Yang Ping paused in his steps, unsure whether he should continue walking forward or head towards Yang Kun. In his heart, he did not want to tarnish his image in Mu Bingtong’s eyes. He hoped to always appear perfect to her, or at least, not a villain, particularly not the villain who kidnapped Mu Bingtong.
Yang Ping hesitated at the door, and Mu Bingtong, failing to see clearly, could only lower her head in discouragement.
The sunlight was blinding, especially the ray hitting her from slightly above, reflecting off the glass and intensifying the light, causing pain in her eyes which turned red, yet she dared not make a sound for fear that Yang Kun might hear.
"How is it that having come all this way, you are still afraid of seeing people? Coward!" Yang Kun sneered and rudely gestured with his middle finger towards Yang Ping. His childhood friend had always been stubborn yet without much brains or courage, making Yang Kun increasingly dislike him as they grew older and Yang Kun’s experiences broadened.
Yang Ping’s mouth twitched, and he eventually turned to close the door, then slowly stepped towards Mu Bingtong. Seeing that the sunlight was continuously shining on Mu Bingtong and affecting her, Yang Ping moved to stand in front of her, effectively blocking the sunlight.
Feeling a sudden shadow appear before her bright view, Mu Bingtong hesitated for a moment but then lifted her head. However, when she saw who was before her, Mu Bingtong’s complexion turned ashen.
"Yang, Yang Ping? How, how can it be you?" Upon seeing Yang Ping, Mu Bingtong’s face, previously slightly rosy, turned pale in an instant, and she stared at him with incredulous, bloodshot eyes.
Now that he was closer, Yang Ping noticed that Mu Bingtong was bound with coarse nylon ropes. Although rough, the ropes were effective, cutting into her fair and delicate skin, leaving red marks after a few hours, evidencing the force of the ropes.
"Bingtong, are you, are you alright?" Yang Ping asked softly, his voice carrying a concern for Mu Bingtong that was unmistakable in his eyes.
Mu Bingtong looked at him for a long time, making Yang Ping somewhat uncomfortable, until she suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh, murmuring as if to herself: "How foolish am I to have considered you a friend, only to be kidnapped in the end and used to threaten Chu Ge, haha!"
Mu Bingtong’s expression was self-mocking as she turned her head away, unwilling to look at Yang Ping’s face, which flashed with an expression of pain. Indeed, he should have known; Mu Bingtong was always bold in love and hate. He had fallen for her precisely because of this trait, but now when such hatred was directed at him, Yang Ping felt unsettled.
"Bingtong, listen to me, this, this is just an accident, I didn’t mean to hurt you, believe me." Mu Bingtong’s hands were tied behind her back, forcing Yang Ping to only be able to grasp her shoulders, his hands pressing on her, his tone earnest, hoping she would trust him.
Mu Bingtong snorted coldly. Even though she was trapped on a chair and weakened from not having food or water for several hours, when Yang Ping laid his hands on her shoulders, she still forcefully moved to the side, knocking Yang Ping’s hands away.
Hands hanging by his sides, Yang Ping’s hands unnaturally pinched together, watching Mu Bingtong’s cold demeanor, a hint of pain flashed in his eyes.
Although Mu Bingtong’s identity is extraordinary, she has always been very polite to people. When Yang Ping first met Mu Bingtong, he disguised himself as an ordinary person, but Mu Bingtong was still very gentle with him. Now, she faced Yang Ping with such a cold demeanor, and her body was unwilling to let Yang Ping touch it. It was clear that in Mu Bingtong’s heart, Yang Ping had been blacklisted by her.
"Is this equivalent to letting the wolf into the house? It must be, haha!" Mu Bingtong lowered her head, laughing self-deprecatingly. She just remembered that Yang Ping had suddenly come to see her yesterday. He said he was on a business trip to Capital City, had even inquired about her flight schedule, and even took the initiative to book a car for her without raising any suspicion.
If Yang Ping hadn’t appeared in front of Mu Bingtong now, she would probably never have suspected him in relation to the kidnapping.
Yang Ping sighed, slightly loosening the ropes tied around Mu Bingtong’s hands and feet. Even so, it caused Yang Kun’s dissatisfaction.
"What are you doing? Haven’t you promised me you wouldn’t cause any trouble?" Yang Kun, with his hands in his pockets, slowly walked over and stood beside, looking at Yang Ping with discontent.
Yang Ping’s expression remained unchanged until he had loosened the ropes around Mu Bingtong’s hands and feet, then he finally stood up.
"You are also knowledgeable in medicine, don’t you know that prolonged confinement and lack of blood circulation could kill someone? Besides, I only loosened her ropes slightly, I didn’t let her go," Yang Ping said coldly.
Though he said that, his eyes stealthily glanced around. From the moment he arrived next to Mu Bingtong, he had been thinking of rescuing her, but seeing Mu Bingtong’s unfavorable expression and thinking she must be uncomfortable being sunburned here, he loosened her bonds also to allow Mu Bingtong to recover slightly. This way, at least she would have the strength to run later.
Yang Ping thought his small actions would go unnoticed, but he was unaware that Yang Kun had been paying attention all along. However, Yang Kun never took Yang Ping seriously; now, aside from Chu Ge, there was no one else he was wary of.
"Yang Kun, why are you not keeping to your word? Didn’t we agree earlier to mind our own business?" Pulling Yang Kun aside, Yang Ping questioned discontentedly.
Yang Kun’s eyelids lifted indifferently, "So what? Don’t forget, Yang Ping, you are nothing but trash, a trash who can’t perform Cultivation, not even capable of basic skills. How can I trust you?"
Although he knew that Yang Kun always looked down on him, it was the first time Yang Kun had said such things to his face. Yang Ping’s face instantly turned red, he extended his hand, trembling as he pointed at Yang Kun, stuttering several times ’you’ ’you’ ’you’, but like a mute, was unable to utter a word, further diminishing himself in Yang Kun’s eyes.