a seemingly rootless clinic physician.
"They offered too much! Otherwise, with her being from the Sage's Clinic… we wouldn't have dared!" The two interrogators initially held firm, but when evidence of secret accounts and encrypted communications was laid before them, they cracked.
The Economic Ministry auditor, every bit the refined and ruthless financier, merely adjusted his glasses. "Don't be afraid. The Ministry has its own tribunals. The severity of your sentence depends entirely on your cooperation."
Dismissal was a certainty. Prison was the variable. They needed to bargain.
"I… I'll talk. The Vice-Director… this wasn't the first time he's had us do this. People worth the TK Consortium's direct attention are out of our league. Usually, it's him using a middleman."
"Over several instances, I noticed a pattern…"
Meanwhile, the Vice-Director maintained he was merely swayed by favor and profit, ignorant of the true players, thus not a true TK conspirator.
"I'm an academy enforcement officer! How could I be a spy? This was just a misuse of discretion! I didn't even conduct the interrogation! I just told my subordinates to be thorough! And I took no bribes!"
The man was slippery, but the Economic Ministry specialized in gutting his kind.
The lead auditor, sipping tea, was unimpressed. "Your subordinates have confessed. They provided information. We reviewed it. Your susceptibility to 'favor' is quite frequent. The cases you influenced—if the parties were students or staff, they were expelled or executed. If they were outsiders, they were imprisoned, killed, or exonerated. Tracing these individuals reveals they all impacted TK Consortium interests."
He slid a list across the table. "Review it. Don't delay. Without contributing to your own defense, your situation is… dire. Your son is a Western Jin student. Being questioned next door. A bright future. Senior year. Will he even sit for the university exams now?"
"Pity. Your wife is distraught. Weeping. Quite lovely. One wonders if those you've wronged might seek… solace… with her in the future."
People said the Economic Ministry were wolves in tailored suits. They weren't wrong.
The Vice-Director's pupils contracted. He had to sacrifice something to protect his family. Five minutes later, the auditor relayed fresh information to the Minister.
"He gave up the real TK plant within Western Jin. The raid team was dispatched. The target was sharp—gone. But we've flagged an international flight. Pursuit is underway."
The Minister, however, frowned, gazing out the window as if tracking ships in the stratosphere. "That one is the decoy. The architect has already fled. Contact Provincial Spatial Monitoring. Filter for spatial fluctuations originating from official compounds—especially Economic and Military Ministry offices or residential blocks. Cross-reference with attendance logs and special badge usage. Find who is absent and who recently invoked transit privileges. Identify them."
The auditor was stunned. The real fish had swum away? So soon?
The Minister teleport to the Ministry's high-security forensics lab. The bodies of Qin Minfeng and the others lay under cold light. Slipping on gloves, the Minister began the examination.
"No arcane traces. No physical contact. Meticulously crafted to resemble an accident or suicide. So careful to avoid connection… doesn't seem like Ridgeback's work. Yet the blood evidence points to him. A frame?" The auditor mused. "It feels like a perfectly closed loop."
"Probably is," the Minister agreed.
"Could it be connected to that Yao, or Oaks? But they were the first to be implicated. Too obvious. Makes them look like patsies. And this talk of some X5 Star secret treasure… it's got all four Orange families sniffing around, driving the Li family to distraction. But the genetic report shows this 'Yao' and that slave 'Yao' are completely different. Vastly so. Even their appearances, while similar, are worlds apart."
A brutalized slave girl could not transform into that serene, poised physician in months. Nutrition could be corrected, but not bearing, not intellect. It was a metamorphosis too radical. And too blatant. It felt… staged.
The Minister examined Qin Minfeng's electrocuted tissue. "Look at the evidence. The killer had the power for a clean, silent kill. Could have made the body vanish. Instead, they hid it underground, guaranteeing discovery. A contradiction. Almost as if they wantedthe body found to establish an alibi."
"The Sage's District was undergoing electrical work that night. Bring me the cabling materials left on site."
The auditor complied. The Minister calculated the total charge output and cross-referenced it with Qin Minfeng's known resistance.
Time of death: approximately midnight.
The Minister looked up. The auditor provided the timeline report. Yao was verifiably at home during the critical window, her presence confirmed by street surveillance. Not her.
