Chapter 22

With a nasal tone and a lingering cadence, Xie Yun felt his eardrums vibrate.

He had little experience with this, but he thought for a moment and guessed that this was probably what they called acting coquettishly.

It was quite strange. And unfamiliar.

There was no incense burning in the room, yet Xie Yun could smell the faint jasmine fragrance.

She was like a beautiful little cat caught in the rain, cowering under the eaves on a damp spring day, meowing at strangers passing by.

Vulnerable, yet unexpectedly bold.

But why did she cry so much? She cried every time they met.

Was she made of water?

Seeing that Xie Yun remained silent, the girl lifted her snowy white face, her red lips pursed, and asked him with a mix of grievance and dissatisfaction, “Why aren’t you talking?”

Xie Yun kept his lips straight, and without any emotion in his eyes, he slowly withdrew his sleeve from her grasp, then moved away from her and sat on the grandmaster chair nearby, looking at her with crossed legs, and said in a calm voice:

“Are you here to act cute with me?”

“…What?” What is this?

Acting what?

Was he thinking of something dirty again?

Sang Yao stifled her tears and nasal tone, saying, “I’m not.”

The same tone as before. Still not admitting it.

Xie Yun showed some displeasure: “Can you stop talking in that whiny tone?”

What whiny tone? He must be thinking of something indecent again, and now he’s blaming her for it. Sang Yao blushed with embarrassment but didn’t dare to scold him. After hesitating for a while, she just softly warned him with a red face:

“Can you… stop thinking about those things?”

Xie Yun asked, “What things?”

How could she say it?

“Just… those things.” Xie Yun remained silent for a moment, then understood. But it didn’t matter.

He didn’t intend to argue with Sang Yao about this issue. He casually poured himself a cup of tea and asked, “Can you tell me what you came here for now?”

Sang Yao thought it was not difficult. Her brother was much easier to talk to.

But she had a favor to ask now, so she couldn’t be too stubborn. Upon hearing his question, she simply said, “It’s not difficult.”

Then she stopped delaying and said directly, “I just have… something I want to ask for your help with.”

Xie Yun said, “Go on.”

He was never one to meddle in other people’s business. He was often asked for help, but most of the time, he would refuse. It was rare for anyone to see him, let alone ask for his help.

As rumors had it, Xie Yun would never do anything that didn’t benefit him. He would never help someone unilaterally, even if it was just a small favor.

Sang Yao, standing in front of him, was nothing special to him. He only asked out of curiosity.

Sang Yao clutched her sleeve and thought that since Xie Yun had asked, there might be hope. She felt a little nervous, but she held her breath and explained the whole story.

However, she omitted the part where Lu Ting offended her.

She finished speaking in one breath, then carefully observed Xie Yun’s expression.

But there was no emotion on his face, his long fingers playing with the round-mouthed porcelain cup beside him.

He had heard about this matter before, but had not paid much attention to it at the time. After all, what a dying man like Lu Ting did was not important.

He was more concerned about another matter now.

This person had tried to lure him several times, the last time sneaking a peek at him outside the Xie family’s door, and now openly coming to his house. He claimed to seek help, but might have hidden motives. If this continued, who knew what he would do next.

He still remembered being outsmarted by her last time. Clearly she liked him, but she was extremely stubborn and always took the initiative to attack.

Xie Yun disliked this feeling. He wouldn’t give her another chance to use her tricks. This time, he wanted her to admit it in person.

After a pause, Sang Yao reminded him, “I’m done.”

Xie Yun responded with an “Mm.”

What does “Mm” mean? Could it be that he doesn’t want to help?

She whispered, “Can you help my father?”

Only then did Xie Yun say slowly, “This matter is entirely Lu Ting’s responsibility. Why don’t you go find him?”

At the mention of Lu Ting, Sang Yao felt resistance. It was like accidentally touching a big green caterpillar again. She said, “…I don’t want to ask him.”

Xie Yun: “So you’re asking me instead?”

Sang Yao keenly sensed something wrong in Xie Yun’s words.

She pursed her lips, thinking to herself, “I knew it.”

Isn’t this jealousy? He still cares about this matter after all.

