Chapter 64 Shu Feng and Jiang Ce answered her: "Yes, I like you..."
Xue Chan's horse galloped across the gentle hillside and into the forest.
In her terror, she could only grip the reins tightly, half-lying on the horse's back to prevent herself from being thrown off.
"Xue Chan!"
Jiang Ce spurred his horse and hurried to Xue Chan's side, reaching out to pull on the reins, trying to stop the horse from moving forward. But the wild horse was impossible to calm down, galloping across the dense forest.
He could only steady the horse he was riding with one hand while trying to get Xue Chan off the horse.
"Hold on to me!"
He tried to get as close to Xue Chan as possible, but Xue Chan managed to pull her hand away from his several times.
Jiang Ce gritted his teeth and gripped the horse tightly to maintain his balance, trying not to be thrown off. As he approached Xue Chan, he released the reins and suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace: "Let go of the reins, hold me tight!"
With their lives in their hands, they couldn't care less about the proper separation between men and women, let alone harbor resentment or anger.
Xue Chan steeled her heart, loosened the reins, wrapped her arms around the other man's arm, and leaned out of the horse to get closer to Jiang Ce.
She had already been lifted off the horse, but then the horse jerked again, rearing up high. Without her support, Xue Chan slipped off the horse's back.
As the horse's raised hoof was about to trample her, Xue Chan even thought about rolling down the mountain to become a corpse beneath the horse, or at least be crippled.
Jiang Ce was terrified. He had almost completely left the horse's body and was barely holding on with one hand.
"Hurry up!"
He stretched out his long arm, quickly grabbed Xue Chan's waist, lifted her up, and brought her to sit in front of him.
The wild horse charged straight ahead, causing Jiang Ce's horse to become somewhat flustered and unable to stop. He could only put his arm around Xue Chan's shoulder, press her down on the horse's back, and cover her with his body to protect her from being injured by the slanting branches.
By the time they burst out of the dense forest, the mad horse had already disappeared without a trace.
Jiang Ce gripped the reins and rode his horse to a low slope. He looked around, dismounted, and extended his hand to Xue Chan: "You've had a fright, get down and calm down."
Xue Chan looked up. The two of them were now on a grassy slope, with woods on both sides. Below the slope was a stream, and beyond the stream was another peak of Fanglu Mountain. To the northeast, a corner pavilion could be vaguely seen.
The mountains are verdant, the wild waters are clear and moist, the grasses and wildflowers are lush, and the clear streams meander around them.
If it weren't for this time of year, it would be a truly rare and beautiful sight.
Just now, my life was in danger, and I was so anxious that I could hardly feel fear. Now that I am out of danger, I feel a great fear, as well as a little bit of relief that I survived.
At least, he's still alive.
Xue Chan was so shocked that her face turned pale, and only then did Ping An realize the fear that followed.
She looked back and saw that she had neither been trampled by a horse nor fallen off a cliff.
With a sudden release of tension, Xue Chan felt disoriented and swayed on her horse, on the verge of falling off.
Jiang Ce reached out and pulled her into his arms, whereupon she covered her face and breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's alright, it's all over." Jiang Ce gently patted Xue Chan's shoulder, comforting her softly.
Once Xue Chan had calmed down a bit, he helped her stand up straight.
Xue Chan stepped away from him and helped the horse to calm herself down.
The horse lowered its head, obediently letting Xue Chan help it catch its breath and calm down.
Xue Chan quickly looked around; they had practically crossed a small cliff. Below them lay dense thickets of tall trees and deep grass, making it difficult to even find a path.
Although the pavilions of the imperial palace could be seen from afar, they looked close but were actually quite far away.
They had no idea when their search party would arrive, and it was getting dark. Were they really going to have to spend the night in these mountains...?
The sun was so intense it made people feel uneasy. Xue Chan felt a slight headache and leaned against the white horse's belly, closing her eyes and massaging her acupoints.
Jiang Ce took a few steps back and stopped getting close to Xue Chan.
He subtly observed Xue Chan, only to find that her face was flushed, her forehead and cheeks were covered in sweat, and she looked very uncomfortable.
"Are you... are you alright?"
Xue Chan straightened up slightly, swallowed hard, and even her reply was much weaker.
Jiang Ce thought for a while, then lowered his head and began to unbutton his outer robe.
Xue Chan was feeling dizzy when she heard Jiang Ce making a soft rustling sound, and she glanced over out of the corner of her eye.
He is taking off his clothes.
She immediately flew into a rage, picked up a rock, and threw it at Jiang Ce's shoulder: "What's wrong with you! Haven't you been beaten enough already?"
