Chapter 46, Section 46: He picked up the fallen eyebrow powder...
In her dazed state, Lin Wan felt him slightly move her feet, and then fall back onto the soft brocade quilt.
Xie Huaiyuan straightened his disheveled clothes slightly, lowered his eyes to look at the person in front of him, his gaze dark and deep.
She was staring at him with her half-closed, alluring eyes, completely unaware that her eyebrows were furrowed in a strange and inexplicable way.
After a long while, Xie Huaiyuan's Adam's apple bobbed a few times before he finally turned around, lowered the bed curtains on both sides to cover himself properly, and then left.
Xie Huaiyuan stepped out from the hidden door of the inner room, paused slightly. The outside was so bright that it was almost blinding. He squinted for a moment before fixing his gaze on the servant Green Bamboo waiting outside the bedroom door.
Xie Huaiyuan: "Go in and serve her, and be careful."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ye, the maid who had been waiting outside the inner room, nodded obediently in agreement. She then quietly pushed open the door to the inner room, moved her feet lightly, and then closed the door tightly again.
In the dimly lit inner room, Lin Wan lost track of day and night. After seeing Xie Huaiyuan, she fell into a deep sleep again.
The maid Liu Ye was Xie Huaiyuan's trusted confidante, obeying only his orders and following him for many years. She had never seen any other woman receive such attention from him, being kept in his bedroom without ever leaving his side.
The villa in Pear Blossom Lane is very large. It is a quiet place away from the hustle and bustle of the city, a good place for self-cultivation. Therefore, Xie Huaiyuan often stays here. However, not many people know about his villa. Su Furong is one of them.
The layout of the villa is extremely elegant. Although there are not many rooms, many exquisite rockeries and ponds have been carefully built, and many varieties of flowers have been planted. At this time, the peach blossoms by the corridor are showing signs of budding.
Xie Huaiyuan walked through the front courtyard and past the covered walkway by the peach trees. From afar, he saw Su Furong standing by the fishpond, watching the fish in the pond, facing the gentle breeze.
Why did you suddenly come here?
Xie Huaiyuan stopped, his face showing no surprise, as if everything was as it always had been.
When Old Master Su was still alive, Su Furong would sometimes sneak out to play, but she was too young to go anywhere else to play, so most of the time she would come here to tease the fish, just like she is now.
Su Furong seemed unable to recall when she last came here to tease the fish. It was probably when her grandfather was still alive. Back then, the villa in Pear Blossom Lane was practically her favorite place to play as a child, and Prince Xie Huaiyuan wasn't like he is now.
She stood up, gently brushed off the last bit of bait from her hand, and stood by the fishpond looking at Xie Huaiyuan: "It's been a long time. The young master has become even more handsome."
Xie Huaiyuan smiled faintly and did not ask any further questions.
Su Furong was not surprised at all that Xie Huaiyuan was no longer as indifferent as he had been in his youth, but rather more aloof. Looking down at the fish swimming around in the pond, she asked, "Lin Wan has disappeared. Have you seen her?"
"Miss Lin has returned to the capital?"
Su Furong opened her eyes and stared straight into his dark eyes. The abyss-like ink showed no ripples, and his expression was extremely calm. Although she knew that his personality was becoming increasingly cold, Su Furong felt sorry for Lin Wan at this moment, and her heart was filled with bitterness. "Aren't you worried about her?"
"Miss Lin is a lucky person, she will definitely be alright." Xie Huaiyuan avoided the topic and instead comforted her.
“She just got back, how could she have disappeared now? She was just discussing with us yesterday how to hold her coming-of-age ceremony, and her father would be coming too.”
Xie Huaiyuan raised his eyes, a hint of mockery flashing across them, and said, "Hold the coming-of-age ceremony in the capital?"
"Originally, my grandmother wanted to find a good family for Lin Wan in the capital. But she felt sorry for her because she was too far away from her grandmother and was reluctant to marry far away like her mother did back then, which resulted in them being separated and unable to see each other."
"Are there any suitable candidates?"
Su Furong glanced at the person beside her and said awkwardly, "There is indeed someone I'm interested in..."
Xie Huaiyuan's eyebrows twitched slightly, but his expression remained calm as he said, "Doesn't that mean Miss Lin will soon have a double blessing?"