The Minister's brow furrowed. His instinct was off? He checked Oaks' timeline. Also rock-solid, in Dongguan, with witnesses and official logs.
Both were completely clean.
"A clone?" the auditor ventured.
"Oaks has remote tendril and light manipulation. Exceptional disguise. But we scanned for residual energy signatures underground. Nothing linked to them."
However you sliced it, these two, around whom the storm swirled, had not a speck of evidence against them. They were perfect victims.
The Minister removed his gloves, fingertips resting on the cold steel table. "Arcane Nullification."
The auditor started.
"If one of them possesses Nullification," the Minister continued coolly, "then, as I said, they could have erased all these people without a trace. Given their intellect, they could have hidden it even from the TK Consortium. Yet the bodies are here. The trail is here. So either the killer had a compelling reason notto dispose of Qin Minfeng's corpse, or… they left it for us. For the Economic Ministry. Deliberately leading us here. Their identity becomes secondary. The question is: what are they trying to show me?"
His words were precise, clinical. He picked up Qin Minfeng's head, turning it slightly.
"This boy seems insignificant. But given his minor, prior intersection with Linlang… I suspect the secret of X5 Star is in this brain."
"I recall, before her last mission, Linlang seemed troubled. She asked me if I believed in souls gifted with prophetic sight."
"At the time, she had some contact with that Xie boy. I thought she was remarking on his peculiarities. Now I see she was uneasy about this Qin Minfeng."
The auditor was visibly shaken. "She suspected he had such a talent? That he could predict our operations? Sell the intel to TK?"
"She likely didn't have proof. But I reviewed his file, his interaction with her on X5. After he fled, I accessed her confidential post-mission addendum. She noted he seemed to have anticipated her arrival on X5, presenting himself by 'chance,' providing evidence against the Li company, and… currying favor. That mission was confidential. Linlang was meticulous. How did a trash-planet boy know? She later investigated the Li family, found no prior collusion. Instead, it seemed he had preemptively gathered their dirt to blackmail them."
"This suggests Qin Minfeng may have possessed a Crimson-grade prophetic talent. A once-in-a-millennium bloodline trait."
"Crimson?" The auditor was aghast. "That level truly exists?"
"It does. Exceedingly rare. Each use is costly, scaling with the event's significance. But the bearer can perceive an opponent's capabilities and strike at their weakness. There was a case—a target a full major realm and twenty levels higher, slain in an instant." As a Provincial Minister, his purview was vast. Orange was the baseline for his attention. Below that were ants. He had seen the glow of Crimson in the Imperial capital.
"A member of the Royal House?"
"No. A Sanctum Priestess ."
The auditor's face paled, glimpsing the true apex of this world's power. Then he looked at Qin Minfeng's corpse. His expression twisted into something complicated. Him?This… gigolo?He couldn't reconcile the image.
"His displayed aptitude was hardly…"
"Perhaps it was incomplete. Stunted. Or other attributes failed to develop. So, Linlang likely noted it as a curiosity, a precaution. If I hadn't been so swamped, if I'd discussed prophetic talents with her earlier… she might have been prepared. She might not have…"
The Minister's jaw tightened, a rare flicker of something raw crossing his impassive features. The auditor understood. Zhou Linlang had been his protégé. The loss, however professional, bit deep.
The emotion was banked as quickly as it surfaced. The Minister discarded the gloves.
"This Qin Minfeng warranted Ridgeback's assistance from TK. He must have traded information of significant value. That mission's failure was a warning. We must re-evaluate all pending major operations. We cannot let the enemy anticipate and counter our moves."
He said no more, but the auditor knew. To lock down operations at this level required approval from the highest authority in Beiluk—the Governor. Without concrete proof, securing that approval would be difficult.
Before leaving, the Minister reviewed Yao's genetic report once more, pensive.
"Eighteen. Capable of killing Qi Xuanying, seemingly without full exertion. Her aptitude is unmatched in Beiluk for her age. If the X5 Star 'treasure' is a myth, and she is not that slave girl… where does she come from?"
