Chapter 25 Affection Stirred "Second Young Master, it seems you like me..."

Xue Chan hesitated for a moment, then said to Yun Sheng, "Don't worry, go ahead."

Yun Sheng refused to leave and was pulled by Chu Tao to stand under the tree. But she was still sulking and glaring coldly at Jiang Ce.

Now only two people were left standing on the bridge.

She patiently asked him, "What brings you here, Second Young Master?"

Jiang Ce looked at her, thought for a moment, and said nonchalantly, "What? Does it have to be something?"

Xue Chan: "......"

What else? Does she seem to have a lot of free time?

She covered her tightly clenched hands with her sleeve and breathed silently.

Jiang Ce then stepped forward, tilting his body slightly to the side, and waved the football in front of Xue Chan, speaking in a cheerful tone.

"Look what this is!"

Xue Chan frowned, glanced at him, and said nothing.

Jiang Ce ignored her silence and answered his own question.

"This is a prize, a prize for the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) match."

Xue Chan sighed softly: "So what?"

"so?"

He raised his chin, looking down at her, and spoke each word carefully.

"I won."

Xue Chan was completely confused. Why had she come to stop her just to say this?

Yun Sheng and Chu Tao, standing by the bridge, muttered to themselves, "Is there something wrong with him? What does this have to do with us?"

Jiang Ce crossed his arms and turned around: "I heard that. Who said it has nothing to do with you?"

Xue Chan felt a headache coming on; how could there be such a person in this world?

There was nothing she liked about it.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but after hesitating for a long time, she really didn't know what to say, so she closed her mouth again.

Seeing that Xue Chan was standing there without reacting, Jiang Ce tossed the football in his hand into her arms.

Xue Chan instinctively reached out and caught it.

He felt a surge of satisfaction when he saw her catch the ball.

"I'm in a good mood, so I'll give it to you."

Jiang Ce smiled, put his hands on his hips, bent down to look Xue Chan in the eye, and smiled broadly.

"so-----"

He then threw out another nonsensical remark.

It's not 'okay'.

"Yes, very, very, very good."

"I, Jiang Ce, am unmatched in every way, from appearance to family background. Not to mention the capital, even in the entire Liang Dynasty, how many people can compare to me? Countless girls dream of me, longing for me but unable to win my heart. If I were you, I would be making offerings to the gods and Buddhas every day."

He looked smug, with a bright smile.

Xue Chan did not answer, but looked up at the water, regretting that she hadn't left earlier and had stayed to listen to him.

Jiang Ce was still talking nonstop, and Xue Chan looked up at him.

She had long, deep-set eyes, bright and beautiful. She was very tall, but not thin; she was slender and graceful.

His light pink silk robe, with its subtle patterns shimmering in the light, made him appear even more radiant yet not gaudy. A silver belt accentuated his narrow waist, and his hair, tied high with a silver crown, was impeccably neat and clean.

She has such a pleasing face, but her mouth is so awkward when it opens and closes.

Xue Chan thought he was like a peacock wearing a pink robe.

Not only was it flashy and ostentatious, but it also talked a lot, chattering on and on until her ears hurt.

The more Xue Chan looked at that face, the more disgusted and annoyed she felt.

She closed her eyes in despair, clutching the football tightly, and gave a bitter smile.

Xue Chan took a deep breath and spoke.

"So what?"

"I don't like it."

Jiang Ce's beaming expression froze.

It seems he said so much, but the other person didn't listen to a single word.

He became somewhat exasperated, and his tone turned harsh.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Xue Chan, you have such poor taste. Someone like me is someone many people could only dream of. If it weren't for His Majesty's marriage decree, you would never have met someone as good as me in your entire life."

"If I were you, I would go to the temple to burn incense and pray for blessings."

"What a pity, such a good husband of mine should be matched with the best girl in the world."

"If you don't like me, it's because you have no taste!"

Jiang Ce laughed again as he spoke, a hint of excitement in his eyes.

"But it's okay, I love seeing other people suffer. Especially you, you absolutely mustn't like me, it'll be very painful for you."

He rambled on and on, and even poked Xue Chan's hair with his finger.

One after another.

"Do you know?"

Xue Chan took a breath, brushed his hand away, and looked up to meet Jiang Ce's eyes as he looked down at her.

"Second Young Master, you are learned, how could you not know the principle that 'golden waves cannot surpass the waves of the Marquis of Yang, and jade horses cannot gallop a thousand miles'? There are many people in this world who are all show and no substance, good to look at but useless inside."

Useless? She actually said he was useless?

When she said that, Jiang Ce laughed and moved even closer.

Xue Chan saw a flamboyant face loom down, blocking the light from her eyes.

