What?

Chu Zhao frowned. Liang Qiang had suddenly appeared and was suddenly saying such things—it was rather baffling. But she quickly understood.

She glanced at Xie Yanlai.

Xie Yanlai also looked at her, his phoenix eyes lifting as he smiled, revealing fine white teeth.

“I already told you, this is your own doing,” he said in a low voice. “Who told you to pester me.”

Chu Zhao glared at him, then looked at Liang Qiang. Her expression showed no panic or unease, but rather carried a sharp edge: “Young Master Liang, you have it backwards. It’s precisely because of your Liang family’s rumors about me that I’m standing here talking with Young Master Xie.”

Xie Yanlai laughed. He knew this girl was fierce—tsk tsk, look at that counter-accusation.

Liang Qiang looked at the Xie family son’s smile. No matter how he looked at it, it made him uncomfortable—

“Miss Chu,” he also smiled slightly, “you and this Young Master Xie don’t look like you’ve only just met. Rather than saying it’s because of our family’s rumors, wouldn’t it be more reasonable to say that when you saw Young Master Xie being beaten on the street, you couldn’t bear it, intervened to protect him, and that’s how you became acquainted?”

Xie Yanlai laughed even more cheerfully, saying to Chu Zhao in a low voice: “This kid is sharp. He didn’t fall for your trick.”

From his expression, he could hardly wait to clap and cheer. Chu Zhao took a step forward, looking at Liang Qiang without the slightest panic of being exposed.

“Young Master Liang, things have already come to this. Nothing I say now can change what happened to your family, nor can it change your suspicions,” she said.

These words were so direct—essentially saying “I can’t be bothered talking to you, now get lost.” Liang Qiang looked at the girl before him, his chest tight with pain. She wouldn’t even make an excuse, wouldn’t even fabricate a lie to brush him off—

He stared fixedly at Chu Zhao, his gaze bitter.

“Miss A’Zhao, was it all fake when you praised me as brave and martial before?”

Praised him as brave? Chu Zhao was momentarily stunned. In her ear was Xie Yanlai leaning over again with a lowered voice of laughter—tsk tsk tsk—

“Young Master Liang, let’s not talk about before,” Chu Zhao looked at this young man. “Just now, and in the future as well, you are brave and martial. You yourself know what kind of person you are, so how could it be fake?”

The girl’s expression was open, her eyes bright, her voice without the slightest hesitation. She was telling the truth. Liang Qiang’s expression became somewhat powerless, as if he’d thrown a punch into empty air.

“If you know me and praise me, then why—” he bit out, his expression angry, “why did you treat me this way?”

This made no sense. Chu Zhao asked: “How have I treated you?”

She’d been polite enough to Liang Qiang—she hadn’t kicked him like she had Liang Qin, hadn’t publicly cursed him, and when Minister Liang got into trouble this time, she hadn’t kicked him while he was down either.

She’d been as merciful as a Bodhisattva to the Liang family.

Liang Qiang looked at the girl’s furrowed brow, the incomprehension in her eyes, so distant—completely unlike how she was with that Xie family son: lively, casual, natural, joyful.

He looked again at this Xie family son.

That Xie family son smiled at him provocatively.

How could the Liang family compare with the Xie family? The Liang family was a setting sun at dusk, while the Xie family was like the rising sun. And how could he compare with this Xie family son? This Xie family son killed and set fires, yet could continue to swagger about, and the Xie family would even gain prestige from it. But him? When his uncle alone was convicted in office, the entire clan suffered the consequences, donning prison clothes and trekking thousands of miles to serve in the border commandery—

Liang Qiang looked at Chu Zhao, one word at a time: “Miss Chu has been very good to me. I will remember Miss Chu. Until we meet again someday!”

With that, he turned and strode away.

A’Le pointed at Liang Qiang’s retreating figure: “Miss, he’s threatening you.”

Of course Chu Zhao had heard it too. Though Liang Qiang was somewhat strange, it wasn’t actually strange—her relationship with the Liang family had never been good. They’d long since become enemies for life.

“What kind of enmity,” Xie Yanlai laughed. “Chu Zhao, stop playing dumb. That kid clearly feels love turned to hate toward you.”

What love turned to hate? Chu Zhao glanced at him: “Where would there be any love between him and me—”

“How would I know,” Xie Yanlai said with a half-smile. “You must have used him as a shield again and said some words about never parting in life or death.”

“I did not,” Chu Zhao said disdainfully, then looked at Xie Yanlai with a smile. “Not just anyone can be my shield.”

