Chapter 53: Fake performance
AN: Hello lovelies. I hope you are having a great weekend. Only two Chapters today. Happy reading!!
Yu Wen had no idea that Li Jun had barred him from coming to his cell. Xiu Ying had kept him waiting in the lounge area for more than an hour. The excuse given was that she was still unstable and that as soon as she was cleared, he could meet her.
He had always been a patient person, but today was not that day. He knew what Xiu Ying was doing. It was all an act, a play to sell the performance to the world. While waiting, he wasn’t idle. He sent Draco a message through the usual channels, but Draco hadn’t responded.
He even tried to get in contact with Damian. These two were the most important to Li Jun, and they would do anything for him, so they must know what was going on. Knowing how those two operated, he was surprised that they hadn’t brought the full force of Blue Sapphire at the club before Li Jun was even arrested.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, his thoughts were already racing, trying to piece things together. Just then, the door opened, and Yu Wen looked up, thinking it was Xiu Ying, but the person who walked through those doors was Li Yu. When she saw him, she ran over in tears and hugged him.
Yu Wen, "..."
He was taken aback, so he didn’t have time to react. She was trembling like a leaf, her tears staining his shirt. She sniffled and said, "Wen-ge." Alex could see the look of irritation on Yu Wen’s face and wanted to say something, but what could he say? This was the General’s business.
Yu Wen moved her away, and she winced in pain. She expected him to express his concern, but he didn’t respond immediately. He was a little surprised. Her face was bruised like she had been punched several times, and the blood from her nose seemed to have been wiped off hastily. Her lip was busted, and there were strangulation marks on her neck.
That wasn’t all. The exposed parts of her arms were covered in bruises, and she was walking with a limp. Who in this imperial palace could attack her like this? The answer was clear. It could only be Li Jun.
And why did she seem worse than when she left the imperial prison? It was because she felt she wasn’t hurt enough. She had to make her injuries more severe to earn Yu Wen’s sympathy. She hit her face against the door several times and pinched herself hard. It was extremely painful, and from his next question, it seemed like her plan was working.
"Was it Li Jun who did this to you?" he asked. She had her head lowered, looking so pitiful. Hearing his question, she raised her head, the perfect tear about to fall. But she froze when she saw the bruise on Yu Wen’s lip. It was obvious how he got that.
A glint of anger flashed in her eyes, but it was fleeting. She bit her lower lip before saying, "I didn’t think you would still care about me." Alex’s brow arched. Her performance was flawless, but anyone who had a brain would wonder what she was doing in Li Jun’s cell and where the imperial guards were when she was getting beaten. The answer was obvious.
Yu Wen didn’t feel like doing this with her. "You should get your injuries looked at," he suggested, stepping away from her. It was obvious that he was shunning her, but she wouldn’t accept that kind of response. She was about to speak when the doors were opened.
Xiu Ying was wheeled into the room. Her complexion was pale, and her eyes sunken. She appeared dehydrated and weak like she had just been pulled from the gates of hell. Xiu Ying was about to address the General when she saw her daughter.
She wasn’t stupid. She knew her daughter had gone to find Li Jun and settle both old and new accounts. But she didn’t think she would be beaten this badly. She didn’t want her to get hurt, but this was a good thing for them. She could add charges of assaulting a royal family member and plaster the images on StarNet so they could all see what a monster Li Jun was.
If she was going to force Draco to bend, she would have to go all in. But first, she had to put on a doting motherly act. Her voice trembling, she called out, "Yu-er, what happened to you?" Li Yu was really upset, not because of the beating but because of Yu Wen’s rejection. Hearing her mother’s words, she finally lost it and broke down crying.
"Mother," she cried, her voice broken. With a limp, she rushed over and knelt down to embrace her. The mother and daughter pair put on a show for them. One was crying, and the other was stroking her hair.
Yu Wen’s jaw tightened. He couldn’t watch this anymore, so he said, "Shouldn’t she get checked first?"
Xiu Ying’s body stiffened a little, having realized that their audience wasn’t engaged in their performance. She stroked Li Yu’s hair and said, "The General is right. Go and get looked at first. I will come and check on you later, okay?’
Li Yu nodded and got up. She glanced at Yu Wen with a look of reluctance before walking out. Her attendants followed after her, and the doors were closed. As soon as she was gone, Xiu Ying said, "I take it you have come because of what happened," before letting out a weak cough.
Looking at her, she seemed like she had truly been poisoned, but could she be crazy enough to poison herself? If she were, then Li Jun’s fate was sealed. She wasn’t going to let him walk unless she got what she wanted. "I am sure Li Jun had nothing to do with this," he said, speaking his mind outrightly.
Xiu Ying wasn’t at all surprised. In fact, she had anticipated that he would say that. But no matter what he thought, in the end, it wouldn’t affect the outcome. She said, "The cloak was given to me by him last night, in front of everyone. It tested positive for Star Dust. I am pretty sure you are fully aware what that means, General."
His eyes flickered for a second.
