Vol 7 Chapter 222 – You know why I hate Long Shan

XH 222 - You know why I hate Long Shan

"We are out~"

Duan XiYing's words were like a signal, allowing Xiao Hua to go boneless in her arms. Xiao Hua could not stop her body from trembling fiercely from the stage fright residue and made no attempt to control the uncontrollable.

It was best to let it pass quickly and think happy thoughts. 

"Xiao Hua! What happened to you? Did you get injured?" Long Lian immediately approached Xiao Hua, looking for any sign of wounds.

"I'm fine. My body is just scared." Xiao Hua grinned sheepishly. 

Even if the darkness gave her a boost to act as a shameless person, that does not mean she was not afraid! She was so terrified of offending the hero past his breaking point. What if his golden halo gave him the opportunity to escape from his restraints and kill her?

"You are acting brave?" Long Lian's mind blanked. She had thought Xiao Hua had changed earlier, but to think it was just an act! 

It was so realistic!

"Hmm! If I talked to your brother in a cowardly or polite manner, he would think I'm a doormat he can step anytime!"

"Doormat?"

"A person that allows people to trample on her!" Xiao Hua explained. 

"You understand second brother so well!" Long Lian stared at Xiao Hua with worship eyes. She wanted to learn more from Xiao Hua, who managed to shut up her stubborn second brother whenever it comes to Liu Chu Chu's matters!

Xiao Hua cleared her throat, embarrassed. "It's your third brother that told me about your second brother's matters!" Which was not true since she had known them from Heise's novel. This pot can only be passed to the Third Prince! 

"It's impressive of Xiao Hua to remember what Third Prince said~"

Xiao Hua: '...' Stop embarrassing me, XiYing!

Excitement died out from Long Lian as she remembered the main issue. "Will the second brother finally change for the better and forget about revenge?"

"... It will depend on how forgiving he will be?" As forgiving as the Third Prince that hellbent on killing the hero?

Long Lian shook away her uncertainty and decided to trust Xiao Hua's great performance. "Xiao Hua had spoken well. Surely the second brother will listen!"

"...I'm just speaking nonsense that he already knows anyway..."

"He did?"

Xiao Hua sighed. "I'm just repeating what he already knows but unwilling to face. My attempt is just to force him to face them again and think clearly for the second time." 

Right now, all he had was time and his mind will be busy thinking and remembering. Plus, with her cheat of tea, his unusual love for Liu Chu Chu will not be a problem. Once he started thinking without being manipulated by his hacked heart, he might think he was brainwashed by Liu Chu Chu.

It will be good if the hero starts to view Liu Chu Chu as a dangerous species. 

As the proud hero and a prince, it would not sit well on him to know he had fallen to a beauty's trap. If he still chooses to forgive Liu Chu Chu and continue to be her brain dead fan, Xiao Hua will wash her hands off him.

"Actually, I don't understand why you would mention second brother disappointing the world," Long Lian asked, walking alongside Duan XiYing.

Xiao Hua laughed and lied. "I'm just exaggerating. The worst thing he did was disappointing the innocent citizens. He also disappointed you and your family."

As a reader, she was clear about the Second Prince's hero-like behaviour, or else he will not be the main character anyway. Le XiaoTing would never choose to read a novel till the end if the hero was always a cruel and unlikeable person. No matter how brain dead Heise was to grab his ex girlfriend's attention, he still wisely added his main character's redeeming points to retain his readers!

That was why she dared to speak ambiguously about Long Shan disappointing the world!

But there was one thing she was confused about. Where was he when the Guilin Kingdom was invaded by the demons? Did he really lead astray by the heroine? Was he really cold heartedly watched on as innocent people died?

Hopefully Long Shan still retained his hero-like behavior in this round.

"He did disappoint everyone when he allied with Gu Dan." Long Lian frowned, accepting Xiao Hua's explanation. "This is all Liu Chu Chu's plan!"

"Alright. Long Lian, I have done my best to speak with your brother. The rest will depend on himself."

"But-"

Xiao Hua cut in. "If he refuses to change, it will be useless no matter what we say to him. He will view us as nagging people then." She had nagged him plenty earlier anyway. The more extreme method will be scolding and cursing him, but that might make him rebel even more?

"What about third brother? Will you talk to him so that he can change his mind about killing second brother?" Long Lian pleaded. She had tried her best to talk to her third brother but to no avail. 

"I can't help!" Xiao Hua declared. Just as she never asks the Second Prince to give up on his revenge, she would never ask the Third Prince to give up as well! Giving up Liu Chu Chu was a different matter!

We must learn to give up drugs that look harmless as it bestowed a fleeting pleasure but leave behind an everlasting damage! 

Not willing to take no for an answer, Long Lian pleaded all the way until they stepped into the Peach Courtyard. However, Xiao Hua stood firm and never agreed. 

They walked towards Xiao Hua's little courtyard and saw the anxious, pale faced Tang Mei, along with -

"Third brother!" Long Lian exclaimed, not expecting his presence and failed to stop her guilt from showing.  

