Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi smiled gently, then slowly rose from the soft couch, her skirt swaying slightly with each step.
She walked up to the man and paused slightly.
The two stood by the window, seemingly very close.
The man's gaze remained fixed on her, and he remained silent. When Song Xizhi stood before him, his Adam's apple bobbed as he awaited her response.
Song Xizhi took out a jade pendant from her sleeve and displayed it to the man with great care, as if she treasured it very much.
The jade pendant was placed in Song Xizhi's palm, and for a moment it was impossible to tell which one had a warmer and more translucent color.
"Many thanks to my benefactor for saving my life. I will return this jade pendant to its rightful owner."
The man was taken aback, his eyes narrowing, when he heard Song Xizhi's voice continue:
"This jade pendant does not belong to me; it must eventually be returned to its owner."
The man's eyes turned pitch black in an instant. He quickly looked up, averting his gaze from the jade pendant, and took another step back to look at Song Xizhi's face.
His voice was deep and resonant: "I don't understand what you mean."
Song Xizhi had already anticipated this answer, so there was no surprise on his face. He simply slowly closed his palm and held the jade pendant in his hand.
“If you don’t want this jade pendant, then I’ll tell you a story.”
The man couldn't figure out Song Xizhi's intentions, so he just nodded silently and waited patiently for her to continue.
Song Xizhi began to speak, his voice soft, as if he were telling a story:
"Once upon a time, there was a little girl whose mother died a long time ago, and she didn't even remember what her mother looked like. One day, her father brought home a young and beautiful woman, saying that she was her stepmother."
“The stepmother gave birth to a younger sister. In such a high-class family, the stepmother only gave birth to a daughter, which naturally displeased the grandmother. However, the younger sister was regarded as the apple of the father’s eye. He left the backyard empty and even separated the family for the stepmother, and the family moved out to live elsewhere.”
As Song Xizhi spoke, his eyes were deep and thoughtful, as if he were lost in distant memories.
"The little girl was in a very awkward situation. She was clearly the legitimate daughter of the first wife, but in the mansion she was more like a cousin who was living under someone else's roof. She was cautious and tried to please him, but she could not get a kind look from her father, and even the servants looked down on her."
"Everyone praised my father as a loving father. After leaving the office, he would often bring some jewelry and trinkets back home, pick up my younger sister, ask her about her studies, and even let her ride on his back like a horse."
"But his eyes were always cold as ice when he looked at the girl. The girl could only watch the happy family scene of the three of them, and she felt like an outsider."
"She didn't know why, or what she had done wrong."
She saw her father holding her younger sister, the old steward of the mansion holding his daughter, and the street vendors holding their children's hands while selling candied hawthorns. It seemed that all fathers in the world were like this.
"But she was different. She could only hug herself in the dead of night. The little girl often fantasized about what it would feel like to be held firmly in someone's arms."
"Doesn't it feel warm? Doesn't your beard feel prickly? Can you hear your heartbeat in your father's strong chest?"
"From birth, she has never experienced a hug from her family. It is the most ordinary thing in the world, but it has become a dream that she can only long for but never reach."
After hearing this, the man couldn't listen anymore.
He raised his head, wanting to step forward and reach out to wipe away Song Xizhi's tears, but he could only restrain himself from doing so.
He asked in a hoarse voice, "And then what?"
Did the little girl in the story receive a hug in the end?
Hearing this, Song Xizhi finally smiled. She nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks: "In the end, she got what she wanted. Not only a strong embrace, but also a firm choice."
“In the dead of winter, before the ice on the lake had even melted, she was accidentally pushed into the lake by her eternally kind and innocent younger sister.”
"Everyone was afraid of the winter's chill and abhorred the girl's tarnished reputation, so they not only stood by and watched, but also mocked and ridiculed her, letting her struggle in the icy lake, only saying 'serves her right.'"
"My younger sister seemed to be frightened and started crying loudly by the lake. My father, who rushed over, hugged her and kept comforting her, without even paying attention to the girl in the lake. Only Young Master He from the Marquis of Anding Mansion, who was clearly in a high position and as bright as the sun and moon, jumped into the lake in front of everyone without regard for anything."
"He saved the girl, holding her tightly in his strong arms. In the last moment before she lost consciousness, the girl finally heard her heartbeat."
"It turns out that you really can hear your heartbeat when you're in someone else's arms."
Song Xizhi paused, composed herself, wiped away her tears, and continued speaking:
"When the people from the Marquis of Anding saw this scene, they were even more anxious, pacing around the lake. Old Madam He hurriedly covered the two wet people with her cloak."
"Her words were earnest. She said to Young Master He: 'You saved this girl, and now your reputation and hers are ruined. What are you going to do?'"
"But the boy's voice was firm, like the spring breeze of February melting the ice in the pond. He said, 'Grandmother, if any man thinks her reputation is ruined because of this, then he is definitely not a good match.'"
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