Zeng Lanyue’s pupils contracted, her face draining of color in an instant.

But she quickly forced herself to calm down, saying coldly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Is that so? Should I go tell the Dean right now, and have him reopen the investigation? Just in case this wasn’t some simple case of an affair after all.”

The smile on Feng Jiu’er’s lips remained faint, but her gaze was sharp enough that one could hardly bear to meet it.

“Perhaps it has something to do with Longwu Academy — some greater conspiracy. To protect that person, you agreed to take the blame and admit to an affair with Officer Zheng.”

“Feng Jiu’er, I’m in no mood to listen to your nonsense!” Zeng Lanyue’s face twisted with displeasure.

“Whether I’m talking nonsense or not, you know perfectly well in your own heart. Though I don’t know what secret you’re trying to protect, one thing I’m certain of — Officer Zheng isn’t the one.”

“You…”

“The way you look at Officer Zheng is as flat as plain water. Knowing he was going to be punished and exiled to the border, you showed no reaction at all.”

Feng Jiu’er stared at her face, then suddenly gave a faint smile. “That’s because you have no feelings for him at all. Can that possibly compare to the person you’re willing to die to protect?”

“He already has a wife, yet he still ruined my purity. Why would I have any feelings for a man like that?” Zeng Lanyue scoffed coldly.

“Is that so? If the man you truly slept with were him, wouldn’t you have known from the start that he had a wife?”

Feng Jiu’er blocked Zeng Lanyue’s path, stepping forward. “You don’t love him, but you don’t hate him either. In just these few short days, can you really let go so easily of a man who took your body?”

It was said that women of this era valued their chastity above their own lives. Zeng Lanyue didn’t seem like the kind of woman who was loose with herself either — clearly she valued her body greatly.

If it weren’t for having reached a point of deep love and a vow unto death, she wouldn’t have given herself up so easily.

But this Officer Zheng was someone she couldn’t even bear to glance at twice.

“Actually, I know Officer Zheng has someone behind him — he’s nothing but a scapegoat. But what I don’t understand is, why are you so willing to take all of this on yourself?”

“I went to the Dean to plead on your behalf and looked through your records. You’re an orphan — with no family ties, you wouldn’t be one to covet money either.”

“And besides, now that you’ve left alone, with no intention of contacting Officer Zheng, it’s even less likely you’re hoping to gain anything from him.”

“With so little to gain and so little to want, doesn’t that make one suspicious?”

“Since you say Officer Zheng has someone behind him, does that mean I’m not allowed to wait for that person’s reward?” Zeng Lanyue sneered, feigning indifference.

“Is that so? But you don’t even know who’s behind Officer Zheng. More to the point, someone willing to die wouldn’t care about a petty reward like that — I don’t believe that for a second.”

Feng Jiu’er’s beautiful phoenix eyes narrowed, and she suddenly took another step forward. “Looking at everything together, the only possibility left is that you, too, want this matter settled and buried quickly — because you want to protect the man you truly slept with!”

She took another step forward, suddenly demanding sharply, “Who is he? Is he from Longwu Academy? Or is he the one who sent you here?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Zeng Lanyue’s breathing grew ragged, and she instinctively stepped back. Feng Jiu’er kept closing in, her voice growing colder and more frigid. “You’re the spy that man planted in Longwu Academy. If you’re so determined to protect him, that means he’s here too! Tell me! Who is he, really?”