Yao had known the Economic Ministry would intervene the moment she left that trace of Zhou Linlang's belonging. It was the bait. She also knew they'd trace the wiring, calculate the delayed death, and pinpoint the true time. She wasn't worried. She hadn't needed to alter the electrical output. Qin Minfeng himself was the ultimate variable. The live current's effect on him would be riddled with 'misses'—his protagonist's aura ensuring it. Who could calculate that? It was his own innate bug. She had weaponized it to forge an unbreakable alibi.
As for energy traces underground? None. Her tendrils, now fused with Nullification properties and light, were elementally inert. They left no trail.
Nullification could be an offensive tool (Ocular). It could also be a defensive shroud (Tendrils).
The separation of her two bodies was a feature of an advanced Devouring Scroll, enhanced by her mutated tendrils and Xiao Huang's guidance. A happy accident. Once separated, the dual-body contract signature vanished. Not even a peak expert could perceive the link; the flaw only appeared upon fusion. The Economic Ministry's auditor hadn't seen through it. But could it fool someone like the Dean of the Sage's Clinic? Or the Economic Minister himself? Certain power overlaps between her selves might yet give her away.
Killing Qin Minfeng had been a calculated move, planned since her entry into the Sage's Clinic. His death was the assured outcome. The cleanup, however, was the precarious part. So, when Head Nurse Bear informed her the next day that the Dean wished to see her, Yao's heart gave a single, heavy thud.
Here it is. The final gatekeeper.
The Dean's quarters were in the deepest courtyard of the Clinic complex, a serene bamboo grove surrounding a sleek, modern lodge. It was less 'reclusive sage' and more 'luxury minimalist retreat.' The door was open. Yao entered to find a man with his back to her.
He was tall, perhaps 185 cm, with a striking sweep of silver-white hair styled in a classic, severe manner. Broad shoulders tapered to a narrow waist, clad in a tailored silver vest and white shirt, sleeves held by platinum cufflinks. He stood at an open kitchen island, one hand in his pocket, the other operating an espresso machine. The rich, bitter aroma of freshly ground beans filled the air.
"Sit." The voice was a low, textured baritone.
Yao sat on a stool at the island, waiting. She recalled the scant public data: Dean Liu Wushi, 62. This world wasn't a xianxia novel. Except for certain races, humans didn't achieve eternal youth with cultivation. The powerful lived longer, aged slower, but not drastically. A level 90 human might see 200 years. Youth was fleeting, making early talent paramount. Hence the disdain for Oaks' late start.
At sixty-two, to maintain this physique… he had to be over level 80, with a potent bloodline, likely Orange.
The man turned, placing a ceramic cup before her. She noted his hands first—long-fingered, skin taut. Then his face.
Her breath caught, just for an instant.
He possessed a severe, classical handsomeness—sharp eyebrows, penetrating eyes, features that belonged on a coin or a monument. She mentally re-checked the age. Sixty-two? The man looked forty, in his prime. She schooled her expression to polite neutrality.
"Thank you, Dean."
"Call me?"
"Teacher."
"The coffee. How is it?"
"Very good." She took a sip. The cup was unusual, hand-thrown pottery. Likely his own work.
"Since you've called me Teacher, three rules."
"Please."
"First. Maintain a 90% completion rate for Clinic duties. Schedule is yours to manage. I don't care about your past. You are 'Yao' of the Sage's Clinic. Uphold the contract. Uphold the oath."
"Second. I'm often absent. Your two senior sisters manage administration and nursing. You will be responsible for maintaining this place."
Yao was puzzled. "Maintain… this place?"
"The gardens. The cleaning. Meals, for when I return…" He listed a series of mundane, tedious tasks. Yao's mind rebelled. This wasn't a disciple; this was a live-in maid, gardener, and cook.
Then she thought of Qin Minfeng, selling charm and body for far less. This, at least, came with a powerful patron. And Lang Hao was no comparison to Liu Wushi.
"Understood, Teacher."
Liu Wushi studied her over his cup. "Third. Dress well."
Yao had braced for a third rule about scrubbing toilets. This gave her pause. "Might I ask the reason for the third point?"
"Can't fathom why I'd take you as a student? Suspect I mean you harm?"
Yao didn't deny it, phrasing it carefully. "I've offered nothing to merit such favor."
