Chapter 209 Bracelet

"Xiao Ze is dead, Duan Mengmeng is dead, and Zhou is dead, too. They were all designed by me."

"You don't know, they died in such a tragic way." As she said this, she hugged herself and slowly squatted on the ground.

"It was the kind of hope that was annihilated, complete despair, I let them kill each other..."

"Hahahaha, and Zhou, before she died, she was still racking her brains to find a way to save Xiao Ze. I don't understand, after he treated her like that, why did she still help him? She's really a complete idiot...!"

"Then I stabbed her to death."

She raised her hand and slowly stroked the scar on her face. "I am soft-hearted after all. I didn't even cut her face a few times."

"hiss--"

She suddenly fell to the ground and rolled over. "It hurts so much..."

"Damn it, why didn't he kill me, why didn't he just kill me."

The fire snake was slowly devouring her. Duan Yingying had enough opportunities and time to escape, but she didn't.

Shen Anan watched her writhing in pain on the ground, pursing her lips and saying nothing.

“Chen…Chen An’an, am I really that powerful? I’m no worse than Duan Mengmeng, right?”

She raised her head with difficulty, her dusty face full of stubbornness.

"I am no worse than her. It is those people in the Duan family who have misjudged her."

She suddenly roared.

Perhaps she had no strength left, she lay on her back on the ground, motionless, "Those people deserved everything. They were the ones who put their hopeless despair on me, I just gave it back to them."

“All those who have wronged me deserve to die, all deserve to die!!!

She stared at the direction of the courtyard gate.

But he wasn't looking at Shen Anan.

"Sure enough, I was about to die, and they refused to even look at me."

She laughed softly, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"Aristocratic families are heartless. It's better to be the daughter of a peasant family and live a happy and free life."

“Farmers also sell their children.” Shen Anan said calmly.

It's better to be like the Duan family. Although they are heartless, at least they are not short of food and clothing, and they were brought up in pampered care.

If you meet a ruthless farmer, I'm afraid not even a bone will be left.

“Ha, ha, ha.”

She fell to the ground and said, "You're right. I won't be a human anymore. It's too hard."

"Go ahead, thank you for coming to see me."

Her eyes slowly returned to normal, almost the same as when they first met at the Yongning Marquis' Mansion.

Shen Anan nodded slightly, then slowly turned and left in the flames.

It only took a moment for her to regain her senses, and Duan Yingying's painful wails rang out again, sounding mournful in the dark night.

Shen Anan felt that she had to make this trip just to prove the recognition and value that she had never received in the Duan family.

After leaving the Second Prince's Mansion, the harsh sound gradually disappeared.

"Why are your hands so cold? Are you scared?" Xiao Yuan held her hand and pressed it against his lips and exhaled.

"no."

She couldn't explain how she felt. She felt uncomfortable and heavy in her heart.

"Most of the time, people are trapped and die from paranoia."

Everyone has his or her own obsession. Duan Yingying's obsession is probably the Duan family, which has never been recognized.

And despair after hope again and again.

She lowered her eyes, and her profile looked particularly dark in the night.

Xiao Yuan said nothing and held her tightly in his arms.

"It doesn't matter. Now, I'm more paranoid than you."

He knew she must be thinking of those things again.

The carriage stopped at the Fourth Prince's residence.

The gong for the third watch rang, and she was so tired that she could hardly open her eyelids.

Xiao Yuan didn't want to wake her up, so he bent down and carried her out of the car.

Shen Anan opened her sleepy eyes and said, "I can walk back by myself."

"Be good and go to sleep. You can be more unrestrained at home."

She didn't struggle and slowly closed her eyes.

When I woke up, it was already noon.

The fatigue from several days finally dissipated a lot.

"Wake up." A low, hoarse voice sounded.

She turned her head and saw Xiao Yuan in a shirt, leaning lazily on the soft pillow and glancing at her.

I don’t know when I woke up.

"Why haven't you left yet?"

"Where are you going?"

"...Aren't you busy with government affairs?"

"Not busy," he raised his hand to hook her hair and twist it around his fingertips, "Did you get enough sleep?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Then it's my turn."

Before Shen Anan could react, he leaned over and pressed on her.

"I've slept for a whole night and haven't washed up yet." She raised her hand to block it, and her wrist hit the edge of the bed, making a crisp tinkling sound.

Xiao Yuan paused and turned his head to look at the bracelet on her wrist.

She panicked and immediately tucked herself into the quilt.

Xiao Yuan withdrew his gaze and stared at her with his dark eyes.

Afraid that he would think more, Shen Anan did not dare to explain.

"Why have I never seen you wearing that bracelet?"

"I've been wearing it all the time. Maybe you didn't notice it."

"Really?" He stared at her, his eyes full of scrutiny.

Shen Anan lowered her head guiltily, hiding in his arms as if she was shy.

"Did someone give it to you when you went to Jiangnan?" Seeing that she avoided the question, Xiao Yuan narrowed his eyes dangerously and asked.

She was stunned and at the same time let out a long sigh of relief.

"No, I bought it for fun. It's just an ordinary bracelet."

"really?"

"If you don't believe me, ask Qingfeng and Li Huaiyan. They are busy killing people every day in Jiangnan. How can they have time for flowers and moonlight?"

The wariness in Xiao Yuan's eyes faded away, and he leaned over to cover her red lips.

