Su Zirui
After leaving Fang's house, Aruo slumped against the wall, frowned and endured for a long time, then suddenly spit out a mouthful of blood.
She was not well-trained and was forcing the spell. If her master or senior brothers were here, they would be furious and scold her for disgracing the sect. Fortunately, Xiao Man and her were in tune with each other, otherwise the spell would backfire on her and she would be in danger.
Aruo smiled bitterly and huddled up with her knees hugged. It had just rained lightly, and her white dress was already muddy. The blood from the cut on her palm was also stained, but she didn't care at all.
Looking at the wet cobblestone road after the rain, fatigue almost overwhelmed her, and she no longer had the strength to stand up. Suddenly, she inexplicably wanted to see someone.
Someone who would come to her as long as she behaved herself.
Oh no, she seemed to have left without a word again, this time without even saying goodbye. Aruo belatedly remembered this, retracted her gaze, and looked down at her blood-stained skirt and shoe toes, her mind blank.
The sound of horse hooves quickly echoed through the quiet street, and then quickly stopped. A moment later, a pair of black boots appeared in front of her.
Aruo was stunned for a long time. When the feet showed no signs of turning or leaving, he slowly raised his head.
The hem of his light blue brocade robe was stained with mud. The man's chest still rose and fell, panting. A rare, messy strand of hair hung from his forehead, and his face was weathered, as if he had just finished a hurried journey. His handsome features were tinged with cold anger, and his inky eyes, dark and oppressive, stared at the disheveled and vulnerable girl before him.
"Su... Lord Su?" Aruo was stunned for a moment and rubbed his eyes childishly. "A real person? Why are you... here?"
He still looked like he had just finished a long journey and had no time to wash up.
Su Zirui's sharp eyes scrutinized her, his brow furrowed as he touched the tiny speck of blood. He clenched his hands at his sides. Hearing her words, so faint they were practically whispered, he couldn't hide his anger. He said stiffly, "I was just passing by."
"Ang?" Aruo looked up at him blankly. "Are you angry? Is the case not going well?"
"The case has been taken over by the Dali Temple and the Inspectorate..." Su Zirui paused. Why was he telling her this? He scoffed and lowered his eyes to hide the anger in them.
The girl's frighteningly pale face pierced his heart like needles. The strange and dense pain made him feel helpless. Countless thoughts of killing without leaving any trace emerged in his mind. He just wanted to severely punish those who hurt her like this.
"Oh..." Aruo's mind hadn't recovered from the formation just now. She didn't know why she saw him rushing over. She had the urge to show off, "Su Feng, you're a step late."
Su Zirui's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously bent down and approached her. His dark and cold eyes were dangerous, like a beast waiting for an opportunity to bite her clean if she said a wrong word.
"I just did something big." Aruo raised her head, and her clear eyes washed by tears collided with his black eyes. It seemed as if the look in her eyes could see through her.
He hummed lightly, the ending tone seeming nonchalant. Su Zirui's throat was dry, and he asked in a low voice, "What's the matter?"
She stared at him blankly, as if bewitched, "I asked Xiaoman to come back..."
His eyes darkened instantly, and Su Zirui angrily asked anxiously, "Qi Ruoyu, do you want to die? Or do you really want to exchange your life for hers?"
Her dark eyes opened slightly, and Aruo was frightened by the cold anger on his face, her mind a little confused. Under the cold gaze, the repressive undercurrent made Aruo suddenly come back to her senses, and she shook her head repeatedly, "No, Madam Cheng said that we can't do this."
"So, are you really planning to exchange your life for it?" Su Zirui is a man who is good at digging out the truth from other people's words. He grasped the key point in an instant.
Biting her bloodless lips, Aruo looked back at him stubbornly without saying a word.
"Qi Ruoyu, do you really think you can control other people's lives and deaths?" How foolish is she to be so stubborn in such a place? Su Zirui laughed angrily, his dark eyes igniting with dark fire, and said fiercely, "Your life is so worthless, is it worth exchanging it for just anyone?"
Li Xiaoman was an excellent detective. She chose to die saving someone, and died with no regrets. Why did she get involved? She was clearly calculating those pennies all day long, acting like she was working hard to make a living, but when she encountered these things, she wanted to trade herself for others?
A layer of mist gradually filled her eyes. Aruo pursed her lips and shook her head aggrievedly, "I didn't... I stopped him. Xiaoman, she chose to save others, and I... chose her."
To a certain extent, this sentence did not calm Su Zirui down. What she meant was... if Li Xiaoman wanted to live, would she dare to agree?
Water vapor condensed into tears and fell. Aruo sniffed and said in a muffled voice, "I don't want to control other people's life and death, nor do I want to exchange my life for others. Xiaoman is a very good person and lives a very meaningful life. But, Su Feng, I am also a very good person, right?"
His expression was gloomy, his dark eyes carefully hiding his panic, adding a touch of pity. His throat slid open before he whispered, "It's okay."
Aruo blinked. Lord Su has always had very high standards. To him, "okay" means very good.
Her confused heart began to become firm. She looked at him and asked softly, "Su Feng, can I trust you?"
