Rong Ting looked straight at Jiang Rao.
The bright moon was hanging on the branches, and the snow and moonlight reflected Jiang Rao's figure in his eyes. His gaze was focused and deep like a pool. If someone looked into his eyes, they would feel that in this courtyard filled with moonlight and lanterns, there was a chill that could freeze people to the bone.
His tall body swayed. He lowered his head and placed his chin on Jiang Rao's shoulder. His voice was exceptionally light, "Niannian."
"My..." Rong Ting spoke the last few words even more softly, his deep voice almost drowned in the sound of the wind, so soft that it could not be heard. He rubbed Jiang Rao's neck with sticky movements, his voice a little choked, "My Nian Nian."
Rong Ting was much taller than Jiang Rao, but he seemed to have let go of his strength, placing all his weight on the person in his arms. He lowered his head and leaned on Jiang Rao's shoulder.
Jiang Rao couldn't bear it anymore and wanted to fall back, but his iron-like arm held her waist, so she didn't retreat or fall down. She answered: "Yes."
Rong Ting felt relieved.
…
The maids who were sweeping and lighting the lamps in the inner room were sent away.
The door of the wisteria house was tightly closed, and only a candle was burning in the room. Jiang Rao leaned against the door, her chin feeling a little sore as she tilted it up.
Rong Ting held Jiang Rao's cheek, lowered his head, and kissed her gently.
He is a wanton and self-indulgent person in his bones. If he is not restrained, he will be like a hungry wolf and go too crazy.
But he was cunning and treacherous, very good at observing people's words and expressions, and he knew very well that his character was not pleasing enough. In the past, when he kissed her and wanted her, if he could not help but bully the little girl badly, he would stop for a while before she could complain, and he comforted and flattered her more than plundered her, and was so gentle that people could not resist.
Jiang Rao is not stupid. In fact, her way of dealing with things can be considered to be very clear. However, she has one weakness.
She was too soft-hearted, especially towards Rong Ting.
Rong Ting also knew this.
If he hadn't felt sorry for her, she would have felt resentful and ran away as soon as his leg injury healed.
But she was the one who provoked him first. No matter if it’s after the reunion or when we were kids. He pinched her soft spot for him and acted pitiful, well-behaved, gentle and harmless. His eccentric and unruly nature only reveals itself occasionally.
She said he lost the bet.
He laughed.
He won the bet.
He lowered his head and kissed her more deeply, gently and tenderly, with a deep affection and infatuation. When Jiang Rao tried to push him away because her chin was too sore, he let go and kissed her ear instead.
He blinked and looked at Jiang Rao's eyelashes, sweaty nose bridge and cherry-red lips that were so close to him. The bright red color was transferred to his lips. He raised his long fingers and wiped his thin lips. He pinched Jiang Rao's chin and turned her face away. He supported her body with his other hand, so that her feet were suspended in the air, half a head higher than him.
Even though she was often held like this, Jiang Rao was so frightened that her breathing paused when her legs were lifted into the air.
She lowered her eyes and looked at Rong Ting, listening to him curling his lips and saying in a joyful voice, "Just now, that was a reward."
Jiang Rao didn't understand.
She looked especially petite in front of him. She didn't want him to bend over too deeply, so she had to tilt her head back to receive his kiss, which made her jaw ache. Now that I lowered my head, I felt much more comfortable, and the soreness in the back of my neck also eased a lot.
Their noses touched, their breaths colliding.
"You know I'm a bad person, and I've given you a chance." Rong Ting's fingers gently inserted into Jiang Rao's hair, his face close to Jiang Rao, leaning over and whispering in Jiang Rao's ear: "It's you who didn't leave. You won't be able to leave in the future. Don't blame me."
Since Jiang Rao knew that he was suppressing his nature, she knew that he was crazy.
But perhaps it was because of the saying "birds of a feather flock together", she seemed to have learned his bad habits. Once she had decided on someone, she would no longer listen to anyone's advice and would insist on doing what she wanted.
She found it funny to see him hesitating and dawdling, which went against his ruthless nature and required him to threaten and warn before striking. But when she thought of this hesitation and desperation, which only occurred when facing her, she could no longer laugh.
If it would put him at ease, she could tell him more.
Jiang Rao lowered her eyes and placed her hand on Rong Ting's shoulder. "I have long noticed your inconsistency. I didn't leave then, and I won't leave again."
