However, dealing with this situation would be a huge hassle. Meng Ruyi pondered silently, unconsciously furrowing her brows and rubbing the corners of her eyes.
If she really went all out against Zhang Yunyun's father, no matter what, Zhang Yunyun was his biological daughter. If something happened to him, it wouldn't be a trivial matter for Zhang Yunyun. But if she just let it go and allowed him to keep testing Zhang Yunyun's limits, something big would surely happen sooner or later.
How on earth could she handle him without implicating Zhang Yunyun while also making sure he could no longer cause trouble?
"Don't worry," Zhang Yunyun said, seeing the deep furrows on Meng Ruyi's brow. "I believe my father won't act stupidly again after this."
One could only hope so.
Meng Ruyi's train of thought was interrupted. Seeing the forced calm on Zhang Yunyun's face, she could only nod in agreement and say, "Okay."
After that, the two fell silent again. They both seemed to have something to say but didn't know how to start.
A hint of bitterness appeared on Zhang Yunyun's face. Seeing the undisguised concern in Meng Ruyi's eyes, the bitterness gradually turned into a sting in her nose, rushing to the corners of her eyes and making them slightly red.
But what could she do? He was her own father. Zhang Yunyun didn't understand why her once kind and strict father had torn off his former mask during this period and become a terrifying and strange person.
It was so terrifying, so pathetic.
Zhang Yunyun held back the tears that were about to well up in her eyes, but she couldn't stop thinking about this. What if her mother were still alive? What if her father hadn't married a stepmother? Would things have been better?
"I'm okay. Don't worry."
Zhang Yunyun's voice was already choking. She felt Meng Ruyi gently patting the back of her hand, and warmth spread.
【Sigh... I don't even know what to say. It's so sad. Yunyun was such a cute and sassy little sun not long ago. How come it's like this today...】
【Once there's a stepmother, there'll be a stepfather. This saying is really true.】
【Actually, I've seen many cases like Zhang Yunyun's. It's just that now that she's grown up and about to get married, they no longer consider her part of the family, which is why they do such things regardless of their own daughter.】
【No way. I'm so angry. If this just gets over like this, I'll really be furious!】
Meng Ruyi stood up and hugged Zhang Yunyun in her arms. Distracted, she looked at the words on the bullet screen and didn't give up the idea of finding a way to deal with County Magistrate Zhang.
No, what the bullet screen said was really right. Maybe County Magistrate Zhang thought that a married daughter was no longer part of the family, which was why he no longer considered Zhang Yunyun's feelings. But he was also worried that she would ignore him in the future, so he kept testing her.
What should she do?
Meng Ruyi let out a deep sigh in her heart, gently patting Zhang Yunyun's back and saying softly, "Don't be afraid. It's only a few months away."
She couldn't tell Zhang Yunyun her current thoughts for the time being.
Thinking this, a hint of coldness flashed in Meng Ruyi's eyes, and her gaze was directed towards the direction of the Zhang Mansion.
...
Before dawn, Zheng Yuanqing had already opened his eyes and was staring blankly at the eaves.
The next moment, he turned his head slightly and looked at the screen. It was poorly made, but it was good at blocking things, so he still kept it after moving to a new place.
It was quiet behind the screen, so quiet that it seemed as if there was nothing there, not even a sound of breathing. If Zheng Yuanqing didn't know that Jingzhe was behind it, he might have thought there was no one.
He didn't know why he had woken up suddenly, but he didn't want to get up either. He unconsciously kept his eyes open and stared blankly at a certain place, enjoying the long - lost tranquility.
Since Jingzhe had been by his side for the past half - month, Zheng Yuanqing had only then realized how careless he had been and how many people around him were waiting for an opportunity to kill him.
It was just that now they were all unsure whether the person above was using him as bait or really no longer cared about him. If that most noble person really no longer cared about him, then that day might be his death.
It was really great, the power of a king, the feeling of controlling the life and death of all.
Although he was farther away from the capital than ever before, Zheng Yuanqing only felt that he was closest to that person at this moment and finally felt the wonderful taste of power.
The sound of the wind came from outside the window, blowing the leaves and making a rustling sound, which made the room even quieter.
Zheng Yuanqing stared silently at the eaves and continued to ponder.
"Shing—"
The sound of a sword being drawn rang out. Zheng Yuanqing was startled and sat up clumsily. He saw Jingzhe rushing out of the door so fast that he could hardly see his shadow.
The next second, the sound of swords clashing came from outside the door, which made Zheng Yuanqing's heart skip a beat. He unconsciously took out the long knife under his pillow but hesitated and sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed.
Should he go out?
Jingzhe's going out meant that there were assassins outside. They must be coming to assassinate him, which was why Jingzhe had taken action.
His martial arts were really...
Thinking this, the hand holding the long knife tightened even more and was even trembling slightly.
The sound of swords clashing continued to come from outside the door, but there was no sound of people.
While his heart was still hesitating, his body had already rushed out with the long knife.
Zheng Yuanqing swallowed hard. He could hear his heart pounding like it was going to jump out of his chest. His palm holding the long knife was full of sweat.
The moment he stepped out of the door, Zheng Yuanqing first heard a scream, followed by a strong smell of blood. His pupils shrank slightly, and he looked in shock as Jingzhe held a long sword. There were three people lying on the ground. Two of them were already motionless, and the remaining one was groaning in pain.
The smell of blood was so strong that it almost rushed into his nose one after another. Zheng Yuanqing's long knife fell to the ground, and he unconsciously retched. His face suddenly turned pale.
"Clang—"
The long knife hit the ground. Jingzhe frowned and turned to look at the man standing at the door. He said indifferently, "If you're scared, go in. I'll clean up, and then you can come out."
As soon as the words were spoken, the struggling man on the ground let out a timely scream and hoarsely said, "Jing... Jingzhe! If the master finds out that you've betrayed the Sword Pavilion, you'll... you'll die a terrible death!"
Jingzhe didn't bother to pay attention to this man's words. He glanced at Zheng Yuanqing out of the corner of his eye, thinking that he was going to go in.
Unexpectedly, Zheng Yuanqing half - squatted to pick up the knife that had fallen on the ground. He took a deep breath, trotted to stand beside Jingzhe, and stood still. His breathing was a bit unsteady. "It's okay. I'll help you deal with it."
Jingzhe looked at him in surprise for a moment and then nodded. "Okay. First, drag these two out."
Zheng Yuanqing nodded upon hearing this. But when he lowered his head, he saw the long and deep bloodstains on the sides of the two men's necks. The flesh was almost turned over, and the gushing blood seemed to have dried up, leaving only the strong smell of blood in the air.
Zheng Yuanqing couldn't help retching again.
Jingzhe: "..."