"Who is it that has no sense of propriety and doesn't even know to greet this princess?!"
Angrily tearing off the rotten vegetable leaves from her head, Liu Yu, covered in dust and dirt, climbed up from the messy mud. Her once pristine white dress was now stained with variegated colors from the smashed eggs.
With a huff, Liu Yu brandished her long whip and limped over to Zhan Xinjia, her delicate brows furrowed.
"Are you blind?! Why are you hiding? If you hurt this princess, can you bear the consequences?!"
Zhan Xinjia tilted her head in confusion.
Goodness, after all this time, Liuyu is still the same mean-spirited little girl with terrible manners.
However, it seems she didn't recognize him. That makes sense, considering that he had met Liuyu twice before, once disguised as a man and once disguised as a female doctor. And now she was wearing Nanjun clothing.
Since we were able to run into Liuyu here, Wu Lanlian must be nearby as well.
Zhan Xinjia lowered her head, her eyes darted around, and suddenly she covered her face with her handkerchief and began to sob.
Before Liu Yu could react, Zhan Xinjia nestled weakly into Liu Yu's arms, her body swaying gently like a willow in the breeze. She softly hugged Liu Yu's waist, gently biting her lower lip, her clear peach blossom eyes blinking.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"Waaaaah, this is so scary~"
"..."
Liu Yu's anger instantly vanished.
She had originally intended to cause trouble for this commoner, but seeing how pitifully he was crying, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
With a warm, soft body in his arms, Liu Yu's ears burned, and he inexplicably began to stutter.
"Um, uh, you...you let go first..."
"I'm sorry... but I was scared, that's why I ran away. And you scared me just now, it hurts so much."
Zhan Xinjia choked up, her brows furrowing slightly.
Her wet eyes were timid like a fawn's, and she gave Liuyu a reproachful look, her voice weak and soft.
As she spoke, she pressed the hand holding the handkerchief to her chest.
Liu Yu felt a wave of dizziness, and heart-shaped ripples spread through her head. Her mind began to wander, but the young girl did not realize that this was called being completely bewitched by a scheming young woman.
A strong sense of guilt welled up in her heart. Ignoring the onlookers, Liu Yu, with a sour face, put her arm around the girl's shoulder and led her to the side.
She clearly had little experience in comforting people, and was quite inexperienced.
"Stop crying. Oh dear, I didn't bump into you, why are you crying like that? It's so annoying."
Please, I'll apologize! Please, I'm begging you!!
No matter how she tried to comfort her, the little girl just kept crying pitifully, looking extremely aggrieved.
Liu Yu gazed at the sky speechlessly, seemingly having lost all her strength and abilities.
She sighed.
"Alright, wherever you're hurt or in pain, come with me back to see a doctor, okay?"
Having achieved the desired result, Zhanxin Jia knows when to stop.
With her beautiful, wet eyes, she softly took Liuyu's hand, looking like a timid and helpless little cabbage that had been hit by frost in the field, her bright eyes full of dependence.
"Waaaaah, sister, you're such a kind person~"
It sounds strange, but Liu Yu felt a sweet feeling in her heart at that moment, which was really weird.
She had run away from home without her mother's knowledge, so naturally she couldn't go back to her own home. After thinking for a moment, Liuyu suddenly had an idea.
——
Standing at the entrance of the city lord's mansion, Zhan Xinjia was stunned.
No, she just walked out of here less than half an hour ago, how come Liuyu brought her back again?
Before she could even prepare herself, Liuyu grabbed her and dashed inside.
He was shouting as he ran.
"Brother Jian, Brother Jian, I've come to see you!"
Before long, a voice came from inside the courtyard, colder than the snow on the eaves.
"I told you not to call me that."
"What does it matter? I didn't take advantage of you. Hurry, I think I accidentally hurt someone while riding my horse in the street. She's been crying. Can you take a look at her?"
As she spoke, Liu Yu, with a smile, pushed Zhan Xinjia out, supporting her shoulder.
Ah, this...
Zhan Xinjia's eyes darted away; she was awkward and restrained, too embarrassed to meet the young man's gaze, even though she was the only one feeling awkward...
