After deceiving the villain, I was forced to love him.

Chapter 190 Sister, this is my last bit of patience with you

Once New Year's Eve was over, the days began to pass quickly. After Wang Qingyan's full recovery, their days and nights were no longer confined to the mansion.

Temple fairs, dragon and lion dances, New Year paintings, sugar figurines, firecrackers...

Anything that Bai Li Ce could think of, the everyday life of ordinary people, could always be found on the streets of Lincheng.

Every time she went out, she saw and heard a scene of peace and prosperity, where people lived and worked in contentment.

It seems that hunger, hardship, and displacement are completely non-existent.

Everyone was smiling happily, and the flower-selling girl would even give her extra peach and pear blossoms because she was "beautiful and kind-hearted".

Even the Gu guards, who were always dressed in black, had changed into ordinary people's clothes, making it impossible for her to tell whether the people passing by were normal people or informants.

"Madam Wang, would you like one?" The food vendor enthusiastically displayed the freshly baked sugar buns.

Bai Lizhe, who had been eating too much sugar lately, politely declined, saying, "No need."

Then, pulling Wang Qingyan along, they strolled casually along the roadside shops.

Occasionally, she would try on a hairpin, buy a porcelain doll, or play a game of pitch-pot, trying her best to pretend that she hadn't noticed anything.

She couldn't hold back any longer after walking the entire street without finding a child smaller than the flower girl.

"Let's go back"

"No rush. Haven't you always wanted to go boating on the lake? The weather is nice today, it's perfect."

"I don't want to go boating on the lake today."

A smile appeared on Wang Qingyan's face, but he didn't allow her to refuse. "The scenery of the lake and mountains is more beautiful in spring. Since we're here, how can we not take a look?"

After saying that, he pulled her onto the boat. Seeing that Baili Ce did not eat the food at the boat shop, he got off the boat halfway to buy her fried meatballs.

"It's a little hot, let it cool down a bit before eating."

Wang Qingyan, who had also bought other food, laid out the items in front of her one by one, and then asked the boat girl to bring her a pot of tea before sitting down to pick out the fish bones for her.

"Their fish is extremely fresh, but it has a lot of bones, so be careful when you eat it."

"This shepherd's purse is also good, try it."

"...Hmm," Baili Ce finally ate it.

Both were caring for someone, but Wang Qingyan was much more meticulous than her. Not only did he remove the fish bones cleanly, but he also knew to prepare a dipping sauce for her and pour her a cup of tea to cool.

Although Baili Ce still couldn't learn his tricks, he understood his thoughts more and more, and realized that there was no limit to his scheming and cunning.

"Drink my cup..."

Hmm? Baili Ce was still a little confused when he handed her his cup.

"Thump! Pfft..." After the girl who had served tea earlier knocked over the bowl and chopsticks in horror, and then rushed forward with gritted teeth, only to be taken down by the shop owner with a single stroke, she understood.

Her cup was probably coated with poison.

This... makes perfect sense. If it doesn't poison Wang Qingyan, it will poison her just the same.

I glanced at the shop owner's eyes, which had instantly turned ashen before returning to normal...

She simply couldn't eat that meal.

"Let's go somewhere else then." Although the bloodstains had been quickly cleaned up, the smell of blood was still there, so it was normal that she didn't like it.

"No need, it looks like it's going to rain soon, let's go home."

This is the second time she's refused like this today...

Wang Qingyan leaned back. "No rush."

"..." Quietly wait for him to continue.

Today is the fifteenth.

"Yeah, what's the problem with that...?"

The sound faded away, and I realized there was something wrong.

Wang Qingyan chuckled as she held the cup and drank the poisoned tea that was originally meant for her.

"You!" Baili Ce tried to stop him, his voice filled with a mixture of anxiety and suspicion.

But he grabbed her wrist. "After tonight, the New Year will be over. Are you not going to keep your promise of the second gift?"

"..." At that time, there was no one else on the boat.

In the bright candlelight, Baili Ce obediently sat back down, and Wang Qingyan released his grip at the opportune moment.

She had naturally prepared a gift and planned to give it to him when she got back, but Wang Qingyan's behavior clearly indicated that his true intentions were not what they seemed.

"forget."

"Oh?"

She finally drank the tea he gave her. At this point, she could no longer bear it and had no other choice. "Ask whatever you want."

"I'll get angry if you lie," Wang Qingyan said, toying with the cup meaningfully, still gentle and composed.