"Whether you believe it or not is up to you, not me." At that moment, he seemed to see the girl standing under the locust tree in the spring breeze, asking him seriously. His heartstrings trembled slightly, and he let her figure etch into his eyes.
The Han Lang who had been in love with the princess had once said that falling in love with someone was a fleeting thing, but he had scoffed at that. But now, he admitted that the man was indeed a top scholar, able to speak so clearly about love.
Maybe it was when she angrily called him a lunatic, or when she smiled and handed him sweets, or when those eyes looked at him with a smile... Countless moments of hers were unconsciously stored in his mind, slowly occupying a place in his heart. Her constant presence made it impossible for him to miss her, and with so much attention, he watched himself sink into depravity.
No one knew how panicked he'd been when the contents of her conversation with Madam Cheng that night were placed on his desk. The vague implications of her words, as if she had given up on him, kept him guessing, all pointing to her wanting to sacrifice herself. On the way here, he'd felt fear for the first time. She was from the Shen family... In that moment, he realized the terrifying nature of that word, Shen, suggesting that there were things he could ignore without ever having another chance.
He was panicking, afraid that this idiot would do something stupid in a fit of rage that would be too much for him to undo. Even now, seeing her sitting innocently in front of him, he couldn't calm his pounding heart.
Aruo looked up at him. She could clearly see the confusion and outpouring of affection that she had no time to put away. Her heart, which had been empty since she stepped into Sizhou again, seemed to be slowly filled with this tenderness.
She let go of her hands that were hugging her knees, slowly stretched them out, and held them in front of him. Aruo pouted, "I'm so tired... I don't have the strength to stand up..."
Under the bluish-white moonlight, there was a bloodstain of neither deep nor shallow on the open palm. The dried blood was stuck between the fingers, which looked very scary.
This was the first time she reached out to him, but she seemed to know how to control him naturally.
An unspeakable heartache surged from the depths of his heart. He reached out to wipe the tears from her face, his fingertips gently rubbing her bloodstained, yet exceptionally red lips. Only when her pupils began to tremble did he raise the corners of his lips slightly, grasp her wrist, and gently tug.
The exhausted girl was pulled up like this, and with his strength, she fell into his arms, carrying with her a sweet fragrance that he could recognize even in his dreams. The pulse under his palm was weak and disordered, and he felt his heart soften unconsciously.
His warmth pierced the slightly cool night air, enveloping her. A faint, cold woody scent, mingled with a hint of sweat, filled her nostrils, a breath that reassured her. A sour feeling of grievance surged up, and Aruo quietly clutched at his robe, muttering, "Su Feng, I tried my best. I didn't give up on Xiao Man, nor did I give up on Fang Jingsheng, nor did I give up on myself. But you still scolded me. And so fiercely..."
He pressed his big palm on the back of her head and caressed it, pressing her into his shoulder. His Adam's apple slid and his voice was hoarse, "So good."
Lord Su's coaxing gestures were a little awkward, but considering he had no experience coaxing people, Aruo didn't mind him messing up her hair. He hugged her so tightly that she felt like she was being buried in his chest. The frantic heartbeat could be clearly heard from the warmth, making her feel at ease.
"Ruoruo." He called her nickname softly, with a hint of uneasiness in his tiredness.
For some reason, hearing him call her so gently, a flood of emotions suddenly surged in Aruo's heart: grievance, fear, regret... all mixed together, and her sore eyes warmed again. Not wanting the sob in her voice to be noticed, she reached out and hugged his waist tightly.
The streets were too quiet after dark. Su Zirui hugged the person in his arms tightly, and called out cautiously but stubbornly, "Ruoruo."
She wanted to laugh, but her heart felt sour. She responded softly in surrender, "Yeah."
Then, he placed a hot kiss beside her ear, and he rested his chin on her shoulder like a sigh, and his tense body relaxed a little.
Glancing at the crimson ears in front of him, a hint of a smile emerged from the pain of the past few days. Aruo buried her head in his shoulder and rubbed it, "Master Su, I'm hungry."
It wasn't that she intentionally ruined this rare and charming atmosphere. She simply hadn't eaten much in the past two days, and now that something important was done, her stomach started to protest, and her empty stomach began to hurt a little.
In response, he pinched her waist with his fingertips, causing her to twist her waist and struggle in his arms, feeling itchy and numb. "Su Feng, wait a minute, my waist is my weak point..."
"I know." That's why I pinched her. Su Zirui raised his sword-like eyebrows slightly, let her go, and naturally pulled her hand towards the horse that was digging the ground in an orderly manner.
Then why pinch... Wait, Aruo's eyes widened and followed him closely, "How did you know?"
"Guess." He turned to look at her, his brows softening and a smile on his lips. He slowly separated her fingers and intertwined them with hers, the warmth of his palm warming her cold hand.
Numbness spread from her palms. She no longer remembered whether she had any weaknesses or not. Her eyes were filled with his rare emotions.
The two men and the horse slowly blended into the night. Behind them, within the wall, a wedding that belonged only to the eldest son of the Fang family was proceeding silently.
"Master Su, you haven't liked me for a long time, have you? Right, right..."
"Tsk, Guan family, why bother talking about Taibai."
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