72: Su Lianxue's heartfelt confession

Jun Lingxiao!

Su Lianxue and Han Feng exchanged glances, both seeing the bewilderment in each other's eyes.

"Your Highness dislikes Han Feng, and if he knew I was meeting him in secret..."

"That Jun fellow already let me off during the day; if he sees me now..."

Their minds raced with thoughts; Han Feng was thinking of how to escape, while Su Lianxue wondered if she should apprehend Han Feng on the spot.

Just as Han Feng was at a loss, the Senior in his mind spoke up in time.

"Kid! Jump out the window! Quick!...Idiot! Not that one! The one at the back!! Keep your voice down!"

So, in a flurry, guided by the Senior, Han Feng quickly walked towards a window inside the room and, without overthinking, flipped out of it.

Su Lianxue watched Han Feng decisively climb out the window, somewhat stunned, and opened her mouth to warn him: "!! That side is... the cliff..."

However, hearing the approaching footsteps at the door, Su Lianxue ultimately remained silent.

As a Saintess, her private chambers were naturally unique; this peak housed only her palace, and that window was her scenic spot, with a bottomless cliff below.

But Su Lianxue no longer had the extra thought to worry about Han Feng; she stood in place, looked at her clothes, then reached out to tidy her hair, before actively opening the door.

Upon opening the door, she indeed saw her father, and Jun Lingxiao.

Looking at Jun Lingxiao, Su Lianxue's mind was a mess; with lowered brows, the random thoughts in her mind wouldn't stop.

'The first thing he did after his Breakthrough was to come find me. Does Your Highness have feelings for me too?'

"Your Highness, please. I shall take my leave now..."

The Saint Master gave Su Lianxue a look and then left, leaving the two to face each other.

"Your Highness, please..."

Su Lianxue made a welcoming gesture, inviting Jun Lingxiao inside.

[Ding! Obtained harvest value 1200.]

Jun Lingxiao walked in, his expression unchanged as he heard the System prompt in his mind, though he seemed to glance inadvertently at the window Han Feng had just jumped out of.

Su Lianxue closed the door, first quickly walked to the table, then righted a chair, and then, feeling something was amiss, quickly walked to a nearby cabinet, opened a drawer, took out a cloth cushion, and placed it on the chair to serve as a seat cushion for Jun Lingxiao.

Watching Jun Lingxiao take his seat, Su Lianxue became even more flustered. She didn't know if she should sit, so she could only stand and pour Jun Lingxiao a cup of hot tea.

For a Saintess to show such awkwardness, Su Lianxue herself felt a bit embarrassed, her pretty face turning rosy.

But fortunately, after a quick glance at Jun Lingxiao, he didn't seem to mind.

"I didn't expect a dignified Saintess to also enjoy these things. Your hands are quite skilled."

Jun Lingxiao took a sip of tea and looked at the drawer Su Lianxue had forgotten to close; it contained many embroideries, and faint traces of needlework could be seen. Even the cushion he was sitting on was probably embroidered by Su Lianxue herself.

"It's nothing... just small trinkets I fiddle with when I'm idle. As long as Your Highness doesn't dislike them."

Su Lianxue replied awkwardly, pausing as she spoke.

She still remembered that the reason she took up this hobby was a seemingly joking remark from Han Feng back then. After that, she had been pondering it.

But after Han Feng became a cripple, these things had been neglected for several years. The handkerchief she had embroidered for Han Feng had not yet reached his hands; instead, it had become a seat cushion for Jun Lingxiao.

Yet, Su Lianxue felt it was perfectly fitting.

"May I ask why Your Highness has come so late...?"

While Su Lianxue's mind was in a turmoil, she suddenly realized that Jun Lingxiao had remained seated since entering, as if waiting for her to speak first.

As she spoke, Su Lianxue looked up, and indeed met a pair of eyes that seemed to see through everything.

Su Lianxue didn't know what expression was in those eyes, but she only felt that all her secrets were exposed before Jun Lingxiao, laid bare.

"Your Highness must know that Han Feng was in my room just now..." Su Lianxue chuckled self-deprecatingly.

And seeing Jun Lingxiao nod faintly, the smile on her lips grew even more bitter.

Right, this was Jun Lingxiao, unlike Han Feng or other shallow men. With his boundless abilities, how could he not know how many people were in this room?

He didn't speak, only to save her some face, to allow her to confess.

Thinking this, Su Lianxue gained a new understanding of Jun Lingxiao.

So she slowly sat down, her gaze on Jun Lingxiao filled with melancholy: "Your Highness, let me tell you a story."

"It's about a little girl without a mother who was bullied, and... a Genius little boy chased by everyone."

That night, Su Lianxue spoke a lot. She recounted stories of her childhood with Han Feng; their meeting was a clichéd act of chivalry.

At that time, Han Feng was radiant, the confidence on his face drawing everyone's attention.

If she had to say, she definitely liked Han Feng back then.

However, things changed later.

Han Feng began to fall into depravity, and that dazzling confidence vanished from his face.

Seeing the confident and proud young man she admired humbly pick up a broom and start sweeping, a core pillar of Su Lianxue's belief System collapsed.

This scene completely shattered Su Lianxue's idealized perception of Han Feng, making her realize that no one stays the same forever; people change.

She liked the Han Feng of her childhood, not the Han Feng of now.

"Then how do you see Han Feng now?"

Jun Lingxiao watched and listened, then asked this question after she finished.

However, he also felt a sense of awe. As expected of a protagonist, the girl he casually helped turned out to be the future Saintess, and she even fell for him at first sight.

Jun Lingxiao could guarantee that if he, the villain, hadn't interfered, Han Feng and Su Lianxue would have eventually reconciled and achieved a happy ending at some crucial point.

But he actually hadn't done much; it was purely a matter of Su Lianxue's perspective.

If she still liked Han Feng, then no one's interference would matter. But precisely when Han Feng was willingly falling into depravity, he appeared.

Before, she could only interact with Han Feng, and could only see Han Feng. But now, she had been exposed to a larger world, and had met better people. That lingering affection gradually vanished as she made silent comparisons.

Once one's perspective broadens, it's very difficult to return to how it was before.

"Han Feng..."

Su Lianxue sighed slightly, "Over these three years, I would occasionally go see Han Feng, but each time he disappointed me more."

"I wouldn't say I love him, but for the sake of our childhood friendship, I still wish him well."

"What if I insist on killing him?"

Jun Lingxiao tapped his finger, asking indifferently.

He had no feelings for Su Lianxue. If she were to say she wanted to protect Han Feng now, he wouldn't mind sending this ill-fated couple off together.

"Perhaps I'll even see the protagonist burst forth with power because of it?"

Jun Lingxiao thought with interest.

However, regrettably, Su Lianxue sighed deeply and did not answer.

It was a tacit acceptance.