Chapter 38 Letting go makes him look even more ridiculous

More than two months have passed since the day they parted at Zuiyue Tower.

On the sixty-seventh day, Xiao Yunqi didn't know why he remembered it so clearly, but he just remembered it.

Xiao Yunqi looked at the frightened girl calmly.

Of course he was calm.

Catching her was as easy as pie, and now she was right in front of him. The anger, confusion, anxiety, and even the panic that disgusted him that had been pent up for many days no longer needed to exist.

Xue Zhiying shrank and trembled, and took several steps back, but he moved closer to her.

With her lower back pressed against the edge of the table, she had put herself in a position from which she had no way to retreat.

Xiao Yunqi looked at the flushed skin on her chin, loosened his hand and leaned forward, his palms falling on the table, completely enclosing her in the small space.

Until this moment, he could finally ask her slowly and calmly: "Xue Zhiying, why did you leave?"

The man's strong oppressive feeling made Xue Zhiying feel suffocated.

She turned her head away, her throat struggling to speak.

She failed to make herself completely bad, so she inevitably developed a guilty conscience.

And it still seemed unbelievable how he had ended up here.

Xue Zhiying was filled with complicated and panicky emotions. Apart from wanting to escape, she had no other thoughts in her mind and did not answer anyone at all.

Xiao Yunqi gradually lost the ability to maintain his composure during the long silence.

His eyes grew dark, and his hand, which was resting on the edge of the table, moved behind her, clasped her waist, and pulled her towards him.

Soft, fragrant, with a trembling warmth.

Only when he felt close to this familiar place again did he feel a little satisfied.

Xiao Yunqi leaned close to her ear, took a controlled breath, and then spoke slowly, "Didn't you say you'd wait for me in the capital, and that you'd think of me every day? Is this how you wait for me, how you think of me?"

Xue Zhiying frowned. His words undoubtedly made her feel even more guilty.

She reached out and pushed him, trying to avoid the distance that was so close that she couldn't think.

"Young Master, please let me go."

Xiao Yunqi's face darkened and he restrained her wrists with one hand.

"Young Master?"

There was a strange curve at the corner of his lips, as if he was smiling but not smiling. There was anger on his face, but it was a cold and silent anger, and the darkness in his eyes was frightening.

Xue Zhiying began to feel scared and struggled instinctively, but was held even tighter.

Xiao Yunqi glanced at her and whispered, "Tell me why you left the Xiao Mansion and the capital."

"While I'm away, you packed up and left. What are you doing in Ningzhou? Discussing marriage with someone else?"

"Xue Zhiying, have you forgotten how you repeatedly said you liked me, and now you want to discuss marriage with someone else? Who allows you to be so fickle?"

"Young Master, I..."

Xiao Yunqi suddenly reached out and pressed his hand on her lips. His thumb slipped into the gap between her open mouth and pressed down on her tongue, stopping her from saying anything else.

"When you need something from me, call me cousin. After you've been seduced and abandoned me, call me eldest son."

Xiao Yunqi lowered his voice and dragged people down.

His thumb slowly stroked her lips with irresistible force, leaving her lower lip covered with an ambiguous and lustrous sheen.

"Is it because I didn't come to pick you up earlier that day that you felt neglected, or did you feel that your goal of forcing me to marry you was difficult to achieve, so you gave up halfway."

Xue Zhiying widened her eyes in shock, mumbling, "No..."

Xiao Yunqi stared at her and interrupted her coldly: "Xue Zhiying, apologize to me, and I may consider forgiving you."

Really.

He should apologize for taking advantage of him and deceiving him.

Xue Zhiying never thought that her actions would anger him so much.

Because they were so close, she could see the red bloodshot in the man's eyes, the bruises under his eyes, and some stubble on his chin.

He looked dusty, tired and depressed.

He was so angry that he chased after him so urgently. If I apologize to him, will he really let it go?

Xue Zhiying moved her lips slightly, her lips brushed against his fingers, and the pressure on her tongue gradually loosened.

She frowned and whispered, "I'm sorry..."

After hearing her apology, Xiao Yunqi's tense body relaxed.

In fact, he still felt unhappy. If it weren't for her taking the initiative, they would have met half a month ago, and he wouldn't have been tormented by those ridiculous emotions during this period.

But her submission made him feel that there was no need to argue with her anymore. At least everything was back under control. He didn't even want to punish her too much. He just wanted to take her back first.

