The lake water in summer wasn’t cold. Having been warmed by the sun for so long, the water at the surface carried a faint layer of warmth. But Chen Mingyu’s eyes gave Qing Luo a genuine shiver. She didn’t dare delay, quickly dragging the person to the shore where Qing Ying and Han Yan, who had climbed up first, pulled her out. Only then did she turn back to grab Chen Mingyu.

It wasn’t that she truly wanted to save Chen Mingyu. This young lady hadn’t been satisfied with just pushing someone into the water—she had to throw herself in to deliver another blow. This person had intended to hold the person she pushed down underwater at the bottom of the lake. At such a young age, with such vicious thoughts—though Qing Luo had witnessed many people with various personalities along the way, she was still startled by this girl who was about the same age as her own young lady.

Startled as she was, this was someone her young lady wanted. Suppressing her distaste, she restrained Chen Mingyu, who was still thrashing about, in just a few moves. Only after great effort did she manage to fling the ceaselessly struggling girl to the shore. By the time she climbed onto the bank, even with her excellent martial skills, her lips had turned blue-purple, making Han Yan’s heart leap with alarm.

Chen Mingyu lay under the blazing sun. Such intense light shot straight into her eyes, making it difficult even to open them. She coughed out several mouthfuls of water with difficulty, her hair plastered messily to her forehead, continuously dripping water. But at the moment, she couldn’t care about her appearance or how wretched she looked. She turned her head to look at the person who had just been rescued, the corners of her mouth holding a trace of satisfied smile—though she hadn’t managed to kill Song Chuyi, at least she’d made this insufferably arrogant Earl’s manor young lady who always stood so high pay a price. Look, now they were both drowned rats, both equal.

But when her gaze touched the face of the person who had been quickly covered with a cloak, her eyes immediately widened—the one lying there, whose back had looked so similar, whom she had personally pushed into the water, was actually not Song Chuyi! Not Song Chuyi?! Then who could it be?! She sat up dazedly, water dripping from her entire body. Combined with her ghost-pale face, she looked somewhat eerie.

Great-Aunt Chen had already been stunned by this scene. After a long while, she walked toward her in bewildered distress, crouched down, and asked, “Mingyu, what are you… what are you doing?” They had clearly discussed it on the road—since these people had saved them, they must have a purpose. When the time came, they would ask clearly, negotiate terms with them, and perhaps might even get a good outcome. But though they had agreed on this, Chen Mingyu had suddenly changed her mind. Not only had she suddenly changed her mind, but she had also tried to kill someone right away. Great-Aunt Chen had spent these past few months with her and had taught her for months, never knowing she had such a ruthless side.

Chen Mingyu shook her head. Her stomach churned and she vomited out some sour water, staring blankly as a group of maids and old servants quickly carried the person away. Her gaze fixed emptily on the distance, not knowing what she was thinking.

Song Chuyi, who rushed over upon receiving the news, was stunned with astonishment. She truly hadn’t expected Chen Mingyu would pull such a move—this Miss Chen’s thoughts were truly somewhat different from normal people. Ordinary people at this point would restrain their temper, hide their tail, and conceal whatever unwillingness they felt for the sake of survival. She had always thought Chen Mingyu had fairly good self-control. Looking now, this Miss Chen’s temperament was truly rather surprising.

Qing Zhuo looked at Song Chuyi, then at Chen Mingyu, and finally at his own Crown Prince, silently reciting a Buddhist prayer—fortunately, it wasn’t Sixth Miss Song who fell in. Otherwise, His Highness would definitely eat him alive.

He still remembered back in Tianshui Town when Sixth Miss Song fell into the water—his own master’s unhesitating leap. If it had been Sixth Miss Song who fell in, very likely His Highness would have killed someone on the spot.

It was in this dazzling sunlight that Chen Mingyu saw Zhou Weizhao and Song Chuyi standing side by side. Though Song Chuyi was more than half a head shorter than Zhou Weizhao, these two people standing together indeed had an indescribable harmony and compatibility. She stared blankly for a while, then suddenly felt sorrow welling up in her heart. She hadn’t even managed to trip up Song Chuyi with this final stumbling block—she was truly quite a failure.

A gentle breeze swayed, and osmanthus fragrance from who knows where filled the entire courtyard. Zhou Weizhao watched quietly for a while, then turned to look at Song Chuyi. “Weren’t you just worried about how to deal with this Miss Chen? From the looks of it now, there’s no need to waste that effort.”

He considered himself a not-very-bad person, his heart not hardened to the point of being unable to tolerate others. But just in that moment, for the first time, he felt he couldn’t control the fury filling his chest—if he hadn’t temporarily called Song Chuyi to the adjacent room, the one in the water now wouldn’t be Lu Chonghua waiting for them, but Song Chuyi instead.

Someone could stab him, and perhaps he might still have the leisure to ask about their feelings, just as his master often scolded him—he was indeed someone whose heart couldn’t harden. But if anyone touched Song Chuyi—no.

His expression gradually darkened, his thin lips pressed into a straight line. Seeing Song Chuyi look toward him, he stepped forward to shield her, ordering Qing Zhuo in a low voice, “Hand her over to Old Kong. Have Old Kong handle it.”

Song Chuyi had no objection. She truly had no interest in dealing with Chen Mingyu. Earlier, she had suddenly had a moment of weakness and felt compassion, thinking about whether to spare her life. But looking now, this Miss Chen would definitely seize any opportunity to bite back at her. Such a potential threat was better eliminated.

Qing Zhuo happily acknowledged the order, suddenly feeling his master was still clever. This was exactly the time to curry favor—he must never say anything about sparing her or the like. Such a vicious-hearted person, if spared this once, there would probably be a next time. When would it ever end?

Chen Mingyu pressed her lips together, unable to distinguish what Song Chuyi and Zhou Weizhao in the distance were actually saying. But she could see Zhou Weizhao’s gaze as he looked at Song Chuyi—so affectionate it would be difficult not to see his feelings.

She laughed coldly, pulled out her hairpin, aimed it at her own neck, and stabbed in with all her strength.

She was the legitimate granddaughter of Elder Chen, doted upon since childhood with thousands of affections. She should have had everything. She was originally no worse than Song Chuyi in anything. Her life couldn’t be held in Song Chuyi’s hands. Her life and death couldn’t be decided by Song Chuyi. If she must die, it would be by her own willing choice to embrace death, not Zhou Weizhao currying favor with Song Chuyi by sending her to her death. She took one last look at Song Chuyi, her eyes wide open as she fell into a pool of blood—she wanted to use these eyes to watch carefully, to see Song Chuyi’s fate, to see how Song Chuyi would topple Fan Liangdi without her as a witness.