Gu Ruoyun recognized the man who was standing outside the tavern door immediately. An astonished look shot across her eyes but her expression soon relaxed.

With the amount of power the Xia family holds in the Imperial City, how could they not know where I'm staying?

"Miss Gu!"

Just as Gu Ruoyun was about to walk into the tavern, a hand grabbed onto her.

Lu Chen furrowed his brows and stared at Gu Ruoyun before speaking in a warm voice, "There were a lot of people around us earlier on. To avoid humiliating you, there were some things which I had left unspoken."

To avoid humiliating me?

Gu Ruoyun smiled scornfully, "Are you afraid of humiliating me or afraid that your true nature would be exposed in front of everyone else?"

Lu Chen's expression changed completely and he exclaimed with mild annoyance, "What are you implying?"

"Huh?" Gu Ruoyun turned around in astonishment and blinked in a startled manner.

"Gu Ruoyun, don't think that I don't know that you're trying to play cat and mouse!" Lu Chen scoffed icily, "What was your purpose in visiting the Xia family? Was it simply for that insignificant being, Mo Shangfei? You're simply trying to get close to me through Mo Shangfei. I'm giving you that chance now, what more do you want?"

Gu Ruoyun was completely stunned.

She was so thoroughly stunned that she could not even react.

Is the hole in this fellow's head that big? He alleged that I had gone to the Xia family home to use Mo Shangfei to get close to him? I wonder how he managed to arrive at this conclusion. What on earth had I done to cause such a misunderstanding?

"What? I got it right, didn't I?" Lu Chen sneered, "From the first time we met, you had looked at me with such a peculiar gaze. If that wasn't because of affection, then what was it about? You had known how much Ling'er likes cute little boys so you purposely used your little brother to charm her in order to grab my attention! You've succeeded! You've indeed gotten my attention! What more do you want to do now? Playing an old trick like cat and mouse once is more than enough. What's the point of using it all the time?"

Gu Ruoyun smiled. She turned around to face Lu Chen's ashen and angered expression as the grin on her face grew wider and wider.

"You want to marry me?"

Gu Ruoyun understood that at that time, Lu Chen had poured in immeasurable efforts in order to gain Xia Chuxue's favor. Now, he claims that he wants to marry her instead. If anyone were to say that he holds no ill intentions, Gu Ruoyun would never believe it!

"That's right." Lu Chen nodded, looking entirely as if he was being charitable, "You've piqued my interest, you've succeeded!"

"Lu Chen, I feel that you're much more compatible with Xia Chuxue. You are just as sinister and cunning, a white lotus just like her!" The smile of Gu Ruoyun's face slowly faded away, "However, if you give me the lives of every Xia family member, perhaps I would consider it."

Of course, I would only be considering the possibility of marrying him!

"Gu Ruoyun, stop trying to take the advantage!" Lu Chen's expression has grown increasingly venomous and no longer displayed the warm image he usually presented in front of others. If he had not remembered his master's orders, he would have attacked her long ago, "Are you unwilling to marry me because you are worried that I would make you my concubine? You can rest assured completely on this. Since this is marriage, you will certainly be my true wife! I, Lu Chen, will never go back on my word!"

Gu Ruoyun was just about to say something more when a flash of red appeared before her very eyes.

Gu Ruoyun felt momentarily stunned when she laid her eyes upon the silver-haired man in red. Shortly after, she felt a wave of ecstasy washing over her heart as a rush of warmth slowly appeared in her clear, cold eyes.

Seeing the joy on the woman's face, Lu Chen assumed that he had accurately pointed out her worries, and sighed with relief.

"Since I've already guaranteed it, you shouldn't have any problems now. You should follow me back to the Xia family home now and wait for your master to arrive. We'll have a wedding to plan then."

However, that would never happen.

Once they had returned to the Xia family home, he would certainly make this woman help him frame the Holy Doctor Bai Zhongtian! Once Bai Zhongtian arrives, they would join forces with Supreme Jin and kill him! By then, this woman would have served her purpose and would no longer be of use to him!

He would certainly never marry her!