The Endless Promise {COMPLETED}

161. A Face Long Forgotten

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"Why did you do this to me...?!!" Fei Yun had asked, making Zhurong Fen scoff.

"...Those who are used often know why, but they hide it in their deepest of hearts for whatever reason.

"In your case, you were such an easy tool because you certainly realized your own worthlessness...!"

"Tool...?" Fei Yun could hardly believe his ears. "Worthless...?!"

"Yes... A brilliantly worthless individual!" Zhurong Fen did not spare him. "Fit only to be used as a tool.

"Back then everyone said my brother was insecure because he was weak, then insecure because of his past, then insecure because he could never measure up to Yin Xiaolong. It went on and on...

"But no one ever realized the true fountain of insecurities was you... And isn't that worse in many ways? You were so insignificant that they couldn't be bothered to notice your own weakness!

"But we did..." She grinned prettily, staring at him like she had done so many times in the past, but her eyes were now completely devoid of love or mercy.

Fei Yun did not recognize these cold eyes which cruelly bore into him.

"Hmph. A cast-away illegitimate prince of low-birth, not even worth mentioning..." Zhurong Fen continued. "Of the famous three friends, Yin Xiaolong was the strongest, and Tianlong, though weak, was at least the Crown Prince...

"You? You had absolutely nothing going for you!

"Once Tianlong became stronger, you became even more obsolete! Not worth the slightest bit of attention, and we recognized it! I realized early on that if I wanted you to do our bidding, all I had to do was inflate your ego in the worst possible way.

"And so, you were suddenly approached by the Sky Princess. The same princess who everyone kept saying was Yin Xiaolong's perfect match. I poured in a bit of flower charm to heighten our initial interactions, but everything that followed was all you...

"You couldn't help yourself from that point! After all, having me would give you a sense of achievement! You could get the same woman worthy of Yin Xiaolong... You accepted my love and affection because you wanted to believe you deserved it!

"But then... I needed to inflate your ego even more, and at the same time, build your desire to protect me. So even a millennia old Grand Immortal suddenly favoured you!

"You acted disgusted, while secretly relishing the fact that you could turn down someone so powerful and beautiful... You could even scorn her for my sake, and that elevated feeling of yours worked wonders!"

She crouched before him. "What confidence made you believe you were ever worth all that attention?" She reached out, lightly tapping his cheek.

"Still, who knew you would suddenly become the Fate Immortal?" She ran a finger along his cheek, down his neck. "The cheap tool I picked up by the roadside actually grew to have an immense use..."

She straightened and waved a hand showing him a vision of how Jin Lan had been planting the Dark-Heart flowers around Fate Villa through the years.

The vision showed how Jin Lan always ensured Fei Yun had fresh wine within reach, and how he tampered with the Fate Mirrors, ensuring no one ever caught the Black Dragon's rampage.

"Hmph! You even joined hands with me to create this wonderful opportunity tonight!" Zhurong Fen finished with a scoff at Fei Yun's horror and disbelief.

Defeated, Fei Yun fell forward on all fours.

'I was foolish...!' He thought as his past actions and crimes bore down on him.