Chapter 32 032 Fingertips gently caressing him
Xie Huaiyuan grew anxious: "You..."
Now he couldn't pretend to ignore it anymore.
His increasingly somber eyes gazed at her, and though he possessed a power far greater than hers, it was slowly dissipating in that instant.
Her soft, boneless fingertips traced along his clothes; she wanted to see how much more he could tolerate.
The needle fell down, and he caught it before he could pull it away.
The carriage in Xiangli grew increasingly restless and agitated, the lingering unease rising from the moon.
That mistaken appearance surprised her.
She smiled as she looked at his astonishing mouth, finding it even more alluring than the paintings in the album she had commissioned that day, and even better than the images in the album.
He looked at her silently, his anger growing heavier, and his slightly hoarse voice rang out: "Is it fun?"
Lin Wan's fingertips danced across the surface of the car, repeatedly rubbing the brocade together. She raised her eyes and gave a mischievous smile: "Not bad."
She curved her beautiful eyes into a smile, a hint of mischief in her eyes, glancing at the erect object that radiated an irresistible allure, which only enhanced her already stunning face, making it impossible to look away.
The next instant, he suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly, pulled her off him, and flung her away forcefully.
Xie Huaiyuan's face was as gloomy as if a storm was brewing. He looked at her, his eyes deep and almost black, and his deep voice revealed a hint of displeasure: "Are you happy to tease me like this?"
Lin Wan was caught off guard and was violently thrown against the side of the carriage. Her back slammed against the wall, and she instantly felt a burning pain in her back. The jade pendant that she had been holding fell out, slid to her feet, spun around, and stopped between the two of them.
She reached up and touched the spot on her back where she had been bumped. It hurt a little, and she knew it must be bruised. She didn't care about the jade pendant that had fallen out of her arms, but Xie Huaiyuan picked it up quickly.
He paused, then remembered that the jade pendant was a gift from him to her. He slightly lifted his eyelids, and contrary to the gloomy anger on his face, a trace of tenderness flashed in his dark pupils. Mixed with a deep and lonely anger, he asked in a hoarse voice, "You didn't throw it away?"
Lin Wan released her hand from his back, no longer touching it. Instead, she reached out with her slender, white fingers and gently hooked the red string on one side of the jade pendant. She leaned closer, and when she looked up at him, her starry eyes flashed with alluring charm: "This was given to me by the person I admire. Why would I throw it away?"
"Do you truly love me, or are you just deceiving me?"
She hooked the jade pendant back with her fingertips, put it back in her bosom, and with a slight smile on her lips and a hint of laughter in her eyes, asked, "And you, young master, do you admire me?"
Xie Huaiyuan closed his eyes, no longer looking into those eyes that were full of amorous provocation.
But Lin Wan didn't stop there. Instead, she leaned closer again, placed her palm on his chest, and felt the powerful beating inside his body.
one time.
Another one.
It leaped violently and powerfully.
Her heart pounded with undisguised emotion, and as Lin Wan felt the thumping of her heart beneath her palm, a triumphant smile appeared in her eyes: "Your Highness, you like me, don't you?"
Xie Huaiyuan opened his eyes without anyone noticing, silently observing Lin Wan leaning close to him. He gazed at her, her every smile and frown captivatingly alluring. Before he could utter a word, his lips parted slightly, but he was interrupted.
Suddenly, the carriage came to a sharp stop, and a clear voice came from outside asking, "Is the young master inside the carriage?"
It was Su Xuanhuai's voice.
The main gate of the Su family mansion.
Su Xuanhuai, who was out, was about to climb the steps at the gate when he heard the sound of a carriage slowly approaching from behind. He turned around and saw that the understated yet luxurious carriage was the one Xie Huaiyuan usually used.
Su Xuanhuai's brows furrowed with confusion as he thought about the growing discord between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin in court recently, which was just short of tearing off the mask covering the undercurrents.
He has been having a headache lately because of this. The Crown Prince has been having a series of misfortunes, and all of these are inseparable from Xie Huaiyuan. Logically speaking, he should be avoiding this now and would not have come to the Su residence. He can't figure out what Xie Huaiyuan means by this.
To his surprise, he spotted Shiliu among the servants who had followed the carriage. This was the maid who served Lin Wan, and she was also standing next to Xie Huaiyuan's carriage.
Suddenly, it felt as if the clouds had parted in her heart, and she tentatively asked, "Lin Wan, were you in the carriage too?"
The ambiguity in the carriage vanished instantly. The lustful glint in Xie Huaiyuan's eyes disappeared, replaced by his usual dignified and aloof demeanor. He straightened his disheveled clothes, shifted his position to keep a safe distance from her, and then leaned forward to lift the carriage curtain. He said in a cool voice, "I happened to meet you on the way back to the manor. It's getting late, and it's not safe for Miss Lin to return home alone, so I invited you to ride with me back to the manor."
Su Xuanhuai looked through the lifted carriage curtain and saw an extremely strange scene.
Lin Wan sat far away from Xie Huaiyuan, her back pressed tightly against the wall of the room. Her face was heavy, her lips were tightly pursed, and her upright posture seemed deliberately affected.
Su Xuanhuai: "?"
Lin Wan looked up at Su Xuanhuai and said obediently, "What a coincidence, did you just return to the manor, cousin?"
