On the fourth floor were the VIP rooms, where people were constantly being thrown into the river.
Screams of panic and the sounds of fighting blended into chaos.
After the previous terrifying and bloody visual impact, Sun Ningning was much more psychologically prepared when seeing assassins kill again.
But her legs were still weak, and she kept her head down, not daring to look. Hiding in a corner, she slowly made her way toward the upper floors.
【Damn, it hurts so much, sob sob】
The System sighed along: 【Why are you putting yourself through this? I detect that the wound on your shoulder is bleeding, and the scab has split open a bit.】
【It’s fine. I won’t cause trouble. I just want to make sure Xiao Ze doesn’t get hurt. In case someone takes a sneak attack, I’ll call out to warn him!】
Sun Ningning pressed her right hand against her left shoulder to ease the swelling pain, moving “against the current” through the panicked crowd.
The assassins acted swiftly and decisively, coordinating seamlessly. Whether kidnapping or killing, they carried out their tasks with clear objectives.
As long as civilians didn’t rush forward to commit suicide, their lives wouldn’t be endangered.
At most, they might be stepped on, bumped into, or tumble down the stairs in panic.
Sun Ningning kept her head down, mimicking others’ terrified cries of “Help!”
Then, cunningly and safely, she approached the fourth floor.
She crouched, hiding behind a large floor-standing flowerpot.
In the distance, by a doorway, Bai Ze and two of his subordinates were holding long swords, engaged in combat.
Bai Ze was dressed in a clear water green waist-tied wide sleeve robe today, wielding a long sword with a jet-black spine and an icy silver blade.
His movements seemed light and graceful, yet in just a few dozen seconds, he had already taken the life of a skilled opponent.
Sun Ningning watched his elegant, swift figure—those long legs, that lean waist… His exquisitely exotic face, however, bore a fierce and ruthless expression.
She couldn’t help but swallow hard.
【So handsome, oh my god!】
【From the looks of it, they’re doing okay?】
System: 【More than okay. Bai Ze is very strong, and those two subordinates are the heads of assassins! They’re experts in assassination—there’s no need for you, the Host, to worry.】
【You read novels and comics, so shouldn’t you have plenty of 2D husbands? How come you’re so infatuated with him? No backbone!】
Sun Ningning winced in pain but kept her eyes fixed on the man on the deck.
Her intense gaze and her trailing green dress had long caught Bai Ze’s attention.
During a brief lull in the fight, he suddenly closed in, drew a dagger from his waist with his left hand, and slit the assassin’s throat.
After kicking the body away, in that short moment, Bai Ze turned and glared angrily at Sun Ningning in the corner.
He mouthed a word.
Then he turned back and deflected another assassin’s attack.
Sun Ningning excitedly grabbed the leaves, immediately plucking several.
【System, did he tell me to get lost? Right? Was that the mouth shape for “get lost”?】
The System buzzed with surprised static. 【Host, why are you so happy about being told to get lost? What are you so excited about?】
Sun Ningning’s heartbeat instantly quickened, her face showing an utterly infatuated expression.
【See, he’s cold on the outside but warm on the inside! He recognized me and didn’t want me to get hurt accidentally, so he said something harsh!】
【The way he told me to get lost is so handsome too! What a tsundere Second Highness.】
System: Speechlessness is my mother tongue.
Bai Ze, while fighting, spared a glance and noticed Sun Ningning still staring at him with adoration?
He instantly grew irritable.
Quickly dispatching the last assassin, he casually shook the blood off his sword and strode toward Sun Ningning.
Sun Ningning’s legs had gone numb from crouching for so long. As she stood up, a sharp pain shot through her shoulder, making her gasp sharply.
She rose unsteadily and limped toward Bai Ze.
“Good afternoon, Cousin.”
“Cousin, are you hurt?”
Hearing this overly sweet greeting, Bai Ze’s frown deepened.
The veins on the back of his lowered hand had yet to fade, and the murderous intent in his eyes remained undiminished.
As he walked, drops of crimson blood trailed behind him. He stepped casually over corpses, his expression anything but friendly.
Such scenes should have made any noble lady flee in terror, eyes red with tears, or stammer in fear.
But Sun Ningning was different.
She still called him “Cousin” with delight, her eyes burning with a blazing fire.
Every time she saw Bai Ze, she wished she could wrap him in that fire, letting him feel the full force of her passionate love.
Bai Ze’s aura was icy as he stared at Sun Ningning and spoke in a low, cold voice:
“Another coincidence, Second Miss?”
In front of the one she loved, Sun Ningning’s voice softened, carrying a hint of a Jinling accent:
“Yes, I originally came to the fourth floor for the Chrysanthemum banquet, but I never expected to run into assassins. Luckily, I saw you, Cousin!”
“…Oh, and Cousin, I haven’t eaten yet. Could you take me with you?”
She blinked, staring openly at Bai Ze, practically spelling out “I want to pursue you” on her face.
Anyone could see her intentions.
Bai Ze took a step forward, leaning down slightly until he was very close to Sun Ningning.
He whispered, “Second Miss, are we that familiar? Hmm?”
Threatening words wouldn’t come to him when faced with a delicate woman who had once taken a knife for him.
No matter how cruel and ruthless he was, he wasn’t a beast.
Sun Ningning felt as if the proximity was setting her entire body on fire.
But the next moment, hearing his words, she felt a cold, hollow ache in her chest.
Fortunately, she had a resilient mindset and thick skin.
Tilting her face up, Sun Ningning’s shimmering eyes reflected only him.
Her gaze was earnest and reverent.
“Cousin, then the next time we meet, we’ll be familiar, right?”
Bai Ze was momentarily speechless. He gave Sun Ningning a deep look, his eyes lingering on her bleeding shoulder.
He saw her radiant joy, her utter dependence, her eyes fixed solely on him—a stark contrast to the cold indifference she had shown Bai Ling not long ago.
Why?
Wasn’t he terrifying?
His deeds were known throughout Yue Kingdom. Before he came of age, noble ladies would still offer him scented handkerchiefs.
In recent years, even court officials trembled and kept their distance in his presence.
Let alone this little thing he could easily crush with one hand.
Bai Ze turned away with a cold expression. Sun Ningning sighed inwardly.
Sigh! The road to winning my husband is long, System.
The System replied quietly: It’s not so bad… At least you left quite an impression on him?
That’s true. I suppose it’s a successful start.
Heh.