A vicious female is trapped in a beastly hell.

Chapter 388 She never understood the real him

Shen Tang suddenly stood up and took several steps back, clenching her fists and glaring at him angrily. "No, you are not the Shen Li I know at all. You feel like a stranger to me, and it's terrifying!"

Shen Li's smile remained unchanged as he slowly spoke, "It's because you've never understood the real me."

Shen Tang suddenly couldn't speak.

Yes, his true identity is the emperor of the Yiyuan Empire. The former "Shen Li" was just a disguise. The current "Ji Jiuli" is his true appearance after he takes off his mask.

She's too foolish, too naive!
I never truly understood him!
Shen Li poured two glasses of wine and handed one to her. "I know that His Majesty Ye Hui had many misunderstandings about me in the past. Why don't we drink a glass together tonight? I will use this glass of wine to apologize."

"Misunderstanding?" Shen Tang sneered, her eyes full of mockery. "I didn't come here tonight to listen to your hypocritical nonsense!"

She suddenly raised her hand and knocked the wine glass out of his hand, spilling the wine all over the floor.

"You haven't lied to me enough? Now you want to poison me, don't you?" His voice trembled with suppressed emotion.

Shen Li was stunned, her brows furrowed, "I didn't..."

How could he possibly poison her with alcohol?
But Shen Tang's gaze towards him was now cold and wary, her red eyes filled with distrust. She turned to leave, not wanting to stay a second longer.

"Little Tang'er!" Shen Li's breath hitched. He instinctively stood up, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her into his arms. He knew that this parting would be forever.

Reason crumbled at that moment; he grabbed her chin and kissed her passionately without saying a word.

His warm, thin lips pressed against hers, and the longing he had suppressed for so many days surged forth like a tidal wave, playfully entwining and demanding everything he could, almost stealing all her breath.

Shen Tang froze on the spot, tears welling up in her eyes.

She shoved him away and slapped him hard across the face!

"Snapped!"

The crisp sound of a slap startled the guards outside the door. They rushed in, only to be stunned by the scene before them—the unremarkable female had suddenly become stunningly beautiful, and their esteemed emperor bore five bright red finger marks on his face!
The guards gasped.

This female... dares to slap the emperor?!

Shen Li's eyes were terrifyingly dark, and his voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth, "Get out!"

"Drag this rebellious female out and execute her!" the lead guard shouted sternly.

The next second, the guard was knocked to the ground by a gust of wind.

"I told you to get out!" Shen Li's furious roar shook the entire palace.

The guards then realized what was happening and scrambled away.

Startled by his roar, Shen Tang took a step back, her back hitting the cold wall.

Shen Li pressed closer, his tall figure looming over her. The familiar fragrance now felt like a deadly poison, suffocating her.

She glared at him defiantly, showing no regret for the slap—it was something he owed her!
Shen Li grabbed her wrist with such force that he almost crushed her bones.

Those fox-like eyes, which were always full of affection, were now icy cold, staring intently at her.

Anyone else who dared to offend the emperor's majesty would have been beheaded long ago.

No. No one even had a chance to get close to him!

Seeing the pain on her face, Shen Li finally loosened his grip. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice suddenly softened, "Does your hand hurt?"

He said, "Let me rub it for you."

Shen Tang abruptly shook off his hand, her eyes filled with anger and mockery. "Stop pretending! Do you think this little bit of feigned affection will move me?" Her voice trembled. "I don't want to see you. I never want to see you again in my life!"

Shen Li's hand froze in mid-air before slowly retracting.

Those fox eyes, which always held a smile, were now filled with unspeakable bitterness.

Shen Tang turned her face away, too lazy to look at him again, and asked urgently in her mind, "System, there's one more thing I don't understand. Since Shen Li is still alive, why did you determine him to be dead before? And why hasn't the character information been restored yet?"

"Host, I did detect the disappearance of his vital signs at the volcano," the system explained. "But the information still shows him as dead. The only possibility is... external forces interfered with the system's detection, preventing it from updating properly."

Shen Tang's heart skipped a beat.

"There's one more thing I need to tell the host," the system continued. "Initially, I thought the failure to warn of the assassins' attack was their fault, but after environmental simulation analysis, I discovered... it was that earth-source core!"

The system's voice turned serious: "[It contains immense energy, interfering with my detection. I suspect... the core is currently on Shen Li!]"

Shen Tang trembled all over, not even knowing how to be angry anymore. The Earth Source Core had indeed been taken away by him!
His self-directed and self-acted tragic farewell was nothing more than a scheme to steal the Earth Source Core, make a perfect exit, and erase suspicion.

Poor thing, she searched high and low, all over the country, but she probably won't know until she dies that the item is in his hands!
Shen Tang looked at him with red eyes, "Shen Li, you really have some tricks up your sleeve. I used to call you a cunning fox, and that was certainly an apology for your intelligence and shrewdness!"

Shen Li's breath hitched, and he stared at her blankly, "Xiao Tang, I..."

Shen Tang growled, "Don't call me by my name, it disgusts me!"

Her words were filled with anguish: "You have been lurking in the empire for many years, and all you ever wanted was the Earth Source Core. That secret realm could only be opened by successive monarchs. That's why you went to such lengths to support me and gain my complete trust and reliance, all to use me!"

She let out a short, cold laugh, it was unclear whether she was mocking him or laughing at herself, "Back in those underground ruins, you wanted to attack me, didn't you? If you had just killed me, no one would have known what happened that day! No one would have suspected you! But in the end, you still couldn't bring yourself to do it."

"..."

"You were afraid I would find out the truth about you. You were scheming against me from the beginning and even staged a melodramatic drama. Before you left, you even got yourself a 'good guy' card. Even after you died, you made me remember you for the rest of my life, cherish your kindness, and never forget you."

Shen Li's lips trembled, becoming increasingly dry, and she was unable to speak.

A tear slid down Shen Tang's cheek, but she felt no sadness, no anger, only a deathly stillness in her eyes.

She calmly stated the facts, "Shen Li... oh no, Your Majesty Jiuli, you really went to great lengths to get rid of me!"

"You think I'm naively innocent, that I've been manipulated by you time and time again. You must be very proud of yourself!"

Her words were like poisoned needles, each one piercing Shen Li's heart. He was in so much pain he could barely breathe; he swayed, but couldn't utter a single word of explanation.

Seeing his pained expression, Shen Tang forced a bitter smile and turned to flee the scene.

"Don't go!" Shen Li grabbed her wrist in a panic, trying to pull her into his arms.

Shen Tang shuddered, feeling a chill run down her spine. Almost instinctively, a sharp blade instantly materialized in her palm—

With a "plop" sound, it pierced Shen Li's chest hard!