Xue Chan

Jiang Ce called her name, his voice clear and gentle.

But his smile was playful and meaningful.

"You'd better pray that I'm both good-looking and useful."

"Otherwise, you'll be the one who suffers."

Jiang Ce was so carried away by his success that he spoke without restraint, saying whatever came to mind.

Xue Chan's expression turned cold, and she glared at him.

Jiang Ce was instantly annoyed by her glare.

"Did I say something wrong? Why are you glaring at me?"

Xue Chan could no longer bear it and suddenly raised her foot to stomp on him.

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Ce quickly took a step back, dodging the attack. He was also quite taken aback, not expecting Xue Chan to actually make a move.

However, he was clever and resourceful, and managed to prevent her from succeeding and suffering any losses.

It was so refreshing!

Jiang Ce then put his hands on his hips and laughed maliciously and smugly.

"Hey, you can't step on it!"

Xue Chan didn't let it go. She took a deep breath and immediately switched feet to kick him as a cover.

In the back and forth, Xue Chan kicked his shin this time, which surprised Jiang Ce.

But then he felt embarrassed and annoyed, and without thinking, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward.

She didn't know her limits and stumbled as she tried to fall off the bridge.

Jiang Ce reacted quickly and pulled her back, and the two bumped into each other.

Xue Chan looked up, and Jiang Ce looked down. Their eyes met unexpectedly, creating an awkward moment.

Caught off guard, his heart pounded, and his cheeks flushed red to his ears.

Xue Chandi's gaze fell on his hand, which was still clutching her sleeve, and she sneered, "Second Young Master, it seems you're not being sincere. You actually like me?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Jiang Ce immediately twisted her arm and shoved her away, pointing a finger at her. "Who likes you? It's shameless for a young lady to say such things!"

Xue Chan stumbled from his push, but steadied herself by holding onto the bridge railing, her brows furrowing slightly.

That guy is really asking for trouble.

Jiang Ce's disparaging words came out without hesitation, as if he had found a reason.

He took a step closer and looked down at Xue Chan.

"Like you? You're dreaming."

"Social background? A respectable family, not bad. Looks? Average, far inferior to mine. As for character..."

Jiang Ce felt a deep sense of sympathy when he mentioned this: "It's utterly despicable! That's one thing, but they have absolutely no sense of propriety befitting a young lady from a respectable family."

Xue Chan blushed deeply at his words, feeling utterly ashamed.

He felt he had the upper hand and started babbling on and on, his voice echoing throughout the entire embankment.

He spoke faster and faster, became more and more excited, and went further and further than before.

Xue Chan pursed her lips and lowered her head slightly.

"Stop talking."

Hearing the slightly choked voice, Jiang Ce stopped his rambling. Although he knew his words had been a bit harsh, he couldn't bring himself to say it, so he stubbornly insisted, "Am I wrong?"

Xue Chan's voice was low and tinged with bitterness.

"Yes, you're right."

Jiang Ce simply said, "It's good that you know."

Unexpectedly, Xue Chan suddenly looked up, her eyes and nose red, her eyes brimming with glistening tears.

But she bit her lip, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall, her eyes brimming like a small lake.

Jiang Ce suddenly felt uncomfortable: "You..."

“You’re right, I come from a humble background, and I know it’s my great fortune to have been able to climb into the household of the Marquis of Wu’an. But why do you have to be so harsh?”

She sobbed, tears streaming down her face like beads, as if they were falling to the ground.

"Could it be...could it be...that I am really so worthless? Do I have absolutely no good qualities?"

This was the first time Jiang Ce had ever seen her cry, and he was immediately flustered and at a loss, wishing he could slap himself twice for what he had just done.

The words of comfort I wanted to say were stuck in my throat, and I just couldn't get them out.

He became anxious and stammered.

"Um, I wasn't serious, don't take it to heart..."

To everyone's surprise, Xue Chan cried even harder, tears streaming down her face, and choked out, "You're not serious? But how can you just say such hurtful things so casually?"

Her eyes were red and swollen with tears, and she looked at Jiang Ce and tears fell again.

"I know, the second young master is just trying to comfort me out of pity for me seeing me in tears."

Jiang Ce waved his hands repeatedly, extremely annoyed, little did he know that he had made a fool of himself.

He wanted to reach out and wipe away her tears, but he felt conflicted because of the formalities.

Unexpectedly, Xue Chan covered her face and ran away from him, crying, heading towards the bridge below.

Chu Tao was very worried and wanted to chase after him, but Yun Sheng stopped her and smiled gently.

"Chutao, let's not bother them. It will only make things worse."

"ah?"

Chu Tao looked surprised, wondering why Yun Sheng had suddenly changed his personality.

But he was worried about Xue Chan, so he stood there stamping his feet.

