Everything around became real.

The dazzling sunlight, the whispers, and the lively girl in front of him.

Time seemed to stop in this moment.

Sang Yao lowered her eyelashes, her beautiful eyes misty, her palms slightly stinging, and her skirt dampened by dirty water.

Sitting in the mud, she knew that when she got up, she would be very dirty.

It didn’t hurt, but it was very embarrassing.

Sang Yao’s embarrassment almost attracted everyone’s attention.

Whether disapproving, indifferent, or gloating, these gazes seemed to form a big net that covered her from all sides.

When she lowered her head, she could see the man’s black boots embroidered with gold thread.

Just a little bit more, Xie Yun really disliked it.

The whispers around her were clearly audible, and some of them were harsh.

But she didn’t really intend to fall towards Xie Yun, nor did she expect that the man who could stabilize her with just a tug of her sleeve would choose to step back and avoid her with such disdain.

As if he couldn’t stand her presence.

Sang Yao silently raised her eyes and glanced at him.

Unexpectedly, the man wasn’t as indifferent as she had imagined.

He seemed… confused?

Inappropriately, Sang Yao thought, his eyes were probably very beautiful.

She had never noticed before, thinking that his aloofness was ingrained, and his gaze must be arrogant and lofty.

But now, these deep black eyes gave Sang Yao a sense of deep affection.

But that didn’t matter.

She hastily looked away, feeling a bit aggrieved.

The gazes of the crowd almost made it hard for her to breathe. She just wanted to escape from this suffocating situation as soon as possible.

Sang Yao moved her arm, propping herself up with the wet soil, trying to stand up.

The whispers around her continued.

Jinglian looked at the little beauty who fell in the flowerbed, feeling extremely distressed.

His master remained as indifferent as ever, which didn’t surprise him at all.

He sighed in his heart, unable to bear watching this heartbreaking scene any longer. He cleared his throat and said, “Young Master, are you leaving?”

The next moment, something unimaginable happened.

Just as Sang Yao was about to move, the man who had been standing indifferently suddenly took a step forward and, in front of everyone, bowed and grabbed her wrist.

Sang Yao was startled and instinctively tried to dodge, but she couldn’t.

What is Xie Yun doing?

He’s not going to hit her, is he?

Immediately, the man hugged her waist and, in an intimate gesture, helped her up.

He used too much force, and Sang Yao was almost pressed against him.

Sang Yao’s whole body stiffened. It was the first time she had been so close to a man, and even her heartbeat unconsciously quickened.

But Xie Yun seemed very natural. The warm temperature of his body transmitted to Sang Yao’s face, which flushed even more, and she even felt the surrounding gazes becoming hotter.

After she stood firm, Xie Yun gently patted the dirt off her sleeve and asked softly, “Are you hurt?”

The girl’s eyes were still moist, as if she was about to cry at any moment.

She had just been angry in her heart, but now she felt surprised and grateful, and didn’t dare to make a sound.

The whispers stopped abruptly at this moment.

Jinglian was dumbfounded.

Was his master possessed?

It was the first time in his life that he had heard Xie Yun speak so gently to someone!

He silently took a step back, staring at Xie Yun’s face, repeatedly confirming that the person he was supporting was still in his grasp, and yet his hand hadn’t let go. It was indeed his master.

Under everyone’s gaze, they were flirting!

Strange!

Was he sleepwalking, or was his master sleepwalking?

Xie Yun held Sang Yao’s hand. Sang Yao resisted a bit, but she couldn’t resist his strong movements. He looked at the red mark, frowned, and asked, “Does it hurt?”

He looked so caring, what was going on!

Sang Yao shook her head, still a bit dazed. “No, it doesn’t hurt.”

Realizing what had happened, she quickly struggled out of Xie Yun’s embrace and lowered her head, saying, “Thank you, sir.”

She fiddled with her sleeve, a bit incoherent. “I’ll go… clean up first!”

“Wait.”

Sang Yao stopped in her tracks.

Xie Yun casually took off his outer robe and draped it over Sang Yao’s shoulders before saying, “Go ahead.”

“…”

The cold aura from the man surrounded her.

She should have refused, but she could clearly feel the dampness behind her and could imagine that it must not be very presentable.

Everyone was watching, and she didn’t want to delay any longer, so she gritted her teeth and said, “Thank you.”

Sang Yao turned and walked away, with a palace maid leading the way. She walked quickly, showing a bit of a fleeing intention.

Jinglian was the first to react. Trembling with joy, he said, “Young Master, shall we go?”

Xie Yun looked at Sang Yao’s retreating figure, then said after a moment, “Let’s go.”

Jinglian: “Alright!”

