Chapter 70 Instinctive Reaction
this……
Qin originally thought that Xie Qingran would hate the child because she had been ridiculed in public and made such a scene. However, she never expected that everyone would say good things about the child.
Now, Qin was basically certain that Xie Qingran genuinely liked the child and would treat the children sincerely in the future.
"The children are still very young, so if you treat them well, they will gradually realize it."
"It's just that you've had to put up with this whole family so soon after you got married."
Madam Qin sighed helplessly. She was a gentle person and not suitable for managing a household at all. But the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was in such a state that it needed a capable person who could stand firm!
Upon hearing this, Xie Qingran simply smiled faintly, changed her clothes, and then planned to return to the front hall.
But when she came out of the room, she didn't see Qin Shi. Instead, she met Xiao Jue's cold and hard eyes. He had already taken off his mask and was sitting in his wheelchair, looking at Xie Qingran with a relaxed expression.
"Why haven't you been this good-tempered before?"
Xiao Jue raised an eyebrow and stared intently at Xie Qingran.
“I won’t take it to heart, and I certainly won’t hold it against him.”
"Children may be immature, but adults cannot be immature, can they?"
Xie Qingran chuckled softly, then crossed her arms and, mimicking Xiao Jue, stared intently at him.
Xiao Jue was stunned for a moment, then realized that Xie Qingran was indirectly scolding him for being ignorant!
It had been many years since Xiao Jue had seen such a bold person, but for some reason, he was not only not angry, but also found it somewhat amusing.
He looked at Xie Qingran: "I heard you're going to be friends with Shen Wenyuan?"
"I'll be twenty in a month."
"The prince refuses to marry me no matter what, so I have no choice but to settle for second best."
Xie Qingran did not refute it, but instead readily admitted it.
She shrugged and looked at Xiao Jue helplessly.
"The Crown Prince is hesitant to agree to the marriage, which suggests he is not entirely satisfied with my conditions. Why don't you just speak frankly?"
Xie Qingran stepped forward, half-squatted down, and looked Xiao Jue in the eye.
The moment their eyes met, Xie Qingran was overwhelmed by Xiao Jue's gaze. Even though Xiao Jue was struggling to stand up, the killing aura he had honed on the battlefield still made Xie Qingran feel suffocated.
"Xie Qingran, you're very bold!"
Xiao Jue reached out and restrained Xie Qingran's neck.
"Unfortunately, I don't like women who are too bold!"
As the feeling of suffocation washed over her, Xie Qingran remained calm, simply smiling faintly: "I have no choice but to put myself in a life-or-death situation!"
How could a mere back courtyard be a place of death?
Seeing Xie Qingran's resolute demeanor, Xiao Jue simply couldn't understand it.
But he still released Xie Qingran's neck and said coldly, "I will not have a child with you."
"Okay, I don't like having children either!" Xie Qingran agreed immediately.
Although she wanted to marry Xiao Jue, she never considered having children with him, not even...
Xie Qingran suddenly stood up, her eyes darting somewhat erratically towards a certain spot, and raised an eyebrow: "What about the others?"
"You are insolent!"
Xiao Jue immediately realized what Xie Qingran was talking about, and his expression changed instantly, looking at her with a gloomy expression!
Xie Qingran, on the other hand, was frank and open, shrugging indifferently: "If the young master is unwilling to say, then so be it. Are there any other conditions?"
Are you a woman or not?
How shameless!
Xiao Jue's ears turned red, and he frowned as he looked at Xie Qingran with displeasure.
How could a young woman confined to her chambers say such a thing?
For Xie Qingran, this was torture and humiliation, but not shame.
Confucius said, "Food and sex are human nature. Why should we be ashamed of such things?"
"Haven't you ever done this before, Your Highness...?"
"shut up!"
Xiao Jue was furious and roared at Xie Qingran.
Xie Qingran immediately covered her mouth with both hands, leaving only her big eyes darting around as she looked at Xiao Jue.
"Fine, I won't argue with you!"
"Please take your seats!"
Xiao Jue didn't say whether he was willing or not to agree to the marriage. He just kept turning around and walking towards the banquet in front of him. Even though he was in a carriage, he still left Xie Qingran far behind.
Xie Qingran quickened her pace, intending to follow, but suddenly heard a low sobbing sound. She immediately stopped: "Your Highness!"
However, Xiao Jue walked too fast and didn't hear her speak at all.
Helpless, Xie Qingran could only walk towards the direction of the sobbing sound. She was not a meddlesome person, but the sound was too familiar, so she had to go and see.
Sure enough, Xie Qingran found Xiao Yanran curled up in the grass. She had obviously dressed up carefully today, but the color of her clothes was old-fashioned and not something that someone her age should like.
Seeing Xiao Yanran like this, Xie Qingran suddenly thought of her own past. Back then, she was sent to the manor as a little girl and was taught by a fierce old woman. When she was severely punished, she would also cower in a corner, covering her mouth tightly with her hands, not daring to cry out.
Therefore, Xie Qingran felt even more sorry for little Xiao Yanran.
She walked over without saying a word, simply sitting quietly beside Xiao Yanran, listening silently to the child's cries, tilting her head to look at her.
After a while, Xiao Yanran stopped, looked up, met Xie Qingran's concerned gaze, and was stunned for a moment: "What are you doing here?"
"I heard you secretly crying, so I came to check on you. What's wrong?"
Xie Qingran seemed to be chatting casually, just staring at Xiao Yanran with curiosity, without any intention of questioning her.
"No...it's nothing." Xiao Yanran shook her head with red eyes, but still shrank back slightly.
Xie Qingran immediately noticed something was wrong. She grabbed Xiao Yanran's hand and rolled up her sleeve to see a dense array of needle marks. This was a common method used in the inner quarters; it was painful enough, but wouldn't cause too much damage. In her previous life, Xie Qingran had suffered quite a bit from this method.
Xie Qingran's expression changed upon seeing the needle marks, but she quickly regained her composure. She gently straightened Xiao Yanran's clothes, took out a handkerchief, wiped away her tears, and said softly, "Are you hungry? I'll take you to get some snacks, okay?"
"Third Miss?"
Where is the Third Miss?
An old woman's voice came from outside. Xie Qingran clearly saw Xiao Yanran's body tremble slightly, an instinctive reaction caused by fear.
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