399. An Affair?

Ling Yuan hurried forward, glancing briefly at Bibi Dong, who seemed to be feigning sleep.

Quickly lowering her head, she stood beneath the high platform and cautiously called out in a soft voice:

“Your Majesty…”

“Hmm.”

Bibi Dong’s voice was not at all languid; it was cold and penetrating.

Her violet eyes lifted slightly, glinting with a frosty light.

Looking down at Ling Yuan Douluo, who was bowing respectfully below, Bibi Dong parted her lips and asked slowly:

“Ling Yuan, as the Holy Son’s woman, are you unaware that he’s having an affair? Why haven’t I heard about this from you?”

“Huh?! What?”

Ling Yuan’s mouth fell open in shock, her expression momentarily stunned.

She had quite enjoyed the first part of what Bibi Dong said, but before she could revel in that sentiment, the latter statement hit her like a brick out of nowhere.

An affair?!

The Holy Son has an affair?!

Where did Her Majesty even get this idea?

Would His Highness even need to do such a thing?

Ling Yuan racked her brain but couldn’t fathom how the conversation had taken such a turn. Nervously, she murmured:

“Your Majesty, I’m ignorant… Please enlighten me.”

Bibi Dong’s face was cold.

In her view, anything Qian Renjue hadn’t reported to her personally could be classified as an “affair.”

Leaning against her throne, she gazed down at Ling Yuan with a commanding presence, her crisp voice carrying a hint of menace:

“Liu Erlong!”

“!!!”

At the mention of this name, Ling Yuan’s lowered eyes widened slightly, and her body trembled.

No matter how hard she had tried to recall earlier, she hadn’t expected it to be about the beautiful woman from Blue Tyrant Academy.

Of course, she had helped Qian Renjue conceal this particular matter.

Even Tang Hao and his son’s affairs had been reported fully—this was the one lapse in her judgment.

“So, you do know about it!”

Bibi Dong’s face grew colder, her words sharp and icy, revealing genuine anger.

If Ling Yuan had informed her earlier, she could have resolved this swiftly and decisively, cutting off any budding feelings between Qian Renjue and that vile woman.

Why wait until now, when that woman had come knocking at their door?

In Bibi Dong’s mind, Ling Yuan’s failure to report this was a graver offense than delaying action during a battle.

“Your Majesty…”

Ling Yuan gritted her teeth, uncertain whether she should confess.

She had made a promise to the Holy Son.

Seeing Ling Yuan hesitate, Bibi Dong’s expression darkened further. She shouted angrily:

“Ling Yuan, how dare you!”

“Knowing but not reporting—do you even regard me as the Pope?!”

The cold aura of a Level 98 Title Douluo surged, reverberating around the Pope’s Hall, making the entire chamber resonate with an oppressive echo.

“Please, Your Majesty, calm your anger… Your subordinate truly doesn’t know anything about this matter…”

Ling Yuan clenched her teeth, deciding to stall for time on behalf of Qian Renjue.

She replied ambiguously:

“Your subordinate has always been by His Highness’s side, and he has never had any intimate interactions with that woman.”

“Oh?”

Intimate interactions?!

Bibi Dong let out a cold laugh, feeling both gratified and furious.

Gratified that Ling Yuan was protecting Qian Renjue, but furious at the deception.

“So, Ling Yuan, you want to protect Renjue, don’t you?”

Bibi Dong’s anger seemed to turn into laughter, her tone filled with cold amusement.

“Your subordinate wouldn’t dare.”

Cold sweat beaded on Ling Yuan’s forehead.

“‘Wouldn’t dare,’ you say? How bold.”

“Jue gives you a warm meal, and now you can’t tell who’s the mother and who’s the son?”

Hearing Bibi Dong’s pointed words, Ling Yuan’s face flushed red with embarrassment, her heart uneasy.

She, a Title Douluo, was not shielding Qian Renjue just because of some warm food!

Bibi Dong straightened herself, her aura gradually receding, her gaze playful and calm yet filled with an unshakable dominance.

It had been years—who knew how many years—since anyone had dared to defy her like this.

“Ling Yuan, it seems I need to reconsider your relationship with Jue.”


"From now on, take some time outside to cool your head,"

"I will make new arrangements for Jue."

Bibi Dong's tone seemed casual, but the coldness in her words was unmistakable.

The weight of her decree instantly chilled Ling Yuan to the core, prompting her to immediately shift her stance.

"Your Majesty! I confess! I report!"

Ling Yuan dropped to one knee, raising her head with an expression of sincerity and desperation, entirely abandoning any thought of resistance.

She truly couldn't bear the pressure anymore. If she kept holding out, she feared the Pope would crush her entirely!

"Snort!"

Bibi Dong sneered.

"Oh? You're confessing now? Reporting, are you?"

"And just moments ago, didn’t you claim that Jue had no contact with that woman?"

Faced with the Pope's mocking tone, Ling Yuan knew she was at fault and dared not argue further. Humbly, she pleaded:

"Your Majesty, I humbly request you to reconsider your decision!"

"I will do my utmost to serve and protect His Highness the Holy Son."

A victorious smile graced Bibi Dong's icy face as she tapped her fingers lightly against the throne.

"Then speak. Tell me everything you know."

"If your mistakes are irreparable, I will not spare you lightly!"

Her words were resolute, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

Every time she thought about that wretched woman, Liu Erlong, potentially growing closer to Qian Renjue, Bibi Dong's anger flared, her murderous intent rising like a tide.

This could not be allowed to happen!

"Your Majesty, I will reveal everything without reservation!"

Ling Yuan vowed, her stunning face tinged with bitterness.

She hadn't even had the privilege of being close to His Highness herself, yet now her "license" was at risk of being revoked.

If she were to be exiled by the Pope, she might never see him again.

She couldn't let that happen!

Besides, even if she reported him, His Highness would surely understand.

It wasn’t her failure to keep the secret—it was His Highness’s slip-up.

At worst, she would make it up to him later… twice, if necessary.

"Speak! Tell me everything you know in detail," Bibi Dong commanded impatiently. She didn’t want to waste any more time; she needed the truth and the full story of how the two had become entangled.

"Your Majesty, this matter has puzzled me as well," Ling Yuan began, kneeling with her head bowed as she explained everything she knew.

"The first time I saw that woman was two years ago, during an event at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, when His Highness went to see his fiancée."

"At that time, it seemed she had already fallen deeply for His Highness, yet strangely, he claimed not to know her. He said they had met… in a dream."

"A few months later, His Highness visited Blue Tyrant Academy. I was tasked with keeping watch, so I do not know the details of their conversation."

"…"

As Ling Yuan finished speaking, the hall fell into an eerie silence.

Bibi Dong furrowed her brows.

"In a dream?!"

"Ling Yuan, are you certain Jue said this?"

Ling Yuan immediately assured her:

"Your Majesty, I would never dare to deceive you. That woman’s appearance is indeed inexplicably strange."

"…"

Bibi Dong didn’t doubt Ling Yuan’s words; she was simply double-checking.

A meeting in a dream...

This reminded her of the Revival Flowers Chrysanthemum had cultivated and the peculiar objects that occasionally surfaced in Qian Renjue’s possession.

It seemed that this situation couldn’t entirely be blamed on Ling Yuan.

You can’t fault someone for missing an opportunity for action if there was no clear opportunity to begin with.

That vile woman had been stealthily advancing all along!