CHAPTER 589: 229 BUFF IS FULLY STACKED

Yu Ruohuan went to the hospital to visit Liu Runxi and, unsurprisingly, was turned away by the bodyguards.

Jing Zhan was exasperated: "Do you even realize who’s standing in front of you? Did you eat bear gall or leopard guts to dare block the way of our family’s young mistress?"

Having grown up at Yu Ruohuan’s side, Jing Zhan hadn’t learned much else, but the art of leveraging another’s authority had been mastered to perfection.

Yet the bodyguards remained expressionless and unmoved.

"Forget it, let’s go back."

Yu Ruohuan turned and headed back to the hotel.

Beside her, Jing Zhan yammered incessantly, grating on Yu Ruohuan’s nerves: "Shut up."

Jing Zhan immediately clamped his mouth shut.

Stealing glances at Yu Ruohuan, he suddenly noticed that she seemed a little absent-minded.

Could she actually be worried about Liu Runxi?

The thought made Jing Zhan even more despondent.

At this moment, Yu Ruohuan’s worry wasn’t for Liu Runxi. Whether that man’s leg healed or not had nothing to do with her. What she was truly concerned about was Shen You’an.

She hoped Jiao Long wouldn’t mess up the task she had given him.

By the time midnight rolled around, Jiao Long finally returned.

As soon as he saw her, he dropped to one knee: "Your servant has failed in his mission; please punish me, my lady."

Yu Ruohuan gazed at him steadily: "Explain."

Jiao Long lowered his head even further, "Liu Qingfeng sent people to protect her. Your servant feared alerting the enemy and had to temporarily hold back."

"Liu Qingfeng. It’s him again, ruining my plans."

Yu Ruohuan had already committed his name to memory. He and Helian Yu hardly seemed like a married couple. Qingzhou was his territory, so she couldn’t touch him there. But for the rest of his life, he’d better not even think about setting foot in Jingzhou again.

In the suffocating oppressive atmosphere, Jiao Long spoke again: "But this trip wasn’t entirely fruitless for your servant."

Yu Ruohuan waited for him to continue, absently reaching for a cup of coffee.

When she couldn’t sleep at night, she liked to drink coffee. Better to drown in the frenzy of wakefulness than be dragged through the murky chaos of dreams.

Jiao Long moved forward on his knees, stopping just beside her. Leaning close to Yu Ruohuan’s ear, he whispered something.

Yu Ruohuan had originally planned to scoff at the secret surrounding Shen You’an, doubting it was worth such caution. But when she heard Jiao Long’s whisper, her strikingly beautiful eyes widened involuntarily.

"Clink." The coffee cup fell to the carpet, spilling its contents everywhere.

She didn’t even notice, spinning around to snap, "What nonsense are you speaking?"

Upon closer examination, her eyes burned with a wild, untamed fire, seemingly capable of incinerating everything.

Jiao Long lowered his gaze: "Your servant spoke nothing but nonsense; please punish me."

After her initial shock, Yu Ruohuan quickly regained her composure, her lips curling into a cruel smile. Yet the words that came out of her mouth were soft and soothing.

"You may leave now."

Jiao Long responded respectfully and withdrew, but Yu Ruohuan was too preoccupied to notice the flickering darkness in his eyes.

Yu Ruohuan’s mind at that moment was in turmoil.

Her fingers clutched the armrest of the chair tightly as many details she had once overlooked suddenly surged to the forefront of her thoughts.

The jade token had appeared in Qingzhou.

Shen You’an’s father was named Shen Li.

Shen Li, Shen Li...

What more was there to figure out?

No wonder she had felt an oddly discomforting sensation the first time she met Shen You’an. She had thought it was the repulsion of two exceptional women in opposition. Now, it seemed, it was the enmity buried deep within generations of bloodlines.

But in this lifetime, she was nothing more than a defeated contender.

Yu Ruohuan’s lips gradually curled upward as she adopted the stance of a proud and victorious queen gazing down from on high.

Now she was in the shadows, while her enemy remained in the light.

Just another ant; she could crush it with ease.

But suddenly, she didn’t want her to die so easily.

What could be more thrilling than toying with an ant? Let her uncover the truth, yet forever grovel at her feet, wagging her tail in pitiful submission. Then she’d crush her pride, all her hopes, leaving her to follow in the footsteps of her forebears—reduced to the fertilizer nourishing her blossoming flower. Wasn’t that far more entertaining?

Yu Ruohuan could hardly wait to see that day come.

She suddenly thought of the elderly couple held in Silent Garden. Those pitiful old souls could also become the sharpest weapon to stab into Shen You’an.

So Yu Ruohuan pulled up her mother’s number and dialed.

Wei Zhuhua was somewhat pleased to receive a call from Yu Ruohuan.

This daughter of hers had grown up by the Old Madam’s side, headstrong and independent, and wasn’t particularly close to her. She rarely reached out voluntarily.

She was usually the one to make the first move, so seeing her daughter take the initiative to call this time, Wei Zhuhua couldn’t help but feel a burst of joy. Almost eagerly, she pulled off the towel draped over her forehead and answered the call.

However, her daughter didn’t call to inquire about her well-being; she cut straight to the chase and asked about another matter.

"How are the old couple in Silent Garden doing nowadays?"

Wei Zhuhua’s heart chilled instantly. She pressed her lips together and asked hesitantly, "Huanhuan, why are you asking about them?"