Thus, she had no chance to do anything to Yao Ying.

Ying Ying saw the determined look on her sister's face and advised her to stop doing it a few times because what Feng Lian did was hopeless. The latter wasn't only ignoring her but didn't hesitate to slap Ying Ying. Ying Ying touched her cheek in surprise while feeling hurt --- in the end, she just stopped caring altogether. She didn't prevent her or accommodate Feng Lian anymore --- she would just focus on her work.

It was Feng Lian's own choice... Ying Ying decided to become a bystander because she couldn't betray both of her new master and her family.

Besides, Ying Ying clearly knew that everyone was feeling wary of her sister anyway. She had tried to warn her father but the latter turned a deaf ear to her words, thus, she felt helpless as well. Somehow, she felt that her family had changed so much that she felt that she didn't recognize them anymore. Sometimes, she asked herself whether saving them was the right choice or not...

Once her thought went that way, she slapped her own face softly and knew that she was being unfilial. This showed how her heart had changed after being with Yao Ling's team, she noticed that they were more sincere than her own family --- she could see their hypocrisy clearly when there was a comparison.

Feng Lian was still living in her dream --- for wanting to become Yao Ying's wife. She felt something fishy from the way those around Yao Ling behaved, after all, they were like overprotective mother hens. However, no matter how much she wanted to know a piece of information about Yao Ling, no one told her everything. Thus, she couldn't guess that Yao Ling was pregnant... After all, the woman looked so slim and in fact, Yao Ling was clever at choosing her clothing so that it could cover up her big stomach.

When Feng Lian was desperate, someone was sending her a simple and weird message all of a sudden. She was thinking about her supposed-to-be fiancee inside her room when someone was throwing a knife and it pierced the wooden table. She jumped up in surprise while yelled, "Who?"

No one was answering her and when she tried to search for that person in the direction where the knife was coming from, there was no trace of anything there. She looked at the knife in fear and saw that there was a small scroll of paper being tied to the knife. Feng Lian took it with hesitation, but in the end, she decided to read it.

She had no servant girl by her side anymore due to her current status, so no one knew about this letter --- except for her.

She read the letter slowly... 'What I want?' Feng Lian thought to herself. Did this person know about her obsession? Was this about Yao Ying? She wasn't sure but it gave her a bit of hope.

Feng Lian gripped the note tightly, wondering whether she should trust the sender or not. She could feel that there was something fishy --- however, it couldn't make her forget about her unstoppable obsession towards Yao Ying. It was almost one month and yet, there was no progress on her part! She almost went crazy, feeling helpless.

Her curiosity won and she walked out to meet that unknown person even though it was late at night. She believed in the note --- they needed each other so she didn't think that this person would harm her.

Feng Lian decided not to tell anyone about it... not even her father and sister. After all, they would only become a hindrance and stop her from doing this. She sneered to herself and tried to adjust her state of mind --- she didn't want to look weak in front of that person.

When she arrived at Xing Alley, she could feel her whole body start to sweat. She became nervous and had cold feet at the last minute, thinking that she had made a bad choice for coming here all alone. She used to have her personal maidservants to do all the works before she was imprisoned and this was the first time she was doing shady things all by herself. This made her uncomfortable and her previous confidence diminished.

No one was in the alley when she arrived. It was already night time --- dark and scary. She waited for an incense stick of time, but when she still saw no one, she felt like she was being duped! She grumbled to herself and decided to go back home.

When she turned around, she jumped up in surprise because a man was standing there without making any sound. He was wearing a black mask so she couldn't find out his identity.

"You really come..." The man said in a low voice.

"Are... are you the one who sent me the message?" Feng Lian asked slowly, gulping in fear.

"Yes..."

"What do you want?" Feng Lian asked in a low voice. Her voice was slightly trembling but she pretended to be brave and ask, "Why me?"

The man laughed in a low voice. "My master wants something and it seems... our goal is the same as you..."

"What goal?" Feng Lian pretended to be oblivious, however, there was a hint of excitement in her voice that couldn't be concealed by her.

The man knew that this woman had taken the bait. Well... this stupid woman would certainly help him a lot. "You want the man and my master wants the woman... Don't you think it's a good coincidence? It's a win-win situation for both of us."

Feng Lian squinted her eyes. "Why should I trust you?"

The man laughed. "It's up to you. It's just an offer from me so that I could finish my task easier with your help. If you don't want to do it, it's fine for me anyway." After saying that, the man turned around.

Feng Lian was dumbfounded. He was going to leave her just like that?! She thought that he needed her! She gritted her teeth and called out, "Wait!"

The man paused for a little while before walking again.

"I'll do it!" Feng Lian said. "What do you want me to do? I need to hear it first." She asked cautiously.

"Sure!" The man answered.

He talked for quite some time when Feng Lian's previous fear was gone. Her lips slightly curled up --- it seemed like she liked the plan that she had just heard.

The man asked, "What do you think?"

Feng Lian answered without a second thought, "It's a deal!"

That night, she went back home with a better mood. Ying Ying felt curious about it because this was the first time she saw her sister smile, however, the latter just glared at her and said nothing. The former could only give up asking. In Feng Lian's mind, her family was a disappointment --- they didn't want to help her to get her wish.

Thus, she would try to get it herself --- with that person's help.

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[1] Xu Shi: Around 7-8 pm.