TRWSB – Chapter 93 Meeting the Ex-Wife Again

“Master, if there’s nothing else, I’d like to return to my dormitory to rest. I’m feeling a bit tired today,” Yi Fan said coolly, his expression distant.

Hu Feng, full of questions he wanted to ask Yi Fan, found himself completely stumped by this straightforward statement.

Hu Feng nodded and waved his hand. “Go on, rest well.”

Qi Shaorong watched Yi Fan leave, tilted his head, and flashed Hu Feng a radiant smile. “Master, in that case, I’ll take my leave as well.”

Hu Feng shot him an annoyed look. “Fine, go, all of you, just leave.”

Once Qi Shaorong left, Zhuang Hao also followed suit.

Watching everyone leave one by one, Hu Feng couldn’t help but feel a pang of emptiness. After they departed, Li Hong entered the room. “Headmaster, I just saw Yi Fan leaving. When did he return to the academy? It seems like he’s been missing for several days.”

Rolling his eyes, Hu Feng replied, “He wasn’t missing; he was just hiding. Now that he’s bored of hiding, he’s come back out. Nothing to worry about…”

But as Hu Feng recalled the face behind Qian Mian’s mask, he felt like an idiot. Yi Fan and Qi Shaorong were clearly in cahoots, and yet he’d been speaking to them as if they were just ordinary students.

“Headmaster, when did Principal Lu Ming leave?” Li Hong asked.

“It’s dark now; of course, he left. What, you thought he’d stay for dinner? I have nothing to offer him,” Hu Feng said indifferently.

“I thought Principal Lu Ming was here to stir up trouble,” Li Hong remarked. “And earlier, wasn’t Qian Mian here? I didn’t see him leave. Where did he go?”

Taking a deep breath, Hu Feng said, “It’s late, Li Hong. Go get some rest as well.”

Rubbing his head, Hu Feng thought back to how he’d initially found Qi Shaorong troublesome, but considered Qian Mian a quiet, unassuming student. Unassuming? Not at all! That brat was anything but low-key.

As Lu Ming walked along the path outside, Zhuang Hao followed him.

“Principal, are you alright?” Zhuang Hao asked.

Lu Ming shook his head. “I’m fine, but I truly feel old. These young people today… I can’t make sense of any of them. Zhuang Hao, how are things going with Qi Shaorong?”

Zhuang Hao gave a bitter smile, looking wistful. “Shaorong doesn’t seem to care much for me.”

Patting Zhuang Hao’s shoulder, Lu Ming said, “Hang in there, Zhuang Hao. Don’t give up!”

Zhuang Hao smiled wryly. “I’ll try my best.”

“Who would’ve thought? The so-called ‘Twin Disgraces of the Capital’ turned out to be such remarkable individuals. What on earth were the higher-ups of the Qi and Yi families thinking?” Lu Ming said, his tone filled with exasperation.

Zhuang Hao remained silent.

At the Yi family estate.

“Who would’ve guessed that Qian Mian is proficient in fire magic? He’s hidden his abilities well,” Yang Man commented.

Yi Chuxue looked at her mother in surprise. “Mother, you knew about this?”

Glancing at Yi Chuxue, Yang Man replied, “Of course. As soon as the competition ended, I found out. Your father has already reviewed the recordings from the event. During the time Qian Mian disappeared from surveillance, your second brother had his accident.”

Eyes wide, Yi Chuxue exclaimed, “Then what are we waiting for? We should find Qian Mian and capture him!”

“Capture him? Under what pretext? Every participant in the Hundred School Tournament signs a life-and-death waiver. Their fates are their own,” Yang Man said coldly. “Besides, Qian Mian only went missing for a brief period. We don’t have any solid evidence.”

“But are we just going to let what happened to my brother slide?” Yi Chuxue asked emotionally.

Clenching her fists, Yang Man said firmly, “Of course not.” Qian Mian was formidable, and his close relationship with Qi Shaorong made him even harder to deal with.

“Madam, we’ve received a message from the Tianlan Academy,” a guard reported.

Yang Man turned to the guard. “What message?”

“Principal Lu Ming visited Tianlan Academy to question Qian Mian, but shortly after Qian Mian returned to the academy, Principal Lu Ming left. Some students reported that although Qian Mian entered the principal’s office, he never came out. Instead, Yi Fan mysteriously walked out of the office,” the guard explained.

Yi Chuxue frowned in confusion. “What kind of nonsense is that?”

Yang Man shut her eyes tightly, her face tense with realization. Clenching her fists, she muttered to herself, What I feared most has come to pass.

“You still don’t understand, do you? Qian Mian is Yi Fan. That’s why your second brother met with misfortune in the secret realm,” Yang Man declared.

“That’s impossible! Qian Mian is a seventh-level dual-element water and fire mage, while Yi Fan is nothing but a good-for-nothing. How could they possibly be the same person?” Yi Chuxue exclaimed.

