In that instant, Shu Yun's aura was too strong. Although his expression did not change, Yanran felt suppressed.

She hesitated for a moment, then murmured, "You..."

She had barely begun to speak when her gaze passed over Shu Yun and landed on a tall, slender figure passing by the gate of the Xie family mansion behind Shu Yun.

Her gaze was fixed on the figure, and she dragged her frozen legs, taking one difficult step at a time, toward that person.

She hadn't seen Xie Fu for several months since their parting at the Wan family home.

The man looked exactly the same as when she first met him: tall and thin, with a cold expression.

Today, instead of wearing his previous black, narrow-sleeved Hu-style robe, he changed into a casual outfit, which made him appear less aloof and more gentle. His black hair was unbound and casually draped over his shoulders.

From the very first moment she saw him, she was deeply attracted to him. He possessed an innate arrogance and haughtiness, every inch of his being screaming with pride, yet it was impossible to dislike him.

He is worthy of this arrogance; he is the future king of Xiliang, and it is only right that way.

When she first put this man in her heart, there was no woman named Shu Yun yet, and no one could stay by his side.

He was the heir of the Xie family, arrogant and disdainful of everyone, and he seemed unwilling to waste time on personal relationships.

She was a little worried about whether she could successfully get to his side, but so what? At least no one could take him away, and no one else was occupying the spot next to him.

Yanran clutched her skirt and staggered toward the man.

Wearing a dark cloak, Xie Fu strode in from the doorway with a serious expression.

Viewed from the side, the handsome man in black and the beautiful girl in red were running towards each other. To an uninformed person, it would seem like a scene from a novel, so beautiful it would be touching.

Yanran cleared her throat, a sharp pain shooting through it.

She called softly, "Young Master."

The dark cloak, carrying frost and snow, passed straight past her without stopping for a moment.

Yanran stood there, her lips slightly parted, stunned.

The person she had been longing for all night finally appeared before her, but he swept past her like a gust of wind, taking away the warmth from her body.

Shu Yun looked up at the person standing in front of her.

His expression was somewhat cold, and his thin eyelids made him seem even more distant when he looked down at people.

He stared at her coldly, without saying a word.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Shu Yun quietly withdrew her hand, which was still sticking out of the cloak, and pulled it closed tightly.

Her little movements did not escape Xie Fu's eyes, and he reached out and took her hand.

A chilling coldness.

I don't know how long she stood in the winter wind, but her hands were completely cold.

Xie Fu was furious. "I had so many charcoal braziers stuffed into your room, but you prefer to come out here and enjoy the cold wind, huh?"

Without waiting for her reply, he coldly looked at the maid standing beside him holding a hand warmer, "You take out the hand warmer but don't give it to your mistress, yet you use it yourself first?"

The maid's face turned pale instantly, and she knelt down in the snow with a thud. "Young Master, please forgive me. The hand warmer is soaked with snow water and is no longer warm."

Shu Yun walked a short distance in front of him, her nose almost touching his.

She looked up at him, her voice gentle, "The hand warmer accidentally fell into the snow and became unusable, so I asked them to hold it for me."

Xie Fu's eyelids drooped, and he didn't react to her words. He just pulled her towards the mansion.

With both hands held in his palms, Shu Yun felt awkward walking, as if she were a prisoner with her hands cuffed.

Neither of them turned their heads, paused, or even glanced at Yanran as they walked past her.

Yanran felt as if someone was gripping her heart, and the pain was unbearable.

The problem she once imagined has now come true in another woman's life.

Even someone as arrogant and conceited as him could be kind to another woman and have loving moments with her as husband and wife.

It was even better than she had ever imagined.

He rushed out after receiving news that the woman had gone out, and his face darkened as he reprimanded the servants because she hadn't been holding the hand warmer properly.

So this is what Shu Yun meant when she said she wanted to see him one last time.

She knew very well that even if she stayed at the Xie residence's gate all night, dancing the Hu Xuan dance incessantly, she would get nothing but an increasingly cold body.

Only if Shu Yun arrives will the Xie family, with its numerous spies, immediately pass the message to Xie Fu, allowing her to see him.

A wave of sorrow welled up inside Yanran, an uncontrollable sorrow for herself.

She was indeed inferior to this woman named Shu Yun, who pitied her deep affection and granted her wish to end her longing, but she knocked over the hand warmer that the woman offered to warm her hands.

She should have refused her offer and returned the hand warmer untouched, thus saving herself some face.

She didn't mean to leave her cold in the winter wind, but this experience was good, as it made her realize the situation and that she truly held no weight in the young master's heart.

Snowflakes fell on the stone lions at the gate, and red lanterns hung outside the Xie mansion's high gate. In addition to the gate, red lanterns were also hung on the eaves of the houses inside the Xie mansion, indicating that good things would happen to the mansion in the near future.

Yanran quietly watched the two leave. The vermilion gate slowly closed behind them, her vision blocked by a patch of red and scattered white.

It's as if an invisible line has been drawn between heaven and earth; on the other side of the line, there is harmonious music, while on this side, there is only disappointment and loneliness.

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