Chapter 27

Another silence fell.

How should she respond to this?

Sang Yao had never felt her life was so long. She wished she could go up and cover Xie Yun’s mouth, but she couldn’t do that. So today, she and Xie Yun must both forget about this.

After a long while, Sang Yao looked up, pretending to be confused, and looked at him, “What are you talking about?”

Xie Yun remained silent.

Sang Yao felt she was really smart. She continued her act, weakly holding up her head and said, “To be honest, I feel… my illness might not be completely healed yet. I don’t remember much before I fainted.”

“Don’t remember?”

Sang Yao nodded quickly, “Really don’t remember.”

“So if I said something inappropriate, you’ll forgive me.”

She looked at him pitifully, almost writing ‘please forgive me’ on her face.

Besides, she hadn’t wronged him, right?

He was always thinking about things at night, wasn’t he?

Since she had amnesia, let’s just let this matter pass.

Xie Yun didn’t seem like a person who would dwell on such things. Since she had apologized, he wouldn’t continue, right?

She had apologized already.

It wouldn’t come to bowing to him, would it?

Xie Yun still had a cold look on his face, as if he didn’t care about anything. He crossed his legs, lowered his head, poured himself a cup of tea, and then said calmly, “Since that’s the case, I’ll tell you.”

Sang Yao was dumbfounded.

She opened her mouth slightly, finding it hard to believe that Xie Yun was actually so resentful.

“I don’t think… it’s necessary.”

Xie Yun nodded slightly, “No need to thank me.”

His voice was cold, with a hint of indescribable depth, echoing slowly in the quiet room, somehow sounding pleasant.

If you ignored what he was saying.

“When I came, you were sitting on the ground, claiming that you were poisoned and insisting that I save you.”

Sang Yao smiled awkwardly, “Oh… really?”

“I didn’t want to bother with you, but you cried so pitifully.”

Sang Yao was unhappy. She clearly remembered that she didn’t cry.

“In front of everyone, you hugged me and wouldn’t let go, as if you wouldn’t give up until I saved you. There were so many people there, but you, who were confused, just happened to pick me. You even said that your medicine could only be solved by me…”

Unable to bear it anymore, this man was becoming more and more outrageous.

“I didn’t say that!” She couldn’t help but defend herself.

The man remained silent.

“…” This guy!

Sang Yao silently closed her mouth, wishing she could slap herself twice.

Xie Yun lowered his head, took a sip of tea, and then placed the cup by his side. He praised without expression, “Miss Sang has recovered her memory quickly.”

Sang Yao continued to pinch her fingers, feeling like a quail.

Should she just bow to him?

After hesitating for a long time, Sang Yao was already somewhat numb.

She didn’t know why Xie Yun had coincidentally come to arrest Lu Ting today, but she was really grateful to him. She felt really sorry for accidentally offending him.

But she had already apologized. What else did he want from her?

Surely he wouldn’t curse her back, would he?

What did he mean by not sleeping in the middle of the night, sitting face to face with her, just to settle scores with her?

After acting like a quail for a while, Sang Yao said softly, “I didn’t mean to. What do you want me to do?”

“Miss Sang, please don’t act cute with me.”

Sang Yao choked up. He thought too much.

This wasn’t the first time. She was too lazy to explain about this issue.

Xie Yun relaxed his hands on his legs and said, “Anyway, we need to clear up this issue today.”

Sang Yao asked, “What issue?”

Wait, was he going to confess to her?

Sang Yao suddenly became nervous. She really didn’t want to continue like this. She had even resolved to treat that book as if it didn’t exist.

But his serious appearance really made people afraid.

He really did it!

In the end, he still asked, even skipping the step of expressing his own feelings directly, and went straight to asking her preference.

How does one even respond to that?

If she says she doesn’t like him, would he really not get upset?

How could his gaze be so calm?

Sang Yao hesitated for a while, then tentatively asked, “Can I not like you?”

An unexpected answer.

Xie Yun frowned slightly, not quite understanding. But it didn’t matter much; he simply said, “Regardless of whether you admit it or not, I hope you won’t need to put effort into me in the future.”

Xie Yun was naturally aloof.

Not only in love, but also in friendship and family relationships, he seemed indifferent.

Sang Yao’s gaze became equally strange. What on earth was he talking about?

Who was putting effort into him?

“So, I won’t hold anything against you for what happened before.”

He felt he had already shown great kindness to this girl from the apple orchard. After all, from the very beginning, she had shown her charm in front of him under the pretext of delivering tea, and later she went to great lengths to make contact with him, even getting angry and scolding him several times.

Sang Yao really didn’t understand what he was saying.

At first, she thought she was just too dull to keep up with Xie Yun’s thinking. But after thinking for a while, she really couldn’t figure it out. She muttered, “You’re so strange. Who’s putting effort into whom…”

Xie Yun heard it.

This woman was starting to reverse the situation again, but she was doing it quite convincingly.

Sang Yao was annoyed. She said, “I just scolded you a couple of times, and you’re getting so upset.”