Rong Ting smiled suddenly, and the gloom in his face disappeared, and his face regained the clean youthfulness.
He called Jiang Rao by her nickname, as if those two words contained the depth of his attachment to her life, as if calling her by her nickname would never be enough, "Nian Nian."
He won the bet.
If he really wanted to, he wouldn't reveal even a little bit of his true nature to her.
But he never thought that he was really innocent and clean. He and she were both born in the vortex of power. If he doesn't have power and influence, and can't even protect himself in the end, how can he protect others? Before his leg injury healed, he was thinking that even if he could not become the emperor, he would have to support a puppet to take the throne. Only when he holds power can he hold his life in his own hands.
He was so cruel and power-hungry by nature that the scene of her suddenly knowing his true nature was like a nightmare to him. He had dreamed about it before, and when he woke up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, he had already thought of ways to deal with it.
He didn't hide it too deeply. He remained calm and composed, like a gentle rain or breeze, occasionally revealing a bit of his true nature to her. He acted like a spoiled child again, step by step lowering the limit of her tolerance for him. One point of leniency turned into two points, and two points turned into three points.
It would be fine if she never realized his true nature, but even if she did, it would be fine as long as she didn't leave.
The only bad thing is leaving.
He was betting that if he had given her time to calm down and think, she would run away.
Fortunately, nothing she could give him was bad.
It's good to keep fighting until death.
He continued to call Jiang Rao by her nickname, and Jiang Rao responded, "I'm here."
Year after year, the sound is always with me.
Rong Ting's eyes were hot, his gaze was filled with pain and obsession, and he kissed her again.
The dead branches on the jujube tree were crisscrossed, blocking the moon in the sky. The moonlight is clear, illuminating even the darkest corners of the night.
What he embraced and kissed was the little moon that only illuminated him.
This time he was furious, all his evil and bad energy surged up, he kissed and bit her at the same time, like a mad beast, with sharp fangs, using enough force to swallow her into his stomach.
Jiang Rao's lips were numb, her cheeks were painful, and her heart ached too. If it weren't for the man in front of her, she would have fallen into a nightmare of her family being torn apart.
If it were someone else, before he kissed her like this, she would definitely blink pitifully and beg for mercy humbly, "Please be gentle with me." Although she didn't say this today, Jiang Rao was in a trance, as if she was seeing him again in the past, that sticky and lovable look of his. She stepped back, raised her hand and pushed aside the black hair that fell on his cheek, exposing his entire face.
His face lost its boyish innocence and became more angular, with bright eyes, fair skin and delicate bones. He looked more domineering and less cute, but the little mole under his eye never changed, always like a beautiful red dot on the snow, adding a bit of charm to his face, making him very captivating. She pressed her small hand on his forehead, and he looked up at her, his eyes were crazy and cherishing, so heavy that it was terrifying. Just one glance and Jiang Rao's heart trembled.
She had grown crazier and crazier with him, probably true.
Even if she could see that his well-behaved and obedient behavior was hiding his wolfish ambitions, what could she do? She was trapped without knowing it. He was indeed extremely cunning. It was obvious that she wanted it, and she took the initiative in everything. But he didn't make any mistakes at all, and his morbidity and greed were not revealed at all.
But even if she knew about it, she really couldn't bear to do it. He did all the good and bad things by himself, and she couldn't even be angry with him. Instead, she would be lured into his trap and let him ask for whatever he wanted. She had no way to deal with him at all.
What can we do? Apart from the man in front of her, she never thought of being with anyone else. At least he was willing to listen to her, not to kill innocent people indiscriminately, and not to seek revenge. He could have a good reputation as a gentleman in public and would no longer be cursed behind his back.
Jiang Rao sighed, lowered her eyes, and blinked her eyelashes. She bent her neck and lowered her lips, which were numb and moist, to rub Rong Ting's lips gently. She just leaned towards him without any defense, just like before, "I'm here."
She sighed, hooked her arm around Rong Ting's neck, and said softly, "I'll always be here. Just tell me what you want."
Her face was white and her whole body was soft and beautiful beyond words. She was so well behaved that Rong Ting felt itchy inside. He followed the action of holding her, pressed her down on the couch, and said, "You."