Xiao Yunqi raised the corners of his lips slightly, took his fingers out of her mouth, put his arm around her waist and lowered his head to kiss her: "Don't act on your own when you stay by my side. We'll get married when we get back."

Xue Zhiying shuddered all over and turned her head away suddenly. The lips that came close to her without any warning still brushed against her cheek. Her ears were buzzing and she almost thought she had misheard.

Xiao Yunqi's relaxation allowed her powerful push to succeed this time.

Xue Zhiying ran away from him with rapid breathing, retreating several steps away: "What do you mean, Master? I apologize to you, can you forgive me and let me go?"

Xiao Yunqi staggered after being pushed.

The touch on her chest was obvious, and the warmth of her cheek was still on her lips, but his face suddenly darkened and his expression was cold.

"What did you say?"

"I'm sorry..." Xue Zhiying wanted to retreat, but she was afraid of backing herself into a corner, so she could only freeze in place. "I lied to you. I didn't want to marry you. I just wanted your help to leave the Xiao Mansion. I used you. I apologize."

Xiao Yunqi's Adam's apple rolled, and his expression became even colder, like the oppressive silence before a storm.

"You said that all those words about liking me and wanting to be with me were fake?"

Xue Zhiying clenched her fingers tightly.

This was the only immoral thing she had done in the past eighteen years. Now that her crime was exposed without any cover, she felt extremely scared.

But she still had to admit: "Yes... I don't like you, nor do I want to be with you."

Xiao Yunqi's face was tense, but his body moved uncontrollably towards her.

The man was tall and had long legs, and he was in front of her in just three or two steps.

Just like this time, before she could fly away, her wings were grabbed and she fell to the ground.

"Xue Zhiying, do you know what you are saying?"

"Take that back."

He was really angry.

The coldness disappeared, and his whole body was filled with rising anger.

Xue Zhiying was still pushed into the corner by him, holding her arm tightly.

Her vision dimmed under the shadow of his figure. The light was not far away, but she could only stay in the shadow.

But even so, she finally escaped from the cage surrounded by high walls and was about to start a new life.

It was obvious that the Xiao family didn't need her, and neither did Xiao Yunqi. She really didn't want to give up the little bit she had fought for.

She could only apologize to him, but she couldn't take it back: "I'm sorry, I said those words just to get your help."

"Xue Zhiying, my patience is limited."

Xiao Yunqi suddenly raised his voice: "I'll say it again, I take back what you said. I can pretend I didn't hear it."

Xue Zhiying opened her mouth, but the grip on her arm became increasingly tighter, and the tall man in front of her was getting closer again.

Fear, struggle, and undying resistance.

Tears wet my eyelashes and fell uncontrollably from the corners of my eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I..."

A glimmer of light flashed in Xiao Yunqi's eyes, it was her falling tears.

At this moment, he couldn't even catch her falling tears, and could only watch them fall down and disappear without a trace.

His eyes were blank for a moment, his grip loosened, and he watched her cry silently.

He heard her tell him again.

"I don't like you, nor do I want to be with you. I lied to you. I'm sorry..."

At first he asked her to apologize.

At this moment she was really apologizing to him over and over again.

He found it quite irritating.

Xiao Yunqi moved his lips with difficulty, his voice was deep and hoarse, clearly suppressing her, but he seemed to have lost all his strength.

"Why do you think I will let you go just because you cheated on me and used me?"

In fact, the help Xue Zhiying received was of no importance to him.

He was going to deal with the Prince of Lin'an, and he was already colluding with the Prince of Lin'an's second wife. By the way, he could take her out of the mansion and easily arrange a carriage for her.

And there are the sixty taels of silver.

Thinking of this, Xue Zhiying suddenly moved.

Xiao Yunqi subconsciously raised his hand, then stopped where he was.

She just ran away from him.

Xue Zhiying took out the purse from her bag, her hands shaking and tears still falling.

But she quickly took out the silver.

The purse, having lost sixty taels, suddenly deflated, with only a few coins left inside.

She returned to Xiao Yunqi with the silver and said, "Master, I will return your silver to you. I have not told anyone about this."

"I really don't want to go back to the capital or the Xiao Mansion. Can you please let me go?"

Leave?

Xiao Yunqi's heart skipped a beat uncontrollably.

He hated the word, but at the same time he found it ridiculous.

