Chapter 1812: Chapter 417: Toying with Loyalty, Surrendering Completely (Part 2)

From the angle she hadn’t noticed, the man’s eyes were full of heartache, everything was like a fleeting epiphyllum, disappearing in an instant. When he looked again, his eyes were only calm and indifferent.

"I understand all your pain, but I no longer have the qualification to care for you."

Only with restraint could he find a place beside her; otherwise, they wouldn’t even be able to remain friends.

"By the way, aren’t you in the Capital City? Why are you here?" Yun Ya asked, trying to find something to say, but immediately regretted it as the words left her mouth—wasn’t she just asking a question to which she already knew the answer?

"I came back to handle some things." Pei Qinghan replied dismissively.

The two tacitly agreed not to continue this topic.

"How do you want to handle this matter?" Pei Qinghan asked.

He was asking her how to deal with the situation with Dong Xieyou and Bai Xue. Whether he was in Jiangzhou on business or specifically came because of her, Yun Ya no longer wanted to think about it.

"They kidnapped Aunt Die to lure me in. This is a great chance to catch both of them in one fell swoop. I’ll take their heads and present them to the Queen as a greeting gift." Yun Ya’s dark eyes glimmered with a cold, sharp light.

Pei Qinghan glanced at her, the girl’s calmness as deep as an abyss, her thick curling eyelashes casting a shadow under her eyelids, swaying with the flickering lights outside the car window, like a feather gently scraping across his heart.

He turned away, looking out the car window into the endless darkness to calm the turmoil inside.

"I’ll help you."

She didn’t ask why, only said "okay," accepting it calmly without refusal.

This answer made him sigh in relief.

The car quickly arrived at the specified location, an abandoned factory in the desolate suburb, where any approaching vehicle would be immediately noticed by the people inside.

"Let’s park the car here. I’ll go in alone." Yun Ya looked at the dilapidated factory looming in the darkness, seeming like a beast ready to devour.

"No." Pei Qinghan frowned slightly: "It’s too dangerous."

"They’re after me. If I don’t show up, Aunt Die will be in danger." Yun Ya pushed open the car door and stepped out, glancing at a point in the darkness, nodding slightly.

As Yun Ya walked in alone, Fu Bai anxiously asked: "Brother Han, what should we do?"

Pei Qinghan’s usually indifferent voice carried a hint of coldness: "Surround this place; don’t let even a fly escape."

With those words, he pushed open the car door, stepped out, and tossed his jacket onto the seat. Underneath, his long and lean waist appeared particularly alluring, emphasized by the tight fit, as he unbuttoned his cuffs and strode forward with purpose.

"Brother Han..."

Fu Bai watched helplessly as the man agilely jumped into the underbrush and disappeared from sight.

"Wait for my signal."

Ning Zihuan instructed Jing He to proceed with the original plan, leaping from the car into the boundless darkness.

The factory, long neglected, was surrounded by overgrown weeds, its walls mottled and crumbling. In the silent depth of night, the occasional chirp of insects and calls of birds added a strange allure to the night.

Yun Ya pushed through the chest-high weeds, the iron door slowly opening before her.

"Yun Ya... Yun Ya, save me..." The woman’s frantic cries immediately reached her ears, filled with deep fear and anxiety.

Yun Ya stepped forward, the interior space was vast, a single light bulb casting a dim glow. Beyond its reach, darkness reigned, like a beast lurking in the shadows, ready to swallow everything whole.

Ji Die sat on a chair in the center, surrounded by unending darkness, her thin figure reflecting distinctly in Yun Ya’s eyes.

Her hands were bound to the chair, struggling weakly, eyes glimmering with hopeful light.

She knew that the young lady would surely come to her rescue.

Yet at the same time, her heart was conflicted, shaking her head desperately, she shouted: "Young lady, you must leave, they’re going to kill you, don’t worry about me, just go..."

She didn’t want to die, but she couldn’t bear to watch the young lady risk her life to save her. In the past, she could have willingly died for the young lady without hesitation, but... but now, she wasn’t alone anymore, she had a child, the child she and Qin Zhuan longed for.

At this moment, her heart felt like it was roasting over a fire, torn between conflict and agony.

She watched the girl emerge from the darkness, the night winds gradually receding behind her, and her face slowly clarified.

She had grown up, and in her, she could vaguely see the shadow of the lady.

Yet they were different.

The lady had always been proud and radiant, like the blazing sun, forever scorching and lofty.

But the young lady, she seemed never to show temper, like a bowl of clear water, neither arrogant nor impetuous, reserved and gentle.

She cried and shook her head: "Young lady... my life is worthless, not worth you risking yourself to save me...."

"Aunt Die, don’t cry."

The girl smiled gently, warming and moving her heart.

"I’ve come to take you home. Uncle Qin is waiting for you there."

As soon as she heard Qin Zhuan’s name, she couldn’t control her tears.

"Ji Yunya, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time." An icy female voice abruptly echoed, resonating in the empty space.

Yun Ya stopped, watching the silhouette emerge from the darkness, a frail figure wearing a strange clown mask, eyes behind the mask staring at her, like steel nails driving into her heart.

"Is that so, sorry to keep you waiting." Yun Ya smiled gently.

"Can you still smile now?" The woman sneered, suddenly unveiling the black cloth on Ji Die, revealing the bomb strapped to her bulging belly. The woman pressed the remote in her hand, the bomb’s screen lit up, the red digits glaringly clear.

Three minutes countdown.

"Ji Yunya, do you know? From the moment I knew of your existence, I have been insanely jealous of you." The woman’s eyes flickered with flames of madness, like a wildfire consuming everything, within a hundred meters, nothing would survive.

Yun Ya’s smile grew broader: "There are countless women in this world jealous of me, you’re just one of them."

What makes you special to me?

It was this nonchalant demeanor that drove her crazy.

From the age of eight, she was adopted; chosen as part of a group of five due to her aptitude, she once regarded that woman as a mother, yearning for her affection and favor. She strived relentlessly, hoping to earn just one word of praise, that simple wish was her sole motivation throughout those years.

But when she knew of Ji Yunya’s existence, when she realized that everything she did was merely a stepping stone for Ji Yunya, it felt like her world had crumbled to pieces, plunging her into hell.

These were merely triggers; what she couldn’t truly let go of was Q.

From the first moment she saw him, she was captivated by his ethereal lotus-like elegance, the only light in her dark life, like a moth drawn to the flame, even knowing the path was a sea of fire, she never wavered.

She once fantasized about marrying him, living a life detached from worldly concerns. Yet all those beautiful dreams were shattered.

She was too naive.

"She has grown well, so many years, it has been hard on you."

"If you like her, I will give you a chance."

She saw the usually indifferent man’s eyes blaze with fireworks, at that moment she knew she had lost miserably.

"Don’t be foolish, she is the Queen’s daughter, how could she possibly marry you, her only daughter? You’re just an assassin, a pawn to be toyed with at her fingertips, merely a means to ensure your unwavering loyalty, do you understand?"

What did he say?

"I don’t care."