During this period of time, Leng Ningâs life in the Leng Clan could be said to be miserable, even to the extent of being extremely agonising.
Ever since Yan Kong was defeated by Qin Wentian, he immediately reported this to his uncle. Naturally he wouldnât say that he was the one in the wrong but rather, the âreservedâ bride of his uncle had an extremely close relationship with some other man.
Hence, Yan Kongâs uncle, Yan Tie, immediately sent people to the Leng Clan, ordering them to keep Leng Ning under house arrest. Not only that, the place of her imprisonment would not be the Leng Residence, but the Yan Residence instead.
Such an attitude caused the already unwilling Leng Ning to be even more afraid to accept the order. She knew that once she stepped into the Yan Clan, it would be akin to stepping into a nightmare. She didnât know what that monster would do to her, and how could she, as a young lady, dare to venture into the dwelling of a monster?
What made Leng Ning even more depressed was that every day, her Clan pressured her to accept the order. Even her father tried persuading her every now and then. Her movements and freedom were tightly controlled, causing Leng Ning to despair. She had even contemplated suicide. In any case, since going to the Yan Clan meant death, rather than dying from the monsterâs torture, she might as well end it all on her own terms.
Some of the Leng Clan servants emphasised with Leng Ning, sighing in their hearts. Such a beautiful young woman was to be wasted because of lust from a disgusting old freak. This was too unfair, and too cruel. Leng Ning deserved better than this.
At that moment, Leng Ningâs dad appeared again at her courtyard. Looking at his daughter, he said, âLeng Ning, the exchange is coming soon, why have you not gone over to the Yan Clan yet?â
Leng Ningâs countenance was ice-cold. Staring at her father, âHehehe, the exchange? To gain a few slots granted by Yan Tie, the Clan has chosen to sacrifice me?â
âLeng Ning, what are you talking about? What do you mean sacrifice? Yan Tie is an esteemed third-ranked Divine Inscriptionist. There are many who want to marry him, but were rejected. If you truly become his concubine, your status would immediately skyrocket. This is such a rare opportunity. Why do you have to be so recalcitrant?â Leng Ningâs cousin, Leng Lin, smiled sarcastically from the side.
âWow, a god-sent opportunity? Why donât you go in my stead? Why did you push this onto me then?â Leng Ning coldly laughed.
âWell. Iâve already found my special someone.â Leng Lin leaned against the young man standing by her side. Her face was filled with superiority, tinged with arrogance and pride.
âLeng Ning, you should know how important this trial is to our Leng Clan. Not only that, our Leng Clan no longer has any Divine Inscriptionist experts to support us. If we want to obtain a decent ranking, we can only borrow Yan Tieâs power,â Leng Ningâs father continued persuading her.
âRidiculous, since we donât have any expert Inscriptionists, what can we do even if we obtain a decent ranking? We would still be relegated to supporting roles. When have the greatest benefits obtained from the trial not been taken away by the transcendent powers? When would it even be our Leng Clanâs turn? We wouldnât even get any scraps from it. Whatâs laughable is that our Clan has ended up begging others for help and are even selling me off, all just to send a few people to enter the trial... You guys are all truly shameless.â
Leng Ningâs heart was completely dark, she no longer considered herself part of the Leng Clan. Fan Le was right, why stay in such a clan? The sooner she left, the better. There was no more hope here.
âLeng Ning.â At that very moment, the sound of a voice suddenly drifted over. Leng Ning trembled, she recognised this voice. The cold look in her eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a smile, as she turned and ran in the direction of the voice.
âWhat are you doing?â Leng Ningâs father shouted.
âItâs none of your concern.â Leng Ning ignored her father. Beside her, a snowy puppy was sprinting along as well, towards the entrance of the Leng Residence.
Qin Wentian actually felt somewhat depressed. After he arrived at the Leng Clan, the guards barred his way despite knowing that he was a friend of Leng Ning. This incident caused Qin Wentian to faintly sense that Leng Ningâs current situation wasnât that good.
A white blur of shadow leapt into his chest. Qin Wentian ruffled the fur on Little Rascalâs head while smiling, âDid you miss me?â
âYiyiyaya!â A voice echoed out in his mind, Little Rascal kept rubbing its head on Qin Wentianâs chest, looking extremely adorable.
A beautiful figure momentarily appeared before him. This person was none other than Leng Ning, traces of fatigue were apparent on her face as she regarded Qin Wentian with a smile. âHow are you faring at the Institute? It must be great spending so much time with Teacher Bailu, right?â
âStill okay, I guess.â Qin Wentian lightly nodded his head, maintaining a nonchalant expression. This caused Leng Ning to roll her eyes at him, even spending so much time with a great beauty like Bailu Yi was âstill okayâ to him?
âHow about you?â Qin Wentian asked, gazing at her fatigued countenance, feeling some guilt in his heart. He had been too engrossed in researching and studying Divine Inscriptions during this period of time and had forgotten about Leng Ningâs situation.
âNot too bad, I guess, just that Iâm not used to not hearing someone bragging around me.â Leng Ning smiled.
Qin Wentian shifted his gaze as he saw Leng Ningâs father, as well as the couple they met from before, appearing behind Leng Ning. Their countenances, especially Leng Ningâs father, were incredibly unsightly to behold. Qin Wentian understood then, that the smile on Leng Ningâs face was forced.
âHeh heh, I didnât expect that youâd still dare to show your face.â Leng Ningâs father laughed coldly when he saw Qin Wentian. The source of Yan Tieâs rage was none other than this young man before him, as well as the fact that he was rumoured to have an extremely close relationship with Leng Ning.