I don’t know whether Xue Zhiying is funny or he himself is funny.

There were still tears in the corners of her eyes, but they stopped falling. However, her gaze was inexplicably fixed on him.

She is so fragile and weak.

He could control her with one hand and take her away easily.

But he felt powerless and didn't even have the strength to get angry.

He could only lower his voice and say coldly: "Who do you think you are? Do you think I will remember you for the rest of my life for something like this?"

Xue Zhiying shook her head in confusion.

She never said anything about a lifetime.

Precisely because she didn't think of herself as an important person, she didn't understand why he couldn't let her go. She even hoped that he would forget about it as soon as he turned around.

If this is bad, then she is really bad.

But what can she do? How can one not fight for herself? She just doesn't want to accept the bad and worse.

Xue Zhiying lowered her head: "I apologize to you and ask you to let me go."

"Young Master, yes..."

"Xue Zhiying." Xiao Yunqi interrupted her in a deep voice.

He really didn't want to hear those three words again.

And there is also the title of "Young Master".

When they met again, she asked him to let her go.

Complex thoughts disturbed his reason, or perhaps he had lost his mind from the moment he knew she had left.

A strange emotion he had never experienced before surged in his heart, leaving his mind blank.

So much so that he called her at this moment, but didn't know what to say next.

Let me ask again whether these words are true or false.

This made him look even more ridiculous.

Yes, the funny thing was not Xue Zhiying, but himself who chased here angrily.

Why did it turn out like this?

He recalled the restlessness that had lingered in his heart during his long journey, and saw the face that was right in front of him yet seemed very far away.

He found that the irritability could not be dissipated by seeing her.

He wants much more than that.

His eyes moved down to the silver coins in her hand, and he remembered the way she spoke to him in a soft voice.

But now, she wanted to return the money to him and no longer whispered that she loved him.

She just said she wanted to leave.

Xiao Yunqi moved his lips again, wanting to warn her not to regret it.

But he still couldn't say it.

Maybe he didn't know what tone he should use to say this, sarcastic, vicious, or cold.

He might as well just threaten her directly or even force her.

But he didn't want to see her tears, so he was only one step away from her and didn't have time to reach out to hold her tears.

Or maybe he realized that no matter what he said at this moment, it would be ridiculous, and she was the one who had easily fooled him.

Then he should punish her directly and make her realize her own limitations.

But he knew clearly that was not what he wanted.

Finally, he said it.

The voice was low, but calm: "Xue Zhiying, don't regret it."

"Young Master, silver..."

Xue Zhiying's voice was left behind by him, leaving only a cold and hard back that quickly disappeared from her sight.

The noise in the lobby had long since died down.

During this time, Mu Yan booked the inn, drove away everyone, and took good care of Chun Tao, who was confused.

Mu Yan asked him if he wanted to stay in this inn tonight. He waved his hand in denial and left with everyone.

But after arriving at the inn he had originally booked, he sat quietly in the guest room for a long time before leaving and returning.

The night was quiet and the streets were deserted.

A dim light hung in front of the door of the inconspicuous little inn, casting a shaky shadow on the steps in front of the door.

He once again stepped onto the stairs leading to the guest rooms on the second floor, but his mood was completely different from when he came.

But he actually didn't know what his emotions were.

It seemed as if something was missing from his heart since he left the guest room just now. He had no emotions or thoughts, and felt so empty that it made him uncomfortable.

Xiao Yunqi came to the door of the guest room.

There was no candlelight in the house, but lights were on in the corridor for guests who got up at night.

The corridor lights lengthened his shadow behind him.

He stood still, motionless.

After a long time, the shadow finally shook.

The tall man turned around and walked away from the door of the guest room again, even more cold and resolute than the last time.

It seems that there will be no more memories.

*

The next morning, Xue Zhiying opened her eyes on the bed and was in a daze for a long time.

She sincerely admired herself. After what happened last night, she slept until dawn without even having any terrifying dreams.

She hoped that the scene of seeing Xiao Yunqi was just a dream.

But of course that's not the case.

Xue Zhiying sat up from the couch and her eyes accidentally swept over her bag.

She stared at it for a while, then hurried away in her embroidered shoes.

The bundle was opened, and the purse that had been put back in was bulging.

The sixty taels that were not taken away by Xiao Yunqi were still safely placed in the bag.

Xue Zhiying breathed a sigh of relief and sat down next to the bundle.