Xie Yun walked ahead, but the further they went, the more wrong it felt. Jinglian was puzzled. “Young Master, what’s going on…”

Soon, the door was opened.

Sang Yao, who had changed into a new outfit, walked out of the room and saw Xie Yun standing by the door at a glance.

The girl was obviously startled, took a step back to create some distance, and then greeted him, “Thank you, sir.”

She had calmed down a lot. She handed him the clothes he had draped over her and said, “Sir, thank you for helping me just now. This is your clothes.”

Xie Yun silently looked at her. The girl was still as beautiful and exceptional as he remembered, with a face that carried a hint of innocence, like a begonia blooming in early spring.

This was the Sang Yao that he had never paid attention to before.

Turns out, she was so adorable.

Sang Yao didn’t know what this stern man in front of her was thinking about her adorableness. She just felt anxious.

With no response from Xie Yun for a long time, she stole a glance at him, only to find that he was still staring at her.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she withdrew her gaze.

He was acting so strangely today, why did he come to find her?

She felt nervous and quietly curled her toes, waiting for him to speak first.

With a soft “Hmm,” Xie Yun asked, “Is your hand feeling better?”

She had almost forgotten about it. Her hand was just scraped a little, not even bleeding.

“Thank you for your concern, sir, but I’m fine.”

Can she leave now?

Xie Yun said, “Let me have a look.”

“…,” she hid her hand behind her back and said politely, “That’s not necessary…”

Unmoved, Xie Yun instructed the embarrassed Jinglian behind him, “Go get some ointment.”

Sang Yao said, “No need.”

Jinglian immediately turned around, “Alright! I’ll go get it!!”

Who could understand her? It’s really strange!

She and Xie Yun were really unfamiliar, even barely acquainted!

The girl widened her eyes, looking at Xie Yun in confusion, wondering if he had taken the wrong medicine today.

Could it be that he needed something from her?

Or did he mistake her for someone else?

After hesitating for a while, curiosity got the better of her, and she asked, “Sir Xie, do you know what my name is?”

Xie Yun didn’t answer directly but made up something on the spot, “I met Lord Sang just now, and he asked me to take care of you.”

He looked into Sang Yao’s eyes and said softly, “I’m sorry I didn’t help you when you fell.”

He seemed sincere, and Sang Yao found it hard to continue disliking him.

But was he being a bit too enthusiastic?

“Do you know my father?”

Xie Yun nodded and said, “We have some dealings.”

…

That’s impossible. If her father knew Xie Yun, wouldn’t he immediately announce it to the world? He was not capable of keeping such a thing a secret.

But who was Xie Yun? Was he really going to deceive a young girl like her?

Even more impossible.

Half believing and half doubting, she said, “Then I’ll trouble you, sir.”

Xie Yun quickly said, “It’s no trouble.”

He pointed to the open door nearby and said, “Go inside and wait. Your wound needs to be treated.”

The young palace maid next to him also said, “Miss Sang, please.”

Soon, Jinglian’s ointment was brought over.

Instead of giving it to the young palace maid, he gave it to Xie Yun, who was standing outside pretending to be innocent. Xie Yun then walked in naturally.

Sang Yao reached out to take the ointment, but Xie Yun held her wrist. She struggled a bit, saying, “I can do it myself.”

Xie Yun knelt down in front of her.

He knelt down!

Sang Yao held her breath, watching Xie Yun, who had always been aloof, kneel beside her legs.

He opened the medicine bottle skillfully, dipped a clean gauze in the ointment, and gently applied it to the red mark.

Sang Yao was stunned.

His movements were too smooth, too unexpected, and he didn’t give her time to refuse.

The atmosphere was unusually strange.

“Does this hurt?”

It didn’t hurt, it was even a bit itchy?

Help, someone tell her what’s wrong with Xie Yun?

She looked at Jinglian, who seemed even stranger, as if he couldn’t bear it anymore.

It was all because Xie Yun’s image of being cold and aloof was deeply rooted in her mind.

If it had been anyone else, she would have concluded that he was a fake and kicked him away.

But now, she was confused and didn’t dare to act rashly.

Xie Yun’s actions were very careful. After a moment, he withdrew his hand and explained, “This wound seems small, but if it gets infected, it could be life-threatening.”

“I studied a few pages of medical classics before, so I did it out of habit. I hope you don’t mind.”

So that’s it.

Sang Yao withdrew her hand, then stood up awkwardly and thanked him again, “Thank you, sir.”

Xie Yun also stood up and said, “No need to thank me.”

Sang Yao stood by the door, in this strange atmosphere, and said, “Well… then I’ll leave first.”

Xie Yun said, “The banquet is about to end. Are you leaving the palace?”

Sang Yao nodded.

Xie Yun said, “I happen to be leaving the palace too. Shall we go together?”

