Chapter 17 017 Hold Me
Xie Huaiyuan was speechless.
He vaguely knew why she was there, but just now he had thought she was going to fall into the stream. Looking at her sly smile, Xie Huaiyuan didn't know whether to be angry at her or at himself.
His body stiffened, and his eyes lost their usual calm.
"My feet really hurt, I can't walk anymore, can you help me?"
Lin Wan raised her face, and the bright lights of the fireworks that kept blooming in the sky were reflected in her eyes. Her bright eyes seemed to be filled with tears, her voice trembled slightly because of the pain in her feet, and her delicate body swayed as if she were about to fall.
Perhaps it was because the two were close enough to be separated by only an arm’s length, or perhaps it was because the peach blossom wine that his mother had brewed this time was more fragrant and mellow, but she carried a faint scent of wine that permeated the air, mingling with the fragrance of peach blossoms, as if trying to infuse him with the sweet aroma of the wine.
Xie Huaiyuan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his eyes deep and unfathomable: "Men and women are different, we cannot."
Seeing that he was unwilling to help, Lin Wan couldn't help but curse inwardly. Then why did he come over and hug her to prevent her from falling into the water? But when she looked up and saw his deep and cold eyes, she knew he wouldn't dare to say those words.
Although the continuously blooming fireworks made the peach grove less dark at night, she was still afraid of being alone there, and Shiliu might not return for a long time. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she cried out in a soft, tearful voice, "Young Master, help me..."
Xie Huaiyuan paused for a moment and took a step back: "Since you've already waited so long, why not wait a little longer? The Su family will definitely send someone over."
Lin Wan froze, genuinely worried that he would abandon her and leave. She hurriedly stepped forward, but forgot that she had twisted her ankle. The sharp pain of her foot landing on the stone brought tears to her eyes, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, dampening her hair. She pleaded, "It's so dark here, I'm scared to be alone. Please don't leave me here, okay?"
Xie Huaiyuan remained unmoved. It truly angered her that he could remain unmoved by such a delicate and lovely girl's plea for help!
Could it be that he really is heartless?
Lin Wan looked at him with tears streaming down her face and said sadly, "Alright, Your Highness, you can go now. It's dark here, but there shouldn't be any bad people. At most, there might be some poisonous snakes or something. Don't worry about me. I won't tell anyone that I saw you. It's just my bad luck that I thought Peach Blossom Forest was really as the Princess said. I came here specifically to look for the Marriage Stone, hoping that it would help me win the favor of my beloved. It's alright, you can go now. At worst, I'll just fall into the water. Anyway, my clothes are already wet, so I don't mind getting even wetter."
After saying that, Lin Wan turned to face the stream, leaving behind a slender, willow-like figure, and very considerately urged him to hurry up and leave so as not to delay him.
His face was ashen, his deep black eyes concealing a dark undercurrent, and his thin lips moved slightly: "Peach Blossom Manor is heavily guarded, and it is impossible for unauthorized personnel to enter. Although the peach grove here is lush, it has always been taken care of. How could there be any poisonous snakes?"
As Lin Wan listened to the sound of fireworks, she secretly regretted letting Shi Liu leave. She tried to test her foot; although her sprained ankle hurt, she could still bear it. If Xie Huaiyuan really left, she would grit her teeth and endure the pain to slowly walk back.
But to my surprise, he was still standing behind me and did not leave.
Xie Huaiyuan remained silent for a long time before asking slowly, "Why do you want to find the Marriage Stone?"
She looked up at the dazzling fireworks and said irritably, "Because the person I like is like an ice cube, I thought that if I could find a marriage stone, maybe it would make my marriage luckier."
Xie Huaiyuan's eyelashes trembled. He heard the booming sound of fireworks exploding in his ears. He looked up at the night sky illuminated by the fireworks, and finally sighed deeply, saying helplessly, "The stream is cold at night. You sprained your ankle. Don't get it wet again."
Lin Wan was clearly not expected him to say such a thing, and casually kicked out a splash of water, saying "Oh".
He said slowly, "My feet hurt. If I don't put them in the water while sitting, where should I put them?"
Seeing this, Xie Huaiyuan finally stepped forward and reached out his hand.
"Is Your Highness here to help me back?" Lin Wan was moved and forgot to complain. She happily reached out and placed her hand over. Through the thin sleeve of his shirt, she could clearly feel the strength of his arm. It was vigorous and powerful. He was such a cold person, but the arm she was holding was almost burning hot, which made her heart tremble and skip a beat.
Her foot injury was severe, and the shoe that had fallen into the stream had long since drifted away. The ground in front of her was covered with stones of varying sizes. If she stepped on one, she might lose her foot. She leaned on his hand to stand up, biting her lower lip lightly. I looked at her pitifully and said, "But I've lost my shoe too. How am I supposed to walk?"
Lin Wan knew she was beautiful, and if she used this advantage well, it would be of great help. No one should be able to resist a pitiful beauty, so she wanted to seize this rare opportunity to spend time together.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her foot, lost her balance, and fell into his arms, a sweet fragrance filling her senses.
Feeling the powerful vibration in her chest, Lin Wan's face inexplicably flushed again. She glanced at him furtively and said softly, "Your Highness, can you carry me back?"
Xie Huaiyuan was stunned for a moment, his pupils suddenly contracted, but his face remained as calm as an ancient pool. He forcefully pushed away the soft fragrance in his arms and steadied her through her clothes.