It seemed that she was too shocked and flustered yesterday. Not only did she apologize immediately, but she even wanted to return the money to him.

If she really returned it to him, she and Chuntao would have to perform on the streets for the rest of their lives and she didn't know whether they could survive.

However, she thought the matter should be resolved smoothly.

Although it was unusual for Xiao Yunqi to come all the way here, it was not unusual for him to tell her everything clearly yesterday and then plan to cause trouble for her.

I guess he was annoyed just by looking at her, so it's not impossible that he would go home overnight.

This is Xue Zhiying’s beautiful fantasy.

Not long after, Chuntao came knocking on the door.

While knocking, he called out, "Girl, are you awake?"

"Well, come in."

Chuntao pushed the door open and walked in, looking cautious, as if she was afraid of seeing a ghost when she opened the door.

She looked around at the door and when she saw that there was no one else there, she strode in with confidence.

Xue Zhiying was puzzled: "Why do you look like this?"

Chun Tao explained, "Yesterday Mu Yan said that the eldest young master and the young lady were going to do something important in the house. I didn't know if the eldest young master had left, so I just peeked in to check."

“…”

Xue Zhiying's face was awkward and frozen for a moment.

"Miss, did this servant say something wrong?"

Xue Zhiying pursed her lips and came back to her senses: "It's okay, nothing, the eldest master must have just passed by and has already left, don't mention him."

"Oh." Chun Tao responded and then asked, "Are we leaving today?"

"Well, you said before that you wanted to go to Yuexiang, right? Then we have to go west and we will be there in half a month."

"It takes so long. If I had known, I would have chosen a place closer."

"Do you think the journey is too hard?"

Chun Tao shook her head seriously: "I just want to get to a beautiful place as soon as possible. It won't be hard at all to be on the road with the girl."

Xue Zhiying laughed: "So should we go to Yuexiang?"

"Yes, of course I will go. Wherever the young lady goes, I will go there!"

The last bit of boredom brought by yesterday also dissipated in Chuntao's innocent words.

Xue Zhiying's mood improved and she began to pack her luggage with great enthusiasm.

"Then we'll set off after breakfast."

"Okay, I'll clean it up quickly!"

The two of them began to pack the luggage in the house together. Since this time they were moving all the luggage they brought out of the capital out of the carriage, it still took them some time to pack it up again and take it away.

When everything was almost done, Chuntao sat aside, swinging her legs, waiting for Xue Zhiying to fix her makeup and hair.

Xue Zhiying sat in front of the bronze mirror, looking at herself from left to right, but she felt something strange in her ears.

She turned around and asked, "Chun Tao, when you came here just now, did you look down at the lobby? Why is it so quiet today?"

This is a small inn, so naturally it is not as lively as the big and bustling inns.

The noisiest times on weekdays are during meal times in the evening and when guests check out or check in in the morning.

Chun Tao shook her head: "I didn't pay attention."

Xue Zhiying withdrew her gaze, tidied herself up casually and stood up.

"Okay, let's go."

The two men each took two bags and left the room.

After opening the door, Xue Zhiying realized that the inn was really quiet today and something was wrong.

A sense of foreboding rose in her heart, but she tried her best to suppress it and not let herself think too much.

Until she walked down a few steps, her steps suddenly stopped, her eyes widened, and she saw the man sitting in the middle of the lobby downstairs with her body stiff.

Hearing the voice, Xiao Yunqi turned his head casually and looked up.

Xue Zhiying met his calm eyes and was so shocked that her tongue became tied: "You you you you..."

Chuntao looked out and was surprised, but not as surprised as Xue Zhiying.

She quickly called out, "Young Master."

Xue Zhiying choked, feeling confused and uncertain, and could only call out in the same voice, "Young Master."

The man who had no reaction when Chuntao called him, looked a little gloomy after hearing the word "Young Master", but the expression quickly disappeared and he returned to his calm expression.

Xiao Yunqi only brought Mu Yan with him, and there were a few side dishes on the square table where he sat.

Apart from the strange fact that he was the only table of guests in the entire lobby, he looked like an ordinary guest having breakfast here.

Xue Zhiying was still in a daze, not daring to think about why Xiao Yunqi appeared in front of her again.

Is he still unwilling to let her go, or is it just a coincidence that he appears here?

But even if you don't think about it too much, the possibility of the latter is close to zero.