Su Furong was about to explain for Lin Wan that although they had gone to meet someone, Lin Wan had never taken it seriously and had only gone to save face for the Su family. However, she changed her mind at this moment. She noticed a very faint trace of lipstick on Xie Huaiyuan's clothes and was shocked. She said meaningfully, "It's hard to say. Perhaps. But the young master looks good. He must have encountered something pleasant recently. I wonder where Lin Wan is right now."
In short, she felt sorry for Lin Wan. She thought that Xie Huaiyuan would be anxious after hearing that Lin Wan had disappeared, and would at least try to find her.
But reality surprised her. She never expected that Xie Huaiyuan, who had always rejected the advances of noble ladies in the capital, would have traces of women's lipstick on his clothes. This was truly unexpected. She couldn't wait to find Lin Wan and tell her about this, advising her not to focus her attention on Xie Huaiyuan anymore.
Su Furong scrutinized Xie Huaiyuan, meeting his deep gaze. The man's handsome face remained cold and stern. She said helplessly, "Since Your Highness does not know Lin Wan's whereabouts, I will go elsewhere to search. I apologize for disturbing you."
"Could you please tell me, is Miss Lin looking for Gu Qinghe?"
"You know? He's my aunt's eldest son, and it just so happens that he came to the capital."
Watching Su Furong's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Xie Huaiyuan silently raised his eyes, watching her depart until she finally vanished outside the front gate. In his long-lashed, dark eyes, a suppressed emotion was brewing, and the sinister intent hidden deep within gradually seeped out, making his eyes look frightening.
"So that's how it is, Lin Wan. You really are so fickle, even when it comes to seducing people!"
-
In my drowsy ears, I seemed to hear a faint rumbling sound, a booming sound...
Lin Wan's tightly closed eyes kept turning, and gradually, she suddenly opened her eyes, startled awake from her semi-conscious sleep. It took her a long time to regain her consciousness.
"Girl, you're awake?"
Liu Ye, who had been watching over her, saw Lin Wan's movement and asked softly, and did not forget to step forward and gently help her sit up.
Lin Wan looked at the person in front of her. She had a pretty face, but her figure was not as delicate as that of an ordinary maid. Instead, she had a kind of heroic spirit that came from martial arts. She opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but found that her voice was very hoarse. "...Water."
After Liu Ye helped Lin Wan sit up, she got up and went to the round table to bring her water, serving her the water.
Lin Wan drank water while looking around. The room was completely furnished, with no doors or windows for escape. The only doorway was also tightly closed.
"Where is the Crown Prince?"
Liu Ye reached out and took the empty teacup, saying very politely, "The young master has already left for court."
Lin Wan: "How long have I been asleep?"
Liu Ye straightened the brocade quilt covering her slightly. "The young lady spends most of her days sleeping and rarely wakes up. It's been like this for a while now."
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan guessed that her prolonged slumber must be unusual. She had finally woken up once, and she couldn't let it all pass by in vain.
As she struggled to get up, to walk around and stand up, she tried to find an opportunity to leave the inner room so she could figure out where she was.
Unexpectedly, after sleeping for so long, her legs were so weak that she could not stand on her own and could only lean on Liu Ye for support.
Lin Wan tried her best to calm herself down, suppressing her trembling voice, "Can I look outside? It's so stuffy in here, it's making me feel really uncomfortable."
Liu Ye only knew that Xie Huaiyuan had asked her to come and serve him, but she never mentioned whether she could leave the inner room.
At this moment, Lin Wan's face turned deathly pale, and even her breathing became much heavier. "I'm really feeling suffocated. I don't think the young master would want to see me unconscious when he comes back."
Liu Ye carefully examined her complexion and finally agreed, helping her towards the tightly closed door of the inner room.
As Lin Wan passed the corner table, she suddenly smelled an extremely strong incense. Turning her head, she saw that the incense burner on the table was burning. After smelling it a little more, she suddenly felt that familiar drowsiness coming over her, and she couldn't help but hold her breath and concentrate.
"Squeak—" The door opened, and instantly, a flash of lightning streaked across the room, startling Lin Wan so much that she almost lost her balance.
It turned out that I had been staying in Xie Huaiyuan's dormitory room all along, which was extremely secluded.
Suddenly, a fierce wind arose outside, accompanied by lightning and thunder. Before long, a torrential downpour began, with large raindrops pelting down relentlessly.
Raindrops mixed with a cool breeze swept into the dormitory, making Lin Wan suddenly shiver.
"Girl, it's raining, don't catch a cold. Why don't we go back?"
Liu Ye tried to dissuade her, but she dared not lead anyone further outside.
