The man pushed away the piano he once cherished most, held Jiang Lai tightly, and lowered his head to kiss her charming appearance. Just at that moment, a burst of white smoke sprayed in front of them.
Murong Dun, driven by passion, didnât care, preoccupied by the madness before him. Facing away from the window, he embraced the person in his arms, uttering love words carelessly...
"Heartbeat Value changed, current Heartbeat Value: 84."
On the bed, Jiang Lai leisurely ate grapes, watching the man by the window crazily caressing and swaying with a piano in his arms, completely unaware of anything unusual, continuously shouting Jiang Laiâs name.
Jiang Lai smiled and continued to watch the show.
Even Little Buding couldnât stand it.
"Thatâs so disgusting, how can you still eat?"
"Human piano, back then you had to pay to see something like this."
"Iâm just a child, donât corrupt me. And what about the skill I painstakingly got for you? Can you do something useful with it?"
Jiang Lai didnât care.
"This is the serious business, isnât it? Now, he canât resist me."
Since reasoning was pointless with Jiang Lai, Little Buding rubbed his eyes dry and simply went silent.
Skinny as a boiled chicken, watching him wasnât as good as watching Jiang Ling.
ââ
Murong Dunâs attitude toward Jiang Lai had clearly changed.
Previously, he occasionally showed irritability and impatience, but now he looked at her with full affection, even holding Jiang Laiâs hand while eating.
Luoyang witnessed all this, her expression pale, almost unable to maintain her composure.
No way around it, sheâs one of the male leads; according to the plot, she must remain pure for the female lead, but the female lead must be chaste for the real male lead. This resulted in Murong Dun being over twenty without ever kissing a womanâs lips.
Yesterdayâs indulgence finally gave him the taste of pleasure.
Jiang Lai was very confident in her powder.
The illusion tailored to Murong Dunâs deepest desires, letting him experience it to the fullest, already longing for night before day had passed.
Luoyangâs gaze made him unable to face her, yet he felt restless upon seeing Jiang Lai, leaving him no time to care about anything else.
At night, Murong Dun couldnât wait to get into bed and sleep, hanging red lanterns outside while inside was dim and ambiguous.
Little Buding couldnât be bothered with her.
Jiang Lai looked disappointedly at Murong Dun, contentedly asleep with a sandbag, patted her clothes, and went to sleep in the adjacent room.
On the third day, Murong Dun again ordered the doors closed and lights out early in the evening.
Watching the spectacle, Jiang Lai frowned and pondered, then raised her wrist to look at her bracelet, bringing it to her nose for a sniff.
Finally, she understood what the scent was about.
What a cunning and deceitful Jiang Ling, daring to put such things in the bracelet to ruin her relationship with Murong Dun.
Jiang Lai stroked the bracelet, contemplating with the Heartbeat Value nearing ninety.
ââ
Having neglected Luoyang for days, Murong Dun finally regained some clarity.
He felt guilty, unsure how to explain to Luoyang before him.
"Aluo..."
"Donât call me Aluo, it disgusts me."
"Disgusting? You feel disgusted now? From the moment you asked me to marry her, you should have been prepared! After all, she and I are married!"
Luoyangâs expression was pained, her lips pale.
The setup finally pulled Murong Dunâs reason back; he uncontrollably wanted to sacrifice everything for Luoyang. Subconsciously, he knew it wasnât beneficial to himself, but seeing her face, he was helplessly softened.
"Aluo...I am sorry...I am a normal man..."
"Donât say it anymore!"
"Aluo, donât cry. What can I do to make it up to you? As long as you forgive me, Iâll do anything!"
"You betrayed me; it disgusts me to see you now!"
The word âdisgustâ instantly pierced Murong Dunâs heart.
Looking at Luoyang again, aside from uncontrolled softness in his heart, he felt no flutter for her.
Conversely, every time he saw Jiang Lai, he felt warmth, a deep love from his heart.
He suddenly realized, perhaps he truly liked Jiang Lai.
Then what about Luoyang?
Why couldnât he resist following her, seeking her approval?
Murong Dun couldnât understand or think it through.
He only wanted to quickly escape the current situation, break free from this emotional entanglement with Luoyang.
"I need to go to the General Mansion once more before Jiang Xiong leaves. Last time, I found something; this time, I must bring it out."
"Itâs too dangerous; you were injured last time..."
"Sanlang, arenât you willing to do even this for me? Or are you unwilling to help me anymore?"
Murong Dun felt tormented.
What good would this do him?
Hurting the Jiang Family meant hurting Jiang Lai; the only gain would be Luoyang.
Would he definitely get her?
Murong Dun wasnât even sure of this.
"Aluo, do you truly love me?"
Luoyang nodded without hesitation.
"If I didnât love you, how could I trust you so much! You hold my life in your hands, what more do you want me to do?"
"Fine...I can...continue helping you, but I have one conditionâthat Jiang Lai not be involved; sheâs now the Princess Mansionâs person, part of the Imperial Family, unaffected by the General Mansion."
Luoyangâs heart turned cold, now certain Murong Dun had fallen for Jiang Lai.
Despite her inner pain and unwillingness, she couldnât break ties with Murong Dun at this moment; heâs her only potential ally to approach Jiang Xiong.
The greatest variable now is Jiang Lai; if she could disappear, as a close maid, Luoyang could take advantage of the Jiang Familyâs mourning period to bring the evidence out.
She had seen those records, listing all the dealings between Jiang Xiong and court officials that would convict him if presented to the Monarch, potentially clearing her parentsâ name and freeing her from this wandering, fleeing lifestyle.
If Jiang Xiong is guilty, Jiang Lai isnât innocent either.
With this thought, Luoyangâs eyes became resolute.
ââ
As autumn turned to winter, temperatures plummeted, and Murong Dun fell ill directly. Jiang Lai, who had always cared for him, also fell ill, seemingly more severe than Murong Dun.
Beside the sickbed, Luoyang voluntarily took up the responsibility of feeding Jiang Lai medicine, holding the bowl as she watched over her.