After half an hour of whispering in each other's ears, he was still insisting on asking, "Who do you want to spend time with under the moonlight? Hmm?"

"…Isn't that what you said? I was just explaining it to you."

She spoke with a dry mouth, but he was still conflicted.

She simply shut up, curled up in the quilt like a puddle of mud, closed her eyes and pretended to be dead.

"Tired?"

He stroked the top of her head, and Shen Anan knew for the first time that a man could speak so "gently."

"Maybe it's because I haven't been active for a month, so I'm a little rusty. I'll get my strength back after staying at home for a while."

“…”

Shen Anan turned over, closed her eyes and didn’t want to talk.

"Master." Qing'an's voice came in, "The carriage and things are ready."

"Um."

Shen Anan frowned and turned around slowly, "Are you going on a long journey?"

"Go back to my mother's house."

“…”

He turned over and got out of bed, and Shen Anan immediately climbed out from the quilt, staring at his back as he got dressed.

"Why are you going back to your mother's house?"

"Shen family, I haven't had a drink with my father-in-law for a while. I heard that my eldest brother-in-law's marriage has been settled, so I naturally have to go back and take a look."

Hearing that his eldest brother's marriage was set, Shen Anan immediately put on his clothes and went to bed, "When was it set? Why didn't I hear about it?"

Xiao Yuan turned around and looked at her.

The middle garment obscured a large part of the view, but revealed her slender arms and legs. She stood barefoot in the room, her feet so white that they were blinding.

His eyes gradually became deep and dark.

Shen Anan was so familiar with his gaze that she immediately turned around and trotted back to the bed, covering herself with the quilt.

Xiao Yuan's eyes showed dissatisfaction, "Do you really have to be so defensive against me?"

“As for.”

"..." He retracted his gaze and fastened his belt, "Hurry up, or you will miss lunch."

"Um,"

She had been thinking about going back to the Shen family yesterday, but she didn't expect that Xiao Yuan had already prepared everything for her.

Mo Xiang and Mo Ran came in and helped her get up and wash. When everything was ready, Xiao Yuan was already standing in the yard waiting.

The day she came back, she was exhausted and looked very unkempt in her men's attire. Now that she has changed back into women's clothes, she feels refreshed and relaxed.

He stared at her for a long moment.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"

Xiao Yuan shook his head slowly, walked over and took her hand, "Let's go."

He just felt that the empty house finally had some human touch again.

There was a crystal bracelet on the wrist he was holding, and Shen Anan pulled her sleeve down inconspicuously to cover the bracelet.

A quarter of an hour later.

Before Shen Anan got off the carriage, she heard Madam Shen's crying voice.

"mother."

Mrs. Shen was standing in front of the carriage. She immediately grabbed her hand and helped her get off the carriage, then held her in her arms.

"You're finally back. During the time you were gone, my heart felt like it was being fried in oil. I couldn't sleep or eat well."

“My daughter is back safely, not a single hair is missing.” She patted Mrs. Shen’s back soothingly.

She suddenly caught a glimpse of someone out of the corner of her eye, and her almond-shaped eyes were filled with surprise.

"Miss Lin, you..."

“Let’s talk about it when we get back home.” Madam Shen patted the back of her hand, took her hand with one hand, and took the other hand behind Shen Changhe, and the girl, who was dressed very inconspicuously, walked towards the mansion.

"Did you encounter any danger along the way? Are you injured?" Mrs. Shen asked a series of questions in the banquet hall.

Shen Wen and Shen Changhe also stared at Shen Anan.

"There is no danger. The Fourth Prince has arranged for the officials along the way. There are also secret guards and Duke Li."

"That's good." Mrs. Shen breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Changhe and Shen Wen's frowning brows did not relax.

Shen Changhe knew a lot of details, but he never mentioned them because he was afraid his family would worry.

Lin Yurou looked at them with a smile and sat quietly aside.

After talking for a while, Shen Anan took the initiative to stand up, "You guys chat first, Miss Lin and I will go for a walk in the yard."

Mrs. Shen, "Okay, then I'll go to the kitchen to see how the lunch preparations are going."

"good."

Lin Yurou glanced at Shen Changhe, stood up, followed Shen Anan out of the banquet hall, and went to Shen Anan’s previous boudoir.

Mo Xiang closed the door and stood outside to prevent others from approaching. Then Shen Anan asked, "How is the Lin family? You—"

She wanted to ask her why she was at the Shen family, but she was afraid that she would think too much, so she didn't say it.

Lin Yurou smiled faintly, "As soon as the news of your victory over the bandits came back, the Lin family lifted the ban with the help of the Fourth Prince. Everything is fine now, but my father was still implicated and lost his official position. But as long as we are all alive, it's good enough."

"What about you?"

"I—" Lin Yurou paused and pursed her red lips slightly.

“I was secretly brought out from the Lin family by Master Shen when I was imprisoned.”

Shen Anan was stunned for a moment.

So, she has been living in the Shen family all these days?

"But what happened?"

“Not really.” Lin Yurou forced a smile, “It’s just that those officers and soldiers were not very disciplined.”

She didn't say much about the details, but Shen Anan understood.

Those officers and soldiers were ordered to guard the Lin family, so it was inevitable that they would encounter some difficulties. But they actually had dirty thoughts about the ladies from the official family, which was really outrageous.