She ran back to the crime scene right after "stealing" something. That's too arrogant. Won't people think she's provoking them?
But what did Liuyu call him just now...?
Note?
Time seemed to stand still, and distant scenes from the past flashed before my eyes like a revolving lantern: spring days, pear blossoms, kites, candy handed to the palm of my hand, and an old, rusty sword buried under a tree.
All the noise of the world was shut out, and at this moment, Zhan Xinjia could only hear his own uneven breathing.
It's probably just a coincidence of names...
Even though she thought this to herself, she still subconsciously raised her head and stood blankly at the bottom of the steps, gazing at the young man from afar.
There was a moment of silence.
A moment later, he took a few steps down.
Because he was wearing a mask, the young man's expression was not visible, and his tone was detached and indifferent, showing little emotional fluctuation.
"I'll go get the medicine. Please come and sit down."
Even as his figure receded into the distance, Zhan Xinjia did not look away.
Seeing this, Liuyu chuckled to herself.
"They've all gone far away, don't bother looking anymore, it's no use looking now."
Before Zhan Xinjia could ask anything, Liu Yu, who had been cooped up for months, poured herself a cup of tea and began to speak on her own.
"Our mysterious city lord has never been interested in women. He is a very strange person. He always keeps to himself, rarely speaks, and doesn't like others getting close to him."
"His name is Jian?"
"Yes, we all call him Young Master Jian."
At this point, Liuyu glanced angrily in the direction the young man had left, pouted, and muttered something about dissatisfaction.
“I used to like him quite a bit, but he has so many quirks! He especially hates it when people call him brother. Isn’t that strange? Who would hate something like that?”
Zhan Xinjia didn't respond, sitting quietly in the chair with her head down, seemingly lost in thought.
Not long after, the young man returned carrying his medicine box.
When he got closer to Zhan Xinjia, who had been lost in thought, he suddenly remembered that he was not injured at all. He had pretended to be pitiful before just to fool Liuyu and see if he could sneak into the enemy camp with Liuyu.
No, what do we do now...?
The letter was awkwardly received.
Fortunately, Liuyu couldn't stay still, and in a flash she ran around the yard looking for people to chat with.
With her not watching over him, Zhan Xinjia finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Where are you injured?
His dry voice came from in front of him. Zhan Xinjia hesitated for a moment, then rolled up his trouser legs.
"knee."
The young man frowned, and his tone unconsciously became a little harsher.
"How could you be so careless?"
He stiffly half-squatted down, and when he saw the scabbed scars on her legs and the bruises left by frostbite, his knuckles trembled, and his pale lips were tightly pursed, as if he were angry.
Is he... angry?
Zhan Xinjia was uneasy. He didn't say anything, but took out some ointment from the medicine box and carefully reapplied it to the wound.
A cold, hard sensation came from his knee, startling Zhan Xinjia. The unsettling feeling grew stronger and stronger.
Even if a person's body temperature is very low, their skin should at least be soft, but his fingers were like those of a puppet in a Nuo opera, without any elasticity. What's even stranger is that even though she was so close, she couldn't feel his breathing, and his chest didn't rise or fall at all.
A chilling conclusion came to mind, and as if possessed, Zhan Xinjia suddenly reached out and grasped his knuckles.
A chilling coldness emanated from his fingertips, carrying the hardness of an inanimate object; she was certain that this texture was not human.
He... is not a living person!
Staring wide-eyed at the person in front of her, Zhan Xinjia was not yet surprised, but his reaction was even greater than hers.
He quickly withdrew his hand, stood up, and distanced himself from her.
His light blue pupils suddenly contracted, and in that instant, countless complex emotions flashed in his eyes: pain, despair, and panic.
Then, it all turned into an unfathomable abyss of inferiority.
His eyelashes were lowered, concealing the thoughts in his eyes. Although the young man tried his best to maintain a calm and composed demeanor, his hands, hanging down under his sleeves, were still trembling involuntarily, making him look particularly disheveled at the moment.
"I don't like being touched by others."
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