Chapter 225
Upon hearing this, Tao Tao frowned almost imperceptibly, then lowered her head and obediently nestled against his chest. After a moment, she asked again, "So, are you going tomorrow?"
This insistence on getting to the bottom of things, without ever asking when he's going, is truly unusual.
Duan Gan frowned and said with displeasure, "What? Are you in such a hurry to get rid of me? Is there something you can't let me know?"
Upon hearing this, her heart skipped a beat. As she was pondering, she suddenly heard him say, "It is said that the Crown Prince requested an imperial decree from His Majesty to grant a marriage, but I wonder which family the woman is from."
"Are you aware of this?"
"Your question is strange. If you don't know, how would I know? Besides, what does the Crown Prince's marriage have to do with me?"
Her tone was very calm, showing no concern whatsoever about the Crown Prince's marriage.
"I didn't want to know, so I didn't pay attention. But then I suddenly remembered that you two claimed to be friends. Does that mean you've never met in private?"
His words seemed full of bitterness, but in reality, they were a test.
When Tao Tao moved into the Prince's mansion, he did secretly send people to keep an eye on the place, for fear that she would be harmed.
Nothing else happened, and since other places needed people, and Leng Qiao and Granny Wu were there to look after her, plus he would come to see her from time to time, so they withdrew all the other people.
Tao Tao looked up at him angrily and said irritably, "What are you talking about? Do you have to be so sarcastic?"
"Besides, haven't you been having people monitor me all along? Don't you know whether I've met with him or not? Forget it, you won't believe me no matter what I say, so you should just leave."
Seeing that she was angry again, he frowned slightly and pursed his lips. "I didn't mean anything by it. It's my fault. Please don't be angry."
Her expression was indifferent, and she said coldly, "I need to rest. You can leave now."
Duan Gan stared at her quietly, a sudden irritation and frustration appearing between his brows. He couldn't understand why she would lose her temper with him over a single word. How could someone so young have such a big temper?
Are other young ladies as capricious as her?
He didn't know either, and he had never been in contact with any other women before. Even though he was a fickle man, he couldn't figure out what she was thinking.
"The Liao Kingdom is rich in Northern Pearls, the legendary Mermaid Pearls, which are round and full with a strong and bright luster that can glow at night. A Liao Kingdom caravan will be passing through Suizhou at that time, and I will have someone send them over from Suizhou."
"And that Fanluo is also a kind of exquisite and soft fabric from the Liao Kingdom. It's perfect for making clothes for you. I'll send it to you along with it."
He squeezed her small hand, rested his chin on the top of her head, and spoke in an incredibly gentle voice, even with a hint of flattery.
Seeing that she still didn't answer, he made a questioning "hmm" sound from his throat.
After a long silence, he could no longer bear her coldness towards him and said in a low voice, "It was my fault, I misspoke, please forgive me this once, Tao'er..."
"Duan Gan, I don't want to continue like this anymore. I'm fed up, do you understand?"
Her voice was soft, and her tone carried a hint of weariness.
His breath hitched, his heart clenched, and his hand gripping her shoulder tightened involuntarily. It took him a long time to find his voice; his throat was dry, and he asked with difficulty, "What do you mean?"
"You don't understand the literal meaning?"
She frowned, a hint of impatience flashing across her face. She braced herself on the bed, trying to get off him, but was held tightly in his arms from behind.
Then I heard his voice through gritted teeth, "Take it back! Take it back! I'll pretend I didn't hear anything."
Tao Tao desperately pried open the large hand around her waist, and blurted out, "You can't take it back. I'll say it again, I don't want to continue this ambiguous relationship with you!"
So that's how it is. His heart, which had been in his throat, relaxed a little.
Duan Gan still held her tightly in his arms, as if afraid she would run away. He bent down and placed his chin on her shoulder, his whole posture full of possessiveness.
"Stop messing around. I'll give you an explanation when I get back from Suizhou."
His voice was heavy with drowsiness, his eyelashes were half-closed, and his brows were furrowed, making him look very tired.
He rode at breakneck speed, covering a journey from morning to night, and returned in just an hour and a half. No one else could have kept up with that pace, but he managed to make it back.
Seeing that he didn't take her words seriously at all, Tao Tao bit her lower lip, glared at him angrily, and pushed against his chest with both hands, but he grabbed her hands and pressed them into his arms.
Her eyes darted around, trying to think of a solution, but he simply leaned back, hugged her, lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and pretended to be asleep.
She looked up at him from her embrace, her brows furrowed slightly, her cold eyes filled with weariness, yet her tightly pursed lips revealed a hint of childlike innocence.
He held her tightly in his arms, unable to make her move at all. He felt insecure, as if he were using her as a lifeline, holding her so tightly that he could hardly breathe.
Tao Tao frowned, looking at his expression, and for some reason felt uneasy and depressed.
After much thought, she attributed her discomfort to the discomfort caused by his strangulation.
She reached out and gently pressed her fingertips between his raised eyebrows, slowly moving downwards, tracing his contours little by little, finally landing on his crimson lips, where, upon closer inspection, she noticed they were slightly broken.
She stared at the mark and suddenly remembered tasting blood when they were struggling. She thought... but it turned out she had bitten his lip.
Duan Gan, don't blame me. I can't possibly compromise myself for a little bit of liking. If I want it, I want it all; if I don't want it, I don't want it at all.
She could choose someone she didn't like, but for the sake of power, she could tolerate the crown prince having three wives and four concubines, because she didn't like him and therefore didn't care.
But it wouldn't work on Duan Gan. She couldn't let him be manipulated by him just because she liked him, becoming an insignificant concubine, trapped in the backyard all day waiting for his charity.
That's impossible. She won't be passive; she wants to be the one in control.
Actually, if you think about it carefully, he didn't like her that much, otherwise how come she still doesn't see any part of his future plans?
Thinking this way, Tao Tao felt much better, and her guilt lessened.
The excitement he had stirred up had worn off, and drowsiness instantly overwhelmed her like a tidal wave, making it impossible for her to keep her eyes open. She leaned against his chest and fell into a deep sleep.
A quarter of an hour later, the man slowly opened his dark eyes, looked down at the sleeping woman, his rosy lips parted slightly with each breath, revealing his pearly white teeth.
His eyes were filled with adoration and tenderness. He reached out his fingertips to brush away the stray hairs that had fallen onto her cheeks and neck, lest the playful hairs disturb her peaceful slumber.
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