Over at the mansion, the sky was already bright. Ling Tianya hadn’t slept for the whole night.
This night seemingly went by peacefully, but the more peaceful it looked on the surface, the stronger the undertow.
Ruan Qishan walked over to the window to stand beside Ling Tianya. After these two long days and nights, Ruan Qishan had visibly aged a few years.
“Ruan Guosheng probably won’t stay put much longer,” Ruan Qishan said in a low voice.
Ling Tianya stayed silent, but she nodded her head.
“Tianya.” Ruan Qishan’s voice suddenly grew heavy. “In recent years, I’ve seen the kind of ambition that Ruan Guosheng had. Zeyan knew as well. There had been several occasions when he wanted to get rid of Ruan Guosheng, but I couldn’t bear to do it on the account that he’s my brother and we have the same father. We’ve only tried to suppress him, but we overlooked the fact that where there is suppression, there will be resistance. It’s my fault that things have turned out this way.”
“Dad, don’t say that.” Ling Tianya’s voice was hoarse, but gentle. “This isn’t your fault. The only one to blame is Ruan Guosheng for being too greedy.”
Ruan Qishan sighed, then turned around to glance at old lady Ruan and Wang Yazhi. They were sound asleep. He continued, “Ruan Guosheng has been wanting to take full control of the Ruan family for awhile now. In order to get what he wants, he’s even willing to work with KSI. I can’t imagine that there’s anything he won’t stoop to. He’s too desperate to succeed, too desperate to prove himself. Now, everything he wants is right in front of him, but he still can’t get it. How will he ever be able to swallow this?”
“He won’t.” Ling Tianya’s breathing grew heavier.
“What you said before will only fool Ruan Guosheng for a short while. He’ll probably come back to his senses soon. Compared to keeping us hostage just in case Ruan Zeyan didn’t die so he can use us to threaten Zeyan, he may as well kill us right now. Then he could publicly announce that Zeyan has died and take the whole Ruan family’s legacy before Zeyan comes back. This way, even if Zeyan returns, he will only be a dead man to the rest of the world. Since the Ruan family would belong Ruan Guosheng by then, even if there’s troubles dealing with Ruan Zeyan, with an ally like KSI he won’t have much to fear either.”
Ling Tianya also knew that her words wouldn’t be able to fool Ruan Guosheng for long. He was anxious to take the Ruan family’s legacy for himself; he would never give up so easily. Once his patience ran out, the first to receive his frustrations would be the people right here.
Ruan Qishan said heavily, “Tianya, no matter what happens, you and the little rice dumpling must survive.”
“Dad…” Ling Tianya didn’t understand what he meant.
Ruan Qishan passed a fountain pen to Ling Tianya. “Tianya, every clan head of the Ruan family will gather a crew of his own guards, and they will only listen to their own master. Like how I’m not able to control Zeyan’s secret guards, my men won’t listen to Zeyan either.”
Ling Tianya looked at that ordinary looking pen in her hand. “What’s this pen?”
“Since Zeyan took over my position, I let my secret guards go. They have gone through many trials with me over the years; it was time for them to lead a normal life. The ones I’ve kept beside me now are all normal guards. I know their abilities. Although they’re fine guards, in front of strong enemies they won’t be able to do a thing. Therefore, I don’t have any hope that they will be able to find Zeyan. This pen is my token. The men who serve me will recognize this pen and serve the holder like they do me. I’m giving this pen to you now. If you ever find yourself into any trouble in the future, go to H City and find a man called Tao Dayu. He’ll obey your commands.”
