Chapter 447: The One Who Succeeded as the Third Party is the Most Ruthless in Dealing with the Next

Yuan Shiyao’s eyes flew open, his pupils constricting into trembling slits.

It felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen in an instant.

He could feel Jiang Qingli’s gaze on him, but his blood seemed to have turned to ice, and he didn’t dare shift his own eyes in the slightest.

He was terrified of meeting her gaze and seeing a hint of disgust in it.

Seeing this, Qin Xiangning flashed a triumphant smile, grabbed a wine bottle, and lunged forward, swinging it viciously at Yuan Shiyao!

With lightning-fast reflexes, Jiang Qingli pulled Yuan Shiyao aside and simultaneously kicked Qin Xiangning in the waist, sending him stumbling back into the surrounding mess.

Qin Xiangning fell onto the bottle fragments, his hands a bloody mess.

His hands trembling, he shouted in a rage, "How dare you do this to me?! I told you everything! You can’t abandon me!"

Under the influence of the drug, Qin Xiangning was delirious and nearly crazed, his mind stimulated into a frenzy.

He began to lose control and undergo Beastification. Just as he was about to lunge forward and snatch Jiang Qingli away, a powerful force struck him across the face!

CRACK!

Qin Xiangning was sent flying. At that exact moment, the door was kicked open from the outside, and he crashed right into Yuan Liang, who was holding a weapon.

Yuan Liang instinctively dodged, and Qin Xiangning collapsed in the doorway, his pathetic state exposed for all to see.

Qin Xiangning began cursing at the newcomer, "You old bastard, are you blind?! Can’t you see this Prince?!"

Only upon hearing the familiar roar did everyone recognize who it was.

Yuan Liang’s mouth twitched. ’Your face is so swollen,’ he thought, ’not even the Emperor would be able to recognize you...’

From behind him came a cold, unquestionable command: "Arrest him."

Several officers didn’t dare hesitate, quickly moving forward to apprehend Qin Xiangning.

Qin Xiangning had no fight left in him. Members of the Imperial Family were forbidden from using their Superpowers casually. His Superpower had been interrupted before it could fully activate, and the bracelet on his wrist had immediately detected the anomaly, restricting his movements.

All he could do was be grabbed and bound like a limp sack of potatoes.

Qin Xiangning had never suffered such humiliation.

He bared his teeth and roared at Xie Youchen, the one who had given the order, "Xie Youchen! What do you think you’re doing?!"

"I don’t need to report my actions to you." Xie Youchen lowered his gaze, slowly and methodically removing his gloves. His calm voice carried a terrifying pressure. "The Prince is drunk. Take him to the temporary holding cell to sober up."

A temporary holding cell?!

How could a dignified Prince like him be taken to a place like that?!

If the media found out, his reputation would be ruined! How would he ever get married in the future?!

More importantly—the Emperor was already suspicious of his paternal clan because of the incident with Qin Yu. If he found out more...

’Wait, I already told Jiang Qingli.’

Through his muddled thoughts, it dawned on him: Jiang Qingli and Xie Youchen were working together!

But Qin Xiangning found himself unable to feel even a shred of resentment toward Jiang Qingli. Under the effect of a double dose of the drug, he had developed an emotion akin to "loyalty" for her. He couldn’t even blame her in his own mind, so he could only redirect his anger toward everyone else.

Qin Xiangning threw caution to the wind, screaming his lungs out, "Xie Youchen, if you dare arrest me, my father’s clan and your family will never let you get away with—MMMPH—"

Before he could finish, Xie Youchen had already stepped forward, balled up his leather gloves, and shoved them directly into his mouth, cutting off the rest of his words.

"Take him away." Xie Youchen couldn’t be bothered to listen to another word.

In the Twelve Cities, on the military’s turf, an order from a superior was the highest law. They could not back down, not even for a member of the Imperial Family.

And just like that, Qin Xiangning was gagged and carried away.

Yuan Liang glanced at the trashed room, then looked at Jiang Qingli. "Someone will clean this place up. For now, let’s head back to the military base. We can talk properly in my office."

...

"This is insane! Absolutely insane!"

After watching the recording, Yuan Liang was completely sober and furious, slamming his hand on the desk with a deafening CRACK.

Staring at the face on the screen, he gritted his teeth. "A Prince, who should be conducting himself with dignity as an example for all males in the Empire, is actually doing things like this, and even assaulting a female! This is just—I’m reporting this to His Majesty right now! Youchen, you’re coming with me!"

