Chapter 24
The snow stopped, but it covered the red plum blossoms, obscuring their vibrant colors. Jiang Mian didn't notice the strange expression on Shen Ji's face; she was still immersed in the joy of surviving the ordeal.
"Brother, thank goodness you showed up, otherwise..."
She suddenly stopped speaking halfway through her sentence. She realized that she had been calling Bai An "brother" repeatedly, but she had forgotten to change it when facing Shen Ji.
Jiang Mian felt a little guilty and cautiously looked up at him, only to find that his gaze was fixed on her, as if he didn't care about the way he addressed her. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But before he could fully relax, Shen Ji suddenly said, "This cloak..."
"When I reached the back mountain just now, I met a young master. He saw that I was shivering from the cold and took off his clothes and gave them to me. If you don't like them, cousin, I can take them off."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Mian hurriedly took off the cloak that Bai An had draped over her shoulders. She had been so preoccupied with how to escape that she hadn't had time to remove the eyesore. Fortunately, her cousin hadn't said anything, otherwise she really wouldn't know how to explain why she had met Bai An in the back mountain.
It can't be said that she was just being presumptuous and thought her cousin had invited her to meet him, so she couldn't wait to come.
It's really hard to say this.
Fortunately, they would be going down the mountain in a few days, and Bai An and Hei An would not have any contact in the future. It was better to avoid trouble. The most important thing now was to make her cousin fall in love with her as well.
That would make things easier for her.
The cloak was removed, revealing the woman's slender figure. Her neck was long and beautiful, her black hair was flowing and her hair was like mist. Her deep eyes were dark and serene. Suddenly, her fingertips touched the cloak's ties, and the next moment, the cloak that was originally tied to her body was firmly placed on Jiang Mian.
She stood there stunned, looking at him in surprise.
"Since you're shivering from the cold, you should hurry back."
Shen Ji was exactly one head taller than her, and when he looked down at her, there seemed to be some kind of emotion brewing in his eyes.
"Thank you for your concern, cousin!" Jiang Mian smiled. It seemed that her efforts these past few days had not been entirely in vain; at least now, his gaze was on her.
What did you call me?
Shen Ji suddenly asked.
“Cousin, is something wrong?” Jiang Mian replied innocently, her almond-shaped eyes bright, her gaze filled with his image.
He pursed his lips, shifted his gaze from her face, and said in a deep voice, "There's nothing wrong. I might have to leave for a while tonight. If you're scared, go to my room. There's a dagger under my pillow for self-defense."
Jiang Mian's heart tightened. Should she leave for a moment?
It just so happens tonight!
She originally thought that with her cousin by her side, no matter how bold Bai An was, he wouldn't dare to act recklessly. She never expected that her cousin would leave at this critical moment!
Distracted, she unconsciously grasped his arm: "Will it be a long walk?"
Shen Ji didn't notice her unusual expression. Seeing her reluctant look, for some reason, his heart softened for a moment, and even his tone became gentle.
"They will be back before 9 PM."
"That's good then," Jiang Mian comforted herself softly.
"What?" Shen Ji didn't hear clearly.
"It's alright, cousin, you must come back soon. I'll be waiting for you in the room." Jiang Mian smiled again. She wouldn't miss any opportunity to tease him. Seeing him make exceptions for her time and time again made her quite happy.
Shen Ji nodded.
Because it was a bit cold, Jiang Mian didn't linger outside for long. She had to hurry and deal with the note, and she couldn't let anyone notice anything amiss.
Shen Ji turned to look at her back, his emotions gradually deepening.
Just now, she called him brother.
Upon hearing those sweet words, he felt as if his blood had frozen, all his senses concentrating in one place, and he even felt a strange, indescribable pleasure.
He gradually lost control of his heart.
All of this strangeness stemmed from her unintentional actions.
And that kiss.
