Chapter 154 Return to Beijing Soon

The journey that originally took three hours was compressed into one hour by galloping his horse.

"Now you can tell me, who kidnapped you?"

Xiao Mingyi looked up, and his deep gaze seemed to look into Song Lingyi's heart, making her tremble for no reason.

"...You obviously guessed it." His voice was weak and had a strong nasal tone.

The long fingers kneading the ankle paused.

Xiao Mingyi narrowed his black eyes slightly and did not comment.

If it was a bandit from the mountains, with Song Lingyi's personality, she would have reported it to him long ago and let him take out all the blame. However, she was uncharacteristically not allowing him to send anyone to investigate. With a little thought, she could guess who the person in the villa was.

The young master has always been unruly, and the Duke and his wife dote on him too much. If this matter is made a big deal, the only one who will be in an embarrassing situation will be Song Lingyi.

He asked this simply to confirm whether she really didn't want to pursue the matter.

"Can you please not let my uncle and the others know about this?"

"If I keep covering for you, what will I do next time?"

"No." Song Lingyi's eyebrows twitched slightly. In fact, she herself was not too sure. "I have already told him very clearly. Besides, my aunt and grandmother have been looking for a suitable young lady for him. I just need to return to the capital later and wait for him to decide on a marriage..."

"That won't do."

Xiao Mingyi looked serious, and I thought he had a better idea, but he said seriously, "What should I do if you return to Beijing later?"

“…”

The candlelight shone on the man's handsome face, and his narrow and long eyes looked at her steadily, filling her with shadow.

Suddenly, Song Lingyi felt as if something had burned her heart, and she felt helpless and at a loss, and the pain took a long time to subside.

In silence, Hongqiu walked into the lobby carrying hot water. Seeing the intimate scene between the handsome man and the beautiful woman, she smiled meaningfully, "Girl, the hot water is here."

Hearing the sound, Song Lingyi was like a frightened bird. Without wasting a moment, she quickly withdrew her foot from the man's leg and lowered her head to adjust the hem of her skirt.

"Just put it here." Xiao Mingyi pointed to the bench next to him.

While putting the wooden basin away, Hongqiu secretly glanced at her daughter's rosy cheeks. She couldn't help but chuckle and walked out the door with a suppressed smile.

The lobby fell silent again.

Just as Song Lingyi was considering how to see the guest off, her left foot was grabbed by the man again. After dragging her dislocated left foot on the mountain road for so long, her feet were as cold as ice.

But the man in front of her didn't show any disgust. He held the soles of her feet, avoided the areas where the painkiller was applied, and wiped them carefully with a fine cotton towel.

Then she took off the other dirty shoe and sock. She hadn't noticed before that there was a big tear in the embroidered shoe on her right foot, and a big hole in the brocade sock was scratched by a branch. Her snow-covered feet were stained with mud, and the scratches had formed scabs.

Compared to the pain of a dislocated left foot, the pain from a scratch seems insignificant.

Xiao Mingyi lowered his brows and carefully treated her wound.

Song Lingyi pursed her lips.

"Thanks."

"You should know that what I want is not a thank you." Xiao Mingyi slowly raised his eyelids and caught a glimpse of the blush spreading to her neck. His eyes couldn't help but darken, and he forced himself to suppress those inappropriate and charming thoughts.

The atmosphere inexplicably became awkward, and time seemed to be stretched infinitely, becoming slow and torturous.

After a long moment, he suddenly said "OK" in a hoarse voice, then took a clean handkerchief and slowly wiped the remaining water stains on his hands.

Song Lingyi's eyes trembled slightly, and she retracted her feet and tucked them under her skirt.

"Your Highness, please excuse me tonight."

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "When does Your Highness plan to return to the capital?"

"Why, are you sending me away so soon?" Xiao Mingyi frowned, his tone cold and his eyes deep.

"No." Song Lingyi lowered her eyelashes and whispered, "The post station is not big, and all the rooms are occupied."

Seeing her well-behaved and quiet appearance, Xiao Mingyi wanted to tease her. He put the fine cotton handkerchief on the table and walked closer to her.

The candlelight was dim, and the thick shadow covered her like an airtight net. Song Lingyi supported her hands behind her back, her heart beating faster, and she turned her face away, not daring to look at him.

"What about your room?" The voice was low and magnetic.

Song Lingyi was startled and her cheeks turned red and hot.

Amidst her chaotic thoughts, she caught a glimpse of the man smiling from the corner of her eye. She immediately realized that he was deliberately teasing her, so she frowned and raised her hand to push him away.

Before he could even utter a word of rebuke, Xiao Mingyi righteously replied, "What are you thinking? I spent so much time and energy saving you tonight and treating your wounds. Is it that hard for you to let me stay in your room?"

"..." Song Lingyi was embarrassed.

This man must have done it on purpose!

"I can give it to you, but I'm afraid you won't be able to enjoy it."

Xiao Mingyi raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced at the second floor. "Okay, where is your room? I want to see what kind of room it is that I am not lucky enough to enjoy."

"You..." Seeing that he was really going to stay, Song Lingyi's eyes panicked for a moment, "Don't you have to attend the morning court?"

"It's a morning court, I have to attend every day." Xiao Mingyi stretched lazily. "It's dark and the road is slippery. I'm delicate and fragile, so I'll just have to rest here for one night."

Seeing her dull expression, his thin lips curled up slightly: "Why, you can't bear to let go again?"

"Go upstairs and find the second room on the left. The bedding inside is all new. I haven't used it yet. You—"

Before she could finish her words, her entire body suddenly hung in mid-air, and her head slammed into a hard, warm wall of flesh. Song Lingyi subconsciously wrapped her arms around the man's neck and cried out in panic, "What are you doing?"

Xiao Mingyi didn't say anything. He carried her into the room, walked around the folding screen, and put her on the bed.

The room is dimly lit.

The bed curtains were private, with only the two of them inside. Song Lingyi raised her eyes and saw the man's eyes were as dark as ink, staring straight at her.

Their eyes met, and he suddenly reached out to her, feeling flustered for a moment.

Song Lingyi's heart skipped a beat. Just as she was at a loss, Xiao Mingyi brushed away the strands of hair that were sticking to her cheek and said gently, "I won't tease you anymore. Have a good rest."

After saying that, the crimson figure stood up and left.

The faint candlelight was no longer blocked and finally penetrated through the bed curtain, illuminating Song Lingyi's face, as if it was painted with a touch of delicate rouge.

"Did you have someone following me again?"

The crimson figure stopped beside the folding screen, turned his head slightly, and looked back at her.

Silent admission.

"Is it the group of people in the courtyard?"

"Du Xuan is my confidant. I will feel at ease when they escort you to Huaizhou City," he said.

Song Lingyi lowered her eyes slightly, pondered for two breaths, and said, "Then don't let them secretly protect us. The forest is cold and full of snakes, insects, rats and ants. Let them follow the caravan."

Faint moonlight filtered through the half-open window. Xiao Mingyi's eyes were bright, and his black ice-like phoenix eyes were filled with excitement and ecstasy. He walked straight to the bed and held the person in his arms.