Heart to Heart

"Calm down, calm down." She silently told herself to calm down, constantly hypnotizing herself, "Hang in there, just a little bit more, you have to succeed."

Xiao Heng'an noticed her shyness and decided to tease her instead.

He put one arm around her waist and the other hand around her right shoulder, then turned around and pressed her onto the bed.

"What are you thinking about?" He gazed at her from his superior position, scrutinizing her.

The person on the bed, suddenly having the initiative taken away, felt awkward for a moment, then quickly climbed onto his neck and said with a smile, "I'm thinking about how to make my cousin more comfortable."

Xiao Heng'an traced her cheek with his long, slender fingers and exclaimed, "This face is truly perfect."

He caressed her inch by inch, his fingertips touching behind her ear. The person on the bed quickly pressed down on Xiao Heng'an's restless hand, slowly pulling it away, and said with a smile, "I'm ticklish."

Xiao Heng'an seemed to have seen through something, nodded in agreement, and then looked at her quietly.

The person in bed felt guilty under his gaze, thinking to themselves, "Why is the medicine taking so long to work? There's always something going to happen, I have to finish this quickly."

She hooked her arm around his neck and pressed down, revealing a silver needle at her fingertips.

"Your Highness."

Song Ming's voice rang out at just the right moment. The person on the bed hurriedly put away the silver needles. Song Ming pushed open the door and entered, saying, "Miss Ranyi has arrived."

Xiao Heng'an stood up and straightened his clothes, saying calmly, "Please ask her to wait in the hall."

Song Ming stopped walking inward and replied, "Yes."

Ji Lin hurriedly got out of bed, feeling guilty as if she had been caught doing something wrong. She quickly said goodbye, "Cousin is busy, I'll go first."

She rushed out and met Li Ranyi, who was entering the courtyard.

“Miss Li.” Ji Lin regained her composure and greeted him with a smile.

Li Ranyi smiled back, her eyes scanning her from head to toe, her gaze finally settling on her slightly disheveled collar.

“It is a good thing that Miss and His Highness have a deep sibling bond, but they must know that affection should be expressed but kept within the bounds of propriety in order to last. Moreover, His Highness’s marriage to the Princess is approaching, so it is best not to cause any more trouble, lest it implicate His Highness.”

Ji Lin blushed and hurriedly left.

Xiao Heng'an came out dressed in his robes, and Li Ranyi was standing by the table, savoring a piece of pastry.

She asked with a smile, "This snack is really ordinary, so why does His Highness Prince Jin enjoy it so much?"

Xiao Heng'an walked to the window, his gaze drifting lightly into the distance, and said, "People are just interesting."

A gentle breeze was blowing outside, and the setting sun cast its warm glow upon people, replacing the sweltering heat of summer with a hazy, comforting warmth.

"Interesting?" Li Ranyi pondered the word carefully, then asked, "Who are you referring to?"

Xiao Heng'an's eyes softened. "From beginning to end, it's only you."

Li Ranyi nodded and sat down. "Since that's the case, I won't say any more. What do you think about the tea plantation?"

Xiao Heng'an countered, "What do you think?"

Li Ranyi replied, "As the saying goes, a true hermit lives in the city. My cousin is impeccable in terms of talent, learning, character, and appearance. However, after his hardships, he has secluded himself in a corner, indifferent to worldly affairs, much like a banished immortal. I'm afraid he no longer wants to get involved in outside matters."

Xiao Heng'an shook his head, "Young Master Hua is a gentleman. A gentleman knows what to do and what not to do, and he makes that very clear. It's just that the time isn't right yet." He then asked, "How is his hand injury?"

Li Ranyi said, "It seems that the old injury has not healed and the sudden pressure has aggravated the injury. It will not be healed for a while."

The pain of a torn tendon is the most deadly, not only physically but also psychologically, leaving a shadow that can never be shaken off for a lifetime.

Hua Lingchen's silence without falling into depravity already demonstrates immense courage, and his composure in the face of adversity is rare indeed.

Xiao Heng'an is not someone who easily trusts others, but he is willing to trust those whom Gu Jinning trusts.

He said, "I will use the name of your Li family to find a doctor to treat his old ailment."

Li Ranyi had the same idea, and she and Xiao Heng'an hit it off immediately, so she readily agreed.

As the sun set, Li Ranyi got up to say goodbye. Just as she was about to leave the house, she saw Ji Lin enter the courtyard, looking hurried.

Li Ranyi nodded slightly to her and brushed past her.

Ji Lin, flustered, lost her composure and stared blankly as Li Ranyi walked away. When she came to her senses, she was about to go into the study.

Xiao Heng'an suddenly appeared under the eaves, looking down at her.

