NCCnovel Chapter 193 Love for Yu Lan and Guilt towards Jue Ling
Chapter 193 Love for Yu Lan and Guilt towards Jue Ling
Seeing Yu Lan's excitement, Cen Jiexiao's eyes flashed with helplessness. She stood up and walked to Yu Lan's side, gently patted her shoulder, and said softly, "Yu Lan, I know you are worried about me, but I have made up my mind about this matter and I will not change it."
"But..." Yu Lan wanted to say something else, but was stopped by Cen Jiexiao's eyes.
"No buts." Cen Jiexiao said firmly, "Only by catching these assassins in one fell swoop can we eliminate the threat forever. You don't have to worry about my safety anymore."
"But have you ever thought about what would happen if something unexpected happened..." Yu Lan's voice was a little choked. She didn't dare to imagine what she would do if something really happened to Cen Jiexiao.
"There's no such thing as an emergency." Cen Jiexiao interrupted Yu Lan. She pulled out a piece of talisman from her sleeve and handed it to Yu Lan. "This is the amulet I specially asked for for you. Carry it with you to keep you safe."
Yu Lan looked at the talisman paper in Cen Jiexiao's hand, her eyes moist. She knew that Cen Jiexiao did this for her and for everyone's safety.
"Dean..." Yu Lan took the talisman paper tremblingly and held it tightly in her hand, "You must come back safely."
Cen Jiexiao looked at Yu Lan, her eyes filled with determination: "Don't worry, I promise you, I will come back safely."
"What did you say? You're going to lure the assassins to assassinate you!" Yu Lan grabbed Cen Jiexiao's arm, her tone filled with disbelief and worry. "Are you crazy?! That place is a den of dragons and tigers! You almost lost your life last time, and you're still going there! You're a weak woman, wouldn't it be like a sheep walking into the tiger's mouth if you went there?!"
"Yu Lan, calm down!" Cen Jiexiao gently patted the back of Yu Lan's hand, signaling her to stay calm. "I've made up my mind. This is the only way to eradicate them once and for all."
"You..." Yu Lan was so angry that she pointed at Cen Jiexiao and kept saying "you" for a long time without saying a complete sentence.
"Yu Lan, I know what you're worried about, but don't worry, I've made all the necessary preparations." Cen Jiexiao said, pulling out a piece of talisman from her sleeve and handing it to Yu Lan. "This is a peace talisman I specially asked for for you. Although you are highly skilled in martial arts, you must cooperate with the capture operation. Those assassins are desperate and will risk their lives. Keeping them close to you will help me feel less worried."
"Dean, please take this amulet back! I don't need it! You already said that I'm a martial arts expert and those assassins can't hurt me!" Yu Lan said, pushing the amulet that Cen Jiexiao handed over back. "I'm worried about you now! Do you know how dangerous this operation is? Do you know how worried I am about you!"
"Dean, those assassins are all desperate criminals who live on the edge of a knife. If you go, what if... what if something happens to you..." Yu Lan's voice became weaker and weaker, and in the end, she choked up. "What do you want the old lady to do? What do you want me to do? What do you want Xiaozhi to do?"
The more Yu Lan thought about it, the more scared she became. Tears couldn't stop falling, and her voice became trembling. "If something happened to you, what would happen to the hundreds of people in Zhaoyin Academy? What would happen to the people who like... like you?"
"Nothing will happen!" Cen Jiexiao stretched out her hand, wanting to wipe the tears from Yu Lan's face, but Yu Lan turned her head away and dodged. "I'll be fine!"
"You..." Yu Lan wanted to say something else, but was stopped by a look from Cen Jiexiao. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her excited emotions, "Can you please not go..."
"Yu Lan, I know you are worried about me, but please believe me, I will be safe..."
"Can……"
Just as Yu Lan was about to say something, Cen Jiexiao stepped forward, gently hugged Yu Lan, and whispered in her ear, "Yu Lan, before coming here, I thought I had nothing. After coming here, I also feel like I have nothing..."
Cen Jiexiao's voice was soft and gentle, but it was like a warm current that slowly flowed into Yu Lan's heart, warming her cold heart. "It wasn't until I met you and became your family that I felt... I truly had everything..."
Cen Jiexiao let go of Yu Lan, cupped her cheeks with both hands, looked at her with burning eyes, and said word by word: "Yu Lan, listen carefully, I will definitely return safely. When I come back, we will be together..."
