Chapter 43 Want to go inside and search?

Su Yunqing, hand the person over right now! Xiao Jinghuai looked at her with pure disgust in his eyes. The mere sight of her face brought back the humiliating memory of his defeat at her hands, stirring a deep sense of irritation within him.

He regarded this woman as utterly ungrateful. Given a choice earlier, she had stubbornly refused to cooperate, insisting on going against him, which had not only cost him the match but also severely damaged his image before the Emperor, causing the Emperor's favor toward him to wane.

He blamed her entirely for this predicament. Had she simply surrendered voluntarily back then, none of the subsequent troubles would have ever happened.

Consequently, he despised her intensely now, even thinking that even if she begged to become his secondary consort, he would never agree. After all, he had given her a chance, and she was the one who failed to cherish it. Now that she wanted to repent, it was far too late.

Naturally, Su Yunqing had no idea what was going on in his mind; had she known, she would have rolled her eyes at him in utter speechlessness.

"The person you are looking for is not here. If you've lost someone, you should go to the headmaster. What's the point of coming to me?" Su Yunqing looked at the two brainless individuals before her and spoke with the absolute limit of her patience.

She felt that if the other party pushed past her limits of endurance once more, she would no longer maintain such a pleasant temper.

"Whether someone is here or not, a search will reveal the truth. If you know what's good for you, step aside obediently and let us go in and search room by room!" Naturally, he had no intention of dropping the matter. Seeing her attitude, he spoke in a harsh and demanding tone.

"Your Highness, Xiaoyue has been missing all day, and I am so worried." Su Yunqi wore a look of anxious distress, staring intently at Xiao Jinghuai with an air of desperate appeal.

This pitiful display was thoroughly mesmerizing, causing a sudden surge of heat in his lower abdomen and softening his tone. "Yunqi, don't worry. This Prince will go in and help you search first. If she really is hiding in her place, I will not spare her!"

"Ha! This is my room. Is it a place you can just barge into whenever you please?" She stood in the doorway, gazing at the two figures before her with eyes full of disdain.

"Your obstruction right now proves that the person really is hidden inside! It is out of a guilty conscience that you dare not let anyone search!" With a look of interrogation in her eyes, she took two steps forward.

Her voice was not low either, and soon the surrounding people were all drawn out.

Many of them had been meditating in their rooms, and upon hearing the commotion, they naturally emerged one after another.

One had to remember that this was the female dormitory, a place where men were generally forbidden to enter, so this disturbance naturally attracted a great deal of attention.

Stepping out and seeing Xiao Jinghuai standing outside, many of the women felt a stir of excitement, some even wanting to seize the opportunity to curry favor with him.

However, upon noticing the person standing beside him, they abruptly halted their steps.

Knowing full well they could never compete with Su Yunqi, they prudently chose to stand aside and watch.

Su Yunqi naturally noticed this as well, and seeing how sensible they were, she felt somewhat comforted in her heart.

Then, glancing back at Su Yunqing across from her, a thought crossed her mind, and her eyes lit up. With a soft and gentle tone, she began, "Sister Yunqing, there's no need to be so worked up. I only thought of this because Xiaoyue hasn't returned all day, she isn't at home, and I've looked everywhere else in the academy without finding a trace of her. So, I wanted to try my luck here!"

"No matter what, you are her cousin. Since she's nowhere else to be found, perhaps she sought refuge with you? Could you let us go inside and take a look? I am truly worried about her, please." She repeatedly begged to be let inside, acting as though someone was genuinely concealed within.

Before long, the surrounding onlookers began to whisper among themselves.

"What? Su Yunyue is missing?"

"What on earth is going on here?"

"Didn't you hear them? The person might be right here with Su Yunqing, and they are trying to find a way in!"

"No way? Aren't they always on bad terms? Why would anyone hide with her? That's hardly likely."

"You don't understand. Perhaps she kidnapped her in secret! Otherwise, why wouldn't she let them in? And why else would Su Yunqi look so desperately worried? It must be because she fears for her life!"

"What you say makes some sense. In that case, should we go help? After all, a human life is at stake!"

"You guys go ahead. I'll go inform the elders so they can step in. Maybe that will resolve this matter."

With that, someone hurried off in a flurry, while others stationed themselves behind Xiao Jinghuai and Su Yunqing, eyeing Su Yunqing with disapproval. "Just hand the person over. Don't make a huge scene out of this. If this alerts the elders and the headmaster, you're going to be in deep trouble!"

"Indeed! No matter how much you dislike each other on ordinary days, there's no need to resort to kidnapping!" Those who stepped forward all sided with Xiao Jinghuai and his group.

Hearing this, Su Yunqing smiled with a mix of amusement and sarcasm. "Do you have any evidence? Are you just going to condemn me based on a few casual words from them?"

"Your refusal to let them enter is proof of a guilty conscience! If you were truly innocent, you'd let them search openly and fearlessly!" someone immediately retorted, convinced that such staunch resistance to a search could only stem from guilt and fear of discovery.

"I haven't done anything wrong; why should I allow a search? Since when is it that easy?"

"Of course, if you insist on searching, it's not entirely out of the question—but there has to be some kind of compensation! Otherwise, what's to stop anyone from using this as an excuse to barge into other people's rooms whenever they please? What do you all think?"

"If something of mine goes missing during their search, who will take responsibility? If someone can guarantee that, I naturally won't obstruct you, and I'll even step aside to let you search without a single word of complaint!"

At these words, the surrounding crowd fell completely silent, as no one dared to offer such a guarantee, hurriedly trying to make themselves inconspicuous.

"Well? If none of you can guarantee a thing, why bother uttering such high-sounding nonsense?" She looked at them with undisguised mockery, causing their expressions to turn thoroughly ugly.

"I am not going to steal your things; I just want to find someone!" Su Yunqi's face twisted in displeasure at her words, perceiving them as a direct insult.

Xiao Jinghuai reacted similarly, flying into a rage on the spot. "Do you take this Prince for someone who covets your trinkets?"

"That's hard to say. Personal hobbies are unpredictable, after all! Anyway, going inside is fine, but you must provide some form of security. That way, no matter how long you search, it won't matter!" Her words genuinely startled everyone present; it was the first time they had ever heard of demanding collateral just to enter someone's room, striking them as thoroughly bizarre.

"Collateral, you say? Fine, we'll give it! Yunqi, let's go in!" Seeing her insist on such terms, Xiao Jinghuai knew that if he backed down now, he would be mocked as a pauper. His pride refused to allow it, so he spoke without a moment's hesitation.