She had to explain, “What happened between me and him was not my intention. He is a prince, how could I refuse anything he wanted to do?”

“Besides… he has been disrespectful to me several times. I had to yield to him because of face.”

He deceived me with false promises. This time, he had a conflict with my father, so he set up this trap, deliberately waiting for us to admit our mistakes.”

But he still seemed very concerned about this issue and continued to ask.

“There are so many people who can help you, why did you choose me?”

Look at what he’s asking.

Indeed, there are many people who can help her, but she doesn’t know them! Is he doing this on purpose? This jealousy is showing.

Sang Yao pursed her lips, recalling her father’s earnest teachings.

She thought to herself, forget it, if you don’t enter the tiger’s den, how can you get the tiger cubs? Originally, she came to ask for help.

If she went to find Lu Ting, she would still be bitten. At least she wouldn’t be bitten if she came to Xie Yun. What’s wrong with saying something he likes to hear?

With this in mind, Sang Yao let out a sigh.

She raised her eyes, her beautiful eyes like a pool of autumn water, gently looking at him. Her face, covered in tear marks, looked particularly pitiful, silently conveying more than words ever could.

Xie Yun’s lips tightened.

Then, the soft voice of the girl came, “But… I just wanted to come to you.”

Why is she acting coquettish again?

“I don’t know anyone else, only you.”

She gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and continued, “You’re so good, you must help me, right…?”

Stop!

What is she saying!

She felt extremely embarrassed, but her movements were very agile. She had already moved to Xie Yun’s front and once again pinched his hem in his indifferent gaze.

She gently shook it, like when she used to act coquettishly towards her sister when she was young, and said to Xie Yun, “Xie Yun, you must help me, please.”

Xie Yun felt a strange power in her voice. He clearly didn’t like it, but he couldn’t find a way to stop her.

Sang Yao remembered something she had read before and tried to come up with a sentence:

“If you agree, I’m willing to do anything you ask.”

Except being bitten.

But it was open for negotiation.

Xie Yun understood.

The woman’s true intention today was probably not to ask for his help, but the last sentence.

“You finally admit it.”

Sang Yao’s head was spinning. Admit what?

The scent of jasmine in the room became stronger.

Xie Yun didn’t want to stay any longer. He pulled out his sleeve again and stood up.

“Alright, you can go now.”

That’s it, just like that?

Sang Yao was stunned. She hurried to catch up with him and said, “Will you help me? Lu Ting said there’s only three days left.”

Of course, Xie Yun wouldn’t help her. But then again, it wasn’t entirely true.

Lu Ting had given others three days, unaware of how much time he had left himself.

He had never intended to spare this prince. According to the plan, Lu Ting would be dealt with at the latest by tomorrow night.

However, this matter had been conducted secretly, known to few. So, whether Sang Yin came today or not, Sang Yao’s matter was doomed to go unresolved.

Once Lu Ting was out of the picture, no one would pay attention to this case anymore, and Sang Yin would naturally not be affected. As for being banished, without Lu Ting’s manipulation, even if Sang Yin went to Danzhou, he would come back before long.

So, there was no need to worry too much.

Xie Yun stared at the girl’s beautiful face, thinking calmly to himself. Although he had his own purposes, helping this foolish girl could be seen as solving a problem easily.

She should thank him.

But Sang Yao didn’t know any of this.

Xie Yun opened the door, and the damp moisture rushed in. Seeing him about to leave, Sang Yao hurriedly grabbed his sleeve. “Xie Yun, why won’t you answer me?”

Xie Yun halted his steps, his face expressionless. He looked down at Sang Yao and, without mentioning Lu Ting at all, said slowly as if dealing with a trivial matter, “Miss, please go back. This matter is already settled.”

Sang Yao stared at him with wide eyes. The eyes that had just managed to stop the tears started to mist up again.

After all that, he was still going to refuse her.

Sang Yao didn’t understand. If he didn’t want to help, why did he say so much to her in the first place? Giving her hope and then rejecting her, what did he want to do?

Or… was he dissatisfied?

Sang Yao stared at him closely, her gaze showing a hint of indignation.

