Zheng Xiang hadn't expected that a part of his thoughts would be seen through by the young girl in front of him. As the daughter he had doted on for so many years, seeing her pale face, Zheng Xiang assumed it was due to staying up too late and her body not being able to handle it.
A girl's constitution was naturally weaker than a boy's, so she should have been resting well at night.
Seeing Zheng Caiying pouting, looking as if she was about to cry, the sliver of pity Zheng Xiang had felt moments ago vanished instantly.
"It's already so late, why are you still standing here? Hurry back to bed!" Zheng Xiang reprimanded sternly, then walked away with his hands behind his back.
After Zheng Xiang's figure disappeared in the distance, Zheng Caiying and Zheng Fan exchanged a glance and smiled simultaneously.
Since Zheng Xiang only cared about that little bastard now and paid them no mind, then they would make trouble for Zheng Wei, who was blocking their path.
Once Zheng Wei was dead, Zheng Xiang would ultimately have no choice but to like them.
Perhaps, when the time came, Zheng Xiang would be so heartbroken by Zheng Wei's death that he would take to his bed and be unable to get up. From then on, the household's affairs would be theirs to manage, wouldn't that be even better?
With this thought, the smile on their faces became even more twisted.
After sending the servants behind them away, Zheng Caiying and Zheng Fan looked at the red lacquered door in front of them, feeling a bit annoyed.
Moreover, Zheng Wei's martial prowess was such that ordinary people couldn't get close to him.
Zheng Fan certainly hadn't forgotten the first time they met at "All Guests Are Welcome." They had indeed fought then.
No, it shouldn't be called a fight, it could only be described as a one-sided slaughter.
He had been bedridden for a long time after that.
Today, with only the two of them, did they really stand a chance?
Thinking this, Zheng Fan's expression became somewhat hesitant.
At this moment, Zheng Caiying turned her head, intending to discuss their plan with Zheng Fan for a while longer.
However, just as she turned, she saw the hesitant expression on Zheng Fan's face, as if he was agonizing over what to do next.
Even though Zheng Caiying looked down on Zheng Fan a little at this moment, she still suppressed her dissatisfaction and put on a slight smile.
When Zheng Caiying wasn't speaking, she still looked gentle and beautiful.
However, the moment she opened her mouth, all the effort tonight would be in vain.
Taking a deep breath, Zheng Caiying suppressed her disgust, thinking she should discuss it with Zheng Fan again.
However, she still didn't speak immediately because she saw another expression of fear appear on Zheng Fan's face.
"Brother, what's wrong?" Zheng Caiying asked with a frown.
Now it was good. With the commotion Zheng Fan was causing, it was estimated that no one would be able to sleep.
Whether they slept or not was not important, but their pre-planned matter would likely not be carried out.
Just as Zheng Caiying had thought, the red lacquered door in front of them was opened from the inside.
Zheng Wei stood there quietly, looking at them coldly, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
Seeing Zheng Wei like this, in the dim light, it was actually a bit chilling.
"Th-th-that... my brother isn't feeling well, so we'll rest here for a while and leave soon," Zheng Caiying stammered.
Zheng Wei raised an eyebrow at her words and then looked towards Zheng Fan.
But Zheng Fan was only staring at the ground, his face full of shock. It seemed he hadn't understood anything they had said.
Seeing Zheng Fan like this, Zheng Caiying became even more annoyed.
Originally, they had agreed that if Zheng Wei agreed to stay, they would ply him with more wine at the banquet.
As long as Zheng Wei got drunk, wouldn't the subsequent matters be theirs to decide?
Unfortunately, the plan had been very good.
No one had expected that Zheng Wei would have various excuses to refuse drinking.
Zheng Wei was someone who enjoyed wine, but he also knew that he couldn't get drunk tonight.
Therefore, since he had something very important to do, he couldn't get drunk, and thus he used various plausible reasons to refuse drinking.
If Zheng Caiying and Zheng Fan pressed too hard, Zheng Wei would nod towards Zheng Xiang at the head of the table and find another reason why he couldn't drink.
In the end, both Zheng Caiying and Zheng Fan were somewhat drunk, but Zheng Wei remained alone, his figure unwavering.
Time returned to the present. Zheng Wei stood by the door, deep in thought, not moving at all.
Zheng Caiying was so frightened by Zheng Wei that her scalp tingled. She kept calling Zheng Fan, but Zheng Fan showed no reaction.
Zheng Caiying, anxious, strode forward a few steps and slapped Zheng Fan on the back.
Because she was a little angry, and also frightened and terrified, Zheng Caiying didn't hold back at all. Her hand landed on Zheng Fan's back, and even though he was a grown man, he winced in pain.
Zheng Fan retracted his gaze. His expression shifted from confusion to clarity, and then he instantly jumped up and yelled at Zheng Caiying, "Caiying, what are you doing? How can you hit Big Brother with such force? Right, didn't we agree to rush in quickly? Why are we still here?"
Hearing Zheng Fan's words pouring out like a machine gun, Zheng Caiying had little time to organize her thoughts.
Finally, after Zheng Fan stopped speaking, Zheng Caiying pointed behind him.
Zheng Fan didn't know what Zheng Caiying was up to and felt a bit displeased with her.
