[天命为凰]

Untitled Part 189

Chapter 189 - Still Early

Yes. That was his motive.

Xie Lianzhen never denied that his motive was to make Lu Mingshu give in.

He was interested in her after their first meeting in the alley.

Xie Lianzhen was fully aware of her situation; her stepmother was trying to sell her off at a good price, and her birth father not only turned a blind eye to it but added fuel to the fire. In order to escape their hands, she was constantly working hard, fighting in different arenas once she reached Tianyun City to increase her value.

He was curious. He knew how hard that could be. In addition, just fighting in arenas wasn't enough – she had to get onto the New Generation Ranking at the least to have qualified to talk to the queen.

For a newbie who just entered the Harmonization Realm, Xie Lianzhen knew very well how hard it was to enter the New Generation Ranking, and if the game just ended there, it would've been boring.

That was why he chose to help her by giving her information on her opponents.

The more stubborn Lu Mingshu was, the more fun he found in it. He even purposely let the queen know about it so he could use the queen to pressure Lu Mingshu.

At first, he just wanted to test the limits. However, the further she went, the bigger the fire within him grew.

Very interesting. She doesn't look like she's sixteen – she's firm and steady. Comparing her to Jiayan, who's two years older, Jiayan's more like a kid.

However, she couldn't escape the fact that she was still young. Under his subtle hints, she made an inappropriate move.

In order to hide her emotions, she chose the most idiotic way to solve the problem – to expose his true self to his face, speaking about the dark side of him that couldn't be shown to the world.

Being naive, she thought that he would retreat. But outside of her expectations, he held on to her even tighter.

Anyways, I'm sick!

Xie Lianzhen recalled the last twenty years. He had never met someone who could see through him so easily. He had his mask on all day and all night. Everyone who ever saw him only saw his mask, but in front of Lu Mingshu, he could be himself.

If I let her leave, I'll regret it for sure.

That was the moment where he was determined to make her stay, regardless of the price he had to pay.

So he watched her fight with all her might on stage, defeating all her opponents and clinching first place on the New Generation Ranking.

She accomplished something that others had deemed impossible for her to achieve.

So what? Xie Lianzhen sneered. I can't wait to let her know that, even if she gets first, her fate is still her fate. She can never escape it.

At that point, what will she do? Rage? A life-and-death struggle? Or give up totally?

To his surprise, she suggested treating his legs as an exchange to let her go.

...something that no one should ever mention in front of him.

He gritted his teeth in anger. No matter what you come up with, you'll never get out of my hands!

However, the next day, he witnessed her sitting beside the queen, and for the past few days, she had been following orders like she had accepted her fate.

Xie Lianzhen couldn't believe his eyes. The Lu Mingshu who once had nothing on her mind but becoming first on the New Generation Ranking would give in like this?

He couldn't believe his eyes, and his mood was ruined.

Just as Lu Mingshu said, he wasn't aware of what he really wanted. He hoped that she would persevere and prove her worth, yet he also wished to take away her arrogance and make her obey. No matter which he got, he would be unsatisfied.

And now, his true self was exposed again.

"Xie Lianzhen, it's not like you to be so flustered and exasperated," Lu Mingshu slowly said and smiled.

She may have been mature, but she still couldn't quite grasp what the world was really like. In front of Xie Lianzhen, she looked quiet and gentle, but in reality, her aggressive attempts to make Xie Lianzhen give up might backfire, and she would lose the upper hand.

However, Lu Mingshu would always reflect on herself and take action when she found a mistake.

Hearing about Xie Lianzhen in Wei Chunqiu's eyes made her realize that Xie Lianzhen wasn't as powerful as she thought.

Thus, she started to search for his psychological weaknesses.

In the end, it was no harder than a math question.

"What do you actually want?" Lu Mingshu stared at him. "Do you hope that I'll never change, so I can be your pillar of support mentally, or should I give in to fate and bow down in front of you? You don't even know what you want, so what makes you think you can say anything?"

The disdain on her face brought Xie Lianzhen back to the day where they first met in the alley and she told him, "Don't promise something you can't fulfill."

She always seemed to be chiding him.

"How do you know that I'm not just having fun?" he started slowly. This was the first time that he completely showed his dark side to someone. "You are arrogant, stubborn, and firm. It will be fun to torment someone like you, no? Will you give in when you're at the end of the rope and helpless? On the other hand, if you give in too early, that won't be any fun."

Lu Mingshu stared at him for a moment before commenting, "Xie Lianzhen, you're really sick indeed!"

This made Xie Lianzhen laugh out loud. "Well, I always have been." He smiled at her before continuing in an eerie voice. "My real name is Xie Xingchen, remember that, missy."

Lu Mingshu scoffed.

So what if I know his real name? Xie Lianzhen or Xie Xingchen, a pervert is a pervert.

"Sorry to disappoint you. I have a strong point, which is to always find myself a way out no matter where I am. From what I see now, the queen is more reliable than you."

"The queen?" Xie Lianzhen's gaze fell as if he just remembered something. "Speaking of the queen, she's quite a strong person, am I right?"

Not waiting for her reply, he continued, "When I was younger, I once doubted how she – an ambitious and capable woman – could be willing to be under somebody else, even if it was just nominally."

So? Lu Mingshu's thoughts went wandering.

"Shortly, she gave birth to Shi Yu." Xie Lianzhen smiled. "I saw her after giving birth for the first time, and I could not believe my eyes. She was full of smiles – gentle, warm, and tender, as if her whole world was filled with happiness. Back then, I thought that, no matter how tough a woman seems to be, they're still soft at heart."

Lu Mingshu felt chills run down her spine.

Xie Lianzhen smiled, his bright-as-jade face shining below the moonlight. He turned to her and asked gently, "What about you? Compared to the queen, that is."

Lu Mingshu was absolutely horrified. "You... pervert!"

Her voice trembled.

Xie Lianzhen laughed. "I see. I know the answer now. Back then, your mother bore humiliation and paid with her life to find her former husband just so you could have a place to stay. With a mother like her, you're surely softer than the queen, right?"

Lu Mingshu turned green.

Satisfaction gushed up as Xie Lianzhen looked at her expression. "You put up a tougher side today compared to last time, but it's not enough for a pervert like me. See for yourself; I'm just spouting nonsense and you're already shaking. Such an obvious shortcoming. It's still early for you to defeat me!"