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Capítulo 96

"Hey." Chonghua patted Xue Beifan on the shoulder.

Xue Beifan snapped out of his daze. "What's the flaw?"

Chonghua frowned, "You..."

"Didn't you hear what Hao Jinfeng said?" Xue Beifan shrugged. "It's only natural for men to steal women." With that, he turned and walked away.

Passing by Xiao Dao, Xue Beifan, still grinning, asked her, "Who do you hope will win?"

Xiao Dao was grinding a pebble under his foot, looking sullen. "What does this have to do with me?"

"Hey, at least show some concern, Miss. We're practically fighting over you."

Xiao Dao kicked the pebbles into the flower bushes, looking uninterested. "Even if it were just some random cat or dog, you'd all be fighting over it today. What's there to care about?"

Xue Beifan was taken aback. "Why are you comparing yourself to a cat or a dog?"

Xiao Dao shrugged. "What are you two arguing about? He wants me to know you're not a good person and shouldn't have picked on you. You want me to know you're a good person and should have picked on you."

Xue Beifan frowned slightly. "Are you talking nonsense?"

Xiao Dao chuckled, "Come on, I really don't want to know anything. My mother always said that there's a reason why a man treats a woman well or badly. You, Xue Beifan, are destined to be a pearl destined for the sea, Wang Bibo is a man of immense wealth, and I'm just a little thief with extraordinary skills. You're all vying to be the thief, either you're out of your minds or you have ulterior motives. Don't tell me the reason, I don't care."

Xue Beifan hadn't expected that Yan Xiaodao had been pretending to be ignorant all along, and finally just laughed it off, "Aren't you afraid of being fooled?"

Xiao Dao glanced at him, then suddenly whispered, "Actually, I've had a pretty good time these past few days."

Xue Beifan was somewhat puzzled, but the faint sadness in Xiao Dao's expression made him pause. "Hmm?"

Xiao Dao pursed his lips. "Since the outcome can't be changed, at least make the process enjoyable. You men are so boring." After saying that, he sighed and slowly walked away, calling Xiao Yue and You You to go get some late-night snacks.

The Queen, who was standing not far away, heard it clearly and patted Youyou on the shoulder, saying, "This little knife girl is really interesting."

“Yes, Xiao Dao knows a lot of道理 (principles/truths)!” Youyou looked up, and the Queen casually rubbed her face. “A beautiful and cunning woman is prone to attracting bad men.”

Youyou asked doubtfully, "Really?"

The Queen squinted and pointed to Hao Jinfeng behind Xiao Dao, who was fussing over him and calling him "sister" repeatedly. "Mother prefers that big, silly guy as her son-in-law."

As soon as she finished speaking, Youyou's face turned bright red.

As Xiao Dao turned the corner outside, she saw the Queen pointing at Hao Jinfeng. She secretly stuck out her tongue—oh dear, mothers are indeed not to be underestimated! Her older brother probably won't be chosen as the Ghost King, but he'll likely be the Prince Consort.

"A knife."

At this moment, Xiaoyue caught up and called out to Xiaodao.

Xiao Dao looked up at her.

Xiaoyue asked worriedly, "Now everyone in the world knows your identity and that Xue Beihai is not dead... Why are you still here helping Xue Beifan?"

Xiao Dao scratched his head, "Well, I was just freeloading."

Xiaoyue sighed, "That's a lie."

Xiao Dao glanced at Hao Jinfeng ahead and said, "My older brother is still investigating cases."

"You're still lying." Xiaoyue persisted. "Tell me honestly, do you really like Xue Beifan?"

Xiao Dao blushed slightly, "No way!"

"You absolutely mustn't fall in love and get into a fire pit!" Xiaoyue said earnestly.

Xiao Dao was startled by her voice, "Why?"

"All the women who like Xue Beifan end up badly, you know that?" Xiaoyue's words startled Xiaodao, making him break out in a cold sweat. "This family is a real menace, is he a reincarnation of a cursed star?"

Xiaoyue didn't know where Xiaodao got all those nonsensical words from, she just shook her head, "Those he liked, his mother and Xue Beihai killed them all, and those who liked him, Feng Wuyou killed them all."

Xiao Dao was so shocked his hair stood on end. "Feng Wuyou? That pretty proprietress?"

Xiaoyue said with concern, "It's one thing if you're just playing around with him, but if you develop real feelings, I'm worried about your safety. Also, what if Xue Beifan ends up breaking your heart..."

Xiao Dao kept waving his hands, saying, "Wrong, wrong."

"What's wrong?"

“Xue Beifan isn’t some pearl destined to shine at sea!” Xiao Dao said seriously. “He’s clearly cursed by an inauspicious star!” As she spoke, she tightened her collar. “Starting tomorrow, I’m going to keep a three-zhang distance from him!” With that, she ran back to her room.

Xiaoyue was still running around excitedly, but when she ran into the house, her face turned pale, and it was clear that she was still unhappy.

That night, Xiaodao woke up from a nightmare with a scream, startling Xiaoyue and Youyou, who both rushed to her bedside. Xiaodao hugged her knees and the blanket, feeling suffocated—in her dream, Xue Beifan had a cold, sinister face, staring at her with an expression like a python eyeing a small mouse. He said something, and Xiaodao woke up in a fright, but unfortunately, she couldn't remember what he said.

...

50

50. [Bad intentions]

The selection of the Ghost King continued on the second day. Youyou's mother, dressed in full regalia and wearing a veil, came out. The Grand Master sensed something was wrong at first glance. When he also noticed Youyou with her, he knew something terrible was about to happen.

After the Queen sat down, she reached out and pulled Youyou to her side. Her first words to the young and promising candidates were, "This is my daughter."

Several noble young men who came to choose the Ghost King were shocked. It was one thing for the Queen to be a little ugly, but she actually had such a big daughter. This meant that she was old enough to be their mother. This was unacceptable.

"Those who want to quit can leave now."

As the female host reminded them, many people backed out, and more than half of the first group left.

Wang Bibo withdrew as soon as he arrived, and Hao Jinfeng also withdrew. After all, his purpose in coming was to help Youyou. Now that the Queen has taken control of the situation, it's time to retire gracefully.