Chapter 97: The Eldest Miss Sees Through Everything

Ayuan could not comprehend what Xiyan meant, but as long as Xiyan made a decision, Ayuan would always stand by him.

…

The two returned to the small pavilion, but before they even entered, they saw from a distance that only Lin Shuang remained inside. Xiyan immediately rushed in; within the pavilion lay Lin Shuang, unconscious, and there was no sign of Qingyan.

Xiyan crouched down and roused Lin Shuang. Upon waking, Lin Shuang anxiously exclaimed, "Quick! Go save Qingyan! She’s been taken away!"

"Taken? By whom?" Xiyan frowned.

"Christine Clara," Lin Shuang replied.

"How could it be him?"

"I’m not sure. He seemed to have some scheme; originally, he shouldn't have been able to defeat Qingyan, but he must have used some trick. Before I fainted, I saw him capture her..." Lin Shuang bit her lip, feeling powerless.

Xiyan sat on a bench nearby, piecing together all the events, but still couldn't understand why Christine Clara had abducted Qingyan.

…

Meanwhile, Qingyan was seated in the courtyard of the service area in the eighth Survival Zone. Unlike other service areas, this one boasted a small palace—Christine Clara’s residence, the safest place in the entire eighth Survival Zone.

All the Survival Zones were scorched earth and ruins; only the nine major Survival Zones and the main city retained some intact buildings. Yet Christine Clara was different, having carved out a secure refuge for himself.

Within this palace, there was a petite garden with trees, grass, flowers, and water—resembling a noble's courtyard before the apocalypse.

Qingyan sat before Christine Clara, and behind him stood two attendants in white, their uniforms emblazoned with the number "eight."

On the table between Qingyan and Clara sat a cup of coffee, one for each.

Clara rested his hands beneath his chin, smiling as he watched Qingyan, whose face was filled with anger.

"Why did you bring me here?" Qingyan asked coldly, her gaze sharp.

Clara smiled, took a sip of coffee, and replied, "No need to be angry. Don’t you like the surroundings here?"

"Clara! I asked you a question!" Qingyan angrily stood and slapped the table, causing her coffee to spill.

Seeing this, Clara immediately raised a hand, curling his fingers. One of the white-clad attendants promptly moved to Qingyan’s side, cleaning the mess from the table.

"Don’t be mad, Miss. You mustn’t speak rashly. I didn’t capture you; I did this for your own good."

"Explain yourself!" Qingyan stared at Clara with displeasure, then sat back down.

She couldn’t leave; otherwise, she would have beaten Clara up and walked away. Clara knew this, which emboldened him to speak leisurely with Qingyan.

"Miss, your temper is as fiery as ever. I say, don’t rush." Clara took another sip of coffee and continued, "The place you were in was very dangerous. Xiyan couldn't save you. To prevent your father from coming to question me if anything happened, I brought you here instead."

Clara’s nonchalant tone made Qingyan want to strike him, and in fact, she did.

The moment Clara finished speaking, Qingyan sprang up, stepped onto the chair, leapt onto the table, and seized Clara by the collar. Word by word, she demanded, "I want to go back. Take me back."

"Oh dear, hahaha." Clara gently patted Qingyan’s hand gripping his collar. Qingyan snorted coldly, but did not loosen her hold; instead, she tightened her grip.

Clara continued to smile, saying, "Miss, you’re making things difficult for me. If something happens to you, how will I answer to your father?"

"He doesn’t need to meddle! Nor do you need to answer for me!"

"That won’t do. Miss, you’re only venting. If anything really happened, the Lord of the City would—"

Before Clara could finish, Qingyan punched him squarely in the face, knocking out one of his teeth.

At once, the attendants moved, but Clara gestured for them to stop.

Clara spat out the blood and wiped his lips, allowing Qingyan to keep her hold on his collar. He said, "It seems you don’t want to admit it, do you?"

"Don’t call me Miss! I am an orphan; I have no father!" Qingyan flung Clara aside and returned to her seat, sitting as if nothing had happened.

"Change it. I don’t like coffee; I want milk tea," she said, looking at the attendant behind Clara.

The attendant hesitated, having just witnessed Qingyan’s attack on their master, but Clara issued the order, "Bring milk tea for Miss."

"Yes." One attendant departed.

Qingyan crossed her legs, lowered her head, and fiddled with her fingers, speaking calmly to Clara, "Clara, you’re a clever one. You didn’t bring me here just to protect me, did you?"

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Clara became interested in Qingyan’s words.

After venting her anger, Qingyan regained her composure and suddenly grasped Clara's intent.

"It’s about Xiyan, isn’t it? You want to test his abilities, don’t you?"

"Oh? How do you explain that?" Clara resumed his pose, hands beneath his chin, watching Qingyan.

Qingyan mimicked him, supporting her chin with her hands and smiling as she replied, "It’s simple. You lingered at the roller coaster. Part of the reason you brought me here was to prevent that man from worrying, but another part was to observe Xiyan’s abilities and see how important I am to him, right?"

She paused, glancing at her fingers as if absent-minded, then continued, "But you’re mistaken. Xiyan doesn’t care about me. Don’t think you can use me to control him."

"You see things very clearly, Miss."

"Hmph." Qingyan snorted coldly.

"But you missed one part," Clara said in a deliberately enticing tone.

"What?" Qingyan looked at him curiously.

Clara stood, turning his back to her and gazing into the distance. "Haven’t you noticed how much you care about Xiyan? That’s not the Qingyan I know—the top ten hunter on the rankings."

His words made Qingyan’s heart tighten. She immediately denied it. "Nonsense."

Yet after she retorted, she felt uneasy, as though even she couldn’t believe her own denial.

How could that be?!

Qingyan instantly began to question herself.

"Whether or not I’m talking nonsense, you know best, Miss. Now it’s time for dinner. Let’s eat quietly together," Clara said.

Upon hearing this, the attendants began to make preparations.