"It's none of your business!"
Xiao Rong was hysterical, his eyes bloodshot. He raised his gun, first pointing it at Huo Jiayuan, but the next second he pointed it at Meng Yan beside her.
"Since you love meddling in other people's business so much, go and mind your own business in the underworld!"
Xiao Rong pulled the trigger.
Huo Jiayuan screamed and rushed towards Meng Yan without hesitation. But the instant the gun fired, Meng Yan shielded her with his body.
...
Huo Jiayuan opened her eyes. The surroundings were a soft, warm off-white, and the air was filled with her favorite grapefruit scent. She moved her eyelids, took a deep breath, and her heartbeat calmed down a little.
A familiar voice came from beside me: "Sis, are you having another nightmare?"
Huo Jiayuan came to her senses. Yes, it was just a nightmare.
In her dream, she returned to that desolate and bloody place of the border town, where everything in sight was stained red with blood.
The scene in her dream was filled with chaotic gunfire, police sirens, and Meng Yan holding her tightly in his arms...
She rubbed her temples; her head ached, and her nose felt sore.
Huo Jiaxi brought her a glass of warm water and gently helped her sit up to feed her.
She has been back in the city for two weeks.
But these past two weeks have been anything but peaceful for her. She has nightmares every night, all of which are about the day Xiao Rong was arrested.
That day must have been the most chaotic day of her life. Xiao Rong, who had lost his mind, fired wildly. Meng Yan shielded her from the bullets with his body, and Xiao Man rushed out, letting out a hoarse voice...
"Sister," Huo Jiaxi asked softly, "would you like something to eat? Mom always makes you all kinds of soups, both sweet and savory. And Grandma baked you those little cookies that we loved to eat when we were little. Shall I get you some?"
Huo Jiayuan forced a smile.
For several days after she returned, she seemed to have developed aphasia. Although she wanted to speak, she couldn't utter a single word and could only express herself by nodding or shaking her head.
I'm feeling a bit better now, but I still don't really want to say anything, so I just gave a few perfunctory replies.
"I want to sleep a little longer," she said softly. "You don't need to stay with me."
"Sis, you should sleep a little less!" Huo Jiaxi said worriedly. "Sleeping like this every day will ruin you! How about I take you horseback riding this afternoon?"
"No."
Huo Jiayuan has lost interest in everything.
Huo Jiaxi sighed and quietly walked out. Huo Jiayuan was quiet for a while, then took out the little rabbit made of straw rope from under her pillow and pressed it tightly to her chest.
This time, she still couldn't bring Xiaoman back.
She recalled her last day in Biandu, after Xiao Rong was executed, when Xiao Man wrote on a piece of paper that the former Xiao Man was dead, and the one who lived in the world now was Sister Bai Ling.
Huo Jiayuan burst into tears and held her hand tightly.
Xiaoman smiled, gently wiped away her tears, and continued writing on the paper: "I will be fine, don't worry."
"Will your sixth brother marry you? Will he take care of you for the rest of his life?"
Xiaoman's expression dimmed for a moment, but when she looked up again, she revealed a resolute smile.
“He won’t marry me, and I don’t plan to get married either,” she told him. “I can take good care of myself.”
"Xiaoman..."
Huo Jiayuan hugged her tightly; this embrace was many years overdue.
She was lying in bed, and the only thing she could hold onto was her little rabbit.
...
Jingyuan is located in the southeast corner of Huo's Manor. It is secluded and quiet, and is close to the sea and horse farm, making it a good place for recuperation.
After returning to Yangcheng with Huo Jiayuan, Meng Yan has been recuperating at Jingyuan.
But he became more taciturn than before.
Huo Jiaxi came to see him, asked the maid who was taking care of him if there was anything missing, and after taking care of everything, he patted Meng Yan on the shoulder, his smile like sunshine breaking through the gloom, and cheerfully called out, "Brother Yan!"
Meng Yan turned around and smiled politely.
However, Huo Jiaxi could tell that, like his sister, he seemed very strained whether he was speaking or laughing since he came back.
Huo Jiaxi ran back and forth between the two of them, doing all sorts of fun things for Meng Yan, as her parents would say.
Meng Yan was willing to be close to him, but most of the time he would just gaze at the distant clouds and the glow of the sunset, his thoughts drifting off somewhere else.
The only thing that hasn't changed is that he's always been very good to Huo Jiayuan.
He would visit Huo Jiayuan's place every day, staying there with her even if he didn't say anything. No matter what she wanted to do, he seemed to have a telepathic connection and could always prepare it for her in advance.
Huo Jiayuan also relies on him a lot, and every time she sees him, she smiles more happily than usual.
"Hey, Yan-ge," Huo Jiaxi practically dragged him to the horse farm, "My sister's not coming out, so let's have a horse race! You just pick one!"
Unable to refuse Meng Yan's earnest invitation, he had no choice but to select a horse.
The horse was tall and large, its reddish-brown coat shimmering in the sunlight. It had a well-proportioned body and beautifully defined muscles, making it a top contender even on the racetrack.
"Brother Yan, you have a good eye for horses!" Huo Jiaxi's eyes lit up. "This horse is called Fiery Blaze. Our horse trainer said it's a good breed and has a fiery temperament. Can you... can you handle it?"
Meng Yan hesitated for a moment, then tentatively stepped forward to stroke its mane, before taking the reins and leaping onto the horse's back.
Surprisingly, the fire was surprisingly docile.
Not only was Hogarth stunned, but even several horse trainers exclaimed in amazement.
"It seems that the relationship between people and animals is also determined by fate!" Huo Jiaxi smiled. "This raging fire has knocked over several people, and no one in our family dared to touch it! Brother Yan, you tamed it as soon as you arrived. It seems that it only recognizes you as its master!"
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