Chapter 435: Yu Mingche’s Resentment
“All of you, rise. Yan Fuzhen will stay behind to handle the aftermath. The rest of you, go home now.” After speaking, Ning Xuan’s vision went black. She felt dizzy and struggled to stay on her feet.
She had just manipulated her Vine Silk to enter Lin Yang’s mind. Although the process was brief, it was an unfamiliar mindscape, requiring intense concentration that took a heavy toll on her spiritual power.
“Family Head, are you all right?” Yu Mingche was the closest to Ning Xuan, and noticing that something was wrong, he caught her in his arms.
“I’m fine. My spiritual power is just depleted, so I’m a little dizzy. Youling, come here. You carry me,” Ning Xuan said, pushing Yu Mingche away and turning to Di Youlin.
In Ning Xuan’s view, Yu Mingche’s body currently needed rest and special care. He couldn’t risk any bumps or bruises, let alone carry anything heavy.
This was also why Ning Xuan had only brought Di Youlin and Qinghe to the auction house today. She originally hadn’t planned on telling Yu Mingche, not wanting him to worry. But who could have known the assassin would appear, alerting Yu Mingche anyway.
Pushed aside by Ning Xuan, Yu Mingche watched as a delighted Di Youlin scooped her up and led the way out. He looked down at his own hands, his brow furrowed.
‘Ever since the Contract ceremony… no, to be precise, ever since Ning Xuan found out he was carrying a new life, she had automatically distanced herself from him. Although she had given him the title of husband and always treated him with the utmost respect, both in public and in private, she never kissed or hugged him anymore. The change left Yu Mingche feeling utterly dejected.’
‘Yu Mingche didn’t know what was wrong with him. An assassin had just appeared; he should be focusing all his energy on defending against their enemies. Why was he getting so hung up on something like this?’
Yu Mingche was heartbroken over Ning Xuan’s distance, and Qinghe, standing nearby, sensed it. But given his status, he wouldn’t dare interfere in the couple’s personal affairs.
「Back at the Qingluan Mountain villa.」
Ning Xuan gathered everyone in the conference room to debrief the day’s events.
Qinghe and Di Youlin knelt again to ask for punishment. As the organizer of the auction, Yan Fuzhen was also filled with self-blame for letting someone from the Myriad Phenomena Star River slip in.
“Enough. The enemy is powerful, and a momentary lapse is inevitable. Now is not the time to assign blame. In fact, you all did an excellent job today. Qinghe reacted swiftly, exposing the assassin in time, and then worked with Di Youlin to subdue him. Though you didn’t catch the one controlling him, the fact that there was no major chaos at the auction and no negative rumors spread is a great success.” Ning Xuan praised the three of them—Qinghe, Di Youlin, and Yan Fuzhen—objectively.
The group reviewed the day’s events from start to finish, summarizing what had happened. In truth, their coordination had been seamless and their actions swift. They had managed to quickly discover and deal with the Undead Warrior. Moreover, they had escaped unscathed after the controller activated the self-destruct device, all without causing any chaos or damage at the auction. Achieving all that was no small feat.
Besides, if what Lin Yang had said at the end was true, future encounters with Undead Warriors from the Myriad Phenomena Star River might even yield unexpected benefits.
Qinghe’s emotions were in turmoil. ‘So this is how different it is to follow a different master.’ With his first master, he was often beaten and punished even when he had done nothing wrong. But now, even though Ning Xuan herself was injured, she wasn’t angry. Instead, she was calmly analyzing the incident with them as equals and giving high praise for their actions.
“Thank you for your reassurance, Family Head,” Yan Fuzhen said. “Family Head, Lord Yu’s body needs rest; he shouldn’t be overworked. The current situation is dangerous. I believe we should inform the Marshal of this matter as soon as possible and ask him to devise a plan.”
Since the Myriad Phenomena Star River had sent an Undead Warrior, other Extraordinary Influences like the Starry Sky Academy were sure to follow suit. Ning Xuan’s situation was indeed perilous.
At Yan Fuzhen’s request, everyone instinctively looked toward Yu Mingche, whose face had grown a little pale.
“Family Head, you hid your plans from me today. I only found out something was wrong after it had already happened. I don’t understand. As your Contractor, do you not trust me?” Yu Mingche asked Ning Xuan, his eyes filled with a broken expression.
“Of course not! Ming Che, I just saw how stressed you’ve been lately and didn’t want to give you more to worry about,” Ning Xuan explained hastily with a dry laugh.
‘To be honest, she suspected Yu Mingche might be affected by his hormonal changes. Lately, his moods had been swinging wildly, and he’d become particularly anxious, especially about her personal safety. It made Ning Xuan subconsciously want to avoid him.’
Yu Mingche turned his head away, looking mortified. “Family Head, if you regret choosing me as your husband, you can take back your decision at any time. Ming Che will have no complaints.”
‘He knew his personal Combat Power and actual influence paled in comparison to Ying Yaoshi’s. If Ning Xuan hadn’t established him as her husband, the Extraordinary Influences would still be wary of Ying Yaoshi and wouldn’t have dared to act so brazenly against her.’
“How could you think that, Ming Che? I have absolutely no intention of going back on my decision,” Ning Xuan quickly explained when she saw his expression.
“Contractor, if you still acknowledge me as your husband, then you shouldn’t be so cold to me. And you certainly shouldn’t hide your movements from me and leave me in this embarrassing position,” Yu Mingche accused Ning Xuan, his body trembling slightly.
Yu Mingche’s words were tinged with resentment and complaint. Ning Xuan looked at him and frowned slightly. The atmosphere in the conference room instantly turned to ice. Qinghe, Di Youlin, and Yan Fuzhen didn’t dare lift their heads, wishing they could disappear to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
In the face of Ning Xuan’s silence, Yu Mingche rose from his seat and knelt beside her.
Since Yu Mingche had knelt, Di Youlin and the others quickly knelt beside him.
Ning Xuan said nothing, leaving Yu Mingche and the others to kneel. She opened her Light Computer and began looking up information about artificial gestation, searching for everything from the length of the term and necessary check-ups to the precautions required at each stage.
Ning Xuan had been operating under the preconceived notion that a pregnant person must remain calm and chaste, rest peacefully, avoid overexertion, and not get angry. That was why, despite receiving several hints from Yu Mingche that he wanted to stay the night, she had completely ignored them.
‘But she was only trying not to hurt him; everything she did was for his own good. She had been so considerate and accommodating lately. So why did Yu Mingche feel like she was giving him the cold shoulder?’
After about ten minutes, Ning Xuan closed her Light Computer, speechless. ‘No wonder Yu Mingche has been so resentful lately, his emotions growing more and more unstable. The pregnancy guidelines here are completely different from what I thought they were.’
“Housekeeper Yan, as for whether to inform Marshal Ying about today’s events, discuss it with Ming Che tomorrow. For now, everyone except Yu Mingche is dismissed,” Ning Xuan finally spoke.