Staring intently into his eyes, Baili Ce no longer tried to ingratiate himself. "At least tonight, every word I said to you was the truth."

Wang Qingyan's gaze darkened.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the riverbanks on both sides were as silent as a dead city, and she found it ironic.

There's no trace of human warmth or human connection there.

It's all because of his capricious and unpredictable nature. "I will not avoid answering any of your questions."

Seeing the sharpness in her eyes, Wang Qingyan felt uneasy again.

He unconsciously stopped what he was doing; he knew he shouldn't keep asking questions, and he had originally intended to stop anyway...

He even told himself over and over again, "Don't ask, don't ask anymore!"

And so they lived peacefully and harmoniously...

But in the end, he couldn't help but ask, "Is that flower girl someone from Baili Ming's side, or Lu Jian's?"

"My sister"

"So, you're saying that the cup shattered into several pieces in his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, porcelain dust drifted into the river, 'you knew all along that Baili Ming was coming?'"

"It was just speculation before, but now it's completely confirmed."

"Heh~" Wang Qingyan curled the corners of his mouth, his smile extremely sinister, "You guessed so accurately?"

"Is it difficult? For Lu Jian, my sister is indeed the best choice."

“I have cut off all your contact with the outside world, so that those good-for-nothings hate you as much as they hate me. The Baili clan has also removed you from the family genealogy long ago.”

"Whether it's about interests or feelings, you can only rely on me, so why do you still think Baili Ming won't abandon you?"

"Could it be that you two have some kind of telepathic connection?"

"Or... is there some kind of agreement between you?"

"It's just that blood is thicker than water."

"Blood is thicker than water? Hahahahahaha..."

Wang Qingyan laughed at this remark.

"Ridiculous! Can there be kinship among powerful and wealthy families?"

Just because you don't have it doesn't mean others don't.

Wang Qingyan's face darkened.

Bai Lize was used to it, saying, "All relationships in this world are essentially a combination of various interests and emotions."

"Pure self-interest or emotion is the most unreliable thing. It is simply impossible for me to like you without any flaws."

Wang Qingyan frowned fiercely and scoffed, "If that's the case, why do you think they're not here for profit?"

"They just want to use you against me!"

"Otherwise, why didn't Baili Ming send her most capable subordinate?"

"Instead of letting this thing disgust you?!"

"You have such a tight grip on the entire Lincheng that people who are too capable will attract your attention."

"It might be better to send out a more ordinary spy; that might actually be more effective."

"Are you so sure that Baili Ming isn't just putting on an act to keep you in check on me?"

Bai Li Ce raised his eyes slightly, his expression quite annoyed. "First, you were never truly controlled by me."

"It's just that I humbled myself to make you happy, and you weren't entirely confident in taking down Lu Jian and the others, so you were just supposedly being held back by me."

"Enough," Wang Qingyan said, not wanting to hear any more.

"Secondly, my sister would never think that way."

"Stop talking!"

The word "older sister" sounds really jarring.

She never gave him the certainty or unwavering trust that was present in his heart.

"You can't stand it already?" Baili Ce broke off a meatball but didn't put it in the bowl.

Wang Qingyan asked incredulously, "You regret coming back, don't you?"

"Ha," Baili Ce sneered.

"Bang!" The table was overturned.

Yet, like a bird, she crashed into his arms, saying, "You have worn away all my pride, conscience, self-esteem, and dreams."

"Please stop trying to push my limits, okay?"

"..." Her embrace was still soft and warm, without a trace of the ferocity from when she overturned the table, yet it only made him feel as if thunder was crashing down on him and he could not stop her.

"Excess leads to its opposite; as bad as deficiency."

She let go of him, slowly tracing his face with her fingertips, and Bai Li Ce flashed her most beautiful smile.

"You have to leave me something so that I can be grateful to you and develop deep feelings for you."

The fear that rose from the soles of his feet made him involuntarily avoid her gaze, his face turning ashen and speechless.

She moved even closer to him. "You see," she said, "you don't like the truth."

Why can't I just coax you nicely? Why do you have to act like a jerk for no reason?

She took his hand and placed it on her neck. "Why make things so tense with me? I can't escape your grasp."

"Just like now, I still submit to you and let you do as you please."

"If you exert even the slightest force, I will die."

"But sister, this is my last bit of patience with you, understand?"

"..." Faced with the blatant and chilling killing intent in Bai Li Ce's eyes, Wang Qingyan withdrew his hand as if electrocuted, and for a moment he was even... terrified.