As Cen Jiexiao spoke, she pulled out a small wooden plaque engraved with herself, Yulan, and Xiaozhi, and gently placed it in Yulan's palm. "Please keep this plaque. Consider it my promise to you. When I come back, we'll... accomplish more together."
Cen Jiexiao paused deliberately when she said this, her eyes filled with a hint of cunning, a hint of tenderness, and a hint of expectation, "Let's go together..."
Cen Jiexiao smiled mysteriously and didn't continue talking. Instead, she patted Yu Lan's shoulder gently and said, "Okay, it's getting late. You should go back and rest early."
"What about you?" Yu Lan raised her head and looked at Cen Jiexiao, her eyes full of worry.
"I still have some things to deal with, you go back first." Cen Jiexiao said, turning and walking towards the study.
"Dean..." Yu Lan wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Cen Jiexiao, "Okay, go back quickly, don't worry about me."
"Then you... must be careful." Yu Lan looked at Cen Jiexiao's back and said softly.
"Okay, I understand." Sister Cen Xiao responded without turning her head, then walked into the study and gently closed the door.
Cen Jiexiao returned to the study, walked to the desk and sat down, took out a piece of letter from her arms, unfolded it and read it carefully.
The handwriting on the letter was beautiful, obviously written by a woman. The content of the letter was very simple, only a few short sentences:
"Everything is ready, waiting for good news."
Cen Jiexiao looked at the handwriting on the letter, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a meaningful smile.
"When I come back, we'll be together..." Cen Jiexiao murmured to herself, her eyes full of determination.
Cen Jiexiao's eyes reluctantly turned away from the letter. The words "Everything is ready, waiting for good news" seemed to be engraved in her mind, lingering, yet like tiny needles, piercing her heart. She put the letter down and walked to the window. Night had already fallen in Linkang City, but the bright lights could not dispel the gloom in her heart.
Cen Jiexiao gazed out the window, her mind racing. The hazy moonlight cast a veil over the bustling capital, adding a touch of mystery. The streets were sparsely populated, with only a few dim lanterns swaying in the cold wind, like the shivering of an elderly man in his twilight years. Everything seemed so quiet, like the calm before a storm, yet concealed within it a tense atmosphere of impending devastation that left one breathless.
"Jue Ling, I hope you can understand me and forgive me for being forced to do so..." Cen Jiexiao whispered to herself, with a barely perceptible bitterness in her tone, like a cup of bitter tea, spreading across her tongue.
Cen Jiexiao was filled with guilt towards Jue Ling, a heavy stone weighing on her heart. This plan would inevitably put Jue Ling in the spotlight, potentially even putting her in danger and subjecting her to immense pressure and risk.
"Jue Ling, will you blame me?" Jue Ling's voice, appearance and smile appeared in Cen Jiexiao's mind. That girl who was always full of energy and hope for the future was now pushed into the unknown abyss by her own hands.
Cen Jiexiao knew this very well, but she had no choice. For the safety of the Great Zhou, for Emperor Chai Zhen to successfully achieve his goals, and for the people of the world, she had to make this choice, even if it meant hurting Jue Ling.
"Jue Ling, I'm sorry," Cen Jiexiao murmured softly, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "I took advantage of your trust in me and dragged you into this vortex of court struggle. But please believe me, everything I did was for the Great Zhou, for the people, and for you..."
"Dean, it's late, you should go to bed early." The maid's gentle voice came from outside the door, like a breeze, blowing away the haze in Cen Jiexiao's heart.
"Okay, got it. You should go get some rest too." Cen Jiexiao responded, turned around, blew out the candle on the table, and lay down on the bed in the dark. The room suddenly fell into darkness, with only the faint moonlight outside the window filtering through the window paper, casting a patch of light and shadow on the floor.
Yet, despite her exhaustion, Cen Jiexiao felt no desire to sleep. Her mind reeled in the possibility of all sorts of accidents, and the dire consequences of her plans failing, leaving her in a state of panic. The images flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern, leaving her unable to calm down.
"No, I can't just sit there and wait for death!" Cen Jiexiao suddenly sat up from the bed, her eyes flashing with determination, like two blazing flames. She had to be fully prepared and must not let Jue Ling get hurt!