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"You!"
Qian Renxue bit her lower lip, trying to keep her tone calm, but the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her inner turmoil: "Oh, you're quite the organizer, stuffing so many girls into the Royal Fighting Team. What, are you planning to form a beauty team just to watch them yourself?"
"It's not like I'm the only man," Xuan Ming said.
Qian Renxue snorted, turning her head away, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the blooming peach blossoms nearby. She said sourly, "Hmph, who knows what schemes you're plotting in your heart. You're probably just using the competition as an excuse to get close to them."
Xuan Ming paused slightly, a look of confusion on his face. He asked, "Do I need the excuse of a competition to get close to them?"
Qian Renxue suddenly turned her head, her beautiful eyes filled with anger. "You're not even pretending anymore?"
"When have I ever pretended?" Xuan Ming asked, puzzled.
"Besides, weren't they all found by you for me?"
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling were unavoidable, but Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, those two were given to him by Qian Renxue!
"I!" Qian Renxue was momentarily speechless. "Didn't I tell you to just go through the motions? Who told you to actually… who told you to get so close to them!"
"I just… I just didn't want you to be too lonely."
Xuan Ming quietly looked at Qian Renxue. Sometimes, he really wished he had a voice recorder to capture everything Qian Renxue said, so she wouldn't make a fuss here.
However, if she was already making a fuss, a voice recorder would probably make her furious, which would be even more troublesome.
"Why aren't you speaking?" Qian Renxue looked at Xuan Ming, who was silently drinking tea.
Xuan Ming poured another cup of tea. "Waiting for you to calm down."
"Do you think I can calm down?" Qian Renxue gritted her teeth.
"That's your business, it's not my fault." Xuan Ming gathered his spirit power to warm up the slightly cool tea.
Qian Renxue snatched the tea from Xuan Ming's hand, drank it in one gulp, and glared at him, gritting her teeth.
Xuan Ming was somewhat speechless and once again chose to ignore her. "Also, I plan to swap with the Royal Fight Second Team, giving them the spot for the seeded team, and I'll take the Royal Fight First Team through the process."
If they went straight to the finals, there would only be two or three matches, and by then, the opponents would be too strong. As soon as he made a move, Ning Rongrong and the others would become mere accessories, with no chance to showcase their strength at all.
Moreover, his own matters also needed to be resolved.
"Taking those girls to show off on the field, you're quite good at playing around, aren't you?" Qian Renxue gritted her teeth.
"Crown Prince, I'm talking about serious matters now," Xuan Ming said helplessly.
"I'm also talking about serious matters!" Qian Renxue said.
"Then let's talk about my serious matters first, and then your serious matters, okay?" Xuan Ming asked.
Qian Renxue took a deep breath. "Okay."
"Then, can the matter I just mentioned be arranged?" Xuan Ming asked.
"Yes," Qian Renxue said.
"Coincidentally, The Old Emperor plans to have me lead the Royal Fighting Team. These things are naturally for me to arrange."
Xuan Ming raised an eyebrow slightly. "The Old Emperor still doesn't plan to distance himself from me?"
Qian Renxue rolled her eyes at Xuan Ming. "You underestimate your importance in The Old Emperor's eyes. Even if it comes to this, he still wants to do his best to protect you."
Xuan Ming's current situation was indeed dangerous, but not truly desperate. As long as the Heaven Dou Imperial Family and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School worked together, they would be able to stabilize this matter. The Seven Great Families would also give the Imperial Family this face.
And the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, having resolved this major trouble, would owe Xuan Ming a great debt!
In the future, Xuan Ming's relationship with the Heaven Dou Imperial Family would naturally become even closer. As long as Xuan Ming could grow, he could at least ensure the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's stability for a hundred years!
A hundred years of stability for the Heaven Dou Empire!
How great was that value?
It wasn't the last moment yet; The Old Emperor wouldn't easily give up this hope.
Xuan Ming nodded slightly, gaining a clearer understanding of The Old Emperor's intentions. "Since that's the case, the Royal Fighting Team will proceed according to my plan. However, since The Old Emperor values me so much, I also need to show some appreciation."
Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow. "What do you plan to do?"
"Invite those disobedient great nobles to the finals. By then, I'll help you resolve all of them," Xuan Ming said.
"I'll bear the infamy, and you can legitimately crack down on other nobles, strengthening the Imperial Family's centralization."
