Soft, full lips collided with a pair of cool, thin lips. Warm breaths mingled for a moment, accompanied by a muffled groan and a cry of pain, before they quickly separated.

Startled and frightened, Ye Chaoxi braced herself against Xie Qinglan's chest and pushed her away, her eyes darting around in a panic. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Did I hurt you?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Ye Chaoxi saw a hint of red gradually seeping onto Xie Qinglan's pale lips, and she felt even more guilty. She hurriedly took out the handkerchief she always carried with her and pressed it to the wound on the corner of his mouth.

"You're bleeding, quickly apply pressure."

The handkerchief pressed against her lips, and the stinging sensation made Xie Qinglan subconsciously stick out her tongue and lightly lick it.

He immediately snapped back to reality.

Realizing that Ye Chaoxi had accidentally kissed him just now, and that the spot he had just licked was where her lips had lingered, still warm and moist from her touch, Xie Qinglan felt a surge of heat on his face.

This was the first time he had ever kissed a woman.

The aloofness and composure she usually maintained could no longer be maintained. Her dark, inky eyes were fixed on Ye Chaoxi's direction, like ripples spreading across a deep pool.

"You've already bled, and all you're going to do is apologize?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

Ye Chaoxi raised her eyes and looked at him cautiously, "So what do you want?"

Xie Qinglan stroked Ye Chaoxi's face, slowly sliding down along the curve of her cheek, outlining the shape of her small face in her palm, and finally reaching her chin. With a flick of her wrist, she hooked her chin and lifted it slightly, then lowered her head to follow her breath.

Ye Chaoxi turned her head to the side, missing Xie Qinglan's kiss.

Xie Qinglan froze for a moment, her heart, which had been pounding wildly just moments before, plummeting.

She dodged it.

He lowered his head and chuckled self-deprecatingly at Ye Chaoxi's neck. How could a cripple like him dare to believe that Ye Chaoxi would like him if she married him?

Ye Chaoxi spoke in a muffled voice, "Don't kiss me..."

She was thinking that since her lips were also bleeding, if he kissed her, wouldn't they both be sucking each other's blood?

She doesn't have that particular hobby.

Unexpectedly, he was interrupted by Zhuo Qing outside the carriage after only saying two words.

"Your Highness, Miss Biao has stopped our carriage."

It turned out that the carriage had stopped after a bumpy ride. Zhuo Qing called Xie Qinglan twice, but no one answered. He had no choice but to raise his voice and call again.

Xie Qinglan resumed her usual aloofness, placing Ye Chaoxi on the seat next to her. "Don't worry, I won't kiss you anymore."

Ye Chaoxi's eyes widened slightly. Had he misunderstood something?

Xie Qinglan lifted the carriage curtain, her already displeased face darkening even further, and asked in a cold voice, "What is it?"

"Miss Xie's carriage has broken down, and she would like to ride with us back to the Marquis's residence." Upon hearing Xie Qinglan's voice, Zhuo Qing quickly replied.

Ye Chaoxi looked out through the lifted carriage curtain and saw a frail woman standing in front of the carriage, swaying precariously in the autumn wind.

A carriage was parked behind her; it must have just returned from outside the city.

Ye Chaoxi did not see her on the day of the tea ceremony.

Seeing that the person in the carriage was finally paying attention to her, Zhang Wanshu couldn't help but take two steps forward, looking at Xie Qinglan with tears in her eyes, "Cousin, my carriage has broken down. It's still a long way from here to the Marquis's residence. Can I ride with you back to the Marquis's residence?"

The next moment, Xie Qinglan snapped the carriage curtain shut.

"Zhuo Qing, go around and return to the manor."

Ye Chaoxi, “…” He really has no mercy for women at all.

Zhuo Qing was unsurprised and whipped his horse to turn around, preparing to take a detour.

Zhang Wanshu's thin and frail body finally gave way, and she slumped to the side. Fortunately, the maid beside her caught her in time.

"Miss, Miss, what's wrong?"

"Young Master, my young lady has fainted! She went to the temple specifically to pray for you, and caught a cold on the way back. You can't be so heartless!" the maid shouted in the direction the carriage had left.

This attracted the attention of those around them, who might have thought they had overheard some gossip about a heartless man abandoning his lover.

Ye Chaoxi naturally heard it too.

She leaned against the carriage, her long, delicate eyelashes lifting as she glanced at Xie Qinglan, whose face was cold. "Who is she? I've never seen her before?"

Xie Qinglan closed her eyes to rest. "Zhang's niece has been staying at the mansion."

"Let her come up, so that people outside won't speculate about the relationship between the young master and her. If rumors spread like wildfire, it won't be good for the young master. It's better to invite her up openly. Anyway, I'm in the car." After Ye Chaoxi finished speaking, she called out to Zhuo Qing, "Stop the car."

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Qing stopped the carriage. "Madam, please let Miss Biao come up."

The maidservant quickly thanked her and helped Zhang Wanshu into the carriage.

The carriage set off again to return to the Marquis's residence.

It wasn't until they were almost back at the Marquis's residence that Zhang Wanshu slowly woke up, her eyes filled with tears, seemingly brimming with a thousand emotions. Finally, she gratefully said, "Thank you, cousin, for bringing me back."

Xie Qinglan kept her eyes closed lazily. "Your cousin-in-law sent you up."

Ye Chaoxi, “…” It’s like throwing a flirtatious glance at a blind man.

Zhang Wanshu seemed to only then realize who Ye Chaoxi was, and softly thanked her, "Thank you, cousin-in-law. I wasn't here when you married into the family. For the past half month, I've been in seclusion at a temple outside the capital, praying for my cousin, the young master."

"Wan Shu can't be by her cousin's side every day, so please ask your cousin's wife to help take care of him in the future. I'll be at ease as long as my cousin is happy."

Zhang Wanshu spoke with deep emotion.

Ye Chaoxi sneered inwardly. Was this little green tea trying to assert her dominance?

She wasn't one to suffer in silence, so she immediately said with a half-smile, "The young master is my husband, of course I will take good care of him. But you, Miss, you'd better not go to temples to pray for blessings in the future."

When Ye Chaoxi spoke, Zhang Wanshu noticed a scar on her lip that looked just like Xie Qinglan's. Her heart sank into a bitter, sour jealousy, like she had swallowed several lemons.

She dared not imagine how many times they had been intimate when she couldn't see them!

Xie Qinglan is usually indifferent and aloof to everyone, so why would he be close to a woman he found in the countryside?

Suppressing her heartache, she asked, "Why? I just want my cousin, the young master, to get better. Doesn't my cousin's wife want his leg to get better too?"

"You've been praying for almost a month, but your cousin's leg hasn't improved at all. He still has to use a wheelchair. So don't waste your energy."

Zhang Wanshu was overjoyed. Ye Chaoxi kept talking about Xie Qinglan's leg not getting better, which was going to break her cousin's taboo!

She looked at Xie Qinglan expectantly, hoping he would give Ye Chaoxi a cold scolding on the spot.

Xie Qinglan's face did turn cold, but she didn't scold Ye Chaoxi; instead, she reprimanded her.

"Who told you to meddle? I don't need your blessings."

Zhang Wanshu's face was pale, and her thin figure began to sway precariously again. As soon as she arrived at the Marquis's residence, her maid helped her out of the carriage and back to her courtyard.

Ye Chaoxi felt that this little green tea was a bit weak in combat.

Back at Tinglan Garden, Ye Chaoxi offered to give him acupuncture, but Xie Qinglan refused.

"Let Doctor Xue come. He examined me twice yesterday, so he should know how."