Xiao Yunqi stared at her in silence, almost paranoidly, as if waiting for her to continue walking and shorten the distance between them.

But after a moment, he saw the girl standing there like a stone sculpture.

He still moved his lips and said, "Miss Xue, are you planning to stand there forever?"

“…”

The one who was speechless about this was Mu Yan.

He lowered his eyes, unable to bear to look.

Xue Zhiying came back to her senses.

Of course, she couldn't just stand there on the stairs, so she had to bite the bullet and continue walking down.

Chun Tao followed behind her and asked in a low voice: "Miss, didn't you say that the eldest master had left? Why is he still here?"

Xue Zhiying also wanted to ask why he was still here.

She subconsciously protected the bundle containing the purse and walked up the stairs in a few steps.

But after going downstairs, she discovered again.

Not only was there no customer in the entire lobby, but even the shopkeeper and the waiter were nowhere to be seen.

Not to mention having breakfast, she couldn't even check out.

"Hey, where is the shopkeeper?" Chuntao asked directly.

Mu Yan still lowered his head, looking unwilling to face the situation, but his voice was calm: "The shopkeeper went out for something urgent, and said he would be back soon. Miss, you may wait here for a while."

“…Is that so?” Xue Zhiying curled the corners of her lips.

If she believed this nonsense, she would probably have to wait here from day to night.

But Xue Zhiying didn't react at all.

The atmosphere in the lobby was tense for a moment.

Xiao Yunqi said, "Miss Xue, if you just stand there, the shopkeeper won't come back."

It sounds like a threat.

Mu Yan lowered his head even more.

Xue Zhiying hesitated for a moment and took a step forward.

When Chuntao was about to follow, Mu Yan lowered his head, took a step forward, and gently pulled her to his side.

Xue Zhiying turned around when she heard the voice, and heard Xiao Yunqi say in her ear: "Miss Xue, please sit down."

She took a deep breath and sat down on the side of the square table next to Xiao Yunqi.

Xiao Yunqi no longer had the abnormal and impulsive look he had yesterday.

But Xue Zhiying looked up at him and saw that he still looked tired, which was different from the fatigue from yesterday's running around. It looked more like he had just woken up early in the morning and had not rested well.

She asked softly, "Does the eldest master have anything to say?"

Xiao Yunqi picked up the teacup and drank a sip of tea slowly. He said calmly, "Miss Xue, it's just breakfast. Do you have to say anything?"

Xue Zhiying lowered her eyes and stopped talking.

Chun Tao, who was standing by, whispered to Mu Yan, "How long will it take for the shopkeeper to come back? Can you help us find him?"

"We're in a hurry to leave."

"How about we give you the house number and you return it to the shopkeeper for us later, okay?"

Because the lobby was too quiet, this subtle sound was heard clearly by Xiao Yunqi.

His eyes darkened slightly and he took another sip of tea.

His eyes glanced at the girl who was standing aside with her head down and silent.

Xiao Yunqi put down his teacup: "It's not that I have nothing to say."

Xue Zhiying raised her head slowly: "What does the eldest master want to say?"

"Miss Xue was only thinking about returning my silver yesterday. Did you forget that there were other things you hadn't returned to me?"

Xue Zhiying was stunned and couldn't remember what it was for a moment.

It took her a while to react.

"Oh, I'll give it back to you..."

As she spoke, she started to take it out of her bag.

Xiao Yunqi's expression changed slightly, and he held her down with one hand: "What do you think it is?"

"Isn't it a jade bottle?"

Xiao Yunqi loosened his grip and chuckled with an ambiguous tone, "What do I need that woman's things for?"

"What is that?"

Xiao Yunqi withdrew his hand: "Miss Xue is quite forgetful."

He rubbed his fingertips back and forth under his sleeves and said slowly, "The third volume of the Great Zhou Law Commentary has been delayed for so long, but it's time to return it to me."

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The author has something to say: Let me explain the time when my sister left and Xiao Gou caught up with her in the last chapter.

The month mentioned by other people can be more than 20 days, or 30 or 40 days, and it is definitely not exactly 30 days.

And Xiao Gou rode his horse at full speed all night long [helpless], but his sister was riding in a carriage at a leisurely pace, so he was caught up.

Although I’m not late today, I’ll still celebrate Xiao Gou’s rejection, because he will continue to be rejected in the future.

The deadline for leaving comments on this chapter is tomorrow and red envelopes will be given before the update~