Having said that, Cheng Xiran reached out and directly grabbed Xiao Qi's already soaked lapel.
Seeing Xiao Qi looking flustered, Cheng Xiran softened her voice, though her eyes still glinted with a hint of cruelty. "Don't worry. I'm not as heartless as you, who only wants to kill others. But next, I'll push you into the lake myself. You can swim back to the shore on your own."
Xiao Qi's eyes were filled with fear, but that wasn't enough for Cheng Xiran. "I have many high - ranking witnesses here. It's not something you can simply deny by saying I'm lying when you get back. You're a smart person. I'm sure you know what to say and do when you return."
"After today, the feud between us is over. But if there's a next time, if I find out that you've bullied me or anyone around me, I won't be as lenient as I am today."
Cheng Xiran unconsciously tightened her grip on Xiao Qi's lapel. But then, before Xiao Qi could react, she calmly let go. Xiao Qi plunged into the lake with a "plop", splashing a lot of water.
Chu Liyin couldn't help clapping and cheering. "Sister did a great job! But it seems a bit too lenient on her. She wanted you to disappear from the world before."
"As the saying goes, 'Leave a way out for others so that you can meet again in the future.' You'll understand this principle later."
After saying this, Cheng Xiran got into the boat on her own. The gentle breeze carried a hint of coolness, making her shiver twice. Chu Liyin, however, stayed outside, watching Xiao Qi struggle in the lake at first and then surface.
"This is no fun. It would be great if she couldn't swim. I'd like to see what she'd do then."
Chu Liyin then got into the boat as well.
He Lianduo didn't even look at Xiao Qi. He just ordered the boatman, "Row to the shore."
The boatman immediately started rowing. Xue Lianyu whispered a reminder, "Wood, this might not be a good idea. We should let her get on the boat first. It's early autumn now. If she catches a cold, how can we explain it when we get back?"
"That's her own business. What does it matter to us?"
He Lianduo left this remark and went back into the boat. Only Xue Lianyu stayed outside for a while. After seeing that Xiao Qi was swimming safely on her own and making sure there was no threat to her life, he also went back.
"Now, Your Highness, can you tell me why your attitude towards me has been so strange these two days?"
Although Cheng Xiran kept sneezing, she still didn't forget the real purpose of coming out today.
She was determined to get an answer.
He Lianduo didn't intend to hide it anymore. He confessed, "Because you said a lot of things I didn't understand last time. I also felt that your personality was different from before, so I wanted to test your identity. I remember you were a non - swimmer, so I came up with this idea. If you could swim, it would mean you were an imposter."
Just for this?
Cheng Xiran felt like laughing. "I've been able to swim since I was a child. I just hid it well. And since I didn't have many friends, I never had a chance to show off my skills. Last time, I was drugged with a sleeping potion. Otherwise, I wouldn't have drowned and almost lost my life."
So that was it.
"As for why my personality has changed so much, you can just think that I was like a block of stone before and now I've become enlightened."