Ha, look at this girl’s attitude. That Liang family kid must be bewitched to have taken a liking to her. Xie Yanlai scoffed: “You’ve gained another enemy—what’s there to be proud of?”

An enemy? Chu Zhao smiled slightly, looking toward the alley. Liang Qiang’s figure had already disappeared from the alley. Though she knew how brave Liang Qiang would be in that lifetime, she wouldn’t curry favor with the Liang family.

If the Liang family became her enemy, she could settle the grudges from both past and present lives together.

“I have many enemies,” Chu Zhao said. “One less doesn’t matter much, one more doesn’t matter either.”

Xie Yanlai nodded: “That’s right. From the time I met you, you’ve been continuously offending people and making enemies.” As he spoke, he turned and walked away. “Farewell, Enemy Star.”

Chu Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. There were disaster stars and calamity stars, but what was an enemy star?

Watching the young man stride quickly in the opposite direction, she hurriedly called out, “Hey, walk slower, I’m not following you anymore.”

The young man’s steps didn’t slow, nor did he turn back. He heard the girl behind him call out again, “In a few days I’ll send you medicine.”

Just to deliver a letter to her father—was it really necessary?

Xie Yanlai quickened his pace. The pain in his back kept him alert.

She was manipulating him, knowing he lacked nothing and wanted nothing, except—

In this world, there was probably only one person who would ask him:

Does it hurt?

That person was no longer here.

……

……

“Hey!”

Chu Zhao, who hadn’t chased after him, was immediately surrounded by Qi Leyun and the other two.

“You, you two—”

Qi Leyun looked at her, then at the young man’s retreating figure. He walked so fast—in the blink of an eye he was gone.

Chu Zhao cut off her words: “What about us? I’ve entered the Xie family home and met Xie Yanfang, so of course I’m also familiar with Xie Yanfang’s younger brother.”

Qi Leyun made an acknowledging sound. That seemed right, but—

“He—”

Chu Zhao pressed her hand back down: “Stop with all the ‘he’ this and ‘he’ that. Tomorrow we’re going to Wangchun Garden. Think about yourself first. Are your clothes ready? Don’t wear the same thing as someone else.”

This was really underestimating her! Qi Leyun glared: “My family may not be extremely wealthy, but we have our means. We have our own embroiderers.”

Chu Zhao pushed them: “Then hurry back and try on your clothes.”

She had great strength and pushed all three of them at once. Then, without waiting for more conversation, she dropped a line about going to prepare her own clothes and ran off.

Qi Leyun stood in front of the carriage and came to her senses, annoyed: “Chu Zhao and Xie Yanlai definitely have something going on!”

The girl beside her wasn’t angry though, thinking about the young man they’d just seen: “So that’s what Xie Yanlai looks like. If that’s the case, it’s not impossible for Chu Zhao to like Xie Yanlai and give up on Xie Yanfang.”

Qi Leyun struggled briefly, then finally waved her hand: “Third Young Master Xie is still better. That Xie Yanlai looks too fierce.”

He was clearly very good-looking, but somehow made people afraid to look at him too much. Look at him once more and it felt blinding—a fierce light that was blinding.

Yet Chu Zhao could smile at him like that.

But it wasn’t really strange either.

“Chu Zhao is also very fierce.”

……

……

Chu Zhao didn’t care how the girls speculated, nor would she bother explaining. With the upcoming turmoil in the capital, these were all trivial matters.

As soon as day broke, Chu Tang had the carriage ready. Chu Lan and Jiang Shi also rarely came out to see them off—mainly to admonish.

“You must remember, you’re not just yourself. If something happens to you, it will implicate the whole family,” Chu Lan said sternly.

Chu Zhao smiled: “I remember. Uncle should also remember to protect family members. Don’t be like how you treated my father before—when something happened, you just hid. If you as the elder won’t stand up for me, how can you expect others to believe I’ve done nothing wrong?”

Chu Lan was so angry his face turned green. Who was lecturing whom? He’d only said one sentence!

“You should go quickly. Others can arrive late, but we cannot,” Chu Tang said timidly from the side.

That’s right. Chu Zhao was already hated to the bone by the Third Prince. Poor Chu Tang still had to go along and would be implicated. Jiang Shi quickly pulled Chu Lan back: “Alright, alright, enough said. You should go now.”

Chu Tang gave Chu Zhao a quiet smile, signaling her to get in the carriage.

Chu Zhao didn’t make things difficult for her and did as told, getting in the carriage.

Watching the carriage drive away, Chu Lan looked up to the heavens with a sigh, not knowing what fate awaited the Chu family.

What karmic retribution.