Chapter 47: Go Home and Study More
Ever since Xu Ruming returned to the Xu Family, she had received an unprecedented amount of affection.
To make up for the love she had missed, the Xu Family put her on a pedestal.
From then on, her life was smooth sailing until she met Xu Qingsui again at the Heiyu Alliance.
She suffered repeated bouts of ridicule, condescension, and contempt.
She subconsciously blamed Xu Qingsui for all of it.
She couldn’t swallow this humiliation!
Especially not under these circumstances!
’In this instance, if everyone keeps looking at me like this until we clear it, I’ll definitely be ostracized.’
’If it’s just verbal abuse, I can bear it. But if someone tries to sabotage me in secret, I might be stuck in this instance forever.’
Having made up her mind, she finished bandaging Shen Ling’an’s wound, then immediately stood up and shot a cold look at Xu Qingsui.
"Xu Qingsui, what did you do?"
Xu Qingsui frowned. ’What is this bitch trying to pull now?’
"Others might not know you, but I do. You claimed to be detoxifying Shen Ling’an, but you were actually just taking the chance to get revenge. The wound on his body is the proof."
"I don’t know what trick you used to make everyone think you saved Shen Ling’an, but I have to warn you: don’t try any more funny business. If you have a problem, we can settle it after we clear the instance."
Xu Ruming’s voice was sharp and full of conviction, so much so that she almost convinced herself she was speaking for the side of justice.
Xu Qingsui was utterly bewildered. She’d long known how shameless Xu Ruming was and how skilled she was at twisting the truth, but to say something like this with such self-righteousness was truly something else.
"Xu Ruming, do you even know if you’re telling the truth or lying half the time?"
Xu Qingsui gave Xu Ruming a sarcastic thumbs-up.
"You said it yourself, we’re in an instance. I can’t be bothered to argue with you, so just stop with the theatrics."
Seeing everyone’s eyes darting between her and Xu Qingsui, Xu Ruming gritted her teeth. "I’ll throw those words right back at you. Everyone here has eyes; they can see for themselves. Who tries to ’detoxify’ someone with the intent to kill?"
"If Captain Lu hadn’t stopped you just now, the knife might still be in him, right?"
Xu Ruming shot Lu Jingyu an aggrieved look. She didn’t understand.
’Xu Qingsui nearly killed Shen Ling’an. Can’t Lu Jingyu see how ruthless she is?’
’She truly believed that Lu Jingyu had just stopped Xu Qingsui from committing murder.’
’She didn’t understand why Lu Jingyu was so tolerant of Xu Qingsui.’
"If Captain Lu hadn’t stopped you, Shen Ling’an would be six feet under by now!"
Hearing Xu Ruming’s accusation, Xu Qingsui couldn’t help but laugh.
’Why do some idiots always insist on judging others by their own limited understanding?’
Shooting Xu Ruming a sidelong glance, Xu Qingsui said coldly, "Just because you don’t know about it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. There’s a lot you don’t know. Does that mean it’s all made up? I think you should go home and study up!"
"Let me teach you something today. When the poison has reached the heart, ordinary detoxification methods won’t work. The only solution is to treat the specific ailment—by letting out the poisoned blood from around the heart."
"I did want to kill Shen Ling’an, and I want to kill you, too. I want you two scumbags to be together in life and death, so you can’t go and ruin anyone else’s life."
"But I know what to do and what not to do. And I wouldn’t be thinking about framing someone while we’re in the middle of an instance."
Xu Qingsui’s sharp-tongued retort pierced right through Xu Ruming’s hypocritical facade in just a few sentences.
The others weren’t blind. Once things were laid bare, it was obvious who was right and who was wrong.
The crowd’s gazes toward Xu Ruming grew even more contemptuous.
Feeling their stares, Xu Ruming’s face flushed so red it looked like it might start bleeding.
But even so, she refused to back down. Forcing herself, she was about to offer another excuse.
But before she could speak, Shen Ling’an suddenly grabbed her arm.
When Xu Ruming looked over, Shen Ling’an used all his strength to say, "Stop talking. Don’t embarrass yourself..."
Xu Ruming’s eyes widened. She never expected to hear such words from Shen Ling’an.
But Shen Ling’an, as if not seeing her expression, looked back at Xu Qingsui. His eyes were complicated, filled with an indescribable emotion.
Feeling Shen Ling’an’s gaze, Xu Qingsui couldn’t help but shiver.
’Is he nuts?’
’Why is he looking at me like that?’
Viscerally uncomfortable, Xu Qingsui shot him a fierce glare and turned her head to look at Lu Jingyu.
"We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s rest for a moment, then find the exit to this maze!"
Lu Jingyu nodded and began arranging for everyone to rest and regroup.
Xu Qingsui really didn’t want to look at that scumbag couple anymore. She turned, walked to a wall, and sat down on the floor, ignoring them completely.
Xu Ruming, heedless of Shen Ling’an’s wound, yanked him toward her.
"What was that just now? Why did you speak up for her? And that look you gave her... are you starting to have feelings for her again?"
Cold sweat dripped from Shen Ling’an’s forehead. He gritted his teeth and took a few deep breaths, suppressing the pain in his chest.
Looking at the shrewish Xu Ruming, he felt a flicker of disgust for the first time.
The look of disgust was fleeting; he quickly began to explain patiently.
"Don’t overthink it. I’m not a garbage man. Why would I go back and pick up the trash I’ve already thrown away?"
"It’s just that in a situation like this, the more you say, the more you risk messing up. Haven’t you noticed how sharp-tongued Xu Qingsui has become? She did just save my life, after all. There’s nothing to be gained by arguing with her right now."
"Just calm down for now. We have plenty of time. We can take this slow. Whatever advantage she gained today, she’ll pay it back twofold in the future."
Hearing Shen Ling’an’s words, Xu Ruming’s anger finally subsided.
She muttered a few more things under her breath but then finally quieted down.
After placating Xu Ruming, Shen Ling’an looked toward Xu Qingsui again.
Thinking about everything that had just happened, his gaze grew complicated once more.
He licked his chapped lips, an idea already forming in his mind.
"Feel better now?"
Lu Jingyu’s voice sounded beside her. Xu Qingsui looked up to see him watching her with a grin.
"I thought you were being magnanimous enough to put everything aside and save him. Turns out you were really saving him, but you were also really getting your revenge. That wound is going to take him a while to recover from."
Xu Qingsui raised an eyebrow. "I’m not that magnanimous. I’ll never forgive the people who’ve hurt me."
"Mm, I know how to see the big picture. I know what needs to be done and when. This was just me collecting a little interest. For people like them, letting them die a quick death would be doing myself a disservice. I’m going to watch them pay back double for everything they ever did to me."
Xu Qingsui didn’t try to hide it at all, and Lu Jingyu’s smile grew even wider.
It was a good thing he had his back to the other team members, or his expression would have made all their jaws drop.