Jinglian cleared his throat, “Master, did you forget? We are going to meet the emperor!”

Sang Yao wanted to refuse.

Because it was already strange enough for her to wear his clothes in front of everyone, how could she walk with him later?

Fifteen minutes later.

Sang Yao walked silently beside Xie Yun.

At first, there was a wide palace road between them, a distance that would make anyone passing by not think they were together.

But slowly, the two got closer and closer.

Until now, there was only a fist’s distance between them.

Sang Yao wanted to move aside, but she had no more room to retreat.

Xie Yun was silent, and Sang Yao didn’t know what to say either.

She could only be nervous in silence, her confused mind constantly thinking about why Xie Yun did this.

Who was Xie Yun?

Sang Yao and Xie Yun are like two parallel lines that never meet, even though they are both outstanding figures in the court. Sang Yao, however, is not the type to be overly self-absorbed, so she first rules out the possibility of Xie Yun liking her.

Knowing that she is Sang Yin’s daughter, it’s also unlikely that he mistook her identity. She is just a nobody, so Xie Yun wouldn’t have any reason to seek her out.

After some thought, Sang Yao suddenly realizes something.

Could it be that Xie Yun’s conscience is bothering him because he didn’t help her up earlier?

Meanwhile, Xie Yun is also pondering over something.

Now that Sang Yao didn’t find that manual, how should he make her fall in love with him and then marry her?

The usefulness of studying those eight manuals is now evident.

Various plans flash through his mind, but each one seems too wild and not in line with his usual style of doing things, making their implementation difficult.

This matter requires careful consideration.

“Sir Xie.”

Hearing Sang Yao call him that at her young age feels strange to Xie Yun. He responds with a sound and looks at her, asking, “What is it?”

Sang Yao says earnestly, “Although you didn’t help me up, I don’t blame you.”

Actually, she does blame him a bit.

But it doesn’t matter; Xie Yun’s later actions were too kind, and she is no longer angry.

She stops walking, and Xie Yun stops with her.

With her head tilted, Sang Yao stares at him seriously and says, “Thank you today. I seem to have dirtied your clothes. I’m really sorry.”

Good idea.

Xie Yun furrows his brow slightly and says, “Did you get them dirty?”

At this point, Xie Yun has already put on his clothes. Sang Yao points behind him, feeling guilty, “It seems like there’s a bit of dirt on the inside, but only a little, and it won’t get on your inner clothes.”

Xie Yun’s lips tighten, showing displeasure. He seems to mind a lot.

Seeing this, Sang Yao quickly suggests, “If you don’t mind, I can take it back and wash it for you…”

She didn’t mention it earlier because it would be really strange for a woman to wash a man’s clothes. It might even make people think she was trying to climb the social ladder by saying such things. Plus, there was a little palace maid next to them just now. If word got out, it wouldn’t be good for either her or Xie Yun.

The Xie family is a large and influential one, and having her wash clothes, whether it’s for him or his servants, would be the same thing. It’s not worth the risk.

But she still has to show her attitude.

So, although she says this now, Xie Yun definitely won’t agree.

“That’s fine.”

“…?”

He adds, “You don’t have to wash it yourself; just have a servant do it.”

Before, when they were married, Xie Yun washed her small clothes for five or six years, hardly letting her touch them herself. Now, how could he bear to let her wash such a large piece of clothing herself?

Sang Yao falls silent.

She doesn’t know what to say. The logic is correct that since she dirtied the clothes, she should wash them herself. However, with so many servants in the Xie household, why ask her servants to do it? She would have to explain why she brought Xie Yun’s clothes back to be washed.

But the words have already been spoken, and it would be awkward to retract them.

Xie Yun seems to be in a good mood. After pondering for a moment, he says, “Can you give it to me tomorrow at noon?”

Sang Yao says, “It might not be dry.”

Xie Yun furrows his brow. He can’t stand not seeing her for a whole day. After thinking for a moment, he says, “That’s okay; I’ll take it home to dry.”

Sang Yao still felt it was unnecessary. She said, “Alright, then I’ll have someone give it to you tomorrow at noon—”

Xie Yun asked, “Can you personally deliver it to me?”

She hesitated, “Well…”

Xie Yun said calmly, “This garment is very important to me. I wouldn’t feel at ease if someone else delivered it.”

“I will come to pick it up myself.”

With things having reached this point, he left Sang Yao with no room to refuse. Moreover, Sang Yao always looked at Xie Yun with a mix of fear and respect, making it even harder for her to refuse.

“Alright then.”

She glanced at the wide palace road and said, “Sir Xie, when we leave the palace later, can you find a more secluded place to give it to me?”

Xie Yun patiently agreed, saying, “Of course, Miss Sang.”