Long Lian: Isn't he supposed to be busy dealing with the Kingdom affairs?!

He does not look happy with his usual smile absent and there was no hint of gentleness in his eyes. 

"An Wan, send the princess to the Empress' courtyard."

"Did Mother Empress woke up?" Long Lian asked with surprise and joy. 

The Third Prince gave her an unimpressed gaze. "I had been helping Imperial grandfather and still know about Mother Empress' condition. What about you, Imperial sister? Do you not care about your biological family?"

The Empress had woken up once, but after knowing that the child in her womb was safe, she returned back to sleep, relieved. 

Long Lian flinched at his barbed words, which successfully hurt her. She straightens her back, before curtised. "I will go and accompany Mother Empress."  

She finally understood that she had provoked her third brother's bottom line. With Tang Mei behind her, she walked away in even pace, holding back her tears.

Xiao Hua bit her lip, restraining the urge to call out for Long Lian. She knew that Long Lian was hurt when she did not even say goodbye to her before leaving. 

Long Zhu walked into Xiao Hua's room and Duan XiYing followed with Xiao Hua in her arms. 

"An Jing, bring Da Bei away." Da Bei whined once but let his mother bring him away, his eyes gazed at Xiao Hua's figure until he was far away.

Long Zhu eyed Duan XiYing, who stood firm under his intense gaze. "This matter should not be blamed on Xiao Hua. The princess' pitiful pleas had moved her kind heart."

"Leave."

Duan XiYing placed Xiao Hua on a chair. "XiYing will be right outside Xiao Hua's room."

Xiao Hua wanted to tell her not to leave, but it would be bad to piss off the Third Prince even further. They should have expected the Third Prince to know of their journey to the prison. 

Her trembling had not stopped, and this new fear only made her trembling become fiercer. Only when the sound of the door closing did Long Zhu finally speak to Xiao Hua. 

"You know why I hate Long Shan."

Xiao Hua took in a shaky breath. "Y-Yes."

"Tell me," Long Zhu stretched out the sentence, like a rubber stretched long, and it will snap. "Why did you go to the prison?"

Xiao Hua clenched her fists. Was she allowed to speak about the world spirit? "Someone does not want him dead."

Long Zhu laughed unhappily, his fingers crushing the table. "Is she more important than me? I want him dead, but she wants him to live. In the end, you choose to side with her."

"What? No-" He misunderstands her!

"Did I give in to you too much that you dare to treat me this way? What do you take me as!" He slammed his fist down on the table, letting out a thundering crack as the table gave in, but fortunately did not break down.

Xiao Hua flinched fiercely, her chest feeling hot as her heart beats accelerated in fear. Her trembling fists pressed onto her chest, an ingrained habit to protect herself. "Long Zhu-"

"Only when you want something from me did you willingly act intimately with me," Long Zhu sneered and waved his hand sharply, scattering the dust that had clinging on him from the table. 

"No! I did not-"

"I always believe that you knew me the best, that you understand my motives and ambitions. I finally comprehend that I have wrongly judged you, who acted so for the sake of survival."

"Please, Long Zhu! Listen to me!"

Long Zhu stepped aside from her stretched out hands and walked away, opening the door before stepping out. "Without my permission, no one can enter or leave this room!"

Xiao Hua trembled like a poor mouse as she scrambled to her trembling feet. She did not notice her knees had knocked down something as she moved to the direction of his voice, only wishing to catch him.

"What are you doing? Long Zhu!" Xiao Hua's pitiful pleading was, for the first time, ignored by Long Zhu. 

"Third Prince!" Duan XiYing stared at him disapprovingly and wanted to enter the room to comfort Xiao Hua. 

But Da Liu and Xiao Liu restrained her with an array, pulling her away.  

Feeling her strength quickly leaving her, Duan XiYing's expression darkened, her eyes turned into a snake's. "What are you trying to do?" Her voice hardly resembled a human's, half hissing out human speech. 

"She's grounded until I say so. Bring XiYing to the punishment hall."

"No! Long Zhu!" Xiao Hua screamed when she heard the door closed, with chains sealing the door. She ran and tripped over her own feet, falling to the ground heavily. 

As if she does not feel the pain from the fall, she crawled to the door and banged on it. The chains rattled noisily, but the door did not give way to her. 

"Long Zhu! Listen to me! Please!"

Her hands rapidly turned red from how much she hit the unyielding door, but her anguish overcame it, only wishing for his return. "Long Zhu!"

Her face was full of tears as her dry lips kept on repeating similar pleas, all so for Long Zhu to come back. "Please… Long Zhu! I won't disobey you anymore! I will only listen to you!"

But no matter how much she promised, even until her voice turned hoarse, her words could not be heard by anyone. The courtyard was empty, deserted of living beings except for the locked in Xiao Hua.

"Please…" Her pleas grew softer and softer, her tears long dried when she could not produce any more fresh tears. Her heart quickly became numb when Long Zhu did not return.

"Please… don't leave me alone." The darkness and silence… They were so terrifying.