Ji Lin hurriedly bowed, "Cousin."

Xiao Heng'an said coldly, "Didn't I tell you not to come in and out of here casually?"

Ji Lin knelt down, head bowed, and murmured her apology, "Lin'er knows she was wrong, Lin'er just..."

She stammered, unable to explain herself, and could only say, "Lin'er didn't know Miss Li was here, and I apologize for the intrusion."

Xiao Heng'an said indifferently, "Go back." Then he walked past her and strode out of the courtyard and out of the mansion.

Ji Lin collapsed to the ground, her face pale.

She didn't remember how the versatile young man entered the Lotus Pond and knocked her unconscious. She only knew that when she woke up, she was lying under the bed again, with her hands and legs bound and her mouth sealed.

She couldn't call out, and no one came. After waiting for an unknown amount of time, someone entered the room, approached the bed, knelt down, and lifted the bed curtains, revealing a face just like hers, dressed in her clothes.

"We meet again, Miss. Do you know why I've come? Because you're so stupid! You actually left behind the note I wrote for you. How careless of you!"

The ever-changing young man dragged her out and untied the ropes binding her hands. "You left the ropes on so I could easily tie you up?"

"Today, I will punish you lightly. Next time, I am not sure if I will let something slip in front of His Highness Prince Jin."

Ji Lin removed the gag and asked fearfully, "What did you do? What do you want?"

The ever-changing young man switched to a male voice, threateningly saying each word clearly, "The reward of three thousand taels of silver must be prepared within three days, and I will come to collect it at any time. If you dare to play any tricks again, I will make you lose everything and reunite with your family."

Ji Lin was truly frightened and immediately ran to Xiao Heng'an to confirm. However, upon seeing Li Ranyi, she felt a surge of suspicion, and Xiao Heng'an's cold attitude made her feel increasingly unbalanced.

She was afraid that the ever-changing young man would expose her disguise, and even more afraid that Li Ranyi would snatch Xiao Heng'an away from her first.

That's Li Ranyi, the epitome of a noble lady, Xiao Heng'an's confidante who fought alongside him on the front lines and spent every day with him. She's a greater threat than Gu Jinning.

The last rays of sunset faded on the horizon, and the moon quietly climbed onto the treetops.

Because of Xiao Liao's investigation, night markets in Kyoto were temporarily closed. Only rows of shops along the street hung lanterns to attract customers, making it neither deserted nor bustling.

The carriage of the Prince of Jin's residence clattered along and stopped in front of the Duke of Dingguo's residence.

The servant hurried to greet him and was about to inform Gu Weiju when Xiao Hengan stopped him.

Xiao Heng'an made an excuse that it was inconvenient to disturb the old Duke at night and went straight to Wangning Pavilion.

"What? Xiao Heng'an is here?"

Gu Jinning had just taken a bite of her hot meal when Yu Liu came to report. She felt uneasy; why did he always come at night?

While he was pondering, Xiao Heng'an had already entered the cabinet on his own.

"Having lunch?" He strode into the pavilion, glanced at the table laden with hot food, sat down, and said, "Perfect timing, I haven't eaten yet, want to join me?"

Now that everyone was seated, there was no reason to refuse. Gu Jinning could only instruct Qinglian to prepare another set of bowls and chopsticks, muttering, "It's not very proper for a prince like you to keep coming to my boudoir late at night."

Xiao Heng'an retorted, "Are you afraid of being gossiped about?"

Gu Jinning choked, too lazy to reply.

Perhaps feeling guilty for her misdeeds during the day, Gu Jinning felt somewhat uneasy facing Xiao Heng'an. She cleared her throat and said, "Speak, what exactly do you want from me?"

Qinglian presented the bowls and chopsticks, and Xiao Heng'an waved his hand. Qinglian then led Yuliu and Qinghe out of the pavilion.

Xiao Heng'an said, "I came to play chess with you. It's agreed that if I beat you, you won't talk about breaking off the engagement."

Gu Jinning was speechless, glaring at him with a fierce expression, "Are you making fun of me? You know perfectly well that it was a lie to Xiao Liao."

"I think this is a good idea." Xiao Heng'an picked up a chicken leg and put it in her bowl, saying with concern, "Eat more meat, it will help your wound heal faster."

Gu Jinning had already gotten off to a bad start, and now that Xiao Heng'an was deliberately picking a fight, she had no appetite left.

She put down her chopsticks, her face stern, and solemnly announced, "Let me be clear, even if the sky falls, our marriage is off."

The cold moonlight shone on the side of her face, but it didn't bring any chill. Instead, it added a touch of playful exasperation, which also made people feel sorry for her.