"It's too stuffy inside, I can't breathe. I'll just sit here. I don't need to go anywhere. It's raining, so watching the rain is quite nice."
Outside, a fierce wind raged, sweeping up fallen leaves from the branches. Raindrops mixed with the cool breeze drifted into the bedroom, dispelling the warmth inside. Soon, the air was filled with a chill.
After sitting for a short while, she gradually felt the chill seeping in, but she didn't want to go back into the dimly lit inner room.
"Girl, why don't we go inside? It's really easy to catch a cold here."
As Lin Wan watched the torrential rain outside, a thought suddenly popped into her head: perhaps this was a good opportunity!
Why hasn't he come back yet?
"He may be busy with something. The Crown Prince has not attended court for many days, and he may not have been able to return in time today. There must be many matters in court that need his attention."
Lin Wan smiled, then suddenly shivered and whispered weakly, "So cold..."
Despite Liu Ye's repeated attempts to persuade her, she remained unmoved, yet she couldn't simply let things go unchecked.
"Go get me something to put on," Lin Wan said, shrugging her shoulders slightly as if she were cold. "I think he'll come back here when the rain stops, and he'll be very happy to see me waiting for him."
Liu Ye hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly went into the inner room, looking back every few steps, to fetch a warm cloak for her.
Lin Wan's heart was in her throat. Since waking up, she had recovered and regained some strength, and was able to walk on her own.
When she caught a glimpse of Liu Ye's figure disappearing behind the inner room door, she jumped up from her chair and ran to the dormitory door as fast as she could.
Suddenly, a final flash of lightning streaked across the outside, and silence returned.
As luck would have it, the rain stopped.
Lin Wan didn't recognize the road. She just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. This should be the Prince of Xiangyang's residence, since she couldn't think of anywhere else.
As dawn broke, the sky was filled with thick, dark clouds. Having just regained consciousness, she had no idea what time it was.
Lin Wan's steps were a little unsteady, but she walked as far as she could, passing through the moon gate and the covered walkway. She wandered around for a while, but surprisingly, she didn't run into any other servants or maids. She had some doubts in her heart, but she couldn't care less about them now.
Not far ahead, there was another moon gate surrounded by bamboo groves.
Lin Wan had just stepped onto the threshold of the Moon Cave.
The next instant, the sky suddenly brightened, another bolt of lightning flashed by, and Xie Huaiyuan's face suddenly appeared in front of her.
Lin Wan was stunned for a moment, then her mind went blank, as if a thunderclap had struck from the horizon. She hadn't expected it at all, and before she could stop herself, she suddenly rushed straight into Xie Huaiyuan's arms and threw herself into his embrace.
Xie Huaiyuan swiftly grabbed her and held her tightly in his arms, not letting go for a second.
"Didn't I tell you not to wander off and to wait for me obediently?"
The cold rain fell again, soaking her clothes. A gust of wind blew, making her feel slightly chilly, but she trembled because of Xie Huaiyuan's sinister gaze.
Xie Huaiyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, his smile unchanged, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Wanwan, where are you planning to go? Or are you planning to see someone?"
The sound of hurried footsteps came from not far away; it was Liu Ye catching up.
He curled his lips into a cold smile, his brows furrowed with malice, and his tone held a hint of anger, "Why did you run away again!"
Without saying a word, he forcefully picked her up and strode towards the direction Lin Wan had fled from, the falling rain gradually soaking their clothes.
No, she couldn't go back to the inner room. She didn't want to fall into a deep sleep there again, not knowing when she would wake up next.
Lin Wan struggled to escape from his holding arms, but no matter how hard she tried, the hands around her waist and knees remained firmly in place.
Passing through the dormitory and into the dimly lit inner room, Lin Wan was thrown onto the sandalwood bed she had just left.
Lin Wan struggled to get up, and in the struggle with Xie Huaiyuan, she accidentally knocked over the small cabinet next to the sandalwood bed.
With a "snap," a familiar-looking small brocade box rolled out and opened in front of the two of them.
It's the brocade box she bought last time but lost. The medicine inside is... a woman's eyebrow medicine!
In the dim candlelight, Xie Huaiyuan's handsome and indifferent face was filled with anger. When he saw the medicine rolling down, he suddenly lowered his eyes and stared at her with extreme seriousness.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is what you originally intended to give me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Huaiyuan picked up the brocade box, took out one of the aphrodisiac pills that had already rolled out, and moved closer and closer to her, who was now slumped and powerless...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com