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"It seems that you two really have something going on."
Xue Qinghe narrowed his eyes slightly. After being mercilessly confronted by Xuan Ming for a while, he felt a nameless anger burning in his heart. A feeling of irritation kept rising, and the tone of his voice was no longer as polite as before.
"Your Highness, this is my private matter." Xuan Ming said calmly.
Xue Qinghe took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and put on his seemingly gentle but sharp smile again.
"Xuan Ming, I didn't come here today to argue with you about these boring things. I have something important to discuss with you alone."
"Just say it." Xuan Ming said.
Xue Qinghe casually glanced at Hu Liena standing beside him, and raised his eyebrows slightly.
"This matter is of great importance. The fewer people who know about it, the better."
Seeing this, Hu Liena stood up tactfully and said, "Xuan Ming, I'll wait for you over there."
After saying that, she walked away not far away, but her eyes kept looking at Xuan Ming, her eyes full of worry.
"You guys, when did this happen?" Xue Qinghe turned his head slightly, staring at Xuan Ming.
"Is this the important matter that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince mentioned?" Xuan Ming asked.
"It's one of them." Xue Qinghe's expression remained unchanged.
"With your current status, you can't get involved with such a dubious person."
"What is my identity?" Xuan Ming asked.
"What do you mean by 'dubious person'?"
"Your Highness, could you please explain?"
Xue Qinghe frowned, "You..."
"Would you mind explaining it?" Xuan Ming asked again.
Xue Qinghe took a deep breath.
"Now that the Pope has arrived in Tiandou City, the situation is complicated, and you are attracting much attention. If you rashly come into excessive contact with these unidentified people, it will inevitably cause unrest."
"Hu Liena is from the Spirit Hall and a disciple of the Pope." Xuan Ming said lightly.
"Is there a problem with me contacting her?"
Xue Qinghe was slightly startled, obviously not expecting Xuan Ming to expose Hu Liena's identity so directly, but he quickly regained his composure, "Does Qian Renxue know?"
"What does this have to do with her?" Xuan Ming asked back.
"Do I need to report everything to her? Or do I need her permission for everything?"
Xue Qinghe frowned slightly, "Don't you think it's wrong?"
Xuan Ming was so angry that he laughed, "Shouldn't it be?"
"What does this mean, Your Highness?"
"Do you think I'm just a dog she keeps?"
Xue Qinghe's expression changed slightly, and he soon realized that he had said the wrong thing, "That's not what I meant, I..."
"If Your Highness the Crown Prince has nothing else to do, I'll take my leave first." Xuan Ming's face turned cold.
"It's getting late, Your Highness, please go to bed early."
After saying that, Xuan Ming turned and left, walking towards the direction where Hu Liena was.
Xue Qinghe stood there, clenching his fists. After a moment of silence, he turned and left.
"The relationship between the two of them... is a bit bad." The playful smile on Yue Guan's face disappeared, replaced by a serious look.
Why is this atmosphere so similar to when Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong had a falling out?
Snake Spear Douluo ignored Yue Guan and quickly followed Xue Qinghe away.
It was because he saw that the relationship between the two was becoming increasingly tense that he contacted the chief priest.
If this continues, something serious is going to happen!
…
Prince's Mansion.
As soon as Xue Qinghe returned to the Prince's Mansion, he walked straight into the study, his face so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out.
"Have they been meeting there secretly all this time?" Xue Qinghe's voice was low, with a hint of anger and questioning.
There was silence in the study and no one responded.
"I'm asking you a question, Elder She Long." Xue Qinghe frowned, raised his voice and asked again.
"She Long is not here."
A familiar voice suddenly sounded. Xue Qinghe's face changed and he turned around, only to find that Qian Daoliu had been sitting in the study room at some point.
"Grandpa? Why are you here?"
"If I don't come, you might get into trouble, right?" Qian Daoliu frowned slightly.
"I..." Xue Qinghe lowered his head in silence and slowly took off his disguise, revealing Qian Renxue's beautiful yet slightly haggard appearance.
"I heard from She Long that you have a very bad relationship with that boy?" Qian Daoliu asked.
Qian Renxue clenched her fists, "Something went wrong."
Hearing this, Qian Daoliu frowned even deeper, "It seems that the problem is indeed quite serious."
If it was really just a minor problem, Qian Renxue would just say it was okay.
But she admitted that there was a problem herself, so it's not a small problem!
"I don't understand." Qian Renxue raised her head.
"Why can that woman gain his trust so easily, but I can't?"
"He trusts Bibi Dong?" Qian Daoliu raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.
