Chapter 90090 Deep Scheming
Chapter 90
Meng Yuning's heart skipped a beat, and she almost lost her composure. "Ah? Isn't this inappropriate?"
Qi Jingyan looked at her with a bit of inquiry in his eyes: "What's wrong?"
Meng Yuning hesitated for a while but couldn't find a suitable reason.
She couldn't say that she had actually known how to play the water for a long time. She had originally planned to pretend to learn it in front of the two simple-minded girls, Mu Ying and Mu Li, and then lie that she was gifted and could learn it quickly.
But if I learn from him, how can I act?
Qi Jingyan was such a shrewd man that he almost exposed her dream story last time. If he could find out that she was familiar with water again, he might really suspect her of something.
Unable to come up with a reason, she simply gave up and looked away, pretending to be profound: "In short, it's just not right."
She originally thought that Qi Jing would indulge her at the banquet as usual and let her go with Mu Ying and the others, but she didn't expect him to get up from the mat and walk barefoot straight to the water's edge.
Meng Yuning looked at Mu Ying and Mu Li beside her, and saw that they were hesitating in place, their eyes darting back and forth between her and Qi Jingyan. They wanted to go with her, but they didn't dare to disobey His Highness, and they looked to be in a dilemma.
Meng Yuning sighed softly in her heart. Well, she wouldn't make things difficult for them. At worst, she would just pretend that she couldn't swim.
She pointed inside the tent and whispered, "Your Highness and I are going to play for a while. You two go in and keep an eye on the little prince. Oh, and keep his blanket next to him. Don't take it away."
The two men clasped their fists in response and bowed as they entered the tent.
Meng Jin and the other three were sitting around a fire not far away, talking in low voices. Seeing Meng Yuning walking towards the water, Meng Jin quickly stood up and followed her. "Miss, are you going into the water? When you come ashore, call me and I'll bring you a towel. Wrap it up as soon as you get out of the water to avoid catching a cold."
Meng Yuning