As it turns out, Chen Mianmian was wrong.
Guan Shui, a man with a background of suicide missions, doesn't have that many emotions to drown his sorrows in alcohol.
This was the first time Chen Mianmian had come to the courtyard of Guanshui.
The courtyard is very small; it's a single-entrance courtyard, not far from Qingfeng Courtyard.
The courtyard was square and clean, as tidy as a modern showroom, with absolutely nothing superfluous.
It's worth mentioning that the two of them climbed over the wall to get in. Since no one answered the door when they knocked, Shen Mianmian had Xiang Ning lift her up onto the wall, and then she climbed up the wall and pulled Xiang Ning up as well.
The same procedure was followed when getting down the wall. Xiang Ning pulled Chen Mianmian down, and after Chen Mianmian got down, she reached out to catch Xiang Ning.
In general, both of them tacitly agreed that practicing martial arts was still useful! They would continue practicing in the future.
Just as the two were about to enter the house, the door opened.
Guan Shui came out looking clean and refreshed, not at all disheveled or颓废. If it weren't for her much thinner face and tired eyes, you wouldn't be able to tell that she was any different from usual.
Guan Shui was taken aback when he saw the two of them. His eyes glanced at Xiang Ning subconsciously, but he quickly looked away, pursed his lips, and said seriously, "This subordinate greets Madam."
Chen Mianmian said, "No need for formalities. We're sorry we climbed over the wall without your permission. We were just worried about you because you wouldn't answer the door."
Guan Shui nodded, expressionless, her eyes lowered, and said nothing.
Shen Mianmian asked with concern, "Have you had breakfast?"
"Yes, Auntie, I've used it."
Shen Mianmian was somewhat skeptical, but didn't press the issue. "Do you have time? I'd like to talk to you."
Guan Shui said, "If you have any arrangements, please feel free to give them. If it's just for chatting, I'm sorry, I cannot comply."
Shen Mianmian's lips twitched. "Just this once! Let me finish asking my questions today, and I promise I'll never mention it again. Anyone who does is a dog."
Of course, she doesn't mind being a dog.
They don't have that much backbone.
Guan Shui was stunned. He knew that his aunt had come to comfort him. He didn't want to be comforted, but his aunt's words were so harsh that, as her subordinate, he couldn't refuse her directly.
Finally, he could only bite the bullet and say, "Please come in."
With that, he invited the two into the house.
The room was also clean and tidy.
Chen Mianmian casually asked, "Do you have someone to help with cleaning here?"
Guan Shui replied, "No, I cleaned it myself."
Shen Mianmian inwardly gave a thumbs up—good martial arts skills, cleanliness, self-discipline, and handsome with fair skin! Wherever he is, girls would go crazy for him. Only Xiang Ning, that wild boar, can't appreciate fine things and can't see Guan Shui's good qualities.
Chen Mianmian sat down while inwardly complaining.
Guan Shuidao said, "Please wait a moment, Madam, I will prepare tea."
Chen Mianmian said, "Don't bother preparing anything. I just had a good drink at Madam's, so I'm not thirsty yet."
After returning from watching the water, I stood at the door.
An awkward atmosphere filled the small hall.
Chen Mianmian smiled and tried to warm things up, "There are no outsiders here, you two can sit down too. Since we've decided to have a talk, let's open our hearts and talk it out all at once. If it works out, great; if not, let's give up completely. We're all martial artists, so let's be straightforward."
"..." Gazing at the water.
Liu Xiangning frowned and finally sat down in the chair next to her master.
Guan Shui then sat down in the chair opposite her. "Since Auntie wants to open up, please tell me directly what brings you here today."
Shen Mianmian cut to the chase, "First question, you said you wanted to take responsibility for Xiang Ning, was it because you already liked her and later had physical intimacy, so you simply decided to take responsibility; or did you not like her originally, but simply want to take responsibility?"
Despite asking the question, Chen Mianmian guessed the answer.
If it were a matter of taking responsibility without any emotion, Guan Shui wouldn't have become so internally conflicted. How much sense of responsibility must he have to be unable to take responsibility after being "forced" by a woman once, and thus give up on himself?
The hall was deathly silent.
It sleeps soundly without being urged, just quietly waiting.
After sitting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xiang Ning finally lost her patience and asked, "Is Master's question so difficult to answer? If you like someone, you like them; if you don't like someone, you don't like them. Is it shameful for me to like someone?"
What Liu Xiangning actually meant was that it's not shameful to like someone or not to like them.
But to the other two, it had a different meaning.
Guan Shui finally mustered some courage. He turned his face away, avoiding eye contact with the two of them, and said, "I...like..."
"??????" Liu Xiangning was stunned. "You...why do you like me? I'm just a skinny girl, there's nothing to like about me?"
Chen Mianmian interjected, "I'm also a skinny girl, thank you."
"..." Liu Xiangning, "No, Master, please let me explain! Your situation is different..."
"What's different? Did the young master buy me without spending any money?"
"No, it's because after the prince bought you back, the two of you got together, so it's different."
"Just because you're together, you're no longer a skinny horse? Well, if you're with Guanshui, you won't be either anymore either."
"That's not what I meant..." Liu Xiangning's mind was in a mess, and she couldn't argue with her master at all.
She didn't know when she started to feel confused. Was it when she learned about Guan Shui's tragic past and felt a sense of sympathy for him? Or was it when she heard from the lady that Guan Shui never communicated with anyone but made an exception by showing concern for her? Or perhaps... Guan Shui had just said that he liked her.
Everything was completely different from what she had imagined.
After receiving Guan Shui's affirmative answer, Chen Mianmian was very satisfied. "Next question: What will you do if one day the heir no longer wants you, and the Marquis's mansion can no longer tolerate you?"
Guan Shui was puzzled as to why her aunt would ask such a question, but she still answered, "Go back to the suicide squad and continue being a suicide soldier."
"..." Although Liu Xiangning didn't understand why her master asked that question, she felt even more upset than before.
“Okay, that’s enough about Guan Shui for now. Next, we’ll ask Xiang Ning,” Chen Mianmian said with a smile, turning to Liu Xiang Ning. “Did you refuse Guan Shui because you didn’t like him, or were you determined never to get married and that’s why you’re refusing him? I want to hear the truth.”
Liu Xiangning bit her lip, then, like Guan Shui, looked away, not daring to meet her master's gaze. "This servant... intends to never get married."
“Very good,” Shen Mianmian said without pressuring him to get married or have children. “If I don’t want you anymore, if the Marquis’s mansion doesn’t want you anymore, where do you plan to go?”
Liu Xiangning was taken aback. "Impossible! Master wouldn't abandon me!"
Chen Mianmian raised an eyebrow. "Why do you trust me? Just because we're in the same industry? You have many colleagues in Yaotai Fang, have you ever trusted any of them? After getting to know you over this period of time, I know that you've lost faith in outsiders, so why do you have faith in me? Similarly, since you have faith in me, why can't you give others a chance?"
Liu Xiangning was stumped by the question—yes, she didn't trust others, so why would she trust her master? Just because of their master-disciple relationship? But both of them knew that this master-disciple relationship was wishful thinking on her part; he didn't want to take her in at all, nor did he intend to teach her anything.
Chen Mianmian smiled slightly, "I took you as my disciple, but I haven't taught you anything. So let's take today as your first lesson. Listen carefully."
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