"You undervalue yourself." Liu Wushi stated. "Your aptitude is exceptional. For your age, in Beiluk, you have no peer."
He didn't ask her origins. Didn't mention the recent turmoil. "But the primary reason is you are aesthetically superior."
Yao: "…"
Perhaps her expression was too transparent. Liu Wushi remained serious. "The Clinic is under pressure."
"?"
"A renowned name is a heavy crown. The Sage's Clinic holds the top spot among private hospitals in the province. The public system views us with… competitive interest."
"And this relates to my attire how?"
Liu Wushi set down his half-finished coffee, leaning on the dark granite counter, his gaze steady. "You are an ideal representative. You can elevate the Clinic's brand, give it a tangible, memorable image. In public discourse, you become the face of our excellence."
Yao was almost flattered, in a surreal way. She'd dabbled in modeling in her past life, but this…
"Teacher, are you planning to take the Clinic public?"
"…"
Liu Wushi knew he'd been subtly mocked but had no proof. He eyed the deceptively gentle young woman before him. "The primary reason is the Sanctum has taken notice."
Yao's cup stilled. She met his gaze. "The Sanctum's Healing Order conflicts with the Clinic's work?"
"No conflict. But they seek to expand. Acquisition of premier private institutions is a likely strategy. The Sanctum is vast. To make acquisition… inconvenient, we must fortify our public standing. The Sanctum is obsessed with reputation. If absorbing us would tarnish their image or disrupt our operational efficacy, they may reconsider. Face is everything to them."
The logic was sound. If absorbed by a bureaucratic behemoth, the Clinic's unique culture would die. Image was a shield.
Three rules. Not unreasonable.
Yao agreed.
"Then, for your service, a benefit."
Liu Wushi had finished his coffee. "The study contains seven shelves of my personal insights into the Arcane. All three disciples have access. But my expectations for you are higher. You have three months to comprehend the first shelf. I will test you. You will also provide a professional development plan. I will not have a disciple of mine lacking direction."
Yao's fingers tightened slightly. "And if I fail?"
Liu Wushi leaned down, his eyes seeming to pierce through hers. "That night, I happened to return. I saw you, little girl."
A cold shock, like iced water, spilled down Yao's spine. She sat frozen for a long moment, then released a slow, controlled breath.
So that was it.The thing she feared most had happened. A true powerhouse hadbeen present. Had witnessed everything.
Qin Minfeng… your damned protagonist's luck!
If she hadn't already entered the Sage's Clinic, if the Dean hadn't seen some use for her as a 'brand ambassador'… not only would Qin Minfeng have been saved, but she would be dead.
With such a leverage point in his grasp, Yao knew the role of 'pretty face' was non-negotiable. Composing herself, she washed the coffee cups, cleaned the counter, and proceeded to the study.
A powerhouse's abode needed no locks. In Beiluk, those with the ability to break in had no need for such vulgar methods.
The study held seven shelves, each sealed by an arcane barrier. The rule was clear: master the knowledge on one shelf to unlock the next.
The first shelf was accessible. She pulled a tome. Blue-Grade. Another. And another. She looked up, counting swiftly.
One hundred and twenty volumes.
"Space. Light. Wind. So, my elemental affinities align with his. He truly is seeking an heir."
The motives of this elegant, fastidious, and alarmingly handsome old man remained inscrutable. But this windfall—a complete, high-level arcane inheritance—was a staggering profit.
"With these, advancing my Gravity-Space Principle will be straightforward."
She had manifested her technique weapon, but her Orange-Grade Gravity-Space mastery was rudimentary. She'd considered using academy points to exchange for insight stones. Now she could save a fortune.
Having a powerful backer really is something.
For a fleeting moment, she understood Qin Minfeng.
It seemed the immediate crisis was over. Otherwise, the Dean wouldn't task her with study. Zhou Linlang's fate was in the Economic Ministry's hands. There was nothing more she could do.
Now… it was time for the scoundrel 'Oaks' to begin academy life.
Dongguan Academy, male dormitory. As the top scorer, 'Oaks' attracted constant attention from the moment he completed enrollment. The academy had no grade levels, only class rankings based on strength. He was in A-Class. Dorm assignments, however, were randomized via lottery, mixing all classes. An S-rank could room with an E-rank. This prevented entrenched hierarchies and systemic bullying. Each term, rooms were reshuffled.
