Chapter 120 Martial Arts Examination 3 It turns out Xiao Qiyu is such an easy person to please.
Qiyun Pavilion.
Dusk fell, and the afterglow was brilliant.
Cui Ying sneaked back into the house like a thief, gently closed the door behind her, first looked down to check the stains on her clothes, then raised her sleeve to her nose and smelled it, and then reached out to untie the belt around her waist, wanting to quickly change into clean clothes.
"What are you doing, sneaking around like that?"
A cold voice suddenly rang out, startling Cui Ying so much that her hand trembled, and she looked up in the direction of the voice.
Xiao Qiyu sat upright behind the desk, his slender fingers holding a scroll of bamboo slips. The afterglow of dusk shone through the gauze window, casting a hazy golden edge around him and making his pale skin appear almost translucent, like a jade figure.
His dark pupils were calm and unwavering as he leisurely observed Cui Ying.
Cui Ying patted her pounding heart, glared at him, and said, "Why are you like a ghost? You didn't make a sound at all! You scared me to death!"
Xiao Qiyu noticed her unusually flustered appearance, put down the book in his hand, narrowed his phoenix eyes, and slowly and calmly looked her up and down, not missing a single strand of her hair.
Cui Ying felt uneasy under his gaze, as if all her little schemes had been laid bare. So she cleared her throat, forced herself to remain calm, walked to the table, poured herself a glass of water, took a sip, and said nonchalantly, "The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and I'm just feeling bored, so I'm going out for a walk to get some fresh air. What's wrong with that?"
Xiao Qiyu did not respond to her words, but instead changed the subject, saying calmly, "The results of the provincial examination will be posted today."
“I know,” Cui Ying said, taking another sip of tea. “You came in first place.”
She froze after saying that, realizing that she seemed to have been tricked into saying something.
She coughed, then added, as if to say, "I heard it from the gatekeeper; they're all talking about it."
Seeing her feigned composure, Xiao Qiyu's brows relaxed, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but curl up slightly.
Sure enough, she still cared about him.
Xiao Qiyu stood up, walked to Cui Ying, took the teacup from her hand that was trying to cover up her secret, and suddenly opened his arms and embraced her.
Cui Ying blushed at his sudden action and pushed him away, saying, "What are you doing... It's not even dark yet."
Xiao Qiyu scoffed, tightened his arms around her, rested his chin on her hair, and said lazily, "Stop overthinking. I just want to hold you for a while. I missed you. Is that not allowed?"
Cui Ying calmed down. She knew how big the difference in strength was between her and Xiao Qiyu. Since she couldn't push him away no matter what, she might as well reluctantly let him hold her for a while.
Xiao Qiyu still carried the scent of books, and the faint fragrance of ink permeated their embrace, making Cui Ying feel dizzy.
"After you finished reading the imperial edict," Xiao Qiyu's voice rang out above her head, casual in tone, "what did you all do?"
Cui Ying felt relaxed from the smell of ink and lied without batting an eye: "I didn't do anything, just ate and bought things, what else could I have done?"
"Is that so?"
Xiao Qiyu tilted his head slightly, bringing his nose close to her hair and neck, and gently sniffed: "Did you change your face powder?"
Cui Ying instinctively denied it, "No."
"The taste is off," Xiao Qiyu said.
Cui Ying's heart skipped a beat, and he cursed inwardly, "You little brat, do you have a dog's nose?!"
Just as she was racking her brains, trying to come up with a plausible explanation, Xiao Qiyu suddenly grabbed her wrist and gently lifted it up.
His gaze froze, landing on a crimson mark on her cuff. He rubbed the mark with his fingertip, then held it to his nose, sniffing the scent. His eyes darkened: "You went to the dye shop again?"
Cui Ying forced a smile and said, "I was just passing by and out of curiosity, so I went in to take a look."
Xiao Qiyu loosened his grip on her shoulders, his gaze fixed on her flickering eyes: "Do you think I'd believe that? Cui Ying, tell me the truth, where did you go this afternoon, and who did you meet?"
Cui Ying felt guilty under his gaze and was wondering how to answer when suddenly an idea struck her. She took out something wrapped in a handkerchief from her bosom and stuffed it into his hand: "Here, this is for you."
Xiao Qiyu was stunned. He slowly opened the handkerchief and found a men's style sandalwood hairpin inside. The style was simple and the workmanship was rough. It was obviously a street stall item.
Xiao Qiyu touched the texture of the hairpin with her fingertips, and her voice softened considerably: "Why did you suddenly think of giving me something?"
“It’s not sudden,” Cui Ying slowed her breathing, trying to make her tone sound sincere. “This is something I specially picked for you, to congratulate you on becoming the top student.”
Xiao Qiyu looked at the hairpin in his hand, which seemed to have nothing to do with "specialized" at all, and said nothing. He simply carefully gathered the hairpin in his palm.
"You're thoughtful."
He chuckled softly, raised his hand, and actually inserted the rough wooden hairpin into his hair: "How is it? Does it fit?"
Feeling guilty, Cui Ying didn't dare to look up at him, nodding vigorously: "Perfect, it's like it was made for you."
“Look at me when you speak.”
Cui Ying had no choice but to look up. The boy in front of her still had a high nose and thin lips, and his features remained the same. However, the obviously worthless hairpin inexplicably added a touch of human warmth to him, making him seem more alive than when he had his hair tied up with a jade crown.