Jiang Ce was startled by the angry rebuke. His gauze shirt fell halfway down, and he paused in untying his belt.
Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he hurriedly stammered, "I...I...I didn't mean anything by it...I was just thinking you were uncomfortable, and that sitting down would make you feel better, so I could put something down to avoid staining your clothes..."
Xue Chan's face turned red and hot, and her dizziness worsened.
But her eyes were fixed on Jiang Ce, her pale lips pressed tightly together, and she remained silent.
Jiang Ce stood a few steps away, immediately filled with remorse. However, it was Xue Chan's rebuke that brought him back to his senses; he shouldn't have taken off his outer garment in front of her.
He immediately hid behind a clump of grass and trees, quickly took off his gauze outer robe, folded it, and tossed it away lightly.
The gauze robe fell into a shady spot, and Jiang Ce, still behind the grass and trees, said softly, "You, you should sit down and rest for a while."
Xue Chan moved her unsteady steps and sat down, leaning against a tree to relieve her physical discomfort.
Jiang Ce sat behind a clump of lush grass and spoke to her.
"They will have difficulty finding us for a while. After we rest, we will search for them as we descend the mountain."
Xue Chan closed her eyes, only to find that Jiang Ce's voice was somewhat muffled.
She didn't respond, and Jiang Ce stopped bothering her by talking, only occasionally peeking through the gaps to observe Xue Chan's condition.
About a quarter of an hour passed,
The sun was already setting in the west, and the heat was no longer as intense as it had been in the afternoon.
The summer breeze swept through the mountains and forests, gradually softening, and even carrying a hint of gentle tranquility.
Although Xue Chan was still feeling unwell, she was much better and had the strength to open her eyes and sit up.
"Give"
Jiang Ce came over again at some point, kneeling beside her and handing her something.
"It will probably take a while longer. If you're hungry, have some snacks to fill your stomach first."
He opened a small box, no bigger than the palm of his hand, inside which lay several delicate flower-shaped pastries.
Xue Chan did not refuse and reached out to take it.
Thank you.
Xue Chan looked closely at the pastries in the box and realized they were Wanshengxiang pastries.
She ate a small piece, and then a small bag was placed next to her.
"It contains plum and ginger water. Drink some to cool down. It will... will make you feel better..."
Xue Chan, with snacks in her left hand and soup in her right, suddenly found herself inexplicably amused.
This is the first time I've ever seen someone carry sweet drinks and snacks with them, and these are never lacking in the imperial palace.
She looked up and saw that Jiang Ce was already standing a few steps away, leaning against a tree, head down and not saying much.
They used to be as noisy as cicadas in summer, but now they're silent, which is quite rare.
But he suddenly lost his energy and spirit, which made people feel uncomfortable.
Xue Chan asked, "Are you planning to just stand there like this forever?"
Jiang Ce was surprised by her words and raised a blank face, wondering what she meant.
Should I have him sit with me?
His face was slightly flushed by the sunlight, and fearing that he might guess wrong and anger Xue Chan, he didn't dare to reply for a moment.
He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively moved closer to Xue Chan and said softly, "Can...I sit here?"
"..." Xue Chan frowned at him and said irritably, "Fine, don't sit then."
Jiang Ce quickly sat down, straightened his back, and instead of looking around, he awkwardly looked at the mountain stream.
The two sat quietly.
Xue Chan took a bite of a pastry, glanced sideways, and out of the corner of her eye, noticed him unconsciously tugging at the hem of his robe.
"Give" Xue Chan the pastries.
Jiang Ce shook his head: "I'm not hungry, you eat."
Xue Chan's face immediately turned cold, her brows furrowed and her lips pursed.
"No, I'm hungry, thank you." Jiang Ce quickly took the pastry and lowered his head to bite into it.
She didn't shy away, directly fixing her gaze on Jiang Ce. After a while, she noticed that his face had somehow gotten covered in smudges.
For some reason, she suddenly found it a little funny, so she chuckled softly.
She chuckled, then realized it was inappropriate and immediately turned her face away, pretending nothing had happened.
Jiang Ce heard a very short and soft "pfft" laugh, and for a moment thought it was his imagination.
But he felt it wasn't his imagination; Xue Chan was smiling.
Jiang Ce reached out and touched it, finding that it was crumbs stuck to his lips.
Most likely, they find it indecent, so they laugh at it.
He quickly turned his back, wiped it carefully, and only turned back when he thought it was clean.
Jiang Ce glanced at Xue Chan out of the corner of his eye, but she just hugged her knees and turned her back, her shoulders trembling slightly.