Furthermore, dormitory life carried points for cooperation, conduct, and synergy—factors integrated into the final semester coefficient. A single formal complaint, if verified, could sink the entire room's score. It was a brilliant, ruthless system that forced basic civility. For a strategy-focused academy like Dongguan, such details were masterstrokes.
While Dongguan had a reputation for being 'frugal,' its facilities were excellent. The suite had five private bedrooms, each with an attached cultivation chamber and wardrobe, a shared living room, and a kitchen.
The sole, glaring flaw: to 'foster camaraderie' and 'improve field survival rates,' the academy provided no private bathrooms. Only communal showers.
Yao's mind went blank upon learning this.
Her recent, unwanted encounters involving bathing—first Xie Qingyan, then the fake intrusion—had left a distinct aversion. In her world, this constituted harassment. Once was misfortune. A pattern was a problem.
Surely, it wouldn't be that bad. Students were busy. Respectful of privacy. They wouldn't… congregate.
She opened the suite door.
Three young men, all around 190 cm tall and built like professional athletes, turned from the common area. Two were shirtless. One was holding a bar of soap.
A cheerful, sun-tanned teenager beamed. "New guy? Welcome! We're just heading to the showers. Come on!"
"What scent do you like? I've got a few options."
Yao: "…"
She stood frozen in the doorway, seriously reconsidering her life choices.
"Hey, brother! What's the hold up?" The shirtless one, whose pectoral muscles were frankly more impressive than her own, moved to pull her in. He reminded her of a particularly brawny cave troll.
Honestly, his chest was… substantial.
She found her voice, firm and authoritative. "No need. I'm just dropping off my things. Actually, I'm considering applying for off-campus housing."
Just then, Que Baimo ghosted up behind her. "Aww, Oaks, you must not know Dongguan forbids off-campus residence for first-years. Room assignments are final. Can't buy your way out like at Western Jin."
What was this snake doing here?!
"Your business?" Yao channeled Oaks' trademark surliness.
"Absolutely. I'm in this room too. We're going to be such close… bathing buddies. Come on in."
Que Baimo, sharp and observant, was a risk. As Yao debated her next move, her communicator chimed. An unknown number.
She answered. A cool, female voice spoke. "Lang Hao. We need to talk."
Yao's eyes narrowed. "Location."
One hour later, Yao sat in a private sitting room within the Fu family's Beiluk residence, facing the siblings. She had come prepared to sever ties, to avoid their messy secret. Then Lang Hao placed a card on the table.
"Hear me out. Then decide."
Yao sat. Fu Jiang was uncharacteristically attentive, serving coffee before perching nervously nearby. The negotiation was clearly Lang Hao's to lead.
The first sentence nearly made Yao choke.
"I'm pregnant. Three months."
Cough!
Yao sputtered. Fu Jiang leapt forward with a napkin, looking ready to dab her lips himself.
Gods, these Fu siblings didn't waste time.Such a blunt confession. Were they so confident in 'Oaks'' discretion? Was her scoundrel persona not convincing enough?
Yao waved Fu Jiang off, regaining composure. She looked at Lang Hao. "Not mine, I presume?"
The dry retort hung in the air. Lang Hao's cold mask held, though the topic clearly pained her. "No. But I cannot tell you who. I need a husband."
"I'm hardly the ideal candidate."
"You are the onlycandidate."
Yao prepared a polite refusal. Lang Hao tapped the card.
"One hundred thousand Blue Notes."
A significant sum, but not enough to offset the risk of crossing the Li family.
"And this." Lang Hao produced a small, intricately carved box of silvery wood.
Yao recognized it instantly—Sky-Withered Wood, an Orange-Grade material used to nurture spatial-attuned spirit beast eggs.
Her pulse quickened. She looked at Lang Hao.
The young woman steepled her fingers. "You're intelligent. You've likely guessed the risks and want no part of it. Only genuine benefit will sway you. I understand. So, I offer this. Inside is a mutated spirit beast egg. Spatial attribute. Baseline Blue-Grade, with potential to break into Orange. Its lineage is the Daybreak Void Crane—dual Space and Light affinity. I suspect you obtained Gravity-Space resources from Wei Ran during the selection. You are likely focusing on Space."