Jiang Rao was stunned for a moment, and then she fell on the couch. Rong Ting pressed her palms with both hands, and his black hair fell on his shoulders. He looked at Jiang Rao, his breath quickly subsided, and he got close to her, rubbing her cheek with his fingertips, and whispered: "You asked me what I wanted."
…
The next day, Jiang Rao woke up late. As soon as she woke up, she felt a little resentful.
Jiang Rao was worried about whether the jailer could handle Shen Xiuying's matter without any mistakes. Even though she was being pestered by Rong Tingchi and was sweating profusely as if she had just been pulled out of the water, and was so tired that she didn't want to move a finger, she still remembered to tell him to wake her up early tomorrow.
Rong Ting wrapped her in a thin blanket and walked into the bathroom, agreeing well.
Jiang Rao fell asleep peacefully only after hearing his agreement. When she woke up in the morning, the bedside was empty. She touched it and found that the bedding had been cold for a long time.
When I looked up again, it was bright outside and the sun was already high in the sky.
She had just told him not to harden himself, but his words quickly became unbelievable.
In the past, Shen Que was executed and the Shen family was wiped out. Shen Xiuying's mother had been expelled from the family in order to get close to Shen Que. In the end, there was not even anyone to collect Shen Xiuying's body. It was thrown into a mass grave outside the city to be eaten by hawks and falcons. Shen Xiuying set fire to her mother and killed her. This shocking incident was hotly discussed in Jinling City for several months. In the past, Chen Xiuying had made many enemies in the circle of noble ladies. Those who had been offended by her always liked to bring up this matter and discuss it over and over again. Old cases were also dug up. They just thought it was revenge, saying that Chen Que's first wife had turned into a fierce ghost and took the lives of those who had harmed her one by one.
Small
Jiang Rao didn't listen much to the rumors in the street. She only cared about whether Shen Xiuying's death would bring a stain to Rong Ting. Since it had no impact, the rumors on the street were becoming more and more bizarre and outrageous, so she didn't care.
As for Jiang Jinxing, he was the one who captured Shen Xiuying, so he made a good show of himself.
On the academy's holiday, Jiang Jinxing stayed in Jiang Rao's shop. In the past, he often came to Jiang Rao's shop, but he neither helped with the work nor helped with the accounting. He was just like a lazy playboy. Today he is very busy, helping the waiter hired by the store.
After finishing his work, he clapped his hands and went to the small house behind the yard to find Jiang Rao.
He wiped the dust on his face twice, then opened the curtain and went in. He saw the red knot in Jiang Rao's hand. He paused, tapped the wooden table with his fingertips, and asked Jiang Rao, "Have you found out everything about the Princess Xiang?"
Jiang Rao thought for a moment and said, "It's been too long since this happened. There's no need to mention it again."
Jiang Jinxing could tell from her tone that she wanted to make a big deal out of a small matter, and realized that she already knew everything he wanted her to know the most. Fortunately, he was not too stupid to be fooled by the handsome but smiling King Qi.
Jiang Jinxing touched his chin and asked with some curiosity, "Don't girls like capable men? It turns out... being weak and pitiful, does that please girls more?"
Jiang Rao blushed, her fair face showing red, "Don't make random guesses, and don't say random things."
No matter how weak and pitiful you are, it's possible to win her sympathy, but it's not easy to win her heart and soul.
"Your sister is a very nice person. Please don't gossip about her anymore."
She caught him killing someone, and she told him not to suppress his temper to avoid being wronged, but he seemed happy to continue as before, with a smile in his eyes, gentle and courteous, easy to talk to and negotiate with. However, when he saw her about to go out, he showed his unwillingness obviously, and wanted to follow her, but unfortunately he had some official social engagements and could not get away, so she came alone.
"Who cares about this?" Jiang Jinxing rolled his eyes and said stubbornly, "It's not that I'm afraid you're too stupid."
Jiang Rao raised her eyelids and said in a cold voice, "You want me to see you off?"
If Jiang Jinxing wanted to ask Jiang Rao for something, he would immediately keep silent.
"You helped carry grain bags and sorted out account books, but I've never seen you so diligent. Tell me, what do you want me to do for you?" Jiang Rao looked at the dust on Jiang Jinxing's cheek and stopped winding the thread. Jiang Jinxing raised his fingers to wipe off the two streaks of dust on his face, muttering that his brother-in-law's method was effective and that showing weakness would bring benefits. When he raised his eyes to meet Jiang Rao's warning gaze, he hurriedly smiled and dared not say anything bad about Rong Ting anymore. He said in a flattering voice, "Sister."