Jiang Ce took off after her, and in a few strides he reached out and grabbed Xue Chan's sleeve. But Xue Chan turned around and pulled away, avoiding him.

Jiang Ce couldn't see her face clearly, but he could hear her sobbing.

He stretched out his arms to block Xue Chan from running away, but she slipped under his arms in an instant.

Jiang Ce continued to pull, but Xue Chan was very agile, crying as she pulled, and she didn't even get her sleeve touched.

As they struggled, they reached the water's edge. He kept apologizing, "It was my fault, I was so mean. I was just saying things in anger, not a single word of it was true."

"You're not bad, you're great. Look how well you can draw, aren't you amazing?"

Xue Chan was still crying, her shoulders trembling slightly. She huddled by the water's edge, arms crossed, burying her face in it. No matter how much he apologized or tried to comfort her, she wouldn't lift her head; instead, she cried even harder.

Jiang Ce stepped onto the stacked white stones and squatted down to comfort her.

"Please stop crying, I'm begging you."

If someone sees this, you'll have no way of explaining yourself even if you fall into the lake.

He apologized repeatedly, even bowing.

Beneath her apricot-yellow long dress, her embroidered shoes peeked out, and with a gentle touch, the pile of white stones loosened and fell into the water with a splash.

Jiang Ce lost his balance and fell straight into Fuguang Pool.

He instinctively reached out to grab Xue Chan, but Xue Chan had already retreated to the shore without him noticing, so he could only grab the drooping willow branches.

But the newly sprouted willow branches were delicate and fragile, and could not withstand the pulling at all, breaking off in my hand.

Jiang Ce fell into the water.

The slightly cold water instantly swept him down, startling the fish swimming in the water, which scattered in an instant.

Jiang Ce held his breath, looked up at the bright water, and swam up.

He leaped out of the pond. The spring sun was rising to the treetops, casting dazzling light through the gaps in the thin, soft leaves.

The sunlight was so bright that he couldn't open his eyes for a moment, but he could vaguely see flower petals falling and landing on his face, making him feel a little itchy.

Jiang Ce was about to reach out and open it when he heard a laugh.

The sound was not loud, just a light "splash," falling onto the water's surface along with the sunlight.

A thin cloud obscured the sun, making it less glaring. Jiang Ce floated in the water, wiped the water from his face, and opened his eyes.

Xue Chan was still squatting by the water, her face peeking out from under her arms.

Her eyes were red at the corners, and there were tears in them. When she smiled, even glistening tears rolled down her cheeks.

Her eyes were curved, with slightly upturned corners, like two small hooks.

There was not a trace of grievance or sadness in her voice; she was cunning and playful, with a lively and mischievous air about her having succeeded.

That wasn't a polite smile; it was a distant one.

It is vivid and lively.

He seemed to have never seen Xue Chan like this before.

Jiang Ce was somewhat stunned. Behind her was a curtain of thousands of willow branches hanging down, dotted with peach blossoms.

At that moment, thin clouds drifted by, and the light and shadows danced through the branches, falling on her, illuminating her, and enveloping her.

Xue Chan's face was extremely bright, like jade, radiating a pure and lustrous light.

Jiang Ce was immersed in water, which dripped continuously down his brow bone and jawline. At first, it was rapid, drip-drip-drip, then it gradually slowed down, disappearing on his cheeks before it even reached the bottom, leaving only a strange sensation.

It floats out of the body; it's invisible, intangible, yet impossible to ignore.

And so she, like those thin clouds, drifted aimlessly.

"Second Young Master"

Xue Chan's smile grew even brighter, surpassing even the spring sunshine; her voice and demeanor were clear, cheerful, and joyful.

"Underestimating the enemy is a cardinal sin in warfare."

Xue Chan stood up, straightened her clothes, and then bent down to pick up the football from the ground.

She turned around and smiled, saying, "I accept your kind intentions, my lord."

"The scenery of Fuguang Pond is picturesque. Second Young Master, please enjoy it here at your leisure. Farewell."

Jiang Ce unconsciously gripped the hem of his robe.

Ripples rose on the water's surface with the wind, and under the spring sun, the blue water shimmered with sparkling light like scattered stars.

They leaped and bounded, dazzling and blinding.

He closed his eyes, letting his body sway gently with the water.

When she opened her eyes again, there was no one left by the Fuguang Pond.

Only the bright spring sun shines, the peach blossom embankment lies quietly on the Fuguang Pond, the green willows sway gently on the shore, and the water ripples slowly.

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Author's Note: "Golden waves cannot surpass the waves of Yanghou, and jade horses cannot gallop a thousand miles"—from *Baopuzi*, Outer Chapters, "The Use of Punishments."