Is he really here to apologize?

Inside Xue Fanzhi's parlor, Kong Linglong had already been invited in and seated.

Yet she kept wiping away her tears and remained silent.

Xue Fanzhi leisurely sipped her tea, gazing into the distance as if Kong Linglong did not even exist.

How could this person act like this?

Kong Linglong thought to herself. Although she was the one who had taken the initiative to seek her out, the least Xue Fanzhi could do was ask why she was there so that she could transition into what she had prepared to say next.

Realistically speaking, shouldn't Xue Fanzhi deeply hate her? She had stolen her fiancé, cost her a marriage, and caused her to lose face. Shouldn't she be furious, burning with rage, and practically wanting to tear her apart?

The other girl showed none of that.

There was nothing of the sort—only leisurely indifference!

If she wasn't going to speak, why would she even agree to come out and see her?

"Eighth Young Lady!" Kong Linglong finally could not help but call out.

Xue Fanzhi turned her gaze back and slightly nodded. "Mm."

And then the conversation lapsed again.

How could this young lady be like this? She was the guest while Xue Fanzhi was the host; did she not know the first thing about hospitality? Kong Linglong's expression turned deeply aggrieved.

"What's the meaning of this? You had a secret affair with our young lady's fiancé, and yet you still insist on seeing her—are you waiting for our young lady to take the initiative and entertain you? Where on earth do you get the nerve?!" A voice suddenly piped up from behind Xue Fanzhi.

Kong Linglong looked over and saw it was one of Xue Fanzhi's maids.

In a situation like this, what right did a mere maid have to speak?

Her face flushed as she looked at Xue Fanzhi.

The supposed fool, Xue Qi Niang, did not utter a word; she merely smiled.

Was she mute?

Her maid was overstepping her boundaries—why wasn't she rebuking her?!

If she didn't scold her, it amounted to tacit approval.

Of course. She was condoning her maid's verbal abuse on her behalf. As a young lady from a prestigious family, directly hurling insults would lower her status, so she delegated the dirty work to her servants.

Allowing a servant to step forward at most invited criticism for poor discipline, but at least she didn't have to fight the battle herself.

Far from being a fool, she was utterly shrewd!

Kong Linglong wiped the corner of her eye and awkwardly said, "I suppose Young Lady must view me that way as well."

Xue Fanzhi nodded. "Mm."

This was far too direct, wasn't it?

She had merely wanted to use a polite retreat to advance a step.

Kong Linglong stared in astonishment at Xue Fanzhi. Was this aristocratic young lady amicable or harsh?

How could she be like this? Just a single "mm" made it completely impossible to gauge her temperament!

At that moment, the gossipy maid spoke up again: "What on earth do you want? Spit it out quickly, we still have to go plant balsam flowers so our young lady can stain her fingernails!"

Stain her fingernails?!

True, young girls loved to dress up nicely and stain their nails, but when was this happening?

Her fiancé had made her lose face and had even abandoned her. Shouldn't she be heartbroken, grieving, unable to eat or sleep, and consumed by melancholy?

How could she possibly still be in the mood to stain her fingernails?

Was she just putting up a brave front?!

Still, since the other side had asked, she had best speak her mind.

"I came here to apologize to the Young Lady!" Kong Linglong said with a troubled expression. "Things have turned out this way, and I am truly, deeply sorry!"

"You aren't," the young lady opposite her finally spoke, uttering a word other than "mm."

However, the words were far too sparse, leaving one utterly baffled.

"What do you mean I'm not?" Kong Linglong asked.

"Is that still not clear?" Honglian retorted. "Our young lady means that you aren't here to apologize at all!"

"Indeed," Xue Fanzhi said, looking at Kong Linglong and nodding.

"How am I not?" Kong Linglong said hastily. "I am, I really am here to apologize!"

Honglian pressed on, "Then what are your plans for the future?"

What kind of question was that? What plans?

Ah, she must be referring to what would happen between her and Qin Jianyu.