Xie Youchen grunted in agreement. "I’ll take Advisor Jiang back first, then I’ll be over."

Yuan Liang nodded. He glanced at Yuan Shiyao, who was still trailing behind them, and suddenly remembered that he had also participated in ganging up on the Prince.

The Yuan Family had originally sided with Qin Yu, but after realizing the situation was turning sour, they had switched their allegiance to the Second Princess’s faction in recent years.

Du Yushan had married his son to Jiang Qingli to forge an alliance with the Jiang Family. Now that they were more or less in the same boat, he had to ensure his son’s safety.

Besides, his maternal uncle and I were college classmates.

After some thought, Yuan Liang called out to Yuan Shiyao. "Shiyao, you were involved too. You’ll have to be questioned tomorrow, so you should just stay here tonight."

He turned to his secretary and asked, "Are there any empty rooms?"

The secretary checked and replied, "Yes, and as it happens, there’s one just a floor away from Miss Jiang’s room."

Yuan Liang was very pleased. "That’s perfect. You two are friends, so you can look out for each other."

Yuan Shiyao just nodded without saying a word.

Ever since Qin Xiangning had been dragged out, he had kept his head down, uncharacteristically silent.

Yuan Liang, however, suddenly felt Marshal Xie’s gaze on him turn sharp and cold.

Yuan Liang: ?

’What was wrong with his arrangement?’

’That Xie Youchen... as soon as the others had left, he had taken Jiang Qingli to change her clothes. Before they even entered the lounge, he’d yanked Yuan Shiyao’s suit jacket off Jiang Qingli’s shoulders and tossed it aside.’

’On the way back, he had insisted on sitting between them in the back seat, physically separating them...’

’It’s true what they say online: the ones who get ahead by being the other man are the most vicious when it comes to fighting off new rivals.’

’Because that’s a road they’ve walked themselves.’

Still, Yuan Liang didn’t think Yuan Shiyao would actually try to be a homewrecker.

’He’d heard from Yuan Shiyao’s maternal uncle that the boy placed a high value on rules and etiquette. He shouldn’t be having improper thoughts about his own sister-in-law...’

Yuan Shiyao’s unusual silence on the way back was probably just nervousness after beating up a Prince.

With this thought, Yuan Liang gave Xie Youchen a "don’t worry" smile.

But as they were leaving, Jiang Qingli merely lifted a hand, and Yuan Shiyao immediately reached out to support her, only to let out a sigh of relief when he realized she was just brushing back her hair.

He kept his pace one step behind her, maintaining a normal social distance, but his gaze constantly drifted to her. Even when looking forward, he made sure to keep her in his peripheral vision.

Seen from the side, the young man’s lips were pressed together, and a look of pained melancholy flickered across his face.

It was the kind of expression often seen on someone suffering from unrequited love.

Yuan Liang: "..."

’No way, is this kid really going to try and be the other man?!’

...

The entire way, Yuan Shiyao was extremely quiet, like a shadow.

Yuan Shiyao still had to go through the check-in process, which would take some time, and Jiang Qingli was clearly intending to wait with him.

Xie Youchen had to get back for a meeting, so he left after dropping them off downstairs. Before he went, he made a point of telling her, "Lock the doors and windows. Wait for me to come back."

Yuan Liang’s secretary took them to complete the paperwork and left after seeing them to the elevator.

The elevator doors closed. No one spoke as it ascended in silence.

Jiang Qingli glanced at their reflections in the elevator doors.

The young man’s eyes were downcast, seemingly fixed on the shadow at her feet.

This was the first time they had ever been so silent with each other since they met.

It was an uncomfortable silence.

Jiang Qingli sensed keenly that he had something to say, so she decided to wait for him to speak first.

Several times, his lips parted as if to speak.

But Yuan Shiyao didn’t say a single word all the way up to their floor.

The elevator doors opened.

Yuan Shiyao said in a low voice, "I’m going to my room first."

"Okay." Jiang Qingli nodded.

Yuan Shiyao walked to his door, then suddenly turned back and said her name.

"Qingli."

Jiang Qingli looked up, a sudden unease fluttering in her chest. After a few seconds, she asked, "What is it?"

Yuan Shiyao looked at her and asked, "If it’s convenient for you, can we talk? Downstairs, in half an hour."

His voice was taut, as if he were testing the waters, making an all-or-nothing gamble.

He took a deep breath before adding:

"I want to talk to you about what Qin Xiangning said."