Yang Man shot her daughter a cold glare. “Impossible? What’s impossible? Qi Shaorong wasn’t a disgrace either, and yet what happened?!”

In fact, Yang Man had already started suspecting this when the assassins sent after Yi Fan began disappearing one by one. Now that Qian Mian had revealed himself as a dual-element mage, Yang Man’s suspicions were confirmed.

Morning.

Mu Xuelan pushed the door open, and several snakes slithered out into the courtyard. Her face turned pale as she backed away repeatedly.

Xiang Lan, seeing the yard teeming with snakes, screamed loudly in fright.

“What’s all the noise about?” Yi Fan coldly reprimanded.

Hearing Yi Fan’s voice, Mu Xuelan noticed him in the courtyard. He was perched casually on a railing, his expression calm and distant.

A blood-red snake coiled near Yi Fan’s feet, hissing softly. At Yi Fan’s command, the other snakes retreated, clearing a path for Mu Xuelan and Xiang Lan.

“Miss Mu, didn’t you leave? Why are you back?” Yi Fan asked coolly as he stroked the head of the blood snake.

“I realized I left something behind,” Mu Xuelan replied.

Her gaze lingered on the blood snake by Yi Fan’s side. Her suspicions were confirmed—Yi Fan was indeed Qianmian! No wonder. No wonder Yi Bing was gravely injured in the secret realm. No wonder Yi Huo was poisoned and crippled. It was all Yi Fan’s doing.

Yi Fan looked at her and said, “Is that so? Then hurry and get it. Don’t leave anything behind this time. My yard is full of snakes, and if you come back and get bitten, I won’t be cleaning up the mess.”

Xiang Lan was left speechless, her face turning red. Normally, she might have retorted, but faced with hundreds of menacing snakes, she dared not say a word.

“I didn’t know you were into raising snakes,” Mu Xuelan said.

Yi Fan extended his hand, and the blood snake slithered onto it, coiling around his arm. “That doesn’t seem to concern you.”

Mu Xuelan forced a smile. “True.”

She entered the hall and was momentarily stunned. What was once a barren space was now filled with fresh flowers and priceless jade ornaments. The entire room looked completely transformed, almost unrecognizable.

“You’ve redecorated the courtyard,” Mu Xuelan remarked.

“Yes,” Qianmian replied.

“I didn’t expect you to do that,” she continued.

“It didn’t matter to me before.”

“And now?” Mu Xuelan asked.

“Now the person I care for has come to the capital. If they’re willing to stay here, I don’t want them to feel slighted,” Yi Fan said.

Mu Xuelan’s heart clenched, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. “All this time, I didn’t know you had someone you liked.”

Yi Fan smiled faintly. “They haven’t been in the capital.”

“It’s clear you care about them deeply,” she said.

“Of course. They’re the only one I care about,” Yi Fan said matter-of-factly.

“Then why did you marry me back then?” Mu Xuelan couldn’t help but ask.

“You insisted on marrying me, and the Second Prince wanted me to comply. Although I didn’t want a wife, taking you as a figurehead was convenient for eliminating future troubles,” Yi Fan replied indifferently.

Mu Xuelan’s chest tightened painfully, and she felt a suffocating sense of despair. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I see now.”

Behind her, Xiang Lan stood silently, overwhelmed by the priceless decorations and feeling that Yi Fan had become someone entirely unrecognizable.

“Who is it that you like? Is it the person from the auction?” Mu Xuelan asked.

Yi Fan nodded. “Yes.”

Mu Xuelan: “…” Of course. No wonder Qianmian insisted on buying that person. No wonder Qianmian stopped Yanxin Elder from revealing that person’s face.

A bitter smile played on Mu Xuelan’s lips. She used to think Yi Fan lacked ambition and was unworthy of her. She’d even imagined how different things would be if Yi Fan were an unparalleled genius. Now that his true talents were revealed, Yi Fan was indeed extraordinary—but he had drifted too far from her reach.

Closing her eyes, Mu Xuelan thought back on her life. She had always blamed her family for holding her back, believing she could have achieved greatness if not for them. But now, a strange realization struck her—she wasn’t good enough. Yi Fan had never taken her seriously from the start.

Xiang Lan swallowed nervously, not daring to interrupt. Though she didn’t fully understand the conversation, she felt a dangerous aura emanating from Yi Fan.

Mu Xuelan stepped into her old room and was stunned. “A bed made of ebony?”

Inches of ebony wood were worth their weight in gold, a rare treasure. Ordinary people would be proud to own a single hairpin carved from ebony. Yet Yi Fan had fashioned an entire bed from it.

Yi Fan glanced at her and said, “Check if your belongings are there.” He gestured casually to a corner.

Mu Xuelan nodded. “They’re all here.” Most of her valuables had been taken when she moved out. The remaining items were things she didn’t care for, and her excuse for returning was merely a pretext.