As a sister, regardless of the reason, to hit her own brother so hard was unbelievable.
Zheng Fan was displeased, and his expression became impatient.
However, he eventually turned his head with forced patience and then saw that the red lacquered door had opened, and a man was standing quietly by the entrance.
The man was dressed in black, and his face was full of sternness.
Not only that, just a cursory glance at the man would make Zheng Fan tremble from the soles of his feet.
"Zheng... Zheng... Zheng Wei."
After a long pause, Zheng Fan finally managed to utter Zheng Wei's name.
Seeing that Zheng Wei had no reaction and was still staring at him blankly, Zheng Fan felt his heart rate quicken.
"Zheng Wei, why are you standing here? It's such a cold night, and it's so late. You should go back to bed as soon as possible," Zheng Fan said, rubbing his hands.
Zheng Wei glanced at him sideways at his words, but still did not speak.
Zheng Wei's silence left Zheng Fan somewhat bewildered about Zheng Wei's intentions.
Clenching his fist secretly, Zheng Fan decided to leave first and then find Father Wang. He believed Father Wang would be able to take Zheng Caiying back.
With this thought, Zheng Fan smiled again, "Well, you should go to bed quickly. I just remembered I have something to discuss with Father Wang. I already told Father Wang earlier that I would go see him later. It's been so long since I went, Father Wang must be worried about me. I'm leaving."
Saying this, Zheng Fan turned around and was about to leave.
Just then, he heard Zheng Wei's cold voice, "Who told you to leave?"
Hearing this, the joy on Zheng Fan's face vanished instantly.
Fearing the unknown, Zheng Fan forced himself to say, "What do you want?"
Zheng Wei let out a mocking laugh, "You ask what I want? What were you and Zheng Caiying planning just now? Were you planning to sneak in and see if I was asleep, and then, while I was asleep, drug me and take the opportunity to kill me?"
Although the content of his words was shocking, Zheng Wei's expression was incredibly calm, and his tone was as placid as if he were talking about someone else's affairs.
Hearing Zheng Wei's words, Zheng Fan and Zheng Caiying felt as if their souls had been shaken.
How did Zheng Wei know about this?
The two exchanged a look and saw disbelief in each other's eyes.
Zheng Caiying, after all, was a young girl. Although she had been willful and arrogant since childhood, she had ultimately been raised pampered.
Even though she was often extremely willful, she wouldn't be able to bring herself to kill someone.
Especially now, with her plan exposed so nakedly, girls were naturally more sensitive. Zheng Caiying merely blushed, her body trembling, and dared not speak.
Zheng Fan, who had been about to leave, stopped in his tracks.
After his body stiffened for a few seconds, he slowly turned around and looked at Zheng Wei seriously.
"Heh heh..."
A laugh escaped his lips, which, in the middle of the night, made one's scalp tingle.
"You truly are someone Father Wang favors. Your abilities are indeed extraordinary. Tell me, how did you know? What do you plan to do to us?"
Before Zheng Wei could speak, Zheng Fan continued, "You won't, you won't want to kill us, will you? Don't think that just because Father Wang values you now, he won't let you go if you dare to touch us."
Zheng Wei glanced at Zheng Fan nonchalantly, his face unwavering.
However, the calmer Zheng Wei became, the more uneasy Zheng Fan and Zheng Caiying felt.
The two looked at Zheng Wei nervously, waiting for him to give a definitive answer.
Zheng Wei looked at them and finally opened his mouth, "Are you leaving?"
"What?"
Zheng Fan and Zheng Caiying stared at Zheng Wei, stunned, unable to react to what Zheng Wei was saying.
Did Zheng Wei mean he was letting them go?
Zheng Fan looked at Zheng Wei nervously and tentatively asked, "Are you... telling us to leave?"
A barely perceptible arc appeared at the corner of Zheng Wei's lips, and his cold voice flowed softly from his throat, "What, you don't want to leave? You want to stay here with me?"
Hearing this, Zheng Fan and Zheng Caiying instinctively took a few steps back and quickly waved their hands, saying, "No, no, no, there's no need. We're leaving, we're leaving right now."
Saying this, Zheng Fan turned around and was about to run.
After running a few steps, he turned back, grabbed Zheng Caiying, and pulled her to his side. Without a word, they fled like lightning.
The two dared not stop for a moment, and the speed of their escape was even admired by Zheng Wei.
Indeed, no matter the time, survival was the most important thing.
As soon as one felt a hint of a threat to their life, all the potential within their bodies would be unleashed.
Zheng Wei stood in place, watching the two figures disappear into the distance, and let out a low chuckle. Then, he turned to go back into the courtyard.
However, as Zheng Wei turned, he subtly glanced in a certain direction.
After looking, his figure didn't pause at all, and he directly entered the courtyard. Behind him, servants arranged by the Prince's mansion naturally closed the gate.
Zheng Wei walked back to his room. Before closing the door, he said to the maid who had been following him, "Don't disturb me."
The maid nodded and stood quietly, watching Zheng Wei close the door.
However, the maid did not expect Zheng Wei to turn off the lights immediately after entering the room.
After watching the door for a while, the maid bit her lip, and finally turned around and walked directly towards the main gate.