Chapter 9: 9.第9章 ：烂皇帝

Hearing this, the woman gazed at Fei'er with a bewildered expression, looking as if she were eagerly anticipating what would come next.

Her gaze made Fei'er shudder!

"Is the research institute owned by your family or something?" Fei'er's heart was incredibly uneasy at this moment.

The woman shot her a questioning look, then quickly averted her beautiful eyes, as if she were unwilling to spare Li Fei'er another glance.

"Of course not!" Her tone remained icy.

Fei'er felt quite frustrated. *Is my appearance really so beneath your notice, Your Ladyship?* Fei'er muttered to herself. However, she could only grumble like this behind her back; the slippery Li Fei'er was very much a realist!

A glint of sharpness flashed in the depths of Fei'er's eyes.

"I was just testing you!" Fei'er gave a playful wink.

"If someone breaks into your house in the middle of the night, and doesn't even use the front door, what would you call that behavior?"

The woman let out a cold snort and replied dismissively

"It's called stealing, of course!" She turned her head to look at Fei'er. "You actually dare to ask me a question that even a three-year-old would know." Her expression carried a hint of cynicism.

Suddenly, she realized her previous lapse in judgment. *Oh no, it's all my fault for being careless and falling for this girl's trick!* the woman thought to herself.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile played at the corners of Fei'er's mouth. Looking at the woman's angry eyes, Fei'er felt particularly satisfied; she had finally reclaimed a bit of interest for herself.

The woman simply stared at Fei'er in silence.

As time slipped through their fingers minute by minute, the woman remained silent. Fei'er actually began to feel a bit frightened and regretful. This woman didn't seem like the type to play by the rules!

"I didn't expect to be tripped up by such a low-brow trick of yours!" Her brows were tightly knit, and her expression was incredibly solemn, as if she were attending a very important meeting. It was impossible to tell whether she was happy or sad.

Fei'er's gaze grew misty. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt as though the woman before her carried a sense of worldly vicissitudes upon her face.

"Is the bead truly not with you?" she asked indifferently.

"Sister, how many times do I have to say it? It's not with me!" Fei'er was practically ready to swear to the heavens!

The woman's eyes drifted uncertainly, as if she were doubting something, or perhaps contemplating something.

"How about this, let's make an exchange!" Her half-smile made Fei'er feel that things were becoming dangerous.

But she still had to ask: "What kind of deal?"

Fei'er's eyes darted around in surprise as she thought to herself, *She's so amazing, she's actually taking the initiative to soften her stance!*

"Tomorrow is your husband's..." Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Fei'er.

"Stop, stop, stop! What do you mean 'my husband'? He's not my husband, okay!" Fei'er looked away, staring at her with great dissatisfaction, before suddenly remembering something.

"Right, my soul is attached to Xiao Yuan's body. As long as I don't say anything, no one will know. How did you..."

"We will discuss that question later. For now, let's talk about business!" The woman decisively shut Fei'er up.

"I'm asking you, do you want to go back?"

Wasn't that a redundant question! Of course she wanted to go back; Li Fei'er had no desire to stay in this alternate dimension where she had no father to dote on her and no mother to love her.

And then there was that disgusting scoundrel, that rotten Emperor! There were no TVs or computers, no music for her to listen to, no manga for her to read...

The more Fei'er thought about it, the more heartbroken she became. Wasn't today supposed to be her birthday? She should have been happy. She never expected to encounter such miserable luck. *Sigh! What sins did I commit in my past life!*