Chapter 35: Favorability Decreased
Qing’er instantly straightened her back the moment she saw Shen Taotao walk out from the room.
"Young Madam." She quickly bowed.
Then her eyes landed on Wang Gege’s face. "Is there something wrong, Young Madam?" Qing’er asked cautiously. "Young Master, is he all right?"
Wang Gege stopped walking. For a moment, she didn’t know how to answer.
Was Xie Rong all right?
Physically, probably.
Emotionally?
She hoped he would choke on his medicine. The thought immediately made her feel slightly better.
"He won’t die." Wang Gege rolled her eyes in annoyance before muttering under her breath, "Annoying people like him are usually hard to kill."
With that, she continued down the corridor.
Qing’er blinked in confusion but still rushed to follow her.
"Young Madam... why do you seem displeased? Is it because of Chuntao?"
At the mention of the name, Wang Gege abruptly stopped. She finally remembered about Chuntao.
Qing’er failed to react in time and nearly bumped into her back.
"Where is she?" Wang Gege immediately turned around. "Let’s go find her."
Qing’er froze. "But Young Madam..." She looked hesitant. "No one is allowed to see her."
Wang Gege frowned, "What do you mean?"
"After returning from the Shen Residence, the Young Master ordered Chuntao to be locked up temporarily."
Qing’er lowered her voice, "The Young Master’ guards are guarding the place."
Wang Gege’s brows immediately knitted together.
"Take me there." She insisted.
"But Young Madam..." Qing’er looked increasingly troubled. "Young Master’s orders were very clear. No one is permitted to approach."
Wang Gege immediately snorted, "Your Young Master just woke up from poisoning."
Qing’er blinked. "Young Madam?"
"And he is currently busy being annoying. Not to mention, he couldn’t even see me." The words came out before Wang Gege could stop herself.
Unfortunately, saying them only made her even more annoyed.
Qing’er looked confused but wisely chose not to ask further.
And Wang Gege’s thoughts had already drifted back to the room. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became.
The blindfold, the lies?
Yes, those things bothered her but not enough to make her this angry.
What truly annoyed her was something else.
"What was wrong with that man?" she murmured to herself.
One moment he was acting one way.
The next moment he was saying something completely different.
"Qing’er..." She suddenly frowned and turned toward the maid.
"Yes, Young Madam?"
Qing’er immediately straightened her back.
Wang Gege thought for a moment before asking, "If someone does something nice for you..."
Qing’er blinked.
"But then says something unpleasant afterward, what does that mean?" She finished her question and waited hopefully for a great answer.
The maid looked confused. "What kind of nice thing, Young Madam?"
Wang Gege immediately rolled her eyes upward as she thought.
How was she supposed to answer that?
Drink poison for you? Draw a sword for you? Protect you?
If she told her directly, it would be obvious that she was asking about her situation with Xie Rong.
Wang Gege ended up shaking her head. "Never mind."
Qing’er became even more confused, "But Young Madam was the one who asked."
"I know." She exhaled weakly.
"Then why are you not asking anymore?" Qing’er suddenly became so curious.
Wang Gege took some time to answer, bloating her cheeks before she said, "Because your question is too troublesome."
Qing’er looked innocent. She had only asked one question. How was that troublesome?
Wang Gege rubbed her forehead. The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became.
’Forget it... The problem wasn’t Qing’er but a certain Young Master.’
She closed her eyes for a few seconds before huffing loudly, "Let’s go see Chuntao first."
The moment Chuntao’s name was mentioned, Qing’er’s expression immediately became serious. "Young Madam..."
"What?" Wang Gege frowned.
Qing’er hesitated, "No one is allowed to visit her."
"Ahh..." Wang Gege turned around in annoyance. "I really hate this Young Master!"
"Why?"
The question came from behind, making Wang Gege instantly stop moving.
The corridor suddenly became silent.
Qing’er’s eyes widened.
Stiffly, Wang Gege turned around.
And sure enough, Xie Rong was standing not far behind them.
His complexion was still somewhat pale, but compared to earlier, he looked considerably better.
At some point, the blindfold had been tied back in place. As though nothing had happened and she had not just discovered his biggest secret.
Staring at the man standing a few feet away from her, Wang Gege suddenly didn’t feel like arguing anymore.
She turned toward Qing’er and grabbed her wrist, "Let’s go, Qing’er."
Qing’er froze. "Young Madam?"
"Let’s go."
Without waiting for a response, Wang Gege immediately started walking.
Qing’er could only stumble after her.
The atmosphere instantly became strange. Because nobody had expected her to simply leave.
Even Xie Rong remained standing where he was.
After taking several steps, Wang Gege suddenly stopped, not because she wanted to but because someone had grabbed the back of her collar.
Wang Gege froze. The familiar feeling instantly made her teeth grit together.
Slowly, she lowered her head before looking behind her. And as expected, Xie Rong’s hand was still holding the fabric behind her neck.
The corridor fell silent.
Qing’er immediately lowered her head before quietly retreating several steps away, leaving the two of them alone.
"Young Master." Wang Gege smiled. Unfortunately, the smile looked extremely fake. "What are you doing?"
Xie Rong’s expression remained calm. "Where are you going this late?"
Wang Gege nearly laughed, "I believe that is none of the Young Master’s business."
Xie Rong raised an eyebrow, "None of my business?"
"Mm." Wang Gege nodded, "After all, I am not someone special enough to be trusted by the Young Master."
The moment the words left her mouth, the atmosphere instantly changed. The smile on her face remained but the mockery in her voice was impossible to miss.
Xie Rong didn’t show much reaction as usual. He simply stood there for a few seconds without saying a word.
Feeling even more annoyed by his indifference, Wang Gege huffed.
"Now, if Young Master would kindly let go." She glanced at the hand still holding her collar. "Because I really don’t feel like associating with someone who is not special enough for me."
The moment the words left her mouth, Wang Gege immediately pushed his hand away.
Then, with the tip of her toes, she turned and left.
As for where she was going?
She would figure it out along the way. At this moment, she simply didn’t feel like looking at that Ancient Ninja Turtle.
Qing’er hurried past Xie Rong, "This servant takes her leave."
After bowing, she immediately chased after her Young Madam.
Soon, the corridor became quiet once more. Only Xie Rong remained standing there.
The evening breeze passed through the courtyard. His gaze lingered in the direction Wang Gege had disappeared. For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then, a cold mechanical voice suddenly sounded inside his mind.
[Host.]
Xie Rong’s expression did not change.
[Target Favorability has decreased.]
A translucent screen instantly appeared before him.
Current Favorability: 10
Previous Favorability: 25
Change: -15
The system remained silent for a moment before adding:
[Congratulations.]
Xie Rong’s eyebrow twitched.
[You have successfully angered your own wife.]
The corridor fell silent once more.