"Hmm." Su Xuanhuai suppressed his suspicions and instructed, "Why aren't you going forward to help Miss Biao down from the carriage?"
Upon hearing this, Shi Liu hurriedly stepped forward to set up a footstool and helped Lin Wan carefully step onto the footstool to get off the carriage.
Su Xuanhuai said, "Thank you very much for tonight, Your Highness. It is getting late, so I cannot stay any longer. I will definitely come to express my gratitude another day."
Xie Huaiyuan glanced at Lin Wan, who was standing quietly to the side, nodded slightly, then lowered the curtain, and the carriage sped away, gradually disappearing into the dark night.
Lin Wan turned around and silently followed behind Su Xuanhuai, lifting her skirt as she stepped into the Su residence.
The night was cool and still, and before we knew it, summer had passed.
The night was silent, save for the sound of their silent footsteps.
Just as the two were about to part ways, Su Xuanhuai broke the silence and guessed, "You can love anyone, but not him."
The sudden voice startled Lin Wan, causing her to stumble and nearly fall off the stone steps. She remembered Su Furong's warning: never let anyone else, including Su Xuanhuai, reveal her feelings. She hesitated, then asked, "Cousin, what are you saying? I don't quite understand."
Su Xuanhuai: "It's best if you don't understand. He's not someone you can covet."
A night breeze swept by, causing the lantern in the servant's hand to sway, the shifting light casting flickering shadows that made the figure sway uncertainly.
The candlelight illuminated Lin Wan's deep-set face. She suddenly looked up, and in that instant, all her previous pretense vanished. She asked, "Why?"
Su Xuanhuai glanced at her, his voice tinged with coldness: "Those who get close to him all meet a bad end."
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan's body trembled slightly.
That night, Lin Wan tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She kept thinking about Su Xuanhuai's inexplicable words and Xie Huaiyuan's unanswered question. Before she knew it, dawn was approaching.
She wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep peacefully.
In the courtyard of the Prince of Xiangyang's mansion.
Xie Huaiyuan sat silently at the stone table in the pavilion, drinking one cup of wine after another in the hazy night. In the blink of an eye, the wine pot on the table was empty. He held up the last cup of wine, staring blankly for a long time without moving.
At this moment, a servant dressed in black who had rushed over saw this scene and hesitated, unsure whether to step forward.
"What is it?"
The attendant stepped forward, bowed, and whispered, "Princess Zhaoyi will return to the capital tomorrow. Prince Jin has sent word that this is a good opportunity to lure that person into making a move."
Xie Huaiyuan frowned, sighed deeply, swallowed hard, and downed the wine in his cup, saying, "Alright."
-
Lin Wan couldn't sleep all night and was really distressed, so she went to find her maternal grandmother for breakfast early in the morning. She also coaxed her to take a walk in the garden in the yard after she finished eating, so that it would help with digestion.
"Oh dear, your grandmother is an old woman, I can't take this kind of exertion. I need to go back and rest for a while. You go and play by yourself."
Lin Wan smiled and helped her back to her room. Just as she was about to leave, she heard a voice behind her: "If you have some free time these days, you can go and play with that girl Furong at home. There are too many people on the street, so you should go out less these days."
Lin Wan suppressed her doubts and obediently agreed.
When they crossed half of the Su residence to look for Su Furong, they learned that Su Furong had been dragged out by Madam Meng early that morning.
Looking at the scenery in the mansion that was gradually turning into autumn, Lin Wan was surprised to find that autumn had already arrived without her noticing. She had been in the capital for almost half a year, and there were only about half a year left before the deadline her father had given her.
Perhaps, by this time next year, she will be trapped in some mansion, no longer enjoying the freedom she has now.
But, are you willing to accept that?
Lin Wan felt a surge of resentment; she didn't want to go back like this in six months!
As autumn deepens, the streets are bustling with people coming and going.
Lin Wan followed Shi Liu as they walked through the bustling streets, where vendors selling wine and tea lined both sides of the road, making it exceptionally lively today.
Suddenly, without warning, the already bustling crowd surged forward, and they were all stopped and surrounded by armored soldiers, creating a wide road in the middle of the street. Lin Wan was squeezed and had to back up frequently, almost tripping over. Fortunately, Shi Liu had good eyesight and helped her steady herself in time.
They were almost squeezed to the corner of the wall before they were too exhausted to stop.
Through the crowded streets, Lin Wan looked up and saw the majestic imperial procession, escorted by armored soldiers, slowly approaching from the street corner, passing through the streets and heading towards the palace.
Lin Wan wondered which noble person in the palace was leading such a large entourage.
The passersby, who were also squeezed into a corner right next to her, looked at the procession and sighed, "Princess Zhaoyi has finally returned to the capital."
"I've heard that Princess Zhaoyi is stunningly beautiful and has been childhood sweethearts with the Crown Prince. If she hadn't been seriously injured while saving the Crown Prince and had to recuperate, they would probably have been married long ago. Now that she's back in the capital, their wedding should be coming soon, right?"
Someone asked, "Is this young master from the Prince of Xiangyang's residence?"
"That's him, of course."
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan had no interest in watching the spectacle. She recalled that earlier, her grandmother had advised her to stay in the mansion and not go out. So that's how it was; they all knew about it, only she didn't.
I felt inexplicably irritable and angry, as if I had been played for a fool.
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