My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 143, Recollection Part 10 - Cooperation

After Xie Yan withdrew her hand, the boy's voice indeed became much quieter.

"Why...why did you pretend to be..."

Judging from the looks of it, this person probably already knew what Wang Youdao was going to do to him, which is why he put on this act.

"Who exactly are you? What do you want by getting close to Wang Youdao?"

The boy pulled his head back, clutching his neck in fear, his eyes darting outside, looking as if he desperately wanted to run away.

"Well... well..."

The shards of porcelain danced between Xie Yan's fingers, and the shimmering light reflected off the boy's delicate face with each movement.

Startled, he couldn't help but swallow hard, stiffly retracting his step that was about to step out.

Xie Yan looked at the young man with a half-smile and slowly said, "Why don't you tell me first, who are you?"

Upon hearing this, the boy cautiously looked up at him, then pursed his lips, his expression hesitant, as if he didn't want to answer.

Xie Yan didn't press him. She just smiled slightly, then stood up and gently placed the broken porcelain shards on the table next to her.

With a "clang," a crisp sound was produced.

The boy seemed startled by the sound. His eyes widened, filled with panic, and he instinctively tried to back away.

Seeing his reaction, Xie Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and she grabbed the boy's arm.

Then a gasp was heard.

Upon being gripped, the boy's face immediately contorted in pain, and his body trembled uncontrollably as he pulled his arm away from Xie Yan's grasp.

Seeing the cold sweat on the boy's forehead, Xie Yan raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at the boy's arm again.

He probably didn't use that much force, right?

Is it...

Xie Yan pulled the boy's arm over again and rolled up his sleeve without hesitation.

His luxurious clothes were lifted up, revealing the boy's fair and slender arms, which were covered with scars.

Some areas have scabbed over, while others are still bleeding, indicating that the infection was recently contracted.

These wounds varied in length and depth, crisscrossing and shocking to behold.

The boy's face was slightly pale, and he instinctively tried to pull his arm back.

But Xie Yan held his arm tightly, not giving him any chance to pull away.

Xie Yan's eyes turned cold. "Was this also done by Wang Youdao?"

The boy pursed his lips, then suddenly flung Xie Yan's hand away, looking at him warily.

"So what?"

A mocking smile slowly crept onto his lips. "Hmph, whoever you are, once you're inside, don't expect to escape easily."

"Here, death is the only way out."

After saying that, the boy was about to turn and leave, but Xie Yan pulled him back unexpectedly.

"Don't go, let's talk."

Xie Yan still spoke in that nonchalant tone, which sounded extremely grating to the boy's ears.

"What to talk about?"

The boy twitched his lips and glared at Xie Yan with annoyance. "I have nothing to talk to you about."

Xie Yan smiled and said casually, "If I said that I would die, it might not be me."

The boy was stunned for a moment, looking at him with some disbelief.

"what do you mean?"

Xie Yan answered irrelevantly: "Don't you want revenge?"

Upon hearing this, the boy's eyes darted away.

"Or rather, don't you want an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?"

The boy suddenly looked up, his gaze towards Xie Yan somewhat dazed, but he quickly lowered his head, biting his lip tightly, and clenching his fists.

How could he not want to?

But what can he do?

Wang Youdao was surrounded by countless guards. They would immediately become alert at the slightest disturbance, making it difficult for them to even get close.

Even with a one in ten thousand chance of assassination, escape would be a pipe dream for people like them.

For example, even now, though Wang Youdao isn't here, the area around this room is firmly guarded by his men, making it impossible for anyone to escape.

"Since we're going to die anyway, why not be bold and take a gamble?"

Xie Yan smiled, then walked to the boy's side and put her hand on his shoulder.

She leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "If it were me, I would rather die than let that beast get away with this."

The boy's gaze began to waver, and he looked at Xie Yan with a complicated expression.

"……who are you?"

Xie Yan smiled slightly and said, "You don't need to know who I am. Just know that I'm here to kill Wang Youdao."

"So, let's work together."

After a moment of silence, a fierce glint flashed in the boy's eyes. After a long while, he finally nodded hard and said through gritted teeth, "Fine, I'll cooperate with you."

Xie Yan then patted his shoulder with satisfaction, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Pleasant to cooperate."

"Now, can you tell me your name?"

The boy hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "A-Ning."

Then, Ah Ning glanced at Xie Yan, who seemed confident, and looked around before hesitatingly asking, "So what should we do now?"

"Ah, this."

Xie Yan stroked her chin and smiled: "I haven't thought of anything yet. Do you have any good ideas?"

Aning: "..."

So you didn't think about anything at all?

Ah Ning looked at Xie Yan speechlessly, then pursed her lips: "If I had a way, would I need to cooperate with you?"

They should have killed that old bastard long ago and run away!

The two, who had just decided to cooperate, looked at each other and fell silent.

Whether Wang Youdao was deliberately giving Xie Yan the cold shoulder to make her think things through, or whether he was held back by something, he didn't appear in front of Xie Yan for several days in a row.

"I heard that the Second Prince is leading his army to the border and will stop in Qingzhou for a short rest."

"So Wang Youdao has been busy with receptions and concealing his shady dealings in Qingzhou these past few days, and he can't get away for the time being."

As Ah Ning served Xie Yan the food, she explained in a low voice.

Xie Yan slowly shifted her gaze from the note in her hand, her eyes flickering slightly. "Is the Second Prince really coming?"

Ah Ning nodded slightly, "Yes, I heard it will arrive in about three days."

After Xie Yan put away the note that had appeared out of nowhere, she suddenly chuckled softly.

"God is really helping me."

A Ning looked at him suspiciously, "What do you mean by that? Could it be... that you're thinking of going to the Second Prince for help?"

"Although the Second Prince has the ability, don't forget that we can't leave here."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yan gently shook her head and gave A Ning a meaningful smile.

"Do you really think the Second Prince's purpose in coming here is so simple?"

"It's time to settle some scores."