CHAPTER 189 — IT WAS HER
A presence entered the arena.
Silent. Sharp. Familiar.
Her heart stopped.
Ye Lanjue.
He walked in without a sound, yet the air shifted around him. Tang Kexin sensed him before she even saw him.
Why is he here?
Did he find me?
Is this coincidence or fate?
He moved closer, and her pulse hammered painfully.
If he recognised her, she was finished.
"Tang San, why are you standing still?" someone beside her whispered.
The words cut through the air like a blade.
Ye Lanjue's head turned.
His eyes landed on her.
Tang Kexin's blood froze.
She lowered her head quickly, forcing herself to breathe. She dared not look at him directly — but she lifted her gaze just enough to see his reaction.
He looked at her.
And then…
He looked away.
Calm. Unbothered. Completely indifferent.
As if she were a stranger.
Tang Kexin nearly collapsed in relief.
He didn't recognise me? Truly?
Gu Xiuran bowed. "Greetings, Third Prince."
Ye Lanjue nodded casually. "Choosing military doctors?"
His tone was light, almost bored. But Tang Kexin knew better. The calmer he sounded, the more dangerous he was.
She didn't believe for a second that he hadn't recognised her.
But… he wasn't acting.
"Any promising candidates?" he asked.
Gu Xiuran smiled faintly. "Yes."
Tang Kexin's heart lurched. No. No, no, no—don't you dare.
"Oh?" Ye Lanjue said. "Who?"
Gu Xiuran's lips curved. "Tang—"
Tang Kexin's breath caught.
He's going to expose me.
"—Tang Zhibei."
Tang Kexin blinked.
What?
Tang Zhibei nearly fainted from shock.
Ye Lanjue nodded. "Good. I happen to need someone knowledgeable in medicine."
Tang Kexin stared.
He… didn't come for me?
Gu Xiuran smiled. "Since Your Highness wants him, I won't refuse."
Tang Kexin's shoulders loosened. If Ye Lanjue took Tang Zhibei away, she might actually escape this unscathed.
But then Ye Lanjue spoke again.
"A gentleman does not steal another's talent."
Tang Kexin nearly choked. A gentleman? You?
Ye Lanjue continued, "Since General Gu values Tang Zhibei, then this king will not take him. This king may choose anyone else."
Tang Kexin's stomach dropped.
Ye Lanjue lifted his hand.
And pointed directly at her.
"That one."
Tang Kexin's entire body went cold.
Her heart stopped.
Her breath vanished.
Her disguise, her caution, her cleverness — all useless.
Ye Lanjue's finger remained steady, his expression unreadable.
But his voice was unmistakable.
"Let him be."
Tang Kexin's mind screamed.
Ye Lanjue… he—he chose me.
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CHAPTER 190 — GO BACK WITH HIM
Gu Xiuran's expression didn't shift, but something flickered in his eyes — a brief, unreadable glint that vanished as quickly as it appeared.
"The person His Highness wants," he said evenly, "is naturally someone I cannot refuse. However, this brother has not yet completed the competition and is not officially part of the military. I must ask for his agreement first."
His words were perfectly reasonable. Nothing in his tone betrayed the fact that he had just saved Tang Kexin's life.
Ye Lanjue's brow lifted a fraction. "Is that so?"
His voice drifted lazily across the arena, light and indifferent — but Tang Kexin felt the weight of it like a blade pressed to her throat.
"Ask him," Ye Lanjue said. "If he agrees, he follows me. If not… I'll choose someone else."
He didn't look at her. Not once. Not even a sideways glance.
It was as if she were nothing more than a random soldier he'd pointed at on a whim.
Tang Kexin exhaled slowly, forcing her heartbeat to steady. His tone was casual, almost dismissive — but she knew him too well. Beneath that calm, there was something sharp, something dangerous.
Did he recognise me?
If not, why point at me?
If yes… why pretend he didn't?
His voice had been light, but she heard the unspoken threat beneath it. Ye Lanjue was never that easy to read — or that easy to refuse.
Gu Xiuran turned to her. "Tang San, what do you say?"
Tang Kexin's lips twitched. What do I say?
As if she had a choice.
Being chosen by the Third Prince was an honour most people would weep with joy over. To refuse would be madness — suspicious, even. If she rejected him now, even if he hadn't recognised her before, he would certainly start to wonder.
She swallowed hard, lowered her voice, and rasped out, "This humble one… is willing."
She added a tremor of excitement, a hint of awe — the reaction any ordinary man would have when chosen by a prince. Anything less would be strange.
She dared to lift her gaze, just for a moment, to study Ye Lanjue's face.
Nothing.
No flicker of recognition.
No change in expression.
No hint of triumph or anger.
He was unreadable.
Tang Kexin lowered her head again quickly, afraid that even a second too long would give her away.
Not far away, Ye Lanjue's eyes lowered slightly. His face remained cold, emotionless — but the corner of his mouth curved almost imperceptibly.
Gu Xiuran smiled politely. "Then allow me to congratulate you, Brother Tang."
Tang Kexin nearly choked. Congratulate me? On what? Being dragged back to my doom?
She had escaped for only a few days — a glorious, fleeting taste of freedom — and now she was being marched straight back into the tiger's jaws.
Even if Ye Lanjue hadn't recognised her yet, she doubted she could hide from him for long. And if he had recognised her… then she was already dead, just waiting for him to close his hand around her throat.
Ye Lanjue said nothing more. He simply turned and walked away, his cloak sweeping behind him. He had arrived without warning, chosen a "random" military doctor, and left just as abruptly.
It was bizarre. Suspicious. Terrifying.
Tang Kexin's stomach twisted. He definitely recognised me. He must have. He's pretending.
And now she had to follow him.
She wanted to disappear. To evaporate into thin air. To be anywhere but here.
But everyone else looked at her with envy.
"Tang San, congratulations!" Tang Zhibei said, eyes shining. He clapped a hand on her shoulder — a gesture of camaraderie that would have been comforting if she weren't seconds away from being dragged to her doom.
"I thought we'd get to compete together," he said wistfully. "Didn't expect we'd be separated so soon."
Tang Kexin forced a smile. "You can still visit me. We'll meet again."
She didn't mean it. She was stalling. She wanted to delay the inevitable, even if only for a few breaths.
But Ye Lanjue heard her.
His gaze slid back toward them — cold, sharp, and so icy it felt like winter had swept through the arena.
The temperature seemed to drop.
Tang Zhibei shivered.
Even Gu Xiuran stiffened.
Tang Kexin felt the chill crawl down her spine.
She hadn't wanted to leave. She hadn't wanted to go with him. She had been trying to buy time — even though she knew it was useless.
"Brother Tang," Gu Xiuran said gently, though his eyes flicked nervously toward the Third Prince, "His Highness is waiting."
Tang Kexin bit her lip.
There was no escape.
No excuses.
No more time.
She could only lower her head, gather what little courage she had left, and walk slowly toward Ye Lanjue — each step feeling like she was approaching the executioner's block.