Uроn hearing thеsе wоrds, Наn Yan, having just steаdiеd herself, immеdiatelу brоkе frее frоm her embrаce and spat out а fiеrcе "Pаh!" аs shе glаred аt thе реrsоn befоre her.
Who еlsе cоuld it be but Zhuo Qi? At this mоment, he stоod with his arms сrоssеd, lооking аt Нan Yan with а hаlf-smile. "Dоn't bе sо fierсe. Wеrеn't you quitе аffeсtionate just а moment agо?"
Наn Yan, аlready disрlеаsed bу his suddеn арреarаnсe, rеtortеd irritably, "Whаt arе уоu doing hеrе?"
Zhuо Qi smilеd. "The weаther is nice todaу, so I camе to the mоuntain tо сleаr my mind. I didn’t expect to run into you—what a coincidence." There wasn’t a word of truth in his mouth. Because Han Yan disliked Irina, she now felt the same aversion toward Zhuo Qi. She curved her eyes into a smile and said cheerfully, "That makes sense. But, esteemed prince of Western Rong, your country has already been defeated in war. Why are you still lingering in the Great Dynasty, and looking so happy at that? Could it be that, like your sister, you’ve come to marry into the royal family?"
Zhuo Qi’s expression darkened. Han Yan’s words were far too merciless, like rubbing salt into his wounds. The mockery in her words would be unbearable even for an ordinary person, let alone a proud prince of Western Rong like him. Instantly, his jade-green eyes turned as sinister as a wolf’s, fixed sharply on Han Yan.
Han Yan wasn’t the least bit afraid of him. She simply noticed that Ji Lan and Shu Hong were nowhere to be seen—likely lured away by this Western Rong prince. She turned around, faced the lake, and clenched her fists.
The hairpin Fu Yunxi had given her had fallen into the lake. What should she do now?
Han Yan stood with her back to Zhuo Qi, her gaze fixed intently on the lake. Seeing that she was ignoring him, Zhuo Qi suddenly curled his lips into a smile, his anger completely dissipating. He slowly walked over to Han Yan’s side and said, "Irina is about to become the Xuan Qing Prince Consort. Little girl, why don’t you come with me?"
Han Yan didn’t even hear Zhuo Qi’s tempting words. Following her gaze, Zhuo Qi asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"
Han Yan turned her head and said coldly, "You made me drop my hairpin into the lake."
Zhuo Qi smiled indifferently. "Is that all? Just a hairpin. I’ll get you another one later. Western Rong is rich in fine jade—"
Before he could finish, Han Yan cut him off with, "I don’t want it." Zhuo Qi felt a surge of anger, but then he saw Han Yan crouch down, extending a hand to futilely scoop at the water in the lake.
Intrigued, Zhuo Qi crouched beside her. "It’s just a hairpin. If it’s lost, it’s lost. What exactly are you still looking at?"
Han Yan ignored him, feeling an indescribable sorrow in her heart. That hairpin was a gift from Fu Yunxi. For some reason, she always felt that the hairpin Fu Yunxi had given her held great significance. Often, holding the hairpin he had given her felt like looking at Fu Yunxi himself, granting her endless courage to face whatever might come next. Now, this Western Rong princess who had suddenly appeared had changed everything. A rift had formed between them, and the hairpin had sunk to the bottom of the lake, lost beyond recovery. Did this mean there was no longer any hope of mending her relationship with Fu Yunxi?
Seeing the sorrow on Han Yan’s face, Zhuo Qi seemed to understand something. He said slowly, "Did he give it to you?"Han Yan did not speak. After a moment of thought, she stood up and walked to the other side, picking up a long, withered branch to stir something in the water. In truth, she wanted to wade into the water herself to retrieve it, but Zhuo Qi was here. How could she expose her skin in front of an unrelated man? At this thought, she grew somewhat annoyed with Zhuo Qi. Why was this man always lingering around her? Did he have nothing to do all day?
Seeing her actions, Zhuo Qi said with displeasure, "Little girl, how about I compensate you with a new hairpin? Just forget about that one."
Han Yan ignored him, stubbornly stirring the water, her eyes fixed intently on the lake, never glancing at Zhuo Qi again. Zhuo Qi's expression instantly turned dark and sinister. "He is about to marry Irina as his princess consort. Why do you still care so much about him? You and him—it's over!" These last words were almost gritted out through clenched teeth. He didn't know why, but seeing the emotions Han Yan displayed toward Fu Yunxi filled him with intense anger. Jealousy surged wildly within him. He had always been arrogant and proud, and when he realized he couldn't compare to that man in Han Yan's heart, a sense of humiliation rose within him.
"Enough," Han Yan suddenly spoke, her tone colder than ever before. Toward Zhuo Qi, she had always maintained a policy of keeping her distance—the farther, the better, avoiding any entanglement. Thus, she had previously dismissed his words as thoughtless ramblings. But when he said, "You and him—it's over," the pain in her heart amplified infinitely. Could she truly sever all ties with Fu Yunxi? She spoke slowly, word by word, "Whether I have a relationship with anyone is none of your concern. Does His Highness the Prince not think he is overstepping?"
Zhuo Qi's wolf-like green eyes locked onto her, his voice icy. "Do you like him that much?"
Han Yan had already decided to cut off his hopes and replied, "I don't like him." Seeing Zhuo Qi's expression relax slightly, as if about to smile, she continued, "I love him." As expected, Zhuo Qi's expression instantly stiffened, and his gaze at Han Yan seemed as though he might lunge forward and strangle her the next second.
Han Yan smiled faintly. "Is it wrong to love someone? No matter how noble His Highness the Prince may be, human emotions cannot be controlled, can they? Otherwise, why would the princess scheme so meticulously to marry into the prince's mansion? If His Highness can understand his own sister, don't tell me he cannot understand me. That would be a joke to the world." The corners of her lips curled into a mocking smile. Zhuo Qi realized that whenever Han Yan grew angry, her tone would become sarcastic and lighthearted. The more casually she spoke, the sharper her words became, piercing straight to the heart. In just these few short sentences, Zhuo Qi, who had never felt such pain in his life, was once again easily provoked by this woman who barely seemed like one.
"Even if he is going to marry Irina, you don't hate him? You still love him?" he gritted out.
"Without love, how can there be hate?" Han Yan replied. "Love and hate are not mutually exclusive, are they? Even if I truly hate him, it is because I love him. If we speak of hatred, I hate those who covet what belongs to others even more. No matter how good something is, if it belongs to someone else, taking it makes you a thief."Her words carried a deeper meaning—on the surface, she was accusing Irina of coveting another woman’s husband, calling her an emotional thief, but beneath the surface, she was also implying that the Western Rong people were constantly eyeing the Great Dynasty, stirring up trouble, a behavior truly contemptible.
"You..." Zhuo Qi’s expression darkened. Even if she had insulted him and Irina, he could have endured it, but Han Yan repeatedly dragged the entire Western Rong into the matter, and her words were undeniably sharp, leaving him no room for rebuttal. This girl was truly quick-witted—he had never managed to gain the upper hand against her. His face turned pale with anger. "So what? Your hairpin has already fallen into the lake. What do you plan to do about it?"
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