"A Space-Light beast is a perfect complement. The Sanctum Priestess might provide you a similar companion."
She won't,Yao thought. The offer was profoundly tempting. As a former resource speculator, she knew the value. A well-raised beast of this caliber could rival an Orange-Grade companion.
"Forgive my bluntness, but an egg of this potential, fully realized, would be immensely valuable even to the Li family. Could it not be used as a bargaining chip with Li Jie? His faction needs allies. Your child would have protection. It's mutually beneficial."
Lang Hao was unmoved. "I considered that. I rejected it. Because of a secret."
Yao waited. It wouldn't be shared. She made to leave.
Lang Hao spoke again, her voice flat. "Li Wukun and I grew up together. Before his last mission, he was anxious. He told me to be careful of the Li family. I didn't understand. Then he died. Later, I found a message hidden in a gift he'd given me. He'd recently learned a Li family secret. They had consulted an Orange-Blooded Astral Seer from another province. The Seer calculated the Li family's fate. He prophesied that a child born to this generation would be the ruin of the Li family's glory."
Yao was stunned. An Orange-Blooded Astral Seer's prophecy carried immense weight. It meant Li Wukun's death was likely a Li family internal purge. And Lang Hao's unborn child was a prime target.
Yao's demeanor shifted to match 'Oaks'' calculated coldness. "Then the logical course is to terminate the pregnancy."
Fu Jiang flinched. Lang Hao took a deep breath. "The day I learned this, I intended to. I cannot."
"You don't know the nature of our bloodline. In our family, the higher the child's potential, the stronger its connection to the maternal line. A forced termination triggers a severe backlash on all blood relatives. It's a taboo, a curse."
"But conversely, this connection allows our lineage to consistently produce children of high talent."
Yao finally understood. A double-edged sword. "What about him?" She gestured to Fu Jiang.
Fu Jiang: "?"
Lang Hao: "He's irrelevant."
Hey!Fu Jiang looked wounded.
Lang Hao continued, "And my sister would certainly die."
"The backlash would cripple the entire family," Fu Jiang added grimly. "At our current level, a collective weakening would make us prey. Our unmarried sisters… they'd become breeding stock for stronger families. Even our Green-Blood vassals would turn on us."
"My sister and Li Wukun were in love. Had this not happened… they might have married after the university exams. Now…"
Fu Jiang's voice thickened. Lang Hao looked out the window. "There's no point in self-pity. This is the reality of noble games. Glory and shame are two sides of the same coin. You never know which thread will snap. We can only save ourselves. We need you to bear the name, claim the child. Your Light affinity makes it plausible. Once the truth is out, you will not be expected to face the Li family's wrath. The beast egg and the funds are yours upon agreement. As for the gestation timeline… my race has methods to extend pregnancy. The evidence will be airtight."
"Take them if you agree. If not…"
Yao stood and walked to the door.
Fu Jiang's face fell. He dropped to his knees. Lang Hao reached for him, her composure cracking. Yao's hand rested on the doorknob.
Then she turned, looking at Lang Hao. "One question. You're a senior, right? Can you transfer to Dongguan?"
Lang Hao: "?"
Yao: "I have… standards. I've no interest in communal showers with four over-enthusiastic athletes. Dongguan housing rules permit alternative arrangements for legitimate, documented relationships. A fiancée would qualify."
Given Dongguan's room rotation, sooner or later she'd be paired with S-Class monsters—individuals as sharp as Xie Qingyan. Daily proximity was too great a risk.
"I won't harm you."
Lang Hao, taken aback by the turn, didn't care for promises. "I can arrange it."
Fu Jiang scrambled to his feet, clapping. "Perfect! You cohabitate now, and in ten months, a beautiful baby arrives, right on schedule! It's destiny! See, brother-in-law? You, misunderstood and infamous! My sister, slandered and wronged! A match made by the gods! What tremendous fortune—a gorgeous wife and a precious child!"
Yao: "…"
Lang Hao closed her eyes, a faint, pained smile touching her lips as she shook her head, the elegant line of her neck a picture of resigned grace.