Question marks appeared in Qin Wentianâs mind, why wouldnât he dare to show his face here?
âCousin, because of this fellow, you refused to marry into the Yan Clan?â Leng Lin walked up with a smile on her face. âAs for you, after offending Yan Tie, you hid away for so long yet still dare to reveal yourself now?â
Only now did Qin Wentian understand. The old freak Yan Tie, was the monster Leng Ning had told him about back then.
As for offending Yan Tie, this matter should have something to do with Yan Kong. That despicable fellow didnât dare seek his revenge alone and had chosen to inform his uncle instead. Leng Ning was inevitably dragged in as collateral damage.
Qin Wentian didnât bother looking at Leng Lin. In fact, he felt somewhat sad. Leng Linâs personality had been shaped from being brought up in such an environment.
âWhat are your thoughts on this?â Qin Wentian directly asked Leng Ning. He ignored Leng Lin, who stood to the side, causing her to frown in displeasure. This person was too arrogant, how dare he behave in such a manner while standing in her clanâs premises.
Leng Ningâs beautiful eyes regarded Qin Wentian. Even though she had some thoughts in her heart, she ultimately decided against it. The Yan Clan was too powerful, even if Qin Wentian was a third-ranked Divine Inscriptionist, how could he be compared to that old freak, who had several more years of attainment? She knew that Yan Tie was an extremely hard to deal with character, and didnât want to drag Qin Wentian down with her. In any case, this matter had nothing to do with him.
âHe and Bailu Yi are a match made in heaven.â Leng Ning sighed. After which, she lifted her head and smiled at Qin Wentian. âYou guys should move out, this place is getting too chaotic, so itâs no longer suitable for you all to continue staying here.â
âHehe, cousin is quite intelligent after all.â Leng Lin sneered. It seemed like Leng Ning didnât want any tragedy or misfortune to befall her friends, which was why she was breaking all forms of relationship between them. In any case, no matter how unwilling Leng Ning was, she had to go. If she didnât, the misfortune would surely fall upon her, Leng Lin, instead.
âThis lassâŠâ Qin Wentian involuntarily sighed when he noticed how Leng Ning was avoiding his gaze. Even though her words may be harsh at times, her heart was only filled with kindness.
âThird-ranked Divine Inscriptionist, right?â Qin Wentian murmured under his breath as he walked up to Leng Ning, pulling her hands. His actions caused Leng Ning to freeze as she stared unblinkingly at Qin Wentian.
A radiant, sun-like smile blossomed on his face. âThings are not as complicated as you imagined.â
After speaking, Qin Wentian stared at Leng Ningâs father as he spoke, âLeng Ning belongs to me now. If Yan Tie wants her, get him to talk to me.â
After speaking, Qin Wentian placed him out of his mind. Such a father was a failure. Pulling her dainty hand along, Qin Wentian made his way towards Leng Ningâs courtyard.
Brilliant lights flashed continuously in Leng Ningâs eyes. Seeing the radiant smile on Qin Wentianâs face, her heart pounded madly.
Somehow this fellow was still the same as before, bragging as usual without a care in the world.
But at this moment, he seemed so dependable to her.
âIf I could be his girlfriend, how marvellous would that be.â Leng Ning thought in her heart. But soon after, realizing her thoughts, her face involuntarily heated up. She must have gone crazy, why would this notion appear in her mind?
Leng Ningâs father, Leng Lin and her boyfriend stood there, at a loss for words. This fellow was too arrogant, was he treating himself as the lord of this place?
If Yan Tie wanted Leng Ning, he had to talk to Qin Wentian directly? Could he even bear the responsibility of speaking those words?
âEh, how long do you want to hold my hands for?â After returning to her residence, Leng Ning glared at Qin Wentian.
Only then did Qin Wentian relinquish his hold, rubbing his nose awkwardly.
âHmph, you are too straightforward, you havenât asked whether I agreed to it or not.â Leng Ning snorted, yet she didnât seem to be the slightest bit unhappy. Evidently she was just kidding, if Qin Wentian really asked her to be his girl, Leng Ning would definitely agree.
âWell, I guess you can choose to reject,â Qin Wentian stated, while looking at her.
âYouâŠâ Leng Ning was speechless, upon seeing a smile that was not a smile on his face. Did this rascal not understand the hearts of women? He should give women some face so they can exit the stage, right?
This man was too much of a rascal, too conceited. Leng Ning gritted her teeth in frustration.
âFine fine, just treat it like Iâm too presumptuous. You can just dump me after this matter is settled.â Qin Wentian understood that Leng Ning was still a young woman after all. Asking a guy to pretend to be her boyfriend? How many girls would dare to initiate such a conversation? Even if they werenât shy, they would still be wary about giving the guy the wrong idea.
âHmph, alright then.â Leng Ning smiled with satisfaction.
âOh Leng Ning, didnât you once say that the original candidate was supposed to be Leng Lin? This matter is easy to settle then, since your clan could change the candidate to you, it shouldnât be a problem to change it back to Leng Lin.â Qin Wentian shrugged, feeling somewhat unhappy when he thought of Leng Linâs rude tone of words.
Leng Ningâs eyes flickered with amusement as she heard Qin Wentianâs words. After which, she grinned and looked at Qin Wentian, âYou are so baddd.â
And yet, she was inwardly delighted. Yes, this was indeed an exceptionally excellent idea!