"It's beautiful, really beautiful," Cui Ying said sincerely, her gaze earnest.
Intrigued by her words, Xiao Qiyu turned and walked to the dressing mirror. After looking at it for a moment, his gaze fell on another figure in the mirror. He said softly, "Cui Ying, this is the first time you've given me such a little trinket."
Cui Ying felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, so she turned her face away and asked, "So?"
Xiao Qiyu took off the hairpin, gently stroking the hairpin with her fingertips, her voice becoming somewhat ethereal and distant due to her gentleness—"I am very happy."
Cui Ying was stunned.
She belatedly realized that Xiao Qiyu was such an easy person to please; there was no need for much effort at all. A simple hairpin, which was not particularly exquisite, was enough to satisfy him.
He had always been aloof and indifferent to everything, aloof and unapproachable, so she never imagined that just a tiny, insignificant thing could make him show such an expression.
...
After passing the imperial examination with top honors, Xiao Qiyu became even busier.
The Marquis's residence was bustling with activity as people had to pay homage to their ancestors, pay respects to their mentors, and attend the "Eagle Soaring Banquet" held by the Ministry of Rites for the military graduates. Every day, countless dignitaries and nobles would send invitations, and even the Empress Dowager would send people to deliver gifts.
However, Xiao Qiyu only showed up to deal with the situation briefly. After a few days, he declined all social engagements and focused on training and studying military texts every day in preparation for the imperial examination.
Cui Ying was under his watchful eye day and night, never having a chance to sneak out. The couple would stare at each other during the day, their eyes blazing with hatred, and at night they would be naked together, their antics never ceasing until dawn.
That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few.
After two rounds, Cui Ying was exhausted. She curled up in Xiao Qiyu's arms, her eyelids heavy, and she was about to fall asleep.
Xiao Qiyu wiped the stickiness off her body, and the smell in the tent faded considerably. Then he embraced Cui Ying, gently stroking her sweaty hair, and said softly, "Tuantuan, I have something to tell you, don't be in a hurry."
Cui Ying had almost gotten used to him calling her by her childhood nickname, but she had a feeling that once he started calling her that, it was probably not a good thing.
Cui Ying took stock of her recent activities and realized that she hadn't caused any trouble. Feeling somewhat doubtful, she vaguely replied, "Go ahead."
“I already know that you sent people to escort Jingnu south,” Xiao Qiyu said calmly. “I ordered my men to intercept her.”
Cui Ying suddenly lifted her head from his arms, wide awake, her almond-shaped eyes staring at him, her voice rising: "What did you say!"
Xiao Qiyu shook his head: "Look, he's getting impatient."
Staring at Cui Ying's full, heaving chest, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he continued, "And Third Brother is already on his way south to find her."
Cui Ying sat up instantly: "Say that again!"
Xiao Qiyu shook his head again: "Look, you're getting anxious again."
Cui Ying was furious. Pointing her finger at him, she gritted her teeth and said, "How could you do this? Do you even know what she—"
“I know,” Xiao Qiyu looked into her eyes, his gaze calm and his tone serious. “I know she’s pregnant.”
Taking advantage of the situation, Xiao Qiyu took her hand into his palm and slowly kneaded it, his voice low and deep: "That's precisely why she should stay in a safe place. Tuantuan, I understand that you meant well by sending her away, but the South is far from the capital. You can send some people to send her on her way, but you can't protect her for the rest of her life. She is a weak woman, alone in a place where she knows no one, with no relatives or friends. If she raises a child in the future, she will be all alone. Once she runs out of money, her life will be a hundred times more difficult than it is now."
His analysis was logical and well-founded, and all the problems were immediately apparent.
Cui Ying's turbulent emotions gradually subsided, and her eyes dimmed.
She lowered her head, her voice muffled: "Actually, I had thought about these things, but she kept begging me, looking so pitiful, I couldn't bear to see her like that..."
“I understand you,” Xiao Qiyu pulled her back into his arms, his chin gently resting on her forehead. “Our Tuantuan is easily swayed, very sentimental, and can’t resist others’ requests.”
Cui Ying felt a slight tingling sensation in her nose.
She's always had this problem: when arguing, she's full of energy and can go on for three hundred rounds, but if you try to reason with her gently or even take her side, she immediately shuts up and can't say a word.
Unconsciously, she buried her face in Xiao Qiyu's chest, inhaling his unique scent, and felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
Xiao Qiyu gently patted her back and said slowly, "But in the end, this is a private matter between her and Third Brother. The child is not hers alone. It's best for the two of them to resolve it. Don't you think so?"
Cui Ying remained silent in his arms for a long, long time before finally nodding listlessly.
“I’ve oversimplified things,” Cui Ying said in a low voice. “You’re right. The child isn’t just hers. No matter how many problems exist between them, as long as the child is there, they are destined to be entangled for life, a tangled mess that no outsider can easily interfere with.”
She sighed, as if she had let go of her worries, turned her back to Xiao Qiyu, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
Xiao Qiyu was stunned.
He carefully considered what Cui Ying had just said, especially the phrase "destined to be entangled forever in this life".
He belatedly realized something, as if he had finally come to his senses.
In the dim light, Xiao Qiyu's eyes darkened slightly. He wrapped his long arm around the waist of the girl in his arms, and his hot palm landed on her soft abdomen, gently stroking it.
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Author's Note: He wants to rise in status through his son.
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