Kong Linglong looked apologetic. "Therefore, I must ask the Young Lady to be magnanimous. Brother Jian stated long ago that he intended to call off the engagement with you, which is why I agreed to be with him. I know what I did was wrong, but feelings ran too deep for us to hold back, and I couldn't control my own emotions. So I sincerely ask the Young Lady to grant us your blessing!"

"You mean you still intend to stay with Qin Jianyu?" Honglian arched her eyebrows in anger. "How can you be so utterly shameless? Our young lady will certainly not grant you any blessing!"

"The Young Lady won't grant it?" Kong Linglong looked at Xue Fanzhi in shock, then assumed an aggrieved look. "The Young Lady appears to be a person of great magnanimity, and the Xue family is an esteemed household. With your exceptional talent and beauty, you can surely find a much more suitable match. Why must you insist on competing with me for Brother Jian?"

"Just who is competing with whom?!" Honglian's face turned red with fury. "That is our young lady's fiancé, not yours! You are the interloper, not our young lady. Get your facts straight!"

"If the Young Lady didn't hold on to him, the young master wouldn't suffer so much! The Young Lady should have straightforwardly told him that your match was unsuitable, but you didn't do that, did you?" Kong Linglong continued to gaze at Xue Fanzhi with a wronged expression.

She had come to find Xue Fanzhi specifically to pressure her into breaking off the engagement herself.

When the affair between her and Qin Jianyu had been exposed, and when Qin Jianyu disregarded everything and went straight to see Old Madame Xue, she realized that Qin Jianyu actually still valued this engagement.

Or rather, she had vaguely sensed it beforehand—sensed that Qin Jianyu still attached importance to this match.

She knew all too well that Xue Ba Niang possessed extraordinary looks, a fact she had known even longer than Qin Jianyu. That was why she had been especially terrified of Qin Jianyu meeting Xue Ba Niang, and had repeatedly urged him not to see her. Yet, reality proved to be cruel.

Qin Jianyu had seen her, and his state of mind had instantly shifted, leaving him distracted and restless.

After that, he no longer wanted to call off the engagement.

If he didn't want to break it off, what was she supposed to do? Was she expected to have given herself to him for nothing?

In that case, her only option was to make Xue Fanzhi break off the engagement.

"Young Lady, I beg you to show mercy, release Brother Jian, release me, and most of all, release yourself!" Kong Linglong said, maintaining her earnest tone.

Suddenly, the young lady before her let out a chuckle. It was a laugh as if she had been holding it in for a long time and could finally no longer contain it—a suppressed peal of mockery.

Kong Linglong blushed as she looked at Xue Fanzhi.

"I told you she wasn't here to apologize," Xue Fanzhi said, turning back to address her two maids.

Honglian and Hongsha looked at Kong Linglong with a mixture of anger and disgust.

"Eighth Young Lady..." Kong Linglong started to speak, but Xue Fanzhi turned back to her and said, "You aren't here to apologize; you're here to flaunt your triumph! Have you consulted your parents before pulling a stunt like this? Playing the saint while doing this sort of thing will only make people think you have no upbringing!"

No upbringing? Implying she had no parents and nobody to teach her?

Was this girl cursing her parents?

Kong Linglong's expression darkened, and she snapped ungraciously, "Eighth Young Lady, I truly did no such thing. I really am here to apologize!"

Xue Fanzhi smiled. "Very well, you are here to apologize—as long as you believe it yourself, I will believe it too. And then, by the way, you expect me to take the initiative to break off the engagement with Qin Jianyu, is that it?"

Kong Linglong wiped the corner of her eye and pleaded, "Please grant us your blessing, Young Lady!"

Xue Fanzhi stood up and called to her maids, "Let's go plant our flowers!"

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away, completely ignoring the guest, Kong Linglong.

The two maids rose and followed closely behind.

Having received no definitive answer, Kong Linglong panicked and called out after them, "Young Lady! Will you grant your blessing or not?!"

"Nobody covets your precious young master!" Honglian tossed over her shoulder as she walked. "Our young lady told Qin Jianyu long ago that she wanted to break off the engagement; it was Qin Jianyu himself who refused! Go back and tell that man surnamed Qin to let our young lady go—our young lady has no desire to marry him!"