Chapter 75: A Little Coaxing part 1
When Ning Yunyi appeared outside the Ning residence, the guards brought by the Second Prince had already brought Zong Ling under control.
Zong Ling was pinned to the ground, his cheek pressed against the pavement as he struggled with all his might. However, the moment he saw Ning Yunyi, he froze.
He stared fixedly in Ning Yunyi’s direction, his eyes brimming with a frantic, emotional light as he murmured, “Yunyi…”
The tone was so intimate it suggested a profound history between them, as if they were star-crossed lovers who had finally reached their “happily ever after” following a great ordeal.
Hearing this, the Second Prince’s grayish-blue eyes darkened. Had they been in a secluded place, he would have kicked the man already. But with so many people watching, and to avoid causing trouble for Ning Yunyi, he merely turned to him. “How do you want to handle this?”
For a man clearly harborng ill intent—trying to use a “devoted lover” persona to morally kidnap Ning Yunyi—it was best to cut the Gordian knot quickly. However, the Prince didn’t know Ning Yunyi’s specific plan. If Ning Yunyi truly intended to let Zong Ling go, he would allow the man to leave.
As for what would happen to Zong Ling afterward, that would depend on whether the man finally learned his lesson.
Zong Ling began to struggle again, his only redeeming feature—his handsome face—filled with guilt. “Yunyi, I truly just wanted to apologize. I have no other motives. I know I’m no longer worthy of you…”
“Since you know you’re unworthy, why show your face here? Are you trying to disgust me, or are you just trying to fulfill your own delusions of devotion?” Ning Yunyi spoke expressionlessly, looking down at Zong Ling with cold indifference. “I believe I made it clear a few days ago: I am not familiar with you. Back at the Academy, the number of times we met could be counted on one hand. The only reason I even remember you is that ridiculous, one-sided confession. I rejected you then. Not only that, but it was that very moment that gave Mu Jiayi one of his reasons to get rid of me. In other words, you played a part in my near-death on the Garbage Star. How do you have the nerve to stand before me now?”
In Zong Ling’s memory, the Second Young Master Ning was gentle and humble, radiating a kind of saintly light. He had assumed his previous failure was because he looked disheveled; this time, he had dressed up specifically for the visit. He never expected to hear Ning Yunyi mock him so bluntly.
How was this possible? How could he have this attitude?
“Can’t take it already? It seems your ‘devotion’ isn’t as deep as you claim. Then again, how would a pampered young master raised in a jar of honey know what it took for me to survive on the Garbage Star? Did you think I was still as naive as before? That I’d believe whatever you said and let you off out of the goodness of my heart?” Ning Yunyi stepped toward Zong Ling and waved a hand, signaling the guards holding him down to stand up.
A flash of joy crossed Zong Ling’s face, but before he could react, Ning Yunyi raised his hand. Before the man could even blink, a sharp pain flared in his shoulder.
“You… what are you doing?”
Ning Yunyi was still smiling gently, his breathtakingly beautiful face possessing an almost bewitching allure. Yet, the sheer ruthlessness of his actions caused the surrounding onlookers to gasp. Despite the violence, they found they couldn’t look away—he was just too… stunning.
Ning Yunyi drove the dagger deeper into Zong Ling’s shoulder. Smelling the scent of blood, his smile grew even more radiant. “Settling our accounts, of course. Mu Jiayi was your fiancé. He should have paid me back himself, but since he’s gone, shouldn’t the debt fall on your head? I heard you hadn’t even dissolved the engagement when he died. A husband’s debts are repaid by the husband—that’s only fair, right?”
The Second Prince was the first to chime in: “I find that perfectly reasonable.”
The guards behind the Prince immediately followed suit: “Exactly! Talking about devotion, yet he stayed engaged to Mu Jiayi even after knowing the man tried to kill Second Young Master Ning. He’s nothing but a sophisticated egoist. He chose profit over love, so what’s with all this bullshit about being ‘devoted’? It’s nothing but a fake persona.”
