Chapter 81: Chapter 71: The Bad Woman in the Original Plot (3)
With nothing left to hold her back, she began to act without scruple, revealing her sinister, ruthless, and deeply calculating side.
She was like a vine twining around a towering tree.
All the while, she continuously curried favor with her benefactors, steadily drawing sustenance from them.
She leveraged their power and influence to gain benefits for herself, building up her own power base and loyal followers.
She took revenge on the sect sisters who had once bullied and harmed her, forcing them to pay a terrible price and tormenting them to the point where death would have been a mercy.
When she later encountered the protagonist Lin Fan again, she became even more ruthless and reckless. Disregarding him as a past benefactor, she wanted only to utterly eliminate everyone who knew of her past.
During this time, Lin Fan faced peril on multiple occasions, and her persecution left him in a miserable state.
Chu Chan, on the other hand, transformed herself, becoming the new Sect Leader of the Jasper Pool Sect, her fame and prestige soaring to astonishing heights.
Jiang Lan, familiar with the original story, knew full well that the incident where Chu Chan was supposedly drugged by her sect sisters was actually a scheme she had orchestrated herself.
This woman was incredibly calculating.
Now that Lin Fan was dead, Jiang Lan had set his sights on Chu Chan.
He chose her partly because her nature made her useful to him—she was the perfect tool.
The other reason was that she possessed the token left by Purple Mist True Monarch.
"Young Master Jiang, you needn’t pity Chan’Er. To meet Young Master Jiang and be chosen by him today is an honor of three lifetimes for Chan’Er. Chan’Er is too overjoyed for words..."
Chu Chan rested her head lightly on Jiang Lan’s chest. Her bright eyes were misty, their rims red. Her fair, elegant nose twitched as she sobbed softly, a picture of tear-stained beauty that would move any heart.
Already possessing an exquisite beauty that was pure and otherworldly, her pitiful and lovely expression at this moment was something most men would likely find impossible to resist.
A smile played on Jiang Lan’s lips, but inwardly he clicked his tongue. ’As expected of a natural-born femme fatale.’
She had looked so hopeless and numb just moments before, and now she was already laying on the sweet, manipulative talk. She was a natural.
"Do you really think so? You’re not just trying to fool me? You looked quite unwilling just a moment ago," he asked with a faint smile.
Hearing this, Chu Chan immediately explained in a low voice, "Young Master Jiang has misunderstood Chan’Er. Chan’Er just failed to react and was startled. Young Master Jiang’s guards were all so menacing, their Evil Qi was terrifying, and their strength is immense. Who would dare to speak or move carelessly..."
Jiang Lan chuckled, "No matter. Since they scared you, I’ll have them punished later."
Chu Chan hastily shook her head. "Young Master Jiang, you mustn’t! They were only following orders. It is Chan’Er who is unworldly. How could they be blamed?"
"I didn’t expect a beauty like you to be so understanding. I’m starting to like you more and more."
Jiang Lan smiled, playing along. He closed his folding fan, and the hand around her slender waist began to gently caress her, as if he could feel the flawless, delicate skin beneath her dress.
"To be liked by Young Master Jiang is Chan’Er’s honor..." Chu Chan’s pretty face flushed slightly.
...
「Drunken Immortal Residence, top floor of the Celestial Building.」
Inside a private room that seemed like a paradise, with clouds of mist swirling about.
Although Su Qinghan hadn’t intentionally paid attention to what Jiang Lan was doing, she couldn’t help but stand up and look out toward the open-air courtyard.
The scene she saw, however, was quite unexpected, and a faint sense of irritation bloomed in her heart.
She didn’t understand Jiang Lan’s actions, nor could she fathom his thoughts. He was like an impenetrable, inscrutable fog.
His words, too, were a mix of truth and lies.
For example, just now, she had thought Jiang Lan was going to make a move on the granddaughter of the Great Scholar who had stood up for Lin Fan at the Wind Flower Snow Moon Pavilion that day.
But instead, she saw him return with another devastatingly beautiful woman in his arms, one who looked pitifully lovely.
Su Qinghan knew he wasn’t a lecher; he was doing this to maintain his public persona.
But she didn’t understand why seeing this scene filled her with such a sense of inexplicable frustration.
’Forget it. If I can’t figure it out, I won’t think about it anymore...’
’Just as Young Master Jiang said, being too smart isn’t a good thing. It might displease him.’
Before Jiang Lan even returned to the private room, Su Qinghan heard the woman’s voice drift in from outside.
It had a clear, cool quality, yet it was tinged with a delicate coquettishness, like a kitten scratching at one’s heart, leaving a tingling sensation.
Her clear eyes narrowed instantly. A woman’s intuition told her that this newcomer was no simple character.
Watching the scene below earlier, she had thought the woman was unwilling. It seemed it was just a ploy, a classic case of playing hard to get.
"This Celestial Building No. 1 in the Drunken Immortal Residence truly lives up to its reputation. Thanks to you, Young Master, Chan’Er is finally able to feast her eyes today..."
"I heard a famous Array Master even set up formations here. The cultivation speed inside is comparable to those special Cultivation Chambers outside. No wonder the Spiritual Energy is so rich."
"Oh...?"
"And this sister is?"
A voice, tinged with surprise and confusion, rang out.
Nestled tightly in Jiang Lan’s embrace, Chu Chan’s beautiful eyes fell upon the woman seated inside, and a sudden sense of threat and urgency rose in her heart.
She had thought her beauty was outstanding, almost peerless. She believed that winning the affection of Jiang Lan, the Son of the Prime Minister, would not be a problem if she just put in a little effort and used some of her wiles.
But she never expected that in this very room, there would be another woman whose beauty was in no way inferior to her own.
The woman wore a plain, gauzy long dress. Her face was exquisite, her features fair and delicate. Her black hair was swept up high, revealing a swan-like neck as white as snow. She was like a lotus flower emerging from the water, radiating a flawless, moving beauty.
"Young Master..."
"You’re back? And who might this sister be?"
At this moment, Su Qinghan rose to greet them, a faint, proper smile on her face that was utterly captivating.
"Chan’Er greets Sister."
Chu Chan immediately gave a graceful curtsy, presenting an equally polite and proper appearance.
"Sister need not be so formal. My name is Su Qinghan. I am the Young Master’s concubine," Su Qinghan replied softly.
Chu Chan immediately showed an envious expression and said, "Sister is so beautiful, you must be dearly loved by the Young Master."
"You are very beautiful as well..." Su Qinghan replied, her faint smile never wavering.
