Chapter 843: Chapter 843: Scheming
When this was brought up, Saint Di Anfuās face showed a trace of seriousness: "We donāt understand the situation very well either, but based on what happened on-site, it looks like this might have been a premeditated attack. Preliminary analysis suggests it was the other partyās enemies! Also..."
Saint Di Anfu shot Ling Feng a glare: "The other party wasnāt wiped out, you know. It was just their delegation sent to negotiate the partnership that got ambushed."
After a pause, Saint Di Anfu continued: "Because of this incident, the other party terminated their collaboration with our Church and shifted their focus to hunting down those responsible for the murder of their kin!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, the Churchās influence really is pathetic!" Ling Feng couldnāt help but say, "Here I thought the Papal Court of Light ruled the Underworld with absolute authority. And now? Two parties have refused to cooperate, and one has outright terminated the partnership? If it were me, I wouldnāt be able to swallow my pride and take this lying down..."
"What, are you planning to go on a killing spree?" Saint Di Anfu immediately saw through Ling Fengās sinister thoughts. "Save it! Our Churchās tolerance is far larger than youād ever imagine!"
Seeing his attempt to provoke her fail, Ling Feng shrugged indifferently and said, "Here I thought I was the chosen one, destined for greatness. Turns out, Iām just a temporary stand-in. How disappointing!"
"Stand-in? Thatās such an awful term!" Saint Di Anfu said, displeased. "Donāt act like you got a bargain and are still complaining, huh!"
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Ling Feng chuckled, "By the way, since youāve been sticking around me these past few days, we need to settle on how we refer to each other. Otherwise, itāll be too easy to give the game away!"
Saint Di Anfu considered this. Though Ling Fengās words were usually unreliable, this time he had a valid point.
"How about we call each other siblings?" Saint Di Anfu suggested.
Ling Feng gave her a look like she was an idiot: "Come on, letās stand in front of the mirror. Aside from our genders, is there anything else about us that looks remotely sibling-like?"
Saint Di Anfu snapped back, annoyed: "Then what do we do? Boss and secretary?"
Ling Fengās eyes lit up: "Now that I like! When thereās work, the secretary handles it; no work to do..."
"Stop! Ling Feng, could you think about something normal for once?" Saint Di Anfu, well-versed in Huaxia culture, naturally caught the subtle difference between the meanings of "handles" in his cheeky remark.
Ling Feng sighed, resigned: "Alright then, thereās only one option leftāforeign lovers. How does that sound?"
"Not great!" Saint Di Anfu said warily. "Are you up to something shady?"
Ling Feng rolled his eyes: "Please, this is Paris, the romantic capital, the fashion capital! If a lone man and woman like us are together but arenāt a couple, then weāre... hookup buddies. Pick one of the two relationships!"
Saint Di Anfu looked constipated, contemplating the choice. Reluctantly, she eventually caved to the "couple" designation.
"All for the Church," Saint Di Anfu consoled herself inwardly, "Just treat it as acting alongside a pig!"
Ling Feng, satisfied, said, "Now thatās more like it! Letās finalize the addressing tooāyou can call me Darling, and Iāll call you Sweetheart..."
"Do you have to make it so disgusting?" Saint Di Anfu said, unhappy.
Ling Feng chuckled and pointed ahead with his finger.
Saint Di Anfu looked up, spotting a couple nearby in the passionate throes of making out by the roadside. The overwhelming affection on their faces was so intense that even standing meters away, Ling Feng could practically feel the presence of "dog food" in the air hitting him.
"Now thatās how couples properly act. Why donāt we try it?" Ling Feng teased, "If you canāt accept the nicknames, letās just replicate their moves instead!"
Saint Di Anfu shot him a scornful look, gritting out a few words from between her teeth: "Dream on!"
Feeling agitated by these excessively lovey-dovey onlookers, Saint Di Anfu begrudgingly relented to Ling Fengās insistence on the nicknames.
"Sweetheart, letās go!" Ling Feng extended his hand, gesturing with a playful flourish.
Saint Di Anfu ignored the offered hand and coldly replied, "Go? Where?"
"To get a room, of course!" Ling Feng said earnestly.
"Get... a room?" Saint Di Anfu almost bit her tongue. "Ling Feng, are you nuts?"
"Iām not crazy. You might be, though!" Ling Feng stretched lazily and said, "What, planning to wander the streets for days? Iām exhausted. I need a room to rest. If you donāt want to, suit yourself!"
With that, Ling Feng began walking toward a distant hotel.
Saint Di Anfu realized sheād fallen into Ling Fengās verbal trap again. She stomped her foot angrily, then followed after him. "You think you can ditch me? No way!"
Playing their "couple" charade meant, naturally, booking one room together.
Upon entering, Saint Di Anfu noticed there was only one bed in the room. Ling Feng was already sprawled out on it in comfort.
"Sweetheart, come on! Iāve saved half a bed just for you!" Ling Feng said, patting the spot next to him.
Saint Di Anfu let out a cold laugh and then sat on the nearby sofa, casually picking up a magazine to read.
Seeing that Saint Di Anfu ignored his antics, Ling Feng couldnāt be bothered to keep teasing her. He yawned, rolled over, and fell asleepātruthfully, he hadnāt rested well in a long time due to the recent chaos.
Soon, soft snores began to echo through the room. Saint Di Anfu threw the magazine onto the table irritably. Ling Feng had ignored her multiple times nowāso annoying!
Still... Ling Feng did look rather peaceful while sleeping! Saint Di Anfu watched his serene slumber, a complete contrast to his infuriating awake self.
"Listening to these snores is making me want to sleep..." Saint Di Anfu covered her mouth as she yawned, eyeing the half-occupied bed with hesitation. In the end, she decided to curl up on the sofa and fell asleep there.
When Saint Di Anfuās steady breathing filled the air, Ling Feng opened his eyes. His earlier snores had simply been an act to lull Saint Di Anfu into relaxing her guard. Sure enough, her vigilance had dropped entirely, leading her to sleep deeply.
"Although Iāve allied with the Papal Court of Light, I, Ling Feng, am not someone whoād entrust all hope to others. Especially... in the Underworld, trusting others too easily is tantamount to heading toward death!" Ling Feng thought to himself.
The credibility of the Papal Court of Light depended entirely on their interests. Only the naive Saint Di Anfu would fully believe that the Church stood for justice and righteousness!
Thus, Ling Feng had to prepare contingency plans. If the Church betrayed him, heād still have a way out.
As Ling Feng was about to leave the room, he glanced at Saint Di Anfu curled up on the sofa. Her soft profile framed by cascading locks of hair looked peaceful and tranquil.
Ling Feng paused for a moment, then walked over and gently picked her up, placing her on the bed and covering her with the blanket.
"Missy, count yourself lucky. This is the treatment only my woman gets! If you keep getting mad at me, thatās on you!"