After that night, he dreamed of her again. In his dream, she became the most alluring person in the world, and he became the most shameless person in the world. He repeated that kiss again and again. Not only that, he kissed her forehead, her lips, and even that soft spot, and then continued downwards.
Only when she was drenched in sweat and could no longer bear it did he feel a sliver of pleasure, an indescribable yet addictive pleasure.
In her dream, she belonged to him completely.
At this moment, as he watched the girl's figure completely disappear, his eyes lost all emotion and he said without any feeling, "Go and find out who the Fifth Miss encountered just now?"
"yes."
The guard replied.
**
After Jiang Mian quickly returned to her room, she found the note and examined it carefully. She was annoyed that she had been so careless. Although the handwriting on the note was somewhat similar to her cousin's, a closer look would reveal that the shape and style of the characters were completely different from her cousin's.
I really don't know why I thought it was my cousin's doing back then.
The thought of that person touching her wrist and fingertips made her immediately put her hands in the water and wash them carefully several times until the back of her hands turned red before she took them out of the water.
Jiang Mian slowly dried her fingers, looked at the still bright sky, and suddenly thought of something, so she stepped outside.
Just a few days ago, the young novice monk who had brought her water happened to pass by. She pretended to be passing by casually and suddenly said, "Little Master."
The young novice monk paused for a moment, then turned around and was surprised to find that it was the extremely beautiful female benefactor. He put his hands together and said gently, "What can I do for you, benefactor?"
“These past few days, I’ve been hearing noises coming from the temple. Sometimes they even wake me up. I wonder who lives here. Could you tell me, young monk, so I can have some idea?”
"This..." The young novice hesitated for a moment. There were many worshippers coming and going in the temple, and he could not remember everyone. However, recently, due to the heavy snow blocking the mountain, there were not many people coming to pray to Buddha. In the past few days, apart from them, there were only a few distinguished guests in the west wing.
They shouldn't reveal information about the worshippers so casually, but seeing the girl's sincere appearance, the young novice hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "The commotion you mentioned is probably about that gentleman in the west wing. He is an old friend of my master and came from the capital. He was passing through Jeju and staying at the temple for a few days. As for anything else, I don't know anything else."
Oh, I see.
Jiang Mian nodded. Although she hadn't gleaned any useful information, she still smiled and thanked her.
The young novice was dazzled by her smile and couldn't help but say, "If you can't sleep, this humble monk has some incense here that can help you fall asleep."
"Ah, no need." Jiang Mian was a little surprised, then a little embarrassed. She hadn't meant to make up a lie. These past few days, she had been sleeping in Shen Ji's room, and for some reason, she had been sleeping very soundly every night and woke up refreshed in the morning, not feeling sleepy at all.
The young novice was somewhat disappointed when she refused.
Although he was a monk, he also had a fondness for beautiful things. The girl in front of him was almost the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but say a few more words: "If you have nothing else to do, you should avoid going to the west wing. Although the people there seem easy to talk to, they carry knives at their waists. Amitabha, they are probably not good people."
Jiang Mian was stunned. No wonder Bai An had so many servants around him. They were all his guards. She had thought he was just a playboy, but she didn't expect him to carry a knife at all times. She thought about it carefully and realized that when Bai An gave her the waist token, she had noticed that he also had a knife hanging at his waist.
It seems this matter is not as simple as she imagined.
Jiang Mian returned to her room in a daze. After thinking for a moment, she decided to go and confess to her cousin. She had previously thought that Bai An was like those people who coveted her beauty, and that she could easily fool them. But now she realized that if what the little monk said was true, then those people were probably not easy to mess with.
Bai An asked her to meet him at 9 PM tonight, but she clearly didn't want to keep the appointment. If she didn't go tonight, he would definitely cause trouble tomorrow. No, there was no need for tomorrow. If he was bold enough, he could do it tonight.
But unfortunately, my cousin wasn't there at that time.
Jiang Mian was a little worried. She gathered her thoughts and headed towards her cousin's room.