"Just tell me what you want me to do for you."
"Do you know that Lord Zuo from Rui County was promoted and transferred to Jiangzhou Prefecture? I want to go there in the spring when the river thaws. When Lord Zuo took me in, I only gave him a thank-you gift and never thanked him in person, which is disrespectful."
Jiang Jinxing sat up straight, his tone serious and formal.
Jiang Rao poked his forehead with her finger and frowned, "You've been acting reserved these days, and you want to go out and play under the pretext of congratulating Lord Zuo on his promotion, right?"
Jiang Jinxing didn't comment, Jiang Rao shook his head, "Daddy will definitely not allow it."
Jiang Jinxing pouts and begs, "Sister, sister, I beg you, please help me beg Daddy, I will soon turn into a piece of wood if I stay in the academy any longer, in this rainy season, I will soon mold and rot."
Jiang Rao glanced at Jiang Jinxing. His round eyes were bright and his face was rosy. He didn't look depressed at all.
"He's very playful," she said.
Jiang Jinxing rolled his eyes slyly, then suddenly became depressed, and leaned over the table, begging weakly, "Sister... Sister... No one can help me except you."
He raised a finger and said, "Just help me this time."
Jiang Rao was somewhat softened by his repeated calls. Jiang Jinxing had grown rapidly in the past few years. He was tall and growing like a seedling, looking a bit like a little adult. Letting him leave the capital alone and arranging for someone to follow him was also considered an experience, but I was worried about his homework. Just as I was hesitating, the curtain on the door was lifted again.
As soon as he saw the figure coming in, Jiang Jinxing immediately sat up straight.
Jiang Rao was in a panic. She gathered the red thread in her hand, stuffed it into her arms and hid it.
Jiang Jinxing was sitting upright, but in the blink of an eye he was picked up by Wu Que and taken to the yard to practice kung fu.
Rong Ting came in and naturally stuffed the oil paper bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts in his hand into Jiang Rao's hand. He sat next to Jiang Rao and made tea for himself.
He had a casual appetite and was careless about the food he ate. He was even too lazy to even eat. Fortunately, Jiang Rao has a picky taste and loves new things. Whenever a street vendor comes up with something new, she always wants to try it. Because of her personality, Rong Ting remembered her taste habits and learned some flavors of fireworks. "The vendor said that these are chestnuts picked from Quling. He said that they have a long aftertaste and are sweeter than sugar water. You should try it."
Jiang Rao looked down at the paper bag and saw that there were a few chestnuts already peeled. She pinched one out and put it in her mouth. It was as sweet as honey. She asked vaguely, "Did Wu Que Lao Jinxing go out to compete?"
"If he wants to go to Jiangzhou, he has to show his ability to go to Jiangzhou."
There was a ruthlessness in Rong Ting's voice. After taking two sips of tea, he took the paper bag and slowly peeled the chestnuts.
In the yard, there were the sounds of fists and feet fighting, and Jiang Jinxing was flexible and begging for mercy by calling out to Brother Wuque when he couldn't win.
Jiang Rao glanced outside, then turned her gaze back when she heard Rong Ting's voice.
"Ask him to compete with Wu Que to see how well he has learned Kung Fu. As for how he is doing in literature, I will ask him about it later."
Jiang Rao thought this was a good idea.
Rong Ting's eyelids drooped slightly, and he crushed the chestnut shell with two fingers together, and said casually: "He has been free recently, and he comes here every few days."
Jiang Rao heard the resentment in his cold voice. She held her cheek and watched him crush the chestnut shells attentively. She narrowed her delicate almond eyes, stretched out her fingers, and gently tapped the back of his hand. "We agreed that you should tell me what you are thinking about."
She hated guessing the most. She was lazy and guessing was too tiring. Besides, no matter how good she was at reading people's expressions, she was afraid of guessing wrong.
Rong Ting turned his eyes away and said, "It would be better for him to be better than Wu Que and go to Jiangzhou." Otherwise, he would hang around the shops along the Qinhuai River and his mansion every day, being hated by people without knowing it.
really.
She was even unhappy that her brother came to her place so often.
A jar of old vinegar.
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