Enduring the pain, Zong Ling frantically argued, “I didn’t know then! I thought it was all rumors… there was no evidence, I…”
He wanted to defend himself, but meeting Ning Yunyi’s quiet gaze, he suddenly went dumb, his voice failing him. Does he… did he know everything from the start?
Ning Yunyi pulled the dagger out and scoffed. “You didn’t really think you could hide it from everyone, did you? That I was truly oblivious? If I recall correctly, someone told you exactly what Mu Jiayi had done. And yet, you still chose him. So, now that he’s dead, why are you here? Because the Ning family has risen again and there’s profit to be made?”
With those words, Ning Yunyi stabbed him again. “This one is for using my name to put on a show. Since you gained so much fame from it, I’ll take a little interest. No problem, right?”
The onlookers finally caught on. So Second Young Master Ning wasn’t even close to Zong Ling! This man stayed with Mu Jiayi knowing he was a murderer, then turned around and used a “devoted lover” act to harass the victim. Who wouldn’t be enraged?
The crowd glared at Zong Ling in disgust. “You truly are shameless, trying to eat from both ends. If you’re that good at begging for scraps, why don’t you go try the palace gates?”
Zong Ling’s face was deathly pale, blood flowing steadily from his wounds. He finally understood that Ning Yunyi wasn’t just unmoved by his act—he wanted him dead. His expression twisted. Listening to the mockery and curses from all sides, he ground his teeth. He thought about how Ning Yunyi wasn’t much better; hadn’t the man conceived a bastard with some random nobody? In his rage, the insult was on the tip of his tongue.
Ning Yunyi saw right through him. He pulled the dagger out once more, blood splattering and landing in two small drops on his cheek. He looked at Zong Ling with the cold eyes of a man looking at a corpse. As the man’s features contorted in agony, Ning Yunyi stabbed him a third time. This time, it wasn’t as deep, but it was fundamentally different. The moment the blade touched skin, Zong Ling felt the mental power in his body leak out like air from a punctured balloon.
Zong Ling’s face transformed with pure horror. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
Ning Yunyi’s voice was low. “I was going to let you go. If you had just left the Capital Star quietly, that would have been the end of it. But you just had to come here and seek death. Since you think everything can be reset, and since you think you can be all smiles and kindness after Mu Jiayi ruined me so badly, then you can experience how it feels to live with no mental power and not a single star coin to your name. Don’t thank me—consider it your well-deserved karma.”
With that, he stood up and retracted the dagger.
Zong Ling’s shoulder was completely soaked in blood. He lay there staring at Ning Yunyi with bloodshot eyes, a gaze so hateful it looked as if he wanted to return the favor then and there.
The onlookers felt their scalps tingle at the sight. Their anger flared higher. He really was a ruthless, heartless beast! One moment he was claiming to love the man, and the next, after being rejected and given three non-lethal stabs, he harbored such murderous hatred?
Where was his conscience? The other party had no mental power, while Zong Ling was supposed to be a strong user—what was wrong with letting Second Young Master Ning vent a little?
The Second Prince watched as Ning Yunyi finished his retribution, then waved his hand. Several men immediately dragged Zong Ling up like a dead dog. He stepped toward Ning Yunyi. “How should he be handled?”
Ning Yunyi took a handkerchief from the Money Turtle and wiped his hands. “Send him to the Garbage Star. He seems to like it there.”
The Second Prince had clearly sensed the shift in Zong Ling’s mental power and understood Ning Yunyi’s intent. He agreed readily; a fate worse than death was far better than a quick end.
Zong Ling was already a discarded piece, and now that he was powerless, his remaining associates would certainly abandon him. Once he reached the Garbage Star, he would truly be left to fend for himself.
The Second Prince summoned his adjutants to take Zong Ling away, then produced his own handkerchief to wipe the blood from Ning Yunyi’s face. Ning Yunyi instinctively dodged.
The Second Prince looked at him calmly. “Technically, I am your elder. Is it not normal for an elder to care for a junior?”
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