feeling too wronged

"Why, can't I look for you when I have nothing to do?"

Landy playfully stuck out her tongue, leaving the Inner Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect who was supposed to be announcing the rules for the top eight competition momentarily stunned. He had been in the Heavenly Sword Sect for over twenty years, yet he had never seen Landy display such a girlish attitude in front of a man.

He couldn't help but wonder what virtues or talents Jiang Yun possessed that could make Landy, one of the three outstanding disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect, behave so unusually. The Inner Disciple looked at Jiang Yun, torn between admiration and envy.

"Sure, it's just that in my impression, you don't seem like the type to be bored enough to strike up a conversation with someone."

Jiang Yun replied with a smirk, unintentionally hitting the mark of Landy's thoughts.

"Okay, you're clever. I actually have something to ask you."

Even though Jiang Yun had guessed Landy's thoughts, she wouldn't admit it. Tilting her head slightly, blinking her eyes, she quickly came up with a response.

"Well, go ahead then. If there's something I can help you with, I'll do my best."

Jiang Yun had no energy to speculate about the girl's intentions; he would take whatever Landy said at face value.

Landy gave a glare to the Inner Disciple who was trying to eavesdrop and leaned in to hold Jiang Yun's hand, saying, "We can't talk about this here. Let's go somewhere else."

Jiang Yun allowed her to lead him by the hand, following Landy as they left from the main hall's plaza and walked toward a pavilion in the back mountain. Even after they reached their destination, Landy still held onto Jiang Yun's hand, not letting go.

Jiang Yun felt the sweat in Landy's palm and looked down at their hands clasped together. His lips curved into a slight smile, a very subtle expression that Landy's eyes happened to catch.

Perhaps due to the relatively long mountain path they had walked, Landy's cheeks were flushed with a hint of red, making her look much more vibrant than usual. While Landy was certainly attractive as she normally was, she seemed to carry a slightly more masculine air.

Compared to the current Landy, blushing with delicate shyness on her cheeks and around her eyes, Jiang Yun seemed to prefer this version of her a bit more. He wasn't entirely sure why he chose the word "like" in his mind.

It was as if Landy had shed all her previous pretenses in that moment, and she felt a bit bashful under Jiang Yun's gaze. She almost wanted to let go of Jiang Yun's hand that she had been holding all this time. However, before she could pull away, Jiang Yun suddenly tightened his grip on her hand.

To Landy, Jiang Yun's action felt like a response to her own initiative. She looked up, and her eyes seemed to melt as she gazed at Jiang Yun.

Jiang Yun didn't notice Landy's tender and watery eyes. He tightened his grip on her hand, gently pulling her towards him, and she naturally fell into his embrace.

Time was like a mental patient; it could compress a lifetime into a fleeting second or stretch a second into what felt like an eternity.

During the second Landy fell into Jiang Yun's embrace, perhaps in her heart, she had turned that second into a lifetime, eternally engraving it in her memory.

Unfortunately, happiness is always fleeting, replaced by endless pain and sighs. As Jiang Yun gently patted Landy's shoulder and whispered softly in her ear, "I just saw a big bug passing by you earlier, and I accidentally..."

Landy was lost in her thoughts for less than a second before Jiang Yun's words ruthlessly shattered her illusions, plunging her back into the harsh reality. Fuming with anger, Landy pushed Jiang Yun away. She mentally cursed him countless times, thinking that Jiang Yun had finally come to his senses, only to realize she had been mistaken.

"Weren't you saying you had something to tell me? There's no one here now, so you can talk."

Jiang Yun didn't understand why Landy suddenly got angry, so he had to initiate a conversation to break the awkward atmosphere. Little did he know that this only aggravated Landy's anger.

"All you ever care about is 'business, business, business.' Now that nothing's happening, can you just leave?"

Jiang Yun's puzzled demeanor pushed Landy to her limits. Coupled with the fact that she had just finished her period yesterday and her emotions were prone to fluctuations, she couldn't help but angrily shout at Jiang Yun.

Landy had believed that the morning kiss she had given Jiang Yun was enough to convey her feelings. She thought he would understand her intentions. Bringing him to this place was meant to find a scenic spot where the two could enjoy a romantic moment.

But based on Jiang Yun's recent behavior, he seemed to be completely indifferent to what had happened before, as if it was just a misunderstanding on her part.

As a woman, for Landy to take the initiative to this extent was already equivalent to putting aside much of her pride to please Jiang Yun. Yet she hadn't expected that his response would be so dismissive. How could her proud nature endure such treatment? Seizing the opportunity of this shout, she unleashed all her grievances and frustrations.

Watching Landy's eyes blink rapidly, Jiang Yun asked with concern, "Are you okay? Is something bothering you? How about I walk you back? It's windy in the mountains, and you might catch a cold."

To Landy, Jiang Yun's current display of concern was nowhere near what she had hoped for. Her suppressed grievances weighed heavier, and she yelled at Jiang Yun again, with her lips twisted in a grimace, "Just leave, I don't need your concern."

Landy's shout was even louder than before. Jiang Yun stood still and looked at her deeply before saying, "Then I'll go. Take care of yourself and don't catch a cold."

When Landy looked up again, Jiang Yun had already turned around. She continued to stare at his retreating figure until he disappeared around a bend in the mountain path, without ever turning back.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh!"

Landy began by twitching her lips a few times, uttering a few suppressed syllables from her throat. Her eyes blinked incessantly, and after the tears that had been swirling in her eyes finally overflowed, she sat down heavily on the bench of the pavilion. She buried her head between her knees.

As the tears streamed down her eyelids, Landy could no longer suppress the sobs that had been building up in her throat. Once the floodgates were opened, her cries became uncontrollable, growing more intense with each passing moment.

At first, Landy's cries came in waves. After a short while, her sobbing was accompanied by the sound of her sniffling. When she involuntarily lifted her head, one could see that her tears and runny nose were nearly melded together on her face.

Perhaps a woman's pursuit of beauty was inherent. Even when Landy cried in such heart-wrenching despair, as her tears sparkled alongside her glistening runny nose, she instinctively reached into her pocket and took out a handkerchief. She wiped her nose forcefully, briefly interrupting the crying for a moment. However, she soon buried her head again.