“If you’re not satisfied, just tell me what you want me to do.”

She wasn’t someone who wouldn’t take responsibility after scolding someone. Whether to scold back, bow and apologize, or make amends, couldn’t it all be discussed? Why did he keep saying these inexplicable things to her?

Sang Yao’s heart remained the same. She had never had any romantic feelings for anyone, and she didn’t think love was something necessary.

In her view, she would eventually have to marry someone, whether he was short or fat didn’t matter to her, so she could come and find Lu Ting without much psychological pressure. It was okay that Xie Yun hadn’t been clear with her before, but if he did now, would she accept or refuse?

According to Sang Yao’s own wishes, she would definitely refuse, but Xie Yun’s high status and power meant that her refusal wouldn’t matter much.

What if he became angry?

Xie Yun looked at her and said, “Miss Sang, do you like me?”

And in the middle of the night, with just the two of them, what were they even doing? It was like being in a compromising situation.

She muttered with her head down, “Why stay up in the middle of the night and keep hanging out with me?”

His eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous glint in them.

The last time Xie Yun got so angry that he couldn’t speak was when she accused him of peeking at her.

After a silence,

Xie Yun said, “Does Miss Sang know how stubborn she is?”

Sang Yao instinctively wanted to retort, but before she could speak, there was a knock on the door.

Reluctantly from outside, Jing Lian said, “Sir.”

Xie Yun’s gaze remained on Sang Yao as he said coldly, “Speak.”

Sang Yao felt a bit scared under his gaze, feeling like he was angry, but why?

Jing Lian outside felt distressed; he didn’t want to interrupt their private meeting, but Prince Wu insisted on seeing Xie Yun, and now the room was almost ransacked.

“Prince Lu Ting insists on seeing you. The things in the room are almost completely destroyed.”

Xie Yun stood up and opened the door.

Jing Lian didn’t expect the door to open so quickly, and accidentally met his master’s icy gaze.

Uh oh, he looked really angry.

Jing Lian quickly bowed his head and said, “Sir, Prince Lu Ting…”

“If you can’t handle even this, are you useless?”

Jing Lian’s breath caught, “I’ve already—”

Xie Yun cut him off, “Shut your mouth.”

Jing Lian fell silent and followed quietly behind him.

•  

Meanwhile, Sang Yao was still upset.

It was very late at night, and she was already sick; she had only slept for a short while in the evening. When she had talked to Xie Yun just now, she had already started to feel drowsy.

Originally, she had wanted to find an opportunity to say goodbye to Xie Yun and go home, but this man left without a word.

It wasn’t feasible to sleep here; she hadn’t even married yet, how could she stay out all night?

But if she left directly, it would seem a bit rude.

Xie Yun had a strange temper; he might get angry again. So she thought she should tell him before leaving.

After some hesitation, Sang Yao went to find Xie Yun again with the little maid she had met earlier.

Jing Lian was standing downstairs at this moment. Prince Lu had caused a commotion all afternoon, and now he finally got to see his master. Since they hadn’t convicted Prince Lu yet, they couldn’t treat him harshly. But as soon as Xie Yun came over, they tied Prince Lu up tightly.

After Prince Lu quieted down completely, Xie Yun went in to see him.

He remembered what had just happened.

Was his master so angry earlier because he interrupted his rendezvous with Miss Sang?

If that was the case, did it mean that his master really liked Miss Sang?

When he was doing that painting, he never thought that his young master would actually fall in love with someone, let alone with Sang Yao.

But recently, everything seemed to be heading in a joyous direction.

It just felt like something was off.

In thought, Sang Yao could see Sang Yao walking over from afar.

“Miss Sang.” He perked up.

Sang Yao told Jing Lian that she was leaving. In the past, Jing Lian would have immediately arranged for someone to escort Sang Yao home, but now he hesitated.

The reason was simple: the current Miss Sang was highly likely to be his master’s love interest. If he sent her away without permission, he might be punished when he returned.

But his master was in a bad mood earlier, so he didn’t dare to disturb him now.

Sang Yao noticed his hesitation and looked at the closed door in front of them, tentatively suggesting, “How about I stand outside and talk to him myself?”

After a moment of contemplation, Jing Lian agreed.

His master and Prince Lu wouldn’t be discussing any confidential matters.

Maybe his master’s mood would improve upon hearing Miss Sang’s voice?

After receiving the reply, Sang Yao lifted her skirt and walked up the steps. She was really tired, to the point where she wasn’t even nervous about facing Xie Yun now.

After a few more steps, Sang Yao reached the door.

She cleared her throat and raised her arm to knock, but the voices from inside reached her ears vaguely.

She didn’t want to eavesdrop, but she heard her own name.

The first voice was Prince Wu’s, he said, “Did you come because of Sang Yao?”

There was silence inside for a moment before a man’s calm voice said, “All you need to know is that those who interfere with what they shouldn’t will pay the price.”

Sang Yao’s hand, about to knock on the door, froze. Her eyelids, which had been heavy with sleepiness, now widened.

Throughout the day, she had never been this awake.