Chapter 283 Discovering Their Secret

But just now, after seeing Huo Qixiao, especially after seeing Wang Bingchang's attitude towards him, Su Cuiling suddenly sensed something was amiss.

The interaction between these two seemed to reveal a subtle, hard-to-detect strangeness.

It was like… the kind of interaction that only appears between a couple!

The clearer Su Cuiling's thoughts became, the more uneasy she felt in her heart. This was because the behavior and actions of these two truly did not resemble the hierarchical relationship that should exist between superiors and subordinates. Nor did it resemble the behaviors displayed between brothers with very close friendships.

Whether it was the interaction of their gazes or a series of overly intimate actions, both gave the impression that they possessed the tacit understanding and ambiguity that only develops after a long period of living together as an old married couple…

Only then did Su Cuiling seem to wake from a dream and react. If Wang Bingchang truly had romantic feelings for her, he wouldn't have shown that expression just now after Huo Qixiao touched her shoulder.

This was because he not only unhappily wiped Huo Qixiao's hands clean but also revealed entirely different subtle feelings in his gaze towards her and towards Huo Qixiao.

In that moment, Su Cuiling clearly felt that when Wang Bingchang looked at her, his eyes were filled with naked disdain, abundant vigilance, and dark, hateful jealousy!

And when he turned to look at Huo Qixiao, it transformed into childish pique, suppressed emotion, a hint of imperceptible tender affection, and intense… jealousy!

The more Su Cuiling followed this line of thought, the more her heart pounded, and she even began to tremble with fear!

It was mid-April, a time with pleasant weather, neither too cold nor too hot, yet Su Cuiling's back was covered in cold sweat, and her light silk clothing was already soaked through.

Why would the heavens treat her this way? They had clearly saved her life, yet played such a huge joke on her!

No wonder! No wonder Wang Bingchang always spoke so gently and softly, and was exceptionally clean. Even when killing, he maintained his elegance, unlike other men who would get covered in blood.

No wonder he had so many women in his backyard, yet had never favored any of them. Su Cuiling had always thought those girls were kept by Wang Bingchang to win over subordinates.

No wonder he had cultivated her with such care but never touched her. Su Cuiling had even thought Wang Bingchang didn't touch her so she could fulfill the plan of seducing Huo Qiyuan.

Only then did Su Cuiling recall those suspicious details she had deliberately ignored before.

After being bought by Wang Bingchang at the fighting arena, everyone began to travel towards Suining Prefecture. However, whenever they stopped to rest, and set off again the next day, some girls who had died of illness would be carried away.

And those girls were mostly given a simple wash the night before and sent to his carriage. Only when the purchased girls were reduced to ten with the best potential did Wang Bingchang stop sending girls to his carriage.

Looking back now, perhaps those girls didn't die of illness at all, but were tortured to death by Wang Bingchang, who, despite being a man, harbored hatred for women!

So, so he… he liked Huo Qixiao! He actually liked a man?

It was fortunate that Wang Bingchang couldn't read minds. If he knew the chaotic thoughts in Su Cuiling's mind at this moment, and that she had guessed his sexual orientation correctly.

He would definitely praise Su Cuiling, saying she was indeed very intelligent and thoughtful.

Of course, after praising her, Wang Bingchang would undoubtedly pour a basin of cold water on Su Cuiling, telling her to properly wash her overly narcissistic thought patterns!

This was because the feelings they both developed regarding their initial meeting and encounter were completely opposite. Their recognition and understanding of the same event were not on the same track at all.

Back then, after Wang Bingchang annihilated the Chen Dahe family and burned down his prefectural office, he had hastily left the city. Who knew that he would be attacked by an unknown person outside the city! Thinking back now, the attackers should have been subordinates sent by Su Muqing or Huo Qiyuan to rescue Gongsun Zan.

Although Wang Bingchang was not injured, the situation at the time was too bizarre, making him believe he had encountered some ghostly event, which caused him to flee Shihe County in panic.

Who knew that as he passed by the fighting arena, he saw refugees crowded by the roadside. Originally, Wang Bingchang wouldn't even bother to look at these refugees, but as his carriage passed, many families brought their daughters and wives forward, surrounding his carriage and wanting to sell them to him.

Having just experienced a mysterious attack, Wang Bingchang was not in the mood to buy young girls. He remembered casually glancing out of the carriage with impatience and unexpectedly spotting a few good prospects with decent looks among the dirty refugee crowd.

Coincidentally, he had accumulated a lot of anger and wanted someone to vent on. Moreover, the journey back to the capital was long and arduous, so it would be better to buy a few women to accompany him, providing some entertainment if he became too bored along the way.

Therefore, Wang Bingchang had his subordinates take out a large bag of grain and place it nearby. He then sat in the carriage, looking down at the young girls kneeling at his feet, their faces full of anticipation at being chosen.

If he saw a girl with decent potential and who caught his eye, Wang Bingchang would have his subordinates pack a斗 (dǒu) of grain for the girl's family as an exchange.

At that time, Su Cuiling was leaning to the side, half-dead, thinking of a way to save herself. When she saw that luxurious carriage and the distinguished man sitting inside, she knew this was her only, and last, chance to survive.

Therefore, Su Cuiling endured the pain in her body, tidied the cloth wrapping on her head, and desperately spat out some saliva from her dry mouth to clean her dark face.

This was because Su Muqing's control of lightning had only struck Su Cuiling's scalp and burned her hair, and there were no visible wounds on her face.

So, after Su Cuiling briefly cleaned herself up, she dragged her exhausted body and walked step by step to Wang Bingchang's carriage and knelt down.

And her naturally delicate and beautiful face, in contrast to the dirty girls around her, looked quite outstanding.

Perhaps it was the unwillingness in her eyes and her strong will to survive that piqued Wang Bingchang's interest. He had a feeling that this girl was not simple. If she could be cultivated properly, she would surely become a useful pawn in the future.