CH 16

What is there to feel sorry for?

After the troublemaker fell for the 18th time without explanation, and Murong Wan knocked out Zhang Yurong for the third time in the martial arts hall, he finally yelled out Ming Qin’s name during lunch when no one was around.

“Did you do all of this?” Murong Wan asked Ming Qin, who appeared suddenly, with an unhappy expression.

Ming Qin looked nervously at the lunch box on the table, swallowed hard, and said hesitantly, “I don’t know what the eleventh prince is talking about. The weather is really nice today, haha…”

Dark clouds loomed outside, as if it was about to rain.

Murong Wan was surprised to see such a bad liar and stupid person, he stamped his foot and stubbornly said, “You don’t have to pity me!”

Ming Qin felt that this sounded too familiar and asked with some confusion, “Did I feel sorry for you?”

Murong Wan shouted loudly, “If you don’t feel sorry for me, how could you have helped me teach Zhang Yurong and his lackeys a lesson these past few days? Let me tell you, I don’t need your pity!”

When there was no one around, Ming Qin took off her mask and said frankly, “I taught them a lesson because they are annoying ghosts, and they insulted your mother badly! They deserve to be punished.”

The next second, she frowned in confusion, “Should I feel sorry for you? What do you need pity for?”

Murong Wan didn’t expect this reaction from her and suddenly stuttered, “I…I…you, you, you don’t feel sorry for me for not having a mother since I was little? Being weak and bullied every day was miserable, wasn’t it?”

Ming Qin was puzzled and had many questions. “However, I don’t have a mother or a father either. I know many people who don’t have parents. Should I feel sorry for them?” she asked the boy straightforwardly, “You get bullied every day because your martial arts skills are terrible. Should I pity you for being bad? But even if I did, it wouldn’t improve your skills, right?”

As Murong Wan listened to Ming Qin’s words, he found them piercing, but he couldn’t express his anger and frustration. “You may not have a mother, but you do have a father who can protect you. I have the strongest martial arts skills, and your father sent me to protect you because he really cares about your safety,” Ming Qin said calmly, as if it were obvious.

She then remembered, “Moreover, I don’t think you’re weak at all. You can memorize those difficult things in school that I don’t understand. With so many students, the old-fashioned teachers praise you every day. You’re really impressive.”

Hearing Ming Qin’s praise, the ten-year-old Murong Wan was stunned. “Not knowing martial arts doesn’t mean you’re weak. I know someone who is different from others. She is soft and weak and doesn’t know martial arts, but she is very intelligent and brave. I think she is the strongest person I have ever met.”

Ming Qin’s mind flashed with Murong Yan’s face, and she smiled and continued, “Besides, you are healthy. Eat more, learning martial arts takes time, and you will gradually become stronger. Then no one will bully you anymore!”

Feeling a lump in his throat, Murong Wan asked with difficulty, “Do you really think I’m impressive?”

“Absolutely!” Ming Qin replied firmly and then asked him back, “Do you think you’re impressive?”

The boy was left speechless as he gazed into Ming Qin’s clear eyes, but eventually nodded firmly, declaring, “I am strong and will only grow stronger!”

Ming Qin’s joyful smile was in response, “I believe in you!”

As Murong Wan appeared to be lost for words, Ming Qin put on her mask and patted the boy’s head before turning to leave. However, she was surprised to feel a tug on her sleeve.

“The food container has too much food, would you mind sharing it with me?” The young prince held onto her, his head bowed.

Ming Qin’s mouth watered at the sight of the rich dishes, and she quickly accepted, pulling down her mask and eagerly digging in.

“Hey, why are you crying?” Ming Qin inquired, noticing the boy’s trembling shoulders and puffy eyes.

“It’s too noisy. Shut up,” Murong Wan choked out, turning his head to avoid her gaze.

Ming Qin handed him a handkerchief and comforted him, “It must be the spicy chicken that made you cry. Kids shouldn’t eat such spicy food.”

She confidently served him some other dishes and then devoured the chicken in three bites.

“… I’m not a kid anymore.”

Murong Wan struggled to determine whether this female shadow guard was considerate or just clueless.

For ten-year-old Murong Wan, this remained the most baffling mystery.

Murong Yan’s stomach was in turmoil.

Despite not having her hair tied up or using hairpins, she felt incredibly lightheaded.

She struggled to look up at the man in front of her, who was as venomous as a snake, and suppressed the urge to vomit.

“Big sister, you’re my good sister. Have you thought about me?”

As Murong Xiao approached her step by step, his admiration was mixed with too much madness and paranoia.

Murong Yan had never detested the prince’s proximity so much. She felt as though her personal space was being invaded by an intruder who had never been allowed in before. Every inch of her body was crying out in rebellion.

The only person she allowed to come near was Ah Qin.

The man in front of her was repulsive.

She couldn’t bear it any longer.

When Murong Xiao’s hand reached for her neck, she opened her mouth in disgust and said, “I remember when His Highness the Crown Prince was little, he didn’t talk so much nonsense.”

Murong Yan rarely brought up the past, but when she did, the man’s hand halted. “When I first met you, I was only eleven years old, big sister. I’m twenty-three now.”

Excitement flickered across his face as he licked his lips. “Do you want to know how much I’ve grown, big sister?”

Murong Yan’s stomach churned, and her temples throbbed. She kept her composure, unwilling to give in to the repulsive man before her. “I’m not interested.”

“Such a pity. I think about big sister practicing every day and night,” Murong Xiao stopped, shaking his head with regret, “Do you still hate me, big sister?”

Murong Yan’s discomfort had reached its limit, and she provoked the man with red eyes. “How dare I be angry with His Highness the Crown Prince.”

She sneered, enunciating each word, “I hold no anger, no hatred, and certainly no affection for His Highness the Crown Prince.”

The man’s revolting expression faded to an expressionless one when he heard her words. He widened his eyes and cocked his head, “Does big sister not think of me? But I think of big sister.”

Murong Xiao’s heart stirred violently as he stared at the woman within his grasp.

Ah ah ah, he wanted to tear her apart, to bite her, to fill her, to make her his.

His hand reached out to grasp the woman’s delicate neck.

However, he quickly withdrew, realizing that it was not the right time. After all, her father was the detestable Prince Yu, and he couldn’t possess her forever just yet.

He folded his arms, and his body trembled from the effort to control himself.

It took about the time for an incense stick to burn before his heavy breathing slowed down. He stared at the woman and slowly retreated towards the door.

Just before leaving, he gave Murong Yan a deep look and sneered, “Sister, you look more beautiful than ever before. Why is that?”

He didn’t wait for her answer and roughly pushed the door shut as he left.

Once the iron chains were locked again, Murong Yan vomited into the basin, emptying herself of everything inside. She only stopped when she had expelled everything and was left with just acid reflux.

Feeling weak, she lay down, shaking uncontrollably and feeling completely powerless. She thought of calling someone to tidy up before Ming Qin arrived, but she lost consciousness and passed out before she could do so.