When I arrived, I discovered that my cousin had already left.
Seeing that she looked a little disappointed, Yun Qing thought that something important had happened: "If Miss Wu has something urgent to discuss with the young master, I can send someone to deliver a message."
"Did my cousin say when he would be back?" Jiang Mian suddenly looked up and asked, as if she had just thought of something.
"I will return before 9 PM."
Hearing this, Jiang Mian breathed a slight sigh of relief. There was still time at Hai Shi (9-11 PM). When her cousin returned, she would have someone to rely on. If Bai An persisted in his actions tomorrow, she could explain to him.
I'm afraid something might go wrong today.
Although Jiang Mianxin felt somewhat relieved, she wasn't completely at ease. She moved all the things in the room back to Shen Ji's place, and when she reached under the pillow, she found a small, sharp dagger.
That put my mind at ease a little.
Meanwhile, Yun Qing was somewhat puzzled. Although there was some movement regarding the Feng family's bribery, it would have been better for the young master to go later. At this time, he was afraid of alerting the enemy.
Yun Qing suddenly had a terrible guess: Could it be that the young master did it for the sake of the fifth young lady, because the fifth young lady was afraid of the dark, and that the young master had moved up the plan by half an hour?
Yun Qing couldn't quite understand the young master's thoughts.
**
Winter days are short and dark. As soon as night fell, someone lit the charcoal fire in the stove. Because she was feeling uneasy, she only drank half a bowl of porridge for dinner and then lost her appetite.
When her cousin was here, she could talk to him when she was bored, although most of the time she would chatter on and on and he would only respond occasionally, but it was still better than the current desolate situation.
The windows were tightly shut, and the sky was pitch black. Usually, the candlelight made it seem not so dark, but now the few wicks of the candles seemed rather desolate. She got up and called out, "What time is it?"
Outside the window, Yun Qing respectfully said, "It is three-quarters past the hour of You (5:45 PM)."
It's the hour of You (5-7 PM).
My cousin hasn't come back yet.
"Does Fifth Miss have any instructions?"
"It's nothing." Jiang Mian rested on the bed again, but her right eyelid suddenly twitched a few times, and a feeling of unease spread through her heart.
I usually feel very tired in my cousin's room, but today I am unusually awake and can't even fall asleep in bed.
I should have asked that young monk for some calming spices.
After a long while, when it was almost time, she called out again, "Yun Qing."
This time, however, no one responded to her.
Jiang Mian suddenly became alert and called out several more times, but there was no sound outside. This strange atmosphere made Jiang Mian's heart sink.
She gripped the dagger in her hand and quietly approached the door.
It's almost 9 PM.
My cousin has not returned yet.
Yun Qing has also disappeared.
The wind was howling outside. If Bai An noticed something was wrong and forced his way in, Jiang Mian was afraid she wouldn't be able to handle it. Cold sweat broke out on her hands.
Suddenly, a strong wind swept through, and a flurry of footsteps sounded outside.
It seemed to be accompanied by the clanging of the sword at his waist.
Her heart was in her throat.
The next moment, the door opened slightly.
Jiang Mian held her breath, the dagger already drawn from her sleeve. Glancing down at a pair of black boots, she abruptly closed her eyes and thrust forward recklessly—
"Jiang Mian, it's me."
His voice was clear and gentle, but carried a hint of weariness.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Mian looked up in astonishment and saw Shen Ji's ethereal face. Instantly, the tension in her heart dissipated, and she almost burst into tears.
"Cousin, you're finally back."
Without a second thought, Jiang Mian threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head in his chest. He had appeared just in time. Jiang Mian couldn't hold back her tears, which streamed down her face.
Shen Ji's body stiffened slightly for a moment. He lowered his eyes and swept his gaze across the girl's hair. He felt the softness and fragrance in front of him, penetrating every crevice of his skin. He raised his hand, paused for a moment, and then suddenly placed it steadily on her back.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
