Wen Shangyin and Song Lian looked at Xu Yan standing before them. Seeing her smiling, they smiled too.
Song Lian glanced behind Xu Yan and asked, "Is everyone here?"
"Of course," Xu Yan replied, her smile not reaching her beautiful eyes.
Looking at Xu Yan, Song Lian felt something was amiss.
Logically, they should be happy and celebrating their success.
But for some reason, he felt no joy in Xu Yan's perfect completion of the mission. Instead, a sense of unease washed over him, his inner alarm bells ringing.
Before Song Lian could figure it out, Wen Shangyin spoke. He looked at Xu Yan and said, "You completed this mission perfectly. Thanks to you, we didn't lose a single soldier, and we gained so much!"
Xu Yan simply smiled and remained silent to Wen Shangyin's praise.
Wen Shangyin looked at Xu Yan, seeing her with Su Ling's face, and thought this scene should be seen by Shang Qi.
It was a pity Shang Qi couldn't see it.
Seeing Xu Yan's continued silence, Wen Shangyin took a step forward and reached out to pat her shoulder. Xu Yan, however, stepped back to avoid him.
Wen Shangyin froze, his hand suspended in mid-air. He looked at Xu Yan, who was distancing herself, and asked, bewildered, "What do you mean by this?"
Song Lian remained silent, having witnessed the exchange and also sensing something off about Xu Yan.
Faced with Wen Shangyin's questioning, Xu Yan smiled again, shook her head, and explained, "My foot slipped."
After saying this, Xu Yan glanced back, gesturing for Wen Shangyin to look at where she was standing.
Wen Shangyin followed her gaze and saw that Xu Yan was standing in a small pit. Indeed, her foot had slipped.
This minor incident didn't draw much attention. Wen Shangyin withdrew his hand and looked at Xu Yan, his satisfaction growing.
Seeing that Wen Shangyin wasn't dwelling on it, Xu Yan clasped her hands behind her back, momentarily at a loss for words.
Wen Shangyin retracted his hand, his gaze dropping to Xu Yan, who was still standing in the pit. "You completed this mission exceptionally well. Ask for whatever you want, and Ah Lian and I will surely grant it."
In response to Wen Shangyin's attempt to win her over, Xu Yan's smile faded. She looked at Wen Shangyin and Song Lian and said, "I don't want anything. Being with you is enough. I only hope that in the future, when I'm no longer useful, you won't discard me."
Xu Yan's words clearly stated her stance and attitude.
"Of course," Wen Shangyin replied without hesitation, looking at Xu Yan.
Song Lian, after Wen Shangyin's assurance, looked at Xu Yan and said, "Your mission is complete. You don't need to keep Su Ling's face anymore. Change back to your original appearance, and let's set off quickly. No delays."
"Su Ling and the others should be returning to the castle soon. When they discover their home has been raided, they'll definitely pursue us. If we delay, we'll give them time to catch up. By then, we won't be able to leave."
After speaking, Song Lian looked at Wen Shangyin and added, "Let's go check the spoils first."
Wen Shangyin grunted and followed Song Lian, passing Xu Yan, who was still in the pit, and heading behind her.
Xu Yan didn't stop them, letting them walk past her towards her rear.
Once they had passed and were gone, she stepped out of the pit, turned around, and watched their retreating backs.
After passing Xu Yan, Wen Shangyin and Song Lian arrived at the parked trucks.