He only noticed the pearl hairpin in Xue Chan's hair, which made it sparkle.
A warm evening breeze blew, and in the distance, clear water gushed from between the rocks, splashing and gurgling, while stream flowers swayed in the breeze.
Jiang Ce took out a short flute from his waist and began to play it.
The sound of the flute echoed softly through the mountains and streams, ethereal and melodious. Birds flew through the forest, and a white horse swayed its tail as birds frolicked.
As the music faded, a lingering tenderness remained.
Xue Chan was smiling, but the sound of the flute gradually subsided. The melody grew softer and gentler, long and lingering.
Her smile gradually faded.
When the song ended, Jiang Ce sat silently behind him.
Xue Chan turned around and asked him directly, "I'm asking you, you like me, don't you?"
Jiang Ce didn't expect her to ask this at this moment, but when he looked up, he met her slightly bright eyes.
Unable to escape, with no will to flee.
She was too direct, too sudden, and her question caught people off guard.
But Jiang Ce felt that this was not sudden. How many perfect opportunities in the world are there when everything is in place at the right time?
How long will we have to wait?
What's the use of waiting for what you desire? Striving for it is the best strategy.
Jiang Ce immediately stood up, walked in front of her, and cast a large blue shadow that enveloped her.
Xue Chan looked up, fearless.
Jiang Ce bent his knees and knelt down seriously in front of her, his hands folded on his knees.
He was a little nervous, so he was unable to speak, and his palms were already sweaty.
The wish has been fulfilled; all that remains is to express it.
Yes, I like you.
Jiang Ce raised his head, staring into Xue Chan's eyes, wishing he could simply move in and stand on her heart.
"I don't know when it started, but I think about you while eating, drinking, walking, and reading. I always want to see you, and once I see you, I'm already thinking about the next time we meet."
He smiled with his eyes lowered, his voice soft and gentle.
"At first I thought you weren't good, but then I thought you were very good." His expression turned to disappointment, becoming even softer. The evening light fell on his long eyelashes, giving them a shimmering, golden sheen.
"Later, I felt you were too good, and for some reason, I became unhappy. I wanted to see you but was afraid, and I didn't want to see you but was annoyed. Sometimes I tossed and turned at night, gazing at the moon and thinking about it many times. But after thinking it over and over, I still think you are very good, like the clear water of spring, the plum juice of summer, the wine of autumn, and the fire of winter. Whether you are good or bad, I like you."
Perhaps it was the release of all the thoughts that had been swirling in his mind for days, but Jiang Ce raised his face, his eyes shining brightly.
Her smile was still as bright and cheerful as ever, but now it held a newfound tenderness and affection.
"Xue Chan, I want to be with you. I want to go fishing, fly kites, ride horses, and do so many things with you. Actually, anything is fine as long as I'm with you."
Xue Chan listened to him quietly without looking away.
Jiang Ce smiled again, as if mocking himself. He leaned forward slightly, tilted his head, and looked slightly pleading.
"I know you don't like the past, Xue Chan, can you please stop being angry with me?"
Xue Chan's eyes flickered slightly: "I..."
To everyone's surprise, Jiang Ce scratched his head again and suddenly realized that he had gone too far.
"Go ahead and be angry if you want to." He looked dejected, hugging his knees and lowering his head, almost burying it in his arms.
"But, could you... not give birth for too long?"
For some reason, Xue Chan was amused by him. She smiled for a moment before looking up again.
"good"
Jiang Ce looked up abruptly. Xue Chan was smiling at him, her face resting on her hands. The evening breeze ruffled her hair, and her eyes shone brightly. He felt as if his heart had been pulled out of a honey potâheavy, sticky, yet fragrant and sweet.
He really liked this feeling.
He felt a little shy, but he couldn't help looking at her and laughing with her, his cheeks flushed.
"I also have cherry cheesecake, would you like some?"
"..." Thinking he might say something profound, Xue Chan was at a loss for words and simply said, "I don't want it, it's too sweet."
"I reduced the sugar content, it's delicious, have some."
Xue Chan opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.
Jiang Ce got up quickly and went to get the cherry cookies.
He stuffed the pancake into Xue Chan's hand, then sat down to one side, hugging his knees, getting closer to her.
Their eyes met, and they both chuckled softly.
Jiang Ce looked down and saw Xue Chan's hand resting on the soft grass, its green and white surfaces complementing each other beautifully.
He quietly and slowly moved over, wanting to tentatively take Xue Chan's hand.
Xue Chan's smile suddenly froze, her vision blurred, and she collapsed onto Jiang Ce's shoulder.
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