"When did you develop this delusion?"
"Isn't it?" Qian Renxue said, with a hint of unwillingness in her eyes.
"He's hooked up with Hu Liena. He even ran back to Tiandou City before, and now the Pope has even come all the way to Tiandou City just for him."
Qian Daoliu sighed, "After I arrived in Tiandou City, I first went to the Spirit Temple. Bibi Dong said that you haven't made any progress in these years. I didn't believe it at first, but now it seems that she was right."
"I..." Qian Renxue subconsciously wanted to refute, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she was choked back by Qian Daoliu's look.
"You have been together for so many years, and She Long has figured out that kid, but you haven't." Qian Daoliu said, with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
"Those involved are often confused. This saying has also come true in your case."
"Why didn't I understand him?" Qian Renxue said indignantly.
"If you understood it, why would you let your relationship with him become like this?" Qian Daoliu asked.
"You want to say he's ungrateful? But why isn't he like this with others?"
"It's not just Bibi Dong. She Long doesn't have it, the Great Fighting Spirit Arena doesn't have it, Ning Fengzhi from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect doesn't have it, and Dugu Bo, who once threatened him, doesn't have it either."
"Only you."
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth, a trace of anger and unwillingness flashing in her eyes, "You also want to say that this is my problem?"
Qian Daoliu's eyes were calm, "It's not what I want to say, but it's the truth."
"Xuan Ming is a man who values friendship and loyalty, yet is also unruly. He will be honest with those who are sincere, but if he feels that the other party has ulterior motives or is being insincere, he will raise his thorns and keep them at a distance."
Qian Renxue's brows were furrowed, a trace of grievance in her eyes.
"Grandpa, I know I've treated him sincerely. I've done so much for him over the years. How could he think I was being insincere?"
Qian Daoliu shook his head slightly, slowly stood up, and paced around the study.
"Sincerity is not just about doing a few superficial things."
"You approached him with a purpose from the very beginning. It was a mission from the Spirit Hall and a calculation from the Crown Prince of the Tiandou Empire. He's so smart, how could he not sense the utilitarianism and exploitation behind this?"
Qian Renxue was slightly startled, then retorted, "But I also truly admire his talent and potential, and want to work with him to create great things. Doesn't that count as sincerity?"
Qian Daoliu stopped, turned around, and looked at Qian Renxue with a deep gaze.
"Appreciation and exploitation are often only a fine line apart."
"While you admire him, have you ever given up the thought of bringing him under your control? What you call working together to build a great cause, in his eyes, may be nothing more than becoming a pawn on your chessboard."
"I don't think you can't see that."
Qian Renxue was speechless for a moment, her lips trembling slightly, but she couldn't say anything.
"Isn't it the same for that woman?" Qian Renxue asked unwillingly after a moment of silence.
"She is different from you." Qian Daoliu said.
"She would not try to gain benefits by using her feelings, nor would she try to exchange benefits for feelings."
"She keeps things separate and never mixes them up."
"And when she hires people, she always prioritizes immediate benefits over anything else, never resorting to those boring tactics."
"But you, on the one hand, want to use the relationship between you and that boy to force him to do things for you, and when he gets bored, you want to use benefits to buy his sincerity."
"It's a complete mess!"
Qian Daoliu frowned, looking at the descriptions in She Long's letter. He even suspected that Qian Renxue had lost her mind about Xuan Ming's affairs!
As Xue Qinghe, he was able to handle things very well when dealing with other people, but he made a mess of handling this kid's affairs!
If this continues, it will probably turn into the situation of Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong back then!
"I..." Qian Renxue lowered her head, unable to refute.
"Tell me honestly, do you want to break him down psychologically?" Qian Daoliu asked.
"First destroy his heart, then hold him tightly in your hands so that he can't leave you?"
Qian Renxue felt a little guilty. After a moment of silence, she nodded.
"Stupid!!" Qian Daoliu scolded, his voice like thunder, echoing in the study.
"You're as stupid as your father!!"
Back then, Qian Xunji tried to use this method to keep Bibi Dong and completely control her mind!
Now Qian Renxue is actually trying to use the same method to control Xuan Ming!
It would have been fine if it happened to Qian Xunji back then, after all, he had taught Bibi Dong to become a fool who turned a deaf ear to the world outside!
Even that cowardly and incompetent boy from the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Clan could fool her!
But now, who is that kid Xuan Ming?
How dare you risk your life in the temple where you are in a situation where there is no chance of survival?
Can this kind of person be used in this way?
Break his mind?
Are you trying to create another lunatic?