A dark cloud loomed overhead, pressing in on the exposed half of the sun, as if shrouded in a gray mist, making the sun's light less bright than it had been a few days before.
He hid the gold hairpin in his sleeve and held it tightly in his palm. The cool touch of the hairpin gradually warmed up in his hand.
Li Shiyue smiled, showing no sign of anything amiss, as if she had simply been startled by Xu Yunyang's sudden appearance.
"It's my third cousin."
Their gazes fell on Xu Yunyang. Today, he was not wearing his official robes. It was well past the time for the morning court session, and he was not on duty. The long robe he was wearing was a casual style with a round neck and narrow sleeves, paired with a black gold and jade-inlaid waist belt, making him look extremely wealthy.
His face still had the same gentle and kind expression he always showed, but Li Shiyue felt that something was different. She was puzzled, but she didn't show it on her face.
"My cousin and Guo Shaoqing have completed the formalities of marriage and are just waiting for next spring to get married. These days she's been busy embroidering her wedding dress. I chatted with my cousin for a while, and now I'm heading back."
Xu Yunyang remained calm. The servant behind him was his trusted servant, and Li Shiyue recognized his face all too well.
"Since we've run into Cousin Yan Yan, I've brought her some things. I'd appreciate it if your maid could take them back to Chengyu Pavilion with Fu Huai, otherwise Fu Huai will have to make two more trips."
Perhaps fearing that Li Shiyue might misunderstand something, Xu Yunyang paused and then said, more like an explanation: "Shi Niang and I both really liked the flower cakes you made before. Since you entered the manor, not to mention Shi Niang, I've caused you a lot of trouble, so please don't refuse, Cousin Yan Yan."
“I know my cousin is always very particular about etiquette, so don’t worry. Sixth Sister and the others will have to wait until Fu Huai delivers it over. It shouldn’t be necessary to trouble my cousin’s maids, but if there’s a delay, I’m afraid Fu Huai won’t be able to handle it herself, and I’m afraid that if word gets out, my cousin might misunderstand me.”
His words were sincere; if one didn't know what kind of person he was, it would be easy to be fooled.
Chunling looked alert and subconsciously glanced at Li Shiyue's expression, as if afraid she had missed something.
Li Shiyue subtly tugged at Chunling's upper body, which was dressed in a traditional Chinese vest, with her thumb. The comforting look in her eyes held a different meaning.
"Go and come back soon. I need to go to my grandmother's place. Don't stay too long."
Chunling felt a tightness in her chest; her expression made it seem like a separation between master and servant, a parting from which they would never see each other again.
"Then this servant will definitely act quickly. Miss, you must hurry and find the old lady. The old lady is also looking for you at this time."
Watching Chunling follow Fu Huai in another direction, looking back every few steps, she looked so pitiful, as if Xu Yunyang had broken up a couple of lovers.
Yet he felt no remorse whatsoever; in fact, he could barely suppress the greed in his eyes. This place wasn't far from the main courtyard, and servants frequently came and went.
"I also need to pay my respects to my grandmother, let's go together."
Seeing that Li Shiyue was not moving, Xu Yunyang sighed, his brows furrowed with sorrow: "Grandmother dotes on my cousin. If there is no one to serve her, and she gets hurt, it will hinder Grandmother's recovery."
"It was my fault. My previous actions caused my cousin to misunderstand me."
His handsome features and feigned sadness, combined with his gentle demeanor, made people feel more at ease.
Li Shiyue remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she sneered. In her past life, she had been deceived by Xu Yunyang's shameless act, which led to her miserable state.
Having been reborn, Xu Yunyang's methods remained unchanged, showing no improvement whatsoever. If it were before, Li Shiyue might have believed in his sincerity, but now she wished she could trample him underfoot.
Suppressing her disgust for Xu Yunyang, Li Shiyue smiled, showing no sign of anything amiss. The clarity in her eyes was the innocent demeanor she always projected.
“What happened before is in the past. My third cousin was thinking of my grandmother and me. If I don’t understand, wouldn’t I be wasting his good intentions?”
The cuffs of today's jacket are not very narrow, but they are not very wide either, about the width of three forearms, just enough to hide the tonight's clothes in my hands very well.
Holding the gold hairpin in my palm, I saw delicate patterns on the floral design, which left some red marks on my palm.
Xu Yunyang didn't rush to leave. He turned to the side as if to make way for Li Shiyue, and walked behind her with a certain air of elegance, implying that he wanted to keep his distance.
Li Shiyue watched without saying a word, but her steps were neither hurried nor slow, while she glanced around for a long time.
There is only one road from the main courtyard to Shousong Hall, which involves passing through a small garden. At this time of day, there are usually no servants there, except for the gardeners who come to cultivate the plants regularly.
Xu Yunyang walked even slower, leisurely following behind Li Shiyue at a distance of about one person.
Li Shiyue crossed her arms in front of her, clutching the gold hairpin in her palms; she was even sweating.
A burning gaze was fixed on her from behind, undisguised, and the soft footsteps echoed her rhythm.
There was no one around, and the autumn wind occasionally rustled the branches and bushes on both sides, making a particularly noticeable "rustling" sound.
"Smack."
A wooden box fell to the ground, its contents scattering and crashing at Li Shiyue's feet.
Inside was a pinkish-purple lotus-patterned white jade and gold crown, which was used by women to adorn their hair. Unlike the hair crowns used by women, it was delicate and small, fitting perfectly in the palm of one's hand.
This was newly commissioned by the Yang family and hadn't even been properly prepared yet. Now, it was at their feet, with the pinkish-purple jade lotus leaves and the white jade and gold crown below them separated.
Before Li Shiyue could even scream, Xu Yunyang covered her lips with one hand, and her back slammed against the rocks of the artificial hill. Her eyes instantly reddened and were filled with tears.
She struggled incessantly, but how could she possibly overpower a grown man? She eventually gave up struggling, but her wrists remained firmly held, and she looked up at Xu Yunyang with anger and wariness in her eyes.
Tears welled in her eyes as she fell straight down onto the rock face. The rocks of the artificial hill weren't smooth and flat, and now, even through her clothes, she felt a burning pain.
Xu Yunyang felt incredibly relaxed. He leaned close to her ear, and the soft, sweet fragrance emanating from the woman enveloped his nose. He couldn't bear to part with her.
"Hmph." With a muffled groan, Xu Yunyang released his grip, clutching his aching calves with both hands.
Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, Li Shiyue kicked him in the calf with some skill. Li Shiyue didn't think much of it, but Xu Yunyang was enduring the pain, and it was a real pity that she couldn't see him clutching his leg and grimacing in pain.
"What are you doing, Third Cousin?"
Li Shiyue knew everything perfectly well, but her face remained impassive, though her clear eyes were blazing with anger.
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