"I heard you also have ties to the Crown Prince of Nan Jing," Xie Yanzhou asked awkwardly, only able to relieve his frustration by drinking small sips of alcohol.
Nan Qianyue raised an eyebrow. "Yes, he knows a lot about me, but I don't remember what exactly happened between us."
She really wanted to see Xiao Chen again.
"Stop asking me. Let me ask you, how did you survive after jumping off the cliff?" Nan Qianyue rested her chin on her hands and looked at Xie Yanzhou with a serious expression.
Xie Yanzhou paused in his drinking motion, slowly put down his glass, lowered his eyes, and said, "The river below is deep. I'm a good swimmer, so I didn't die."
“Qianqian, how did you survive? I searched the entire river, but I couldn’t even find a scrap of your clothing. I thought someone had rescued you, so I searched for you in the martial arts world for months, but I still couldn’t find any news of you.”
“I thought that since the capital city has a lot of influence, it would be easier to find people there. So I went back to the Xie family and used my connections in the capital to look for you. But it was as if you had completely disappeared. I couldn’t find any information about you. I even thought… you were dead.”
Nanqianyue couldn't help but laugh; she was laughing at her own "death." But her laughter was short-lived, and she quickly became serious. "So you want to give up your life?"
Xie Yanzhou looked at her in astonishment, "...How did you know?"
Nanqianyue sighed softly and said reproachfully, "I met you on my way back to the capital. You were being chased and were seriously injured and unconscious. It was Qingyi and the others who repelled the assassins and saved you. They said you were determined to die and would have a hard time surviving."
Then, Nanqianyue said solemnly, "Don't do that again next time. If I really die, you should live a good life and burn lots and lots of paper money for me every month."
Xie Yanzhou's pupils gradually dilated, and he excitedly grabbed Nan Qianyue's hand, "So that day wasn't a dream, it really was you!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Nan Qianyue pulled her hand back and said irritably, "Why do you grab people so easily? I never saw you so reckless when you were running around the martial arts world."
What kind of behavior is this, brothers grabbing and shoving each other like this?
Xie Yanzhou lowered his eyes and said sullenly, "What's wrong with holding hands? We used to always put our arms around each other's shoulders, and we even slept in thatched huts together."
Nan Qianyue narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Xie Yanzhou intently, her gaze seemingly piercing through his flesh and into his heart.
"W-what's wrong?" Xie Yanzhou's ears turned red from being stared at.
Nanqianyue suddenly asked, "You don't like me, do you?"
She didn't know what had happened between her and Qin Yi and Xiao Chen, nor how she had viewed them before. But she had a clear memory of Xie Yanzhou and their adventures in the martial arts world. They were just good friends traveling together, enjoying the scenery, and doing chivalrous deeds.
Xie Yanzhou's face also turned red, whether from drinking or from panic, he didn't know. He had never hidden his thoughts. It was just that Qianqian was too stupid and always treated him like a brother.
"Can't I... like you?" Xie Yanzhou's eyes darted away slightly.
Nan Qianyue leaned back, looking like he was saying, "Don't scare me! We're brothers who've been through thick and thin together. How could you possibly think about your brother?"
Xie Yanzhou looked up, his brows furrowed tightly. "How can a man and a woman be brothers?" He paused, then said solemnly, "You are my savior. I have no way to repay you except... to offer myself to you."
As soon as he uttered the last four words, his entire face turned red, and he looked away shyly at Nan Qianyue.
Nanqianyue frowned as she looked at the handsome man's shy expression, feeling no appreciation whatsoever, only a deep sense of unease.
Her eyes darted around, then she silently stood up, put her hands behind her back, and pretended to walk back and forth in the private room as if she were thinking. After walking back and forth a couple of times, she "unconsciously" walked to the door.
"I suddenly remembered I have something to do, so I have to go!"
She finished speaking quickly, then swiftly opened the door and ran out.
Xie Yanzhou suddenly looked up, his hand hovered in mid-air for a moment before slowly lowering it. He didn't chase after her, thinking that he should give Qianqian some space to process what she had been through.
Nanqianyue ran wildly all the way from upstairs to downstairs without stopping for a moment, until she ran out of Lanyue Tower and saw her own carriage before stopping to catch her breath.
"girl!"
The woman in green quickly stepped forward to support her. "Miss, how did you get out here? Lord Xie..." The woman in green stopped herself in time, her expression flustered.
After catching her breath, Nanqian looked up at the woman in green and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore, let's go back to the manor."
“Miss…” The woman in green helped her up, pointing nervously at the carriage.
But Yue was in a hurry to escape, so she grabbed the green-clothed girl and scrambled into the carriage.
When the curtain was lifted, she was startled. "Oh! What are you doing here?"
"Come in." Qin Yi's expression was stern, and his voice was deep and resonant.
The moon, migrating south, had no choice but to loosen its green coat and crawl inside.
"What is it?" Nanqian Yueban asked coldly, lifting his eyelids slightly.
Her attitude ignited a burning anger in Qin Yi's chest. He suddenly reached out and pulled Nan Qianyue into his arms, holding her captive.
"Can't I contact you if there's nothing wrong?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes swirling with unsettling emotions.
The first thing the woman who was migrating south did was struggle, shouting, "Let me go! This is the capital, not the border where you can do whatever you want!"
Qin Yi gave a cold laugh, and he answered Nan Qianyue with his actions.
"Hmm—"
The kiss, delivered with frenzied plunder, fell, and it was too late for Nanqianyue to regret it.
With Qin Yi's iron grip holding her captive, she had no chance of escape.
The carriage moved slowly down the street. The woman in green sat next to the coachman, looking anxious but helpless.
Finally, the sound came from inside again.
"Do you understand the situation now?" Qin Yi lowered his eyes and stared at the person in his arms with disheveled hairpins and swollen red lips, feeling a strong itch in his heart.
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