"At that time, a war broke out between the Star Luo Empire and the Sun and Moon Empire."
"The Sun and Moon Empire forcibly conscripted soldiers. Juzi's father was sent to the frontlines and eventually died in the war against the Star Luo Empire."
"Juzi's mother fell gravely ill from grief and passed away three years later. From then on, Juzi became an orphan."
"Later, she met Xu Tianran, the crown prince of the Sun and Moon Empire. To seek revenge against the Star Luo Empire and the White Tiger Duke, she willingly became Xu Tianran's sharp blade."
"Under Xu Tianran's arrangements, Juzi enrolled in the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy and studied there until now."
"Senior Juzi, I think I've covered everything, haven't I?"
Juzi froze for a moment, then her face twisted in fury, her eyes bloodshot as she roared, "You investigated me?"
Su Yu replied calmly, "When someone with ulterior motives approaches me, do you think I wouldn't be cautious?"
"And it turns out, I wasn't wrong."
"If I hadn't investigated, I wouldn't have known you were working for Xu Tianran."
"Senior Juzi, you hid it well."
Juzi's expression faltered. The flames of her anger seemed to be doused instantly as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her.
Her lips trembled, and her delicate hands clenched tightly, her fingers turning pale from the force.
She looked at Su Yu with a complex expression—resentment, sorrow, and a deep sense of unwillingness and grievance.
"Su Yu, I admit that I approached you initially because of Xu Tianran's orders. But I can swear with my hand on my heart that I have never harbored any ill intentions toward you."
"I've never thought of harming you."
"You can look down on me, but you can't accuse me wrongly."
Juzi shouted in defiance.
She couldn't accept Su Yu thinking this way about her.
She had always been trying to warn Su Yu, hoping he would be on guard against Xu Tianran.
She had never once thought of harming him.
She couldn't bear this false accusation.
Su Yu's gaze flickered slightly, and he spoke indifferently, "Why are you so worked up? I never said you wanted to harm me."
"If you had such intentions, do you think you'd still be alive right now?"
Juzi was stunned, her throat moving as she swallowed dryly. "You… you ever thought about killing me?"
Su Yu replied casually, "That was just a possibility. Whether I would kill you or not depends on your attitude."
"But all this time, you've been quite obedient and haven't tried to scheme against me."
Hearing this, Juzi's heart trembled.
Looking at Su Yu again, she felt he was terrifying.
She gave Su Yu a deep look and asked, "When did you start suspecting me?"
Su Yu replied nonchalantly, "From the first time you said you wanted to treat me to a meal."
"Isn't inviting you to a meal perfectly normal? Why investigate me for that?"
"Inviting someone to a meal is normal, but doing it for no reason isn't."
Su Yu spoke calmly.
"Why call it 'for no reason'? Can't it be because I admire your talent?"
"You were already famous in the academy at the time. Couldn't I have wanted to befriend you?"
"And even if we take it a step further, couldn't it be that I liked you, just like Miss Meng?"
Juzi voiced her dissatisfaction. She resented Su Yu for investigating her, and it left a thorn in her heart.
This feeling was inexplicable, but it lingered, refusing to fade.
Why didn't Su Yu investigate Meng Hongchen when she approached him?
But when it came to her, he had to investigate.
Unknowingly, Juzi revealed her true emotions. She felt wronged and jealous.
Why could Su Yu trust Meng Hongchen but not her?
Su Yu sneered disdainfully, "Do you think you deserve to be compared with Meng?"
"Do you know how pure of a person Meng is? Her heart has no impurities."
"And you?"
"How many ulterior motives are hidden in your heart?"
"Do you think I'm foolish enough not to distinguish between genuine feelings and false intentions?"
"You!"
Juzi pointed at Su Yu, her chest heaving violently, her body trembling with rage.
Her face turned pale, and her pearly teeth bit down on her lips so hard that they almost bled.
She glared at Su Yu and said through clenched teeth, "Is this really how you see me, Su Yu?"
Juzi let out a bitter laugh, Su Yu's words hitting her like a crushing blow.
She never expected that in Su Yu's eyes, she was so despicable.
Why couldn't she be compared to Meng Hongchen? Was she that much worse?
Even though Juzi had always told herself that there was no possibility between her and Su Yu, that they were not from the same world, hearing Su Yu say she didn't even deserve to be compared to Meng Hongchen still hurt her deeply.
It felt like a knife was stabbing straight into her chest, the pain cutting to her core.
"I'm just telling the truth. Were you truly sincere from the beginning?"
Su Yu spoke coldly.
"I… I…"
Juzi froze, unable to utter a single word of retort.
It was only after that barbecue outing that she remembered Su Yu and her feelings began to change.
But before that, she couldn't claim she had been sincere.
Everything Su Yu said was the truth, and she couldn't refute it.
But the pain in her heart wouldn't go away. She didn't want Su Yu to think of her like this.
"You're right. I've always had ulterior motives toward you. Are you satisfied now?"
Feeling deeply wronged, Juzi's expression shifted as she coldly said, "Since you already know where I come from, I won't bother pretending anymore."
"This time, I'm here on orders from the crown prince. His Highness wants to see you."
Su Yu smirked disdainfully. "Who does he think he is? Does he think I'll meet him just because he wants to?"
"A crippled, twisted lunatic. Is he even worthy?"
Juzi: "…"
Su Yu's words left Juzi speechless again.
Wasn't this arrogance a bit too much?
Even if what he said was true, was it appropriate to talk about a crown prince like that?
Juzi silently cursed in her heart, but her expression changed as she feigned anger and said, "Su Yu, show some respect! His Highness is the crown prince of a nation. How dare you slander him like this?"
Su Yu shrugged indifferently. "Crown prince?"
"So what?"
"With just one word from me, he wouldn't live to see tomorrow."
"Juzi, this is a world where strength reigns supreme. What is a mere mortal king worth?"
"Let alone someone who's not even a king."
"He's never been worthy of my attention."
Juzi's face changed again, once more shocked by Su Yu's words.
He dared to say anything.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm just stating facts. In the eyes of true powerhouses, there is no place for the weak. It's been that way since ancient times."
"These so-called empires may seem impressive, but in reality, they're nothing."
"Other than having a lot of people, what else do they have?"
"And what can numbers do?"
"In the eyes of true powerhouses, they're meaningless."
"You're relying on Xu Tianran for revenge, but I can tell you this clearly: it will never happen."
"Why?"
Juzi asked urgently.
When it came to revenge, she couldn't stay calm.
"Because I don't like Xu Tianran."
"If I don't like him, he won't rise to power. Even if he does, I'll make sure to destroy him."
"Relying on him is like trying to scoop the moon out of the water—completely futile."
Su Yu said casually.
"You!"
Juzi stomped her foot in anger, glaring at Su Yu with both resentment and frustration. "Su Yu, why are you always going against me? Why?"
Why did she rely on Xu Tianran? Wasn't her ultimate goal revenge?
But if Su Yu blocked Xu Tianran from rising to power, how could she use him to exact her revenge?
Juzi was willing to sacrifice herself, to give up everything, just for vengeance.
Yet now, Su Yu had cut off her hopes for revenge. The fact that she hadn't lost her mind already was a testament to her strong will.
"I feel like it. Is that a problem?" Su Yu teased with a light laugh.
"You!"
Juzi pointed a trembling finger at Su Yu, feeling a surge of anger rise in her chest. The next second, everything went dark, and she fainted on the spot.
Su Yu was startled. He quickly pinched Juzi's philtrum to revive her and infused some life energy into her. Only then did Juzi gradually regain consciousness.
Seeing Su Yu's face so close to hers, Juzi froze for a moment. Then, as the memories returned, her eyes filled with tears, and she started crying uncontrollably.
"Su Yu, I hate you!"
Biting her lip hard, Juzi said with a tone full of hatred.
Su Yu remained unfazed, smiling indifferently. "Whether you hate me or not doesn't matter."
"Do the strong care about the hatred of the weak?"
Su Yu stepped back two steps, returning to his seat. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued leisurely:
"Earlier, I said I dislike Xu Tianran and don't want him to rise to power. That wasn't a lie."
"Let me be clear: I dislike the current royal family of the Sun and Moon Empire."
"Can't help it—I like being honest."
"That said, I don't dislike you. Compared to those people around Xu Tianran, you're much more pleasant to look at."
"Besides, you want revenge, right? That doesn't mean you have to cling to Xu Tianran. That cripple won't be of much help to you."
Juzi's expression shifted. "What do you mean?"
Su Yu shrugged. "It's simple. Leave Xu Tianran and work for me."
"Whether it's revenge or something else, I can help you achieve it."
"Why should I trust you?" Juzi asked irritably.
He said he didn't dislike her but hadn't he been targeting her relentlessly just moments ago?
Did he think she didn't have a temper?
"You have no choice but to trust me. If you don't, you won't leave here alive."
"Huh?"
A question mark seemed to float above Juzi's head. She wondered if she was hearing things.
Is this guy a bandit?
If I don't agree, is he going to kill me?
"Okay, okay, I was just joking. Lighten up, don't get mad," Su Yu said with a smile.
"I'm not mad. I just want to strangle you," Juzi replied in a low voice.
What kind of horrible personality is this?
Ever since she started talking to Su Yu, her emotions had been a rollercoaster ride.
If she weren't weaker than him, she would've fought him already.
What Juzi didn't know was that this was all part of Su Yu's plan.
People are at their most vulnerable when their emotions are unsettled.
Su Yu said Juzi had a lot on her mind, but his thoughts were far darker.
From the moment Juzi walked in, he had already mapped everything out.