Chapter 712: Laying It All Out

Huang Rong had been calmly waiting to answer the last question before ending their late-night conversation, but she never expected Song Qingshu to say something like that!

Though his words were brief and spoken lightly, to Huang Rong, they struck like a thunderclap.

‘He knows! He knows!’

Huang Rong’s vision went black for a moment, and her soft body stiffened instantly, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Song Qingshu caught her by the shoulders to keep her from falling and said with a half-smile, “What’s wrong? Is this question really so hard to answer?”

Looking at the infuriating smirk on his face, Huang Rong wished she could strangle him. Was this not an incredibly difficult question to answer?

‘How could he know? I planned everything perfectly—there was no way he could have found out!’

Huang Rong’s mind was in chaos, but instead of responding to Song Qingshu, she quickly began analyzing the situation in her head.

However, after only a few thoughts, she gave up on figuring out where her plan had gone wrong. Since he already knew, there was no point in dwelling on how he had found out. Instead, she needed to focus on how to salvage the situation.

‘Brother Jing must never find out!’

That was the first thought that came to her mind, but she also knew how difficult that would be. Song Qingshu would undoubtedly use this as leverage to keep her under his control for a long time. But could she really continue deceiving Brother Jing just to cover this up?

Huang Rong was not someone who would allow herself to be backed into a corner. She quickly made up her mind—if Song Qingshu tried to blackmail her, she would rather confess everything to Brother Jing herself. She could not keep making one mistake after another.

Of course, she also knew that she could only confess after leaving Kaifeng. Otherwise, the consequences would be unpredictable. Firstly, Brother Jing, in his fury, might try to kill Song Qingshu, but he was severely injured and no match for him right now. Secondly, if Song Qingshu realized that his plan had failed, he might fly into a rage and silence her permanently—blaming everything on the Jin people afterward. If that happened, no one would ever know the truth…

Despite her frantic thoughts, Huang Rong forced herself to remain clear-headed and made a final decision: she would feign cooperation with Song Qingshu for now. Once she and Brother Jing returned safely to Xiangyang, she would tell him everything.

“Rong’er? Rong’er?”

Seeing her silent and trembling uncontrollably, Song Qingshu reached out and gently shook her. “Are you alright?”

Huang Rong’s face was pale, but she forced a weak smile. “I’m fine.”

Looking at his seemingly innocent expression, she sneered inwardly.

‘Such a good actor!’

“So, can you give me an answer now?” Song Qingshu stared directly into her eyes.

In truth, when Song Qingshu had entered her body the previous night, Huang Rong had already known the answer. But how could she possibly say it out loud? Not only would it shame her, but it would also insult her husband. She had already betrayed him—how could she trample on his dignity in front of another man?

Taking a deep breath, she replied vaguely, “What do you think?”

“How would I know?” Song Qingshu shrugged. “You’re the one with firsthand experience, after all.”

‘Shameless!’

Huang Rong inwardly cursed. She had been married to Guo Jing for many years, but they had never spoken so crudely to each other. This man truly had no shame!

“Of course, Brother Jing is bigger!” she gritted her teeth and forced out a lie.

“Huh?” Song Qingshu raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely surprised. “That’s impossible!”

“Why not?” Huang Rong said coldly.

“But Ah Jiu and Zhiruo were both completely conquered by mine,” Song Qingshu said, appearing troubled.

Hearing his increasingly outrageous words, Huang Rong cursed at him in her heart but had no choice but to continue her act. “They don’t know about Brother Jing’s situation.”

“That’s true,” Song Qingshu nodded, looking thoughtful. “I always thought my ambitions were already grand, but I never expected Hero Guo’s to be even greater. Does he plan to unify the world?”

Huang Rong was stunned. “You… you were talking about ambitions?”  (G: kekh…)

“What else?” Song Qingshu smirked at her.

The color drained from Huang Rong’s face, but the next moment, it flushed crimson. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

Song Qingshu’s voice rang out again at just the right moment: “Rong’er, what exactly were you comparing just now?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Huang Rong snapped.

“Really?” Song Qingshu grinned. “But from what you said earlier, it sounded like you were comparing… you know.”

Huang Rong, both embarrassed and enraged, turned away and stomped her foot. “I don’t understand what you’re saying!”

Ignoring her reaction, Song Qingshu continued, “Rong’er, it’s natural for you to know Brother Jing’s size. But how would you know mine?”

Huang Rong took a deep breath and steadied her emotions. “Young Master Song, please show some respect!”

“Respect?” Song Qingshu’s voice turned airy. “But just a while ago, I happened to glance down your collar and saw that your body was covered in love marks. If I recall correctly, Hero Guo was still imprisoned at that time, wasn’t he?”

Huang Rong’s heart skipped a beat. She instinctively clutched at her collar, realizing that this was her mistake. Only now did she understand that Song Qingshu had been toying with her all along.

“Young Master Song, I don’t know what you’re implying,” she said, forcing a smile as if she were oblivious.

“I just want to know—who was the lucky man?” Song Qingshu’s gaze burned into her.

“There was no such man,” Huang Rong replied, averting her eyes.

Song Qingshu chuckled. “Rong’er, there’s no need for us to test each other like this. Let’s just be honest with each other.”

Huang Rong tensed, unsure of what he was about to say.

With his hands behind his back, Song Qingshu walked to the window and gazed at the tranquil night sky, as if contemplating his words. After a long pause, he finally said, “Last night… I truly didn’t know it was you.”

Huang Rong’s heart clenched.

‘So, it has come to this.’

She had imagined countless possibilities, but now that the moment had arrived, she found that it wasn’t as difficult to face as she had feared. After a long silence, she simply said, “I know.”

“I’m truly sorry,” Song Qingshu turned back to her, his face full of regret. “I thought it was Madame Tang, which is why I was so rough last night.”

‘He’s apologizing for this?!’

Huang Rong nearly choked on her anger. Biting her lip, she said coldly, “I don’t want to hear anything about last night. It was just a misunderstanding. What’s done is done.”

Song Qingshu immediately understood her meaning. She was saying that she wouldn’t blame him or hold him accountable, as long as they both forgot the entire incident.

“A beautiful misunderstanding,” he mused. “But last night’s experience was unforgettable. How could I possibly forget it?”

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