"It's a maid from the mansion. She was here just now. Strange."
Xie Rou muttered something, and although her voice was not loud, it was loud enough for Xie Yunqi to hear clearly.
Suddenly, for some reason, the face he had been thinking about day and night flashed in his mind.
At this time, the evening breeze blew, and the air was mixed with a hint of pleasant gardenia fragrance, very faint, but Xie Yunqi just caught a hint of it.
In an instant, Xie Yunqi was struck by lightning and froze in place!
This unique fragrance, he had only smelled countless times in someone's hair and neck, the scent of gardenia that belonged only to her...
He moved his nose, and when he tried to explore again, the smell was no longer in the air.
Thinking of the news that Gu Yanran was 'assassinated' in the palace yesterday, an idea that made his heart beat wildly broke out uncontrollably!
Is it her?
He could no longer care about his mother and sister, and hurriedly ordered the housekeeper, "Go and find out which courtyard the maidservant who was with the Madam and the eldest daughter is from, and where is she now?"
The housekeeper did not dare to delay and hurriedly summoned the servants who were waiting outside the hall and asked them one by one.
After a moment, the answers were surprisingly consistent. "My Lord, everyone said they didn't see the maid clearly. They only remembered that she was wearing the uniform of the mansion's second-class maid, and she looked like she was new."
Xie Yunqi frowned even tighter, and the doubts in his heart grew stronger.
Am I overthinking it?
But he would not make a mistake in remembering that slight smell just now!
He had experienced this feeling of having a glimmer of hope shattered so quickly in the past few months. His heart still ached, as if being gripped by a large hand, making it impossible to breathe.
"Got it, let's all go down."
He raised his hand to signal the butler to leave, and walked towards Moxiangju alone.
As the night deepened, the lanterns in the yard emitted a dim light, stretching his shadow very long.
The servant's answer just now was like a basin of cold water, extinguishing the flame that had just ignited in his heart.
Perhaps because he was a little distracted, Xie Yunqi did not notice that Moxiangju was particularly quiet tonight, nor did he notice that the courtyard door was ajar and not locked.
He pushed open the gate and walked towards the main house as usual.
However, just as he was about to step onto the stairs, his body suddenly stopped.
wrong!
His bedroom was completely dark, without a single ray of light.
This is wrong!
Ever since he learned that Chu Qingluan was in trouble, he has been suffering from insomnia and always lights an oil lamp in the room before going to bed.
The servants in the mansion have always been cautious and knew that he had this habit and would never make such a mistake.
A thought suddenly popped up from the bottom of my heart, like a weed.
Xie Yunqi's hand on the door bolt couldn't help but tremble.
This time, the thought was stronger and more real than any previous time.
A huge, almost trembling anticipation instantly seized him! Xie Yunqi felt the blood in his body rushing backwards, and his fingertips were slightly numb.
He held his breath and stepped onto the stairs almost silently. He stretched out his hand, and when his fingers touched the cold bolt, he did not push it open in a hurry, as if he was confirming something one last time.
It's like he's gathering up courage.
Finally, he took a deep breath and slowly pushed open the door.
…
The room was dark and silent.
Then, the moment the door opened—
The familiar scent of gardenia, like a breeze, came gently and firmly to his face and instantly penetrated into Xie Yunqi's nostrils.
Xie Yunqi's pupils trembled violently. In the darkness, his eyes were surprisingly bright, and his madly beating heart almost bursting through his chest.
In the moonlight, he vaguely saw a slender figure sitting on a chair in the room, with its back to him, as if blending into the night.
Xie Yunqi's breathing completely stopped, the blood in his body was roaring in his ears, and the whole world was silent.
He didn't dare to move, didn't dare to make a sound, and didn't even dare to blink, for fear that this was just an overly realistic dream that would shatter at the slightest touch.
At this moment, the figure moved.
She walked towards him step by step, without words or hesitation.
Finally, when she was only an inch away from him, Chu Qingluan took the initiative to raise her arms, gently but soothingly, and wrapped them around his waist, pressing her face against his official robe, feeling the uncontrollable and violent heartbeat in his chest.
The hug was light, but it made Xie Yunqi feel like he had been hit on an acupuncture point, nailing him to the spot, his mind going blank in an instant.
His hands, which were responsible for planning and strategizing in the court, controlling the world and turning the tide, were now trembling with fear and had nowhere to put them.
All his dignity, pride, and composure vanished at this moment. An immense joy enveloped him, completely drowning him.
A tear silently slid down from the corner of her eye and sank into her collar.
The next second, he almost clumsily, tentatively, and cautiously hugged the person in front of him, holding her in his arms, and little by little, hugged her back.
The touch is real warmth, and the nose has real fragrance.
Not a dream!
It’s not an illusion!
It's her!
It's really her!
"Qingluan..."
Xie Yunqi's tone was a little choked, and his voice was hoarse.
He suddenly tightened his arms, as if he wanted to completely rub the person into his bones and blood, never to be separated.
"Qingluan..."
He called out again, his voice filled with endless longing, pain, and the ecstasy of finally landing.
He did not ask her why she came back suddenly, nor did he ask what she had experienced in the past few months. At this moment, in the face of the huge impact of losing and regaining, all words seemed pale and redundant.
As long as she comes back, that's enough.
"Well, I'm back, Xie Yunqi."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Yunqi gently held her face up as if it were a treasure.
Then he lowered his head, accurately felt her forehead, and gently placed a kiss on it.
Then all the way down, eyebrows, nose tip, lips...
It was a trembling kiss filled with endless longing and pity. From the initial gentleness, it gradually lost control and turned into fear and possession.
Chu Qingluan did not refuse, but hugged him back tighter and responded gently.
The moonlight is silent and the room is dark. Only the two people and the strong emotions in the air tell of the preciousness and difficulty of regaining what was lost.
…
A quarter of an hour later, the oil lamp in the side room was lit, and Xie Yunqi finally saw the woman he had been thinking about day and night in his arms.
Her face remains the same, even more beautiful than before, and her eyes and eyebrows have added a touch of charm that belongs only to a mature woman, making her look particularly charming and captivating.
Xie Yunqi's breathing paused for a moment, and his heartbeat began to accelerate uncontrollably again.
"Qingluan, you..."
Before he could finish his words, Chu Qingluan pressed his lips against hers.
The next second, the warm and soft beauty in his arms stood up and looked down at him condescendingly.
"Xie Yunqi, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation as to why you continue to allow Gu Yanran to impersonate me."
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