After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

Lin Ping's aura suddenly intensified, his originally gentle eyes completely froze, becoming sharp as a cold blade, staring straight at Shen Qianxue, exposing her despicable schemes nakedly to the air.

A mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips. His voice was cold and indifferent, devoid of any warmth. Every word struck Shen Qianxue's heart, instantly turning her face deathly pale.

"Stop putting on airs. You dare to flaunt your petty, scheming thoughts in front of me?"

Shen Qianxue's body trembled violently, the feigned admiration on her face instantly freezing, a flash of extreme panic crossing her eyes. She forced a calm demeanor and raised her voice, trying to hide her guilty conscience: "Mr. Lin, what do you mean by that? I've been wholeheartedly protecting you and my sister, how could you slander me like this!"

She turned to look at Shen Aoxue, who was still lost in thought beside her, her eyes instantly reddening as if she had suffered a great injustice. Tears welled up in her eyes as she cried out, "Sister, look at me! I truly cared for you and for our master, yet he misunderstood me like this. What did I do wrong?!"

Shen Aoxue snapped out of her daze, her brows furrowed, looking at the two people facing off before her, filled with doubt.

In her eyes, Shen Qianxue was, after all, her cousin whom she had grown up with since childhood. Even if she was a little temperamental, she was by no means a malicious person. She subconsciously tugged at Lin Ping's sleeve and said in a soft voice with a hint of confusion, "Lin Ping, Qianxue... she might just be in a hurry. Don't misunderstand her."

She was still preoccupied with Lin Ping's safety and had no interest in delving into the flaws in Shen Qianxue's words, nor could she see through the abyss hidden in her cousin's heart.

Seeing that Shen Aoxue was biased towards her, a hint of smugness flashed in Shen Qianxue's eyes. She then lunged forward, her legs buckled, and she knelt straight on the cold ground.

She had already been kneeling and begging for mercy, looking disheveled. Her knees were hitting the hard marble, her brows were furrowed, and she looked extremely pained. She kowtowed to Lin Ping repeatedly, her voice choked with sobs, and tears streamed down her face.

"Mr. Lin, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have spoken recklessly. Please, be magnanimous and don't hold it against me! I was only worried about my sister and our Shen family, which is why I rushed to speak up for you. I had no ill intentions whatsoever!"

She cried so hard her voice was hoarse, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably, looking extremely pitiful. It was clear that she wanted to use gentleness to overcome strength, to force Lin Ping to give up with a self-inflicted injury, and to firmly hold onto Shen Aoxue's heart.

Lin Ping watched her clumsy performance, his eyes filled with even more mockery, and he couldn't be bothered to waste another word on her.

With a slight movement, so fast that he left a blur, before anyone could even see what was happening, Shen Qianxue's phone, which was in her pocket, had silently slipped into his hand.

"You've had enough of acting, so let your sister see your true colors."

Lin Ping lightly swiped his fingertip to unlock the phone screen, and pointed the phone screen directly at Shen Aoxue in front of her.

On her phone were chat logs between Shen Qianxue and various friends and rich heiresses, filled with dense text and vulgar, offensive language.

Between the lines, she was filled with extreme jealousy and resentment towards Shen Aoxue. She cursed Shen Aoxue for being born lucky, occupying the position of the eldest daughter of the Shen family, possessing all the resources of the Shen family, and being superior to her in everything; she cursed Shen Aoxue for pretending to be pure and aloof, and monopolizing a good marriage; she even secretly cursed Shen Aoxue to be tortured by the Ma family and retaliated against by the King of Zhenshan. She wished that Shen Aoxue would die tragically immediately so that she could take Shen Aoxue's place and control the entire Shen family.

Even worse, she had long been secretly colluding with the Ma family to scheme this marriage. Her original intention was to push Shen Aoxue into a pit of fire and use the Ma family to completely destroy Shen Aoxue. Even when she angered the Zhenshan King just now, she was secretly adding fuel to the fire. She didn't care about the life or death of the Shen family at all, and only thought about reaping the benefits.

Each and every word was extremely vicious, utterly devoid of any sisterly affection, a stark contrast to her pitiful appearance before her.

Shen Aoxue stared at the contents of her phone, her face growing paler and her body turning ice-cold. She looked incredulously at Shen Qianxue kneeling on the ground, her eyes instantly reddening, her voice trembling: "Qianxue, these... these really were you who sent them? We're sisters! How could you think of me like this? How could you plot against me like this!"

Her heart sank completely. She never imagined that her cousin, whom she had always been tolerant and kind to, harbored such wicked thoughts. All those years of sisterly affection had turned into a huge joke at this moment.

When Shen Qianxue saw that the chat history had been made public, her face instantly lost all color, and she trembled all over. All her pretense completely collapsed.

Now that things had come to this, she could no longer deny it. She could only cling tightly to Shen Aoxue's leg, crying her heart out, desperately trying to gain sympathy and playing the childhood emotional card.

"Sister, I was wrong, I was really wrong! I was bewitched, I didn't mean to!"

"Have you forgotten how we were when we were little? We ate together, slept together, and you always shared your treats with me. We were the closest of friends since we were kids! I was just jealous—jealous that Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, and Dad all favored you. I've always lived in your shadow. I made a huge mistake in a moment of folly; I was blinded by jealousy!"

"I'll never do it again, sister. Please forgive me this time. For the sake of our childhood friendship, please let me go. I promise I'll treat you well from now on and never dare to have any bad intentions again!"

She gripped Shen Aoxue's trouser leg tightly, her forehead hitting the ground repeatedly, each sound a tear of blood, displaying utter humility.

Shen Aoxue was kind-hearted and extremely soft-hearted. As she listened to her recount her childhood and saw her disheveled appearance, the anger in her eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by hesitation and tenderness.

She pursed her lips tightly, her fingers clenching slightly, and looked at her cousin who was crying bitterly in front of her, but in the end she couldn't bring herself to be ruthless.

Seeing Shen Aoxue hesitate, the young male butler of the Shen family quickly stepped forward, bowed, and pleaded for Shen Qianxue: "Eldest Miss, Second Miss was just confused for a moment. She was young and ignorant. Please forgive her this time out of sisterly affection. After all, she is our own sister. There is no need to kill her."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ping slowly raised his eyes, his icy gaze, like that of a prehistoric beast, sweeping directly at the male butler.

That gaze, though devoid of any murderous intent, carried an overwhelming pressure that looked down upon all living beings, as if it were the gaze of a venerable being from the heavens. It was indifferent yet extremely intimidating. With just one glance, the male butler froze, his legs feeling as if they were filled with lead, unable to move. His throat tightened, and he could no longer utter a single word. His back was instantly soaked with cold sweat, and he didn't even dare to lift his head, remaining frozen in place, not daring to breathe.

Lin Ping didn't utter a single word from beginning to end, but with just a glance, he completely intimidated the entire audience.

He turned to look at Shen Aoxue, who was struggling with her conflicted feelings, and softened his tone, which was both indulgent and solemn: "She is vicious and extremely scheming. If we keep her around today, she will definitely become a disaster in the future. She will be a source of trouble for you and the Shen family. We cannot tolerate her easily."

Shen Aoxue lowered her eyes, her eyes reddening, her heart filled with turmoil.

She clearly saw Shen Qianxue's wickedness, and she knew that the other party deserved her punishment. She had known this since she and Lin Ping appeared in the same room. However, the sisterly bond of decades was etched into her bones. She couldn't bring herself to kill her, and she couldn't bear to be ruthless to her closest relatives.