Xiao Heng'an lowered his voice to soothe her, "Did the palace put pressure on you?"

Gu Jinning turned her head away from him and said stubbornly, "It has nothing to do with the palace. This is just my opinion."

It's just that her intentions overlapped with what the Empress wanted.

Gu Jinning didn't want to say anything more to Xiao Heng'an, so she immediately stood up and ordered him to leave, "If you have nothing else to do, please leave."

After finishing the last mouthful of porridge, Xiao Heng'an straightened his sleeves, stood up, grabbed her wrist (which was meant to shoo her away), and pulled her straight into the house.

Gu Jinning struggled to break free, but Xiao Heng'an was too strong and gave her no chance to escape.

"Hey, this is my bedroom. Stop pulling and tugging at me. I'm calling for help!"

Gu Jinning pretended to open her mouth to call out, but Xiao Heng'an pressed her shoulders down first, pushed her into the chair, and said, "It's time to apply the medicine. Li Ranyi sent some new medicine today. Try it."

Gu Jinning felt embarrassed after hearing this, coughed twice, and said in a low voice, "Applying medicine? You should have said so earlier."

Xiao Heng'an laughed, "Weren't you going to kick me out?"

Gu Jinning snatched the medicine, turned around, and said, "Alright, I'll do it myself. You can go ahead."

Xiao Heng'an retrieved the white porcelain medicine pot, opened it, and said without room for argument, "I'll help you."

Gu Jinning knew that Xiao Heng'an was even more stubborn than him, so she had no choice but to compromise and readily took off her clothes from her right shoulder, revealing a long wound.

The incision appeared fine and deep against the fair skin. Even with daily application of medication and signs of improvement, it could not withstand tearing and was prone to cracking.

At this moment, there were bloodstains on the cut, which seemed to have been repeatedly torn and had only recently congealed.

Xiao Heng'an's eyes darkened as he fetched water to clean the wound, scolding, "Even when you're confined, you can't resist causing trouble."

Gu Jinning explained arrogantly, "It was my aunt who summoned me to the palace, but I didn't want to go."

"Then what?"

"Then that kid touched me and aggravated my wound. And then... that was it."

Gu Jinning's voice grew softer and softer as she slowly lowered her head, not daring to look at Xiao Heng'an.

Fine, she wasn't good at lying under Xiao Heng'an's piercing gaze.

Xiao Heng'an didn't intend to pry. He scraped off a small piece of ointment with a scraper and applied it to the incision as gently as possible, spreading it evenly and carefully, afraid of hurting her.

"If you want the wound to heal quickly, don't do anything too strenuous for the next few days."

He spoke softly with a hint of admonition, and Gu Jinning nodded obediently in agreement, just like a child who had made a mistake.

The coolness of the ointment spread across her entire shoulder. Gu Jinning turned her head and saw Xiao Heng'an's slender fingers tracing patterns on her shoulder, extremely gentle yet without a trace of disrespect.

She couldn't help but recall the look in Xiao Heng'an's eyes when he looked at her on the couch in the study that afternoon; there was clearly some affection in him. No, it was affection for the Ji Lin she was pretending to be.

Thinking of this, Gu Jinning suddenly stood up, pulled up her clothes, and said coldly, "I can handle this little injury myself, no need for you to worry. You should go back and take better care of Miss Biao."

Xiao Heng'an's hand froze in mid-air, puzzled. "Why does she need care?"

“Beautiful women are delicate, like flowers that need careful nurturing. Since you have feelings for her, you cannot betray her,” Gu Jinning said, seemingly with a hint of resentment.

Xiao Heng'an smiled and shook his head, wiped his hands clean, then gazed into Gu Jinning's eyes and said frankly, "I don't like her, so how could I have wronged her?"

Gu Jinning frowned, a surge of inexplicable anger rising to her head. "You clearly had feelings for her... but you still won't admit it. All men are the same. Get out, get out now. I don't want to see you."

Xiao Heng'an was taken aback for a moment, then guessed why she was angry. He felt both helpless and amused, so he had no choice but to go along with her temper. "Okay, I'm leaving. You should get some rest."

He walked slowly out, stepping into the courtyard covered in moonlight and frost, a touch of melancholy in his heart. How he wished that Gu Jinning could treat him with the same sincerity she had shown to Hua Lingchen.

He stopped, turned around, and said with a hint of resentment, "I hope that one day you can open your heart to me and trust me completely."

The figure shrouded in moonlight was hazy and lonely, carrying an inexplicable sadness, gradually fading into the distance, firmly grasping the softest part of Gu Jinning's heart, deeply piercing her heart.

Gu Jinning instinctively chased after him, wanting to call out to him, but finally stopped under the "Wangning Pavilion" plaque.