“You don’t need to stay with me…” Shu Yun looked at him.
Xie Fu stayed by her bedside until she fell asleep, saying, "Once you're asleep, I'll go handle some official business and come back later."
"you……"
Xie Fu lowered his eyes, reached out to tuck the blanket around her, and interrupted her, "If you're not feeling well, go to sleep early."
After a long silence, Shu Yun turned over and faced Xie Fu, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
Xie Fu sat hunched over on a chair by the bed, elbows resting on his knees, head slightly lowered, his expression unreadable.
He was unhappy with Shu Yun's reaction just now, as if she really didn't care whether he went to those banquets or met other women.
But why should he be dissatisfied? He created this situation himself. Her choice is the right one that a sensible woman should make.
After hearing Shu Yun's calm and steady breathing, Xie Fu quietly looked at her with her back to him for a while before getting up and going to the study.
“She’s sensitive to the cold, so add a few more charcoal braziers to the room,” Xie Fu said, taking the dark cloak handed to him by a servant and putting it on before heading towards the study. “Tell that woman from the Dance Sleeves Pavilion not to come to the Xie residence again.”
"yes."
He took a couple of steps, then remembered something and turned back to instruct, "If she doesn't like you serving her closely, then forget it. Transfer a few good-natured and attentive maids from the outer courtyard to serve her."
The servant standing guard outside the door respectfully accepted the order.
The tightly closed vermilion gate was pushed open from the inside out, and several people came out. Judging from their clothes, they were servants of the Xie family.
The servant spotted Yanran standing in the snow, dressed in a red dress. He took two steps forward, his expression and tone of voice anything but friendly.
"Miss Yanran, please go back."
Yanran had left in a hurry this time, only wearing a cloak and not even bringing a warm hand warmer. Her hands were tucked into her sleeves, and her beautiful face was red from the cold.
The servant turned and headed back to the mansion after saying those words, not even wanting to take another look at the top courtesan of the Dancing Sleeves Pavilion, whom ordinary people rarely get to see.
If it weren't for relaying the news for her, the young master wouldn't have fallen out with Miss Shuyun. Originally, after Miss Shuyun entered the young master's inner courtyard, the icy young master melted away, and the servants could often catch glimpses of the young master smiling at Miss Shuyun.
The young master was already handsome, but his cold aura, tainted by years of killing, had softened considerably with his wedding approaching. The atmosphere in their courtyard was also unusually harmonious and relaxed among their servants.
Today, he has truly run into bad luck.
Yanran couldn't let him go so easily, so she quickly chased after him. "Wait a minute, did you really pass the message on to the young master? He won't even see me? Or did you not pass the message on to the young master at all, and it was intercepted by that woman named Shuyun?"
The servant turned to look at her and sneered, "Miss Shu Yun didn't utter a sound."
People are divided into different classes, and as a servant of the Xie family, one has more confidence when going out than servants from other aristocratic families.
Even if this Miss Yanran was the confidante of a noble young master, he didn't have any particularly respectful thoughts. After all, no matter how well she danced, she was still of lowly status, a family member of a criminal, while they were at least law-abiding citizens.
If Yanran from the Wuxiu Pavilion were a little smarter and didn't harbor any inappropriate thoughts towards our young master, and instead behaved herself like Lady Miaoyin and the others, skillfully navigating the social circles of the various noble families without offending anyone, perhaps he would still be somewhat wary of her now.
Now, because of the news of her young master's engagement, she has closed her doors to visitors, offending many young masters from prominent families who think she is ungrateful. She is no longer the powerful figure she once was.
He relentlessly pursued Yanran, saying, "Our young master and Miss Shuyun are deeply in love. Miss Yanran, no matter which noble lady is approached by a courtesan, she will not be kind. You are deliberately trying to drive a wedge between the young master and our Xie family's future heir."
Yanran was stopped by the guards at the door, who wouldn't let her step inside. She protested, "I didn't mean that... I just, I just..."
She wanted to stay by Xie Fu's side.
Endless snowflakes drifted down from the sky, and Yanran, dressed in a red dress, stood out conspicuously against the white backdrop.
"Thin snowflakes drift and veil the west of the city, the world like a silver shade. Though the cold is biting, it is not a tragedy, for people dance in the snow, their jade arms supporting the willow catkins."
"She lightly holds a sip of warm wine, her skirt billowing, as if a beautiful woman has descended from heaven. Is her delicate figure untouched by the cold? Her fair skin glows with a rosy hue, all thanks to the gentle breeze."
The guards and servants watched in disbelief as she danced gracefully in the snow, her skirt swirling and snowflakes falling onto her red hem.
The guard frowned, gestured to the servant with his eyes, and winked: What should we do?
The servant shrugged, indicating that he had no idea what was going on in Yanran's mind. In the dead of winter, she was dancing outdoors, didn't she feel cold?
She doesn't think she can soften our young master's heart like this, does she?
Finally, the servant spoke up and called out to Yanran, who was dancing in the snow, "Miss Yanran, you should go back. Even if you dance all night, you won't be able to wait for the young master to soften his heart and come out to see you."
Her words were carried away by the wind, and it's unclear whether she heard them or not. She probably did, but she stubbornly continued dancing in the snow, trying to move Xie Fu.
The servant shook his head and said to the guard, "Let her jump if she wants to. When she can't jump anymore, she'll know to leave on her own."
The moon hangs high, and heavy snow weighs down the withered branches. Black trees, white snow, and red lanterns create a scene of stark contrasts. Outside the Xie mansion, the weather is freezing cold, and someone in a red dress dances silently. Inside the house in the inner courtyard, a charcoal brazier burns, making it warm as spring.
Shu Yun has been having trouble sleeping lately. Sometimes she wakes up with an itchy throat and a couple of coughs, and other times she wakes up due to the discomfort caused by the dissipation of her spiritual energy. Her physical condition is not suitable for her to fall asleep.
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