That must be it.

She knew that opportunities were rare, and this man wouldn’t easily agree to her request.

“You still have something–“

Before she could finish her sentence, the girl in front of him suddenly tiptoed and kissed his lips.

The soft, fragrant flower was crushed by his fingertips, and the scent of jasmine burst forth at that moment, reaching its peak.

The girl’s kiss was inexperienced, her lips soft, moist, and full. She had no technique, only knowing to press tightly.

It was the first time in Xie Yun’s life that his mind went blank. He even forgot to push her away.

Sang Yao closed her eyes tightly, feeling a sense of bravery.

The brave and tragic act of cutting off one’s wrist. Never did she imagine that in the end, she would be the one to take the initiative to kiss him.

But this feeling was not as unacceptable as she had imagined. It was warm and cool, and it felt… okay. She had never kissed anyone before, so she didn’t know how to kiss.

But kissing wasn’t difficult. As the name suggests, you just need to press your lips against his. She tried hard to do this, and she felt that this kiss was very passionate and exciting.

After a moment, their lips parted. In the silence, the two looked into each other’s eyes.

The girl’s eyes were watery, staring at the man in front of her, and she said with a hint of grievance, “Are you satisfied now?”

Xie Yun’s gaze moved from the girl’s lips to her eyes, inch by inch.

Silence. A silence so profound it was almost deafening.

At this moment, Mrs. Xie and Jinglian, who had hurried over, were also silent.

Jinglian didn’t know who the master wanted to see, but since there was no invitation beforehand, it must have been a sudden event. If Mrs. Xie wanted to see him, he couldn’t stop her.

Along the way, Mrs. Xie kept talking about the master’s marriage, trying to find out who the master had been close to recently and if he had mentioned any girls on his own initiative.

He was tired of being asked and knew for sure that there wasn’t any.

How could an iron tree blossom one day?

Mrs. Xie still didn’t understand the young master well enough, but she would get used to it. Sooner or later, she would have to accept that the master would grow old alone.

The two of them walked briskly, as Mrs. Xie had to take the opportunity to reprimand Xie Yun properly today. She had even thought about her words. The Autumn Water Garden was not far away. They turned around the corridor together and both saw this incredible scene.

They both stopped in their tracks involuntarily.

What they saw was the two figures intertwined. They were a bit far away, so the details were not very clear.

But it was not difficult to guess that they were passionately kissing each other.

They hadn’t even had time to close the door!

Jinglian was dumbfounded, frozen in place.

But his first reaction was not excitement, but suspicion, strong suspicion.

What’s going on?

Did the sky fall, so dreams and reality mixed together? Or was he blind, and all of this was just his imagination?

This is not right, stay calm first.

Jinglian tried to explain it in a more rational way, such as their lips accidentally bumping into each other.

No, what kind of accident could make them stick together for so long?

Could it be that Miss Sang forced a kiss?

It’s even more impossible. The master’s hand isn’t broken, so why isn’t he pushing Sang Miss like he’s pushing a little chicken? Why is he standing still and letting her get close?

So, am I dreaming?

Or should I pinch myself first to see if it hurts?

Huh? I haven’t pinched myself yet, so why does it hurt already? He took a sharp breath and looked down.

The lady’s hand, dyed with vermilion and rouge, was now fiercely grabbing the soft flesh of his arm. “Ma… Madame!”

Madame Xie was equally stunned, her mouth wide open. She whispered, “Is that… your master?”

Suppressing the pain, tears in his eyes, he nodded. “It should be.”

Madame Xie looked strange, unbelieving, but also with a hint of joy. In short, her expression was very complicated. She quietly pulled Jing Lian back to the corner they had just turned, thinking to herself that Lord Liu is good, Lord Liu often comes.

Jing Lian was confused, and Madame Xie continued to ask him, “Whose girl is this?”

Seeing Xie Yun not speaking, Sang Yao became more and more uneasy.

She glanced around. Although she didn’t see anyone, it still gave her the feeling of being caught in broad daylight.

After they separated, she bit her lip and couldn’t help but lick it.

She was annoyed. “Are you going to help or not? Why aren’t you saying anything again?”