Immediately afterward, the sound of hurried footsteps came from the other side of the road in the peach grove. Meng Shi, with her sharp eyes, spotted Xie Huaiyuan beside Lin Wan. Suppressing a hint of surprise in her eyes, she quickly stepped forward and said, "Thank you for your help, Your Highness."
Lin Wan let go of his hand and, with Shi Liu's help, let the maid carry her back. As she passed by him, she whispered, "Thank you."
As night fell, the peach blossom banquet came to an end, and the guests returned home.
Xie Huaiyuan took the carriage straight back to his residence, remaining silent the entire way. Even after he got back to his room, a sweet fragrance seemed to linger around his nose.
His eyes were lowered, like snow covering green mountains, his gaze dark and unfathomable. His eyes fell on the wrinkled sleeve of his outer robe, which was crumpled by his fingertips. The wrinkles were obvious and did not change his dignified and refined appearance.
She was as frivolous and willful as ever, showing no restraint whatsoever befitting a noble lady! She had no awareness of the proper boundaries between men and women, brazenly leaning against him again and again!
What's truly despicable is that I couldn't even ignore it. A gentleman cultivates himself, yet he mistakenly gave rise to desires. How could I do such a thing!
His face gradually darkened, a hint of ferocity creeping into his brows. He removed his sweetly scented outer garment with his long, slender fingers and tossed it on the ground. His cold voice rang out: "Throw it away."
Prepare water for bathing.
—
The news of Lin Wan and Xie Huaiyuan being together in the peach grove quickly spread, and when they left, the noble ladies' faces were filled with shock and gritted teeth.
Before she could even get off the carriage, Su Furong impatiently asked, "Lin Wan, you actually ignored what I said! Didn't I tell you not to go looking for him?!"
Lin Wan shifted slightly against the cushion to ease the pain in her foot, and said aggrievedly, "Didn't I ask you to come with me to find the Marriage Stone? But you wanted to play the pitch-pot game, so I went to find it myself. Who knew the stones by the stream were so slippery? I accidentally twisted my ankle and couldn't walk. I had to ask Shiliu to come back and call for help. I never thought I would run into the young master there, and then you all came."
If Meng had arrived a little later, she could have spent more time with him, and perhaps even been carried back by him. She couldn't help but feel annoyed that they had arrived so quickly, but she didn't show these thoughts.
Su Furong stared at her with an angry expression and said, word by word, "You can like whoever you want, but you're not allowed to like him, do you hear me?"
The swaying sound of the carriage drowned out Lin Wan's barely audible response.
After the Peach Blossom Banquet, Lin Wan didn't leave the courtyard for more than half a month, staying there to recover from her foot injury. Meng Shi didn't say anything that day, but she could clearly feel that Lin Wan's complexion was not good. Since that day, Su Furong has been coming here more often, telling her about the deeds of young men in the capital, and even trying to introduce her to several good men she mentioned.
This gave Lin Wan a real headache, but fortunately her foot injury hadn't healed, so she kept politely declining.
Summer Solstice arrived in the blink of an eye, and the sun gradually became scorching. Lin Wan, who was particularly sensitive to the heat, kept waving a round fan in her hand.
That day, the Su residence was unusually lively. Meng's family had come to visit. Meng was Su Furong's aunt, and she brought her third cousin to visit. Before the New Year, Meng had introduced a young man to her third cousin. The two families were very satisfied after meeting, and they even set the wedding date for the end of the year. They would stay at the Su residence for a few days before returning home after going to Xiangshan Temple to fulfill their vow.
Madam Meng smiled broadly: "The end of the year is a good time. I will definitely give Yan'er a decent dowry then."
The gentle and charming third cousin, Li Qiuyan, blushed and said shyly, "Thank you."
Aunt Meng: "Then thank you very much, eldest sister."
When Lin Wan arrived, the laughter and chatter in the hall suddenly stopped for a moment.
Aunt Meng glanced at her, her heart leaping with joy, her eyes brimming with undisguised amazement: "Is this beautiful young lady already married?"
Lin Wan's smile stiffened slightly, but she still sat politely to the side, listening to Meng's words with a gentle smile.
"Not yet," Madam Meng said gently, holding Lin Wan's hand with a tone full of affection. "The coming-of-age ceremony is next year. The old lady said that if there is a suitable candidate, she can keep an eye out for him. Perhaps you have a good match in mind?"
"Yes, I can't speak for others, but my eldest son is a top-notch one. He happens to be getting promoted next month and will be coming to the capital. We can arrange to meet up and see him together. I think he's a very good person."
Lin Wan then realized why Meng Shi, who usually advised her, had remained silent after the Peach Blossom Banquet. It turned out she was waiting for her there, directly arranging a marriage for her so that she could give up her feelings for Xie Huaiyuan. How was she any different from the concubines in the family!
Meng's sudden move must have been pre-arranged with Aunt Meng. Lin Wan's eyes darkened, and she clenched her hands in her sleeves, subtly observing the two people in the hall.
-
Behind Xiangshan Temple, at the foot of the Bamboo Grove Pavilion.
A figure stood to the side in the pavilion, gazing at the foot of the mountains and forests, his eyes filled with indifference.
"Your Highness, everything has been arranged."
As Shen Rongshi stepped into the pavilion, he witnessed this scene. More than a dozen black-clad guards instantly vanished into the forest. He couldn't help but frown: "So many guards are needed for that piece of news whose veracity is unknown?"
"Being prepared is always better than being caught off guard."
On the other side.
Two carriages drove out of the gate of the Su residence, heading towards Xiangshan Temple on the south side of the outskirts of the capital.
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