"And what happens if I give you this information?" Wuhen asked calmly.
Lan Tianheng smirked. "This was never meant to be a negotiation."
His gaze sharpened.
"If I wanted answers, I would have taken the bunny, Tu Lanyin, was it?" His voice remained casual. "I would have gotten everything I needed while I tore her apart."
He paused, then added deliberately, "Or your phoenix."
Wuhen's breath hitched.
"I hear there's a bounty on his head now," Tianheng continued lightly. "From Madam Qin Linhua."
For the first time, Wuhen's heart skipped.
Tianheng noticed. He looked pleased.
"You didn't know?" he said softly. "Unfortunate. And your father…" His lips curved. "He doesn't like complications. Do you really think he'll—"
"Enough." Wuhen cut him off with a dismissive wave.
The air snapped.
Lan Tianheng's mouth closed abruptly, his lips pressing together as if sealed by force.