Qian Renxue was stunned. "You'll resolve it? Are you serious?"
"You'll know when the time comes. You just need to get the people here," Xuan Ming said.
"Whether it's poisoning or using underhanded tricks, I'll always find a way to do it."
Qian Renxue was silent for a moment. "I'll convey it to The Old Emperor."
"Oh, by the way, Yu Tianheng has withdrawn from the Royal Fighting Team."
Xuan Ming nodded. "Understood. He should be going to Shrek."
Qian Renxue was surprised. "Aren't you going to ask why?"
"I know the reason," Xuan Ming said.
He had crippled Yu Luomian, forming a mortal enmity with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Yesterday, he had just returned and then targeted Yu Xiaogang. In such circumstances, how could Yu Tianheng possibly continue to stay in the Royal Fighting Team?
If Yu Tianheng hadn't known the absolute disparity between them, he probably would have come to fight him to the death.
"Then I'll take my leave," Xuan Ming stood up.
"Wait a moment!" Qian Renxue grabbed Xuan Ming.
"You've finished your serious matters, it's time for mine."
Xuan Ming was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "We are not on the same path."
Qian Renxue's hand instantly stiffened. "On the same path? What do you mean by on the same path? You and she are on the same path? And I'm not?"
"Some things shouldn't be said by me, and you wouldn't believe them anyway," Xuan Ming said.
"But we, it's impossible."
Qian Renxue took a step forward, very close to Xuan Ming. "Why?"
"Because of her? Or because I am her daughter?"
"Both, but also more than that," Xuan Ming said.
"We can be respectful friends, and then there won't be so many conflicts. But if we get too close, you won't be able to stand me, and I won't be able to stand you."
"So, between me and her, you chose her?" Qian Renxue stared intently at Xuan Ming.
"This isn't a multiple-choice question," Xuan Ming said.
Qian Renxue's eyes reddened slightly, her voice trembling. "Then you just resolutely rejected me? Am I that bad?"
"You are very good, but in this matter, I am doing it for your own good," Xuan Ming said.
Qian Renxue sneered, "You're making me sad, and this is for my own good?"
"If I reject you, you'll be able to hate me righteously in the future," Xuan Ming said.
"The painful struggle of being torn, I know exactly what that feels like. I had no choice before, but now, you have a choice. You don't have to fall into this whirlpool."
Qian Renxue's tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. She bit her lip, her voice choked. "Hate you? Why should I hate you? Just because you didn't choose me? Xuan Ming, who do you think you are, to be worthy of Qian Renxue's hatred?"
Xuan Ming looked at her, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. "Whether you hate me or not, that's your freedom."
Qian Renxue raised her head, and tears finally streamed down her cheeks. "Excuses, all excuses! What 'for my own good,' what 'not wanting to involve me,' you just don't have me in your heart."
"Xuan Ming, look at me. Tell me, do you truly not feel even a hint of attraction towards me?"
"…"
"I do," Xuan Ming said.
Qian Renxue was slightly stunned when she heard that "I do." The tears in her eyes seemed to freeze for a moment. Her heart, which had been full of resentment and grievance, wavered slightly at that instant. "Since you do… why are you still so heartless in rejecting me?"
"Attraction is merely attraction," Xuan Ming said.
"You can do as you please, because you are Qian Renxue, you have that capital, but I cannot."
"What about her?" Qian Renxue's tears fell like broken pearls. She bit her lower lip tightly, trying desperately not to cry out loud.
Xuan Ming sighed slightly. "She is different from you."
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth. "Different? How is she different? What she can do for you, I can do too!"
Xuan Ming looked at Qian Renxue. "Both she and I have already embarked on a path of no return, but you can live in the light, enjoying your glory and nobility."
Qian Renxue sneered. "Light? Do you think I'm living in the light now? From the moment I was born, my life has never truly had freedom or happiness."
"Xuan Ming, do you think rejecting me is good for me? You're wrong, it will only make me suffer more."
Xuan Ming was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Pain is only temporary. Time heals all wounds."
"You will meet the person who is truly right for you. He will give you the life you desire, making you forget all your worries and pain."
Qian Renxue looked at Xuan Ming angrily. "The person who is right for me? Besides you, I don't want anyone else!"
"Xuan Ming, don't think you can easily get rid of me. I won't give up!"