CHAPTER ELEVEN — IGNORE HIM
Tang Ke Xin lifted the carriage curtain with unhurried grace, stepping down into the sunlight as though she were descending a stage. Mu Shaoyi's expression twisted the moment he saw her—rage, disbelief, and wounded pride all warring across his face.
Dong'er, standing nearby, felt her heart tighten. Mu Shaoyi had clearly come to make trouble, and he was not a man easily placated. Yet she said nothing, trusting her mistress in a way she never had before.
Tang Ke Xin, however, did not spare Mu Shaoyi so much as a glance.
Her gaze drifted instead to Liu Ruyue, and she offered a gentle, almost serene smile.
"I dislike being falsely accused," she said softly. "Since Miss Liu insists I have poisoned her, I shall ensure the matter is clarified."
Her tone was light, almost conversational—yet the words carried a quiet, chilling certainty.
Before anyone could react, she lifted her hand. A faint powder, caught by the breeze, drifted through the air and settled upon Liu Ruyue's face.
"What are you doing?"
Liu Ruyue stumbled back, her expression twisting in alarm. A deep, instinctive fear flickered in her eyes. She had already learned—too painfully—that Tang Ke Xin was no longer someone she could bully.
"As Miss Liu wishes," Tang Ke Xin replied sweetly, "I shall poison you."
Her smile was bright and beautiful, her voice clear as a bell. She might have been commenting on the weather rather than delivering a threat.
Liu Ruyue's body trembled violently.
She had expected Tang Ke Xin to panic, to defend herself, to plead innocence before Mu Shaoyi. With her present, Mu Shaoyi would surely believe her. But she had never imagined that Tang Ke Xin would simply… act. Calmly. Publicly. Without hesitation.
As the powder took effect, Liu Ruyue's complexion shifted grotesquely. The delicate fairness drained from her skin, replaced by a sickly greenish-black hue. Her features contorted, losing all trace of charm and beauty. What remained was something ghastly—almost corpse-like.
"Ah—ah!"
Liu Ruyue clutched at her face, horrified by the sensation crawling across her skin.
"Tang Ke Xin, you dare! Hand over the antidote!"
Mu Shaoyi's voice cracked with shock. He had not expected Tang Ke Xin to wield poison with such skill—or such audacity.
Tang Ke Xin turned her head slightly, giving him a cool, indifferent glance.
"You think I poisoned her merely to hand over an antidote?" she said dryly. "That would be like… taking off one's trousers simply to pass wind. A pointless waste of effort."
Dong'er nearly choked.
Her mistress's words were crude—shockingly so—but somehow, in her calm, elegant tone, they sounded almost refined. She wanted to remind her mistress to mind her phrasing, but… truly, some people were not worth the effort of politeness.
Mu Shaoyi frowned, startled despite himself. Her words were blunt, yet they did not sound vulgar. Instead, they carried a strange, cutting clarity that unsettled him.
Was this truly the same foolish woman he had once despised?
And why—why did it bother him that she had not looked at him even once since stepping out of the carriage?
"Hmph. She must be pretending," he muttered inwardly. "Trying to lure me in."
"Brother Yu, save me!"
Liu Ruyue cried desperately, seeing Mu Shaoyi's attention wavering.
"Tang Ke Xin," Mu Shaoyi snapped, "if you do not hand over the antidote, do not blame me for being ruthless!"
His voice was harsh, but beneath it lay something else—uncertainty, perhaps even fear.
Tang Ke Xin ignored him entirely.
She turned her back on him and began walking toward the carriage.
"Tang Ke Xin!"
Mu Shaoyi's temper snapped. Being ignored was something he could not tolerate. He lunged forward, grabbing her wrist.
Realising how impulsive he looked, he hardened his expression and barked, "Hand over the antidote."
Tang Ke Xin's eyes narrowed, a glint of cold amusement flickering within them.
So he still does not understand.
Very well.
If he needed clarity, she would give it to him.