Chapter 5: Is This Person Mentally Ill?
The esteemed young master of the Ying family, yet the person he liked had fallen for someone else—how could Qin Xuan not feel proud about this?
Ying Xuan probably still didn’t know that the cultivation resources he had previously provided had all ended up in Qin Xuan’s hands.
Qin Xuan thought despicably to himself, ‘If I were to reveal the truth right now, would Ying Xuan go insane?’
The thought of Ying Xuan’s inevitable hysterical reaction when he learned the truth filled Qin Xuan with uncontrollable excitement.
But outwardly, he maintained the facade of a gentleman.
Qin Xuan knew that the more he behaved this way, the more Zhangsun Ya would despise Ying Xuan.
Sure enough, after hearing Qin Xuan’s words, Zhangsun Ya furrowed her delicate brows and looked at Ying Xuan with disgust.
“Ying Xuan, I’ll give you one more chance: break off the engagement on your own and apologize to Brother Xuan. If you do, I’ll let this matter go. I’ll even send you an invitation when Brother Xuan and I get married. If not, I will hate you for the rest of my life.”
At that moment, Ying Tong and Ying Xuechen, who were eavesdropping behind the artificial hill, widened their eyes in disbelief upon hearing Zhangsun Ya’s confident threat.
Hate Ying Xuan for the rest of her life?
What kind of threat was that?
‘You’ve already humiliated him by cheating on him, does he even care about this?’ Ying Xuechen couldn’t help but shake his head.
When Zhangsun Ya had first visited the Ying family with her elders, he had a good impression of her. She had been a lovely and talented young girl, and it was for these reasons that the Ying family had agreed to the marriage proposal from Zhangsun Ya’s grandfather.
Who would have thought that in just a few years, she had become like this?
She was still the same person, yet there wasn’t a trace of who she had once been.
Ying Xuan stared at the person in front of him, whose eyes were filled with loathing. A flicker of unfamiliarity passed through his gaze.
The Zhangsun Ya standing before him now felt like a complete stranger.
Before, Ying Xuan had always seen Zhangsun Ya through a filter, believing she was still the innocent little girl he had met years ago.
But now, Zhangsun Ya had shattered that filter herself, and for the first time, Ying Xuan awakened from his illusions, finally seeing his fiancée for who she truly was.
“Do you really like him?” Ying Xuan asked seriously, his tone firm.
Zhangsun Ya was stunned by his reaction. This wasn’t the scene she had imagined.
Wasn’t Ying Xuan supposed to fly into a rage when he found out she had fallen for someone else and then fight Qin Xuan? Why was he so calm now?
Something deep inside her told her this wasn’t how things were supposed to go. Ying Xuan shouldn’t be acting this way.
Despite her doubts, Zhangsun Ya nodded, her eyes fixed on Ying Xuan as she responded slowly and deliberately, “The person I’ve always loved is Brother Xuan. I’ve only ever seen you as a regular friend.”
“A regular friend?”
Ying Xuan repeated those words, and in an instant, his entire aura shifted.
A wave of unease flashed through Zhangsun Ya’s heart.
Up until now, Ying Xuan had always been gentle and accommodating in front of her, never refusing any of her requests, not even daring to speak harshly.
This was why Zhangsun Ya felt so bold in disregarding Ying Xuan. His constant indulgence had fostered her sense of entitlement—after all, the one who is favored is always fearless.
In the next moment, the oppressive pressure of a cultivator at the Golden Core stage descended upon Zhangsun Ya and Qin Xuan like a tidal wave.
The two of them couldn’t withstand the overwhelming force and instinctively staggered back a few steps.
“What is the meaning of this, Young Master Ying? Are you enraged because you found out Xiaoya doesn’t like you?” Qin Xuan glared at Ying Xuan in fury, questioning him.
The humiliation of being forced back by that pressure filled him with intense frustration.
He was just relying on his higher cultivation level. If they were at the same stage, Ying Xuan definitely wouldn’t be his match.
“Xiaoya once said you were a good person, but it seems you’re nothing special. Now I see that her decision to not like you was a wise one.”
“Xiaoya, let’s go. If he refuses to break off the engagement, I’ll personally take you away. No matter how powerful the Ying family is, can they really force you to stay?”
With that, Qin Xuan grabbed Zhangsun Ya’s hand, intending to leave.
Still in shock from what had just happened, Zhangsun Ya let Qin Xuan pull her along without resisting.
“What if I said you can’t?”
Just as the two were about to leave, a calm voice rang out.
The next moment, both Zhangsun Ya and Qin Xuan found themselves completely frozen in place, unable to move.
After watching the drama unfold for quite some time, Ying Tong and Ying Xuechen stepped out from behind the artificial hill, one after the other.
Zhangsun Ya and Qin Xuan were shocked to realize that people had been hiding behind the hill all along.
Zhangsun Ya’s shock turned to horror when she saw Ying Xuechen. Her pupils widened, and a wave of fear surged within her.
Ying Xuechen—the heir of the Ying family and indisputably the top among the younger generation of the Ying family.
Of course, that ranking didn’t include Ying Tong. Although she was technically part of the younger generation, her seniority and status were much higher.
Zhangsun Ya might have acted arrogantly in front of Ying Xuan, but when facing other members of the Ying family, she never dared to be reckless.
If seeing Ying Xuechen only filled her with fear, then laying eyes on Ying Tong, who walked ahead, brought her nothing but pure despair.
Yes, Zhangsun Ya had seen Ying Tong before. Although it was only from a distance, Ying Tong’s presence had left a deep impression on her mind.
Zhangsun Ya often thought to herself how wonderful it would be if she could become someone like Ying Tong.
Meanwhile, Qin Xuan, though unfamiliar with Ying Tong, was deeply captivated by the aura she exuded. When Ying Tong sensed Qin Xuan’s gaze, she casually glanced at him.
With just one look, Qin Xuan found himself involuntarily holding his breath, as if he had been plunged into an icy lake. That seemingly casual glance carried an overwhelming pressure, like a sharp blade descending swiftly, only to stop at the last moment.
Despite the fear and panic rising within him, Qin Xuan managed to suppress his emotions and, pretending to be calm, said, “Hiding behind the rock to eavesdrop on our conversation isn’t very gentlemanly of you.”
“Oh? Is it the behavior of a gentleman to have an affair with a woman even though he knows she has a fiancé? Is it gentlemanly to ignore the boundaries and deliberately seduce someone else’s fiancée?” Ying Tong retorted.
Qin Xuan hadn’t expected Ying Tong to respond so sharply, and his expression turned sour. Meanwhile, Zhangsun Ya’s face flushed with shame.
In front of Ying Xuan, she could be self-righteous, even twist the truth. But in front of Ying Tong and Ying Xuechen, she lacked the courage to do so.
Qin Xuan, trying to defend himself, said, “Xiaoya and I are truly in love. There’s no deliberate seduction here. In love, the one who isn’t loved is the third wheel.”
Ying Tong paused for a moment, then thought, ‘This guy must be mentally ill.’
She turned to Zhangsun Ya and asked, “And you? Do you think the same?”
