Chapter 142 Panic
"What is your relationship with Duan Gan?"
He slowly approached, stood in front of her, and gazed down at her.
"What?"
She frowned, looking completely bewildered, not understanding what he wanted to do.
Murong Yan recalled the look in Duan Gan's eyes when he looked at her in the hall earlier—a look full of possessiveness and aggression.
When a man gives a woman that look, it goes without saying what he's thinking.
"You two are not a good match; you're simply not compatible."
"Are you sick in the head?"
Tao Tao rolled her eyes at him impatiently, then turned and left.
Murong Yan scratched his head in confusion. Seeing her like this, he wondered if he had made a mistake? Tao Tao didn't like Duan Gan?
But just because she doesn't like Duan Gan doesn't mean Duan Gan doesn't like her.
If Duan Gan liked her, why didn't he just take her as a concubine? Why go through all this trouble?
That's really strange...
Tao Tao turned back, intending to go back to the main hall to inform everyone before leaving with her people.
Suddenly, someone hurried towards her. The moment they saw her, their eyes lit up and they showed a joyful expression.
"Miss, we've finally found you! The Prince has been looking for you."
"I just got lost. Let's go back."
The servants led her back to the front hall. Shujie's worried expression immediately turned to joy, and she hurried over.
"Miss, I've been looking everywhere for you but I couldn't find you."
She took Shujie's hand and patted the back of her hand reassuringly, "I'm fine, don't worry."
"By the way, where's my mother?"
"The First Madam is feeling unwell, so Xixin took her back first."
Murong Huai Shi stepped forward and said, "Xiao Tao, the sedan chair has been prepared for you. Go there now."
She was puzzled by these words: "Where am I supposed to go?" She then looked at Leng Qiao beside her.
He then said, "Go to the Privy Council."
"No, why would I go to the Privy Council..."
She realized her mistake halfway through her sentence, "Okay, I'll go now."
After leaving the Prince's Mansion, I saw a sedan chair waiting at the gate. I got into the sedan chair and went straight to the Privy Council. I didn't stop at the gate, but went straight inside.
When the sedan chair stopped, she got out and saw that the Privy Council's study was right in front of her.
Tao Tao walked to the door and gently knocked.
Soon the door was pushed open from the inside, and Chen Jinghe stood in front of her, looking at her in surprise. He had just said the word "Tao" when he immediately changed his address to "Miss".
He had never seen Tao Tao dressed like this before; she was completely different from the common girl he had met for the first time.
Only now does he truly admit that Fourth Master treated her very differently, giving her too many special privileges.
He helped her, protected her, indulged her, gave her everything she wanted, and even arranged for the Prince of Ying to adopt her as his goddaughter so that she could escape her status as a merchant.
Tao Tao looked up at him, hummed in agreement, and turned to go inside.
Shujie was about to follow him in when Chen Jinghe stopped her at the door, his face cold and his brows furrowed as he looked at her.
Shujie anxiously watched her young mistress's retreating figure, and was about to speak when Leng Qiao pulled her away.
The wooden door was closed by the people outside. Tao Tao stood in the middle and looked up at the man in the high position. He seemed to be busy and did not react when he heard the sound.
Tao Tao took a deep breath, and the moment she looked up, her eyes lit up with a smile: "Master, you were looking for me?"
Duan Gan paused, then asked coldly, "What did you and Murong Yan do just now?"
She looked around, walked to the side and sat down, picked up a pastry from the small table and took a bite, her words muffled.
“I didn’t do anything. He just said he wanted to take me to see the Prince’s Mansion. I don’t live there, so why would I need to be familiar with the mansion?”
Upon hearing this, his tense expression softened considerably, and his tone became much gentler.
"Is that really the case?"
She said, puzzled, "Would I lie to you?"
I was rather speechless that she was called here just for this.
"Little Peach, come here."
He put down the folded document in his hand, his beautiful features and a smile playing at the corners of his eyes, and beckoned to her with his large, pale hand.
Upon seeing his handsome face, Tao Tao unconsciously moved and stood in front of him.
When Duan Gan saw the pair of earrings he had given her on her fair earlobes, the curve of his lips widened, and his eyes shimmered with a gentle, spring-like light.
Suddenly his gaze sharpened, landing on her swollen earlobe, and his brows furrowed.
He touched it lightly with his fingertip: "Why is it red? Are you feeling unwell?"
Hearing his question, she reached out and touched it, then suddenly remembered: "Oh, this is it. It's probably because I haven't worn earrings for several years, and my ear piercings have grown back a bit, so I just poked them in hard."
"There was a little bleeding, and then I put it on."
After hearing this, his brows furrowed even more. "If you can't fit them in, don't force yourself. Doesn't it hurt your ears to make them like this?"
"Of course it hurts, how could it not hurt? But this is a gift from you, and I want to wear it."
She opened her bright almond-shaped eyes and said with a smile, full of charming naivety.
"Don't I look good in it?"
She shook her head, and her coral earrings swayed back and forth, making her even more radiant and beautiful against her fair skin.
His eyelashes fluttered, and he swallowed lightly. "Beautiful."
"That solves it."
He shook his head and chuckled, then picked up the ointment from the side: "Sit down, I'll apply the medicine for you."
Tao Tao looked around, then stood on tiptoe and sat directly on the desk, bringing her little face close to his.
Duan Gan was momentarily stunned, staring at the small face in front of him. Her clear, unfathomable eyes met his gaze directly, and the sweet fragrance of snow pears wafted over him.
His breath was filled with sweetness.
Her rosy lips parted slightly, her breath carrying a hint of coolness, spraying onto his chin, causing a tingling, itchy sensation that seeped into his flesh and bones, reaching the very tip of his heart.
"Master? Aren't you going to administer medicine?"
He hummed in agreement and gently removed the earring from her left ear.
This ear is quite red and swollen.
She watched him open the ointment, dip his fingertip in the milky white paste, and then apply it to his earlobe, producing a slight cooling sensation that immediately reduced the burning temperature.
For a moment, the dimly lit room was quiet and still, and even breathing became shallow.
The air seemed to thicken at a certain moment, the temperature gradually rose, and an indescribable ambiguity spread between the two.
A series of crashing sounds echoed from inside the room.
Books, paper, and pens were scattered all over the table. The girl sat on the table, leaning against him, looking up at him. Her eyes blinked rapidly, revealing a hint of panic.
The man placed his hands on either side of the girl, leaned down and gazed at her. His tall and imposing figure completely enveloped her, making her appear even more petite in comparison.
He lowered his head and slowly approached, as if afraid of frightening her, tentatively probing her little by little, not daring to make any big movements.
She flinched slightly, but didn't back down. Her fingertips, gripping the edge of the table, turned slightly white. The silence was so intense that it created a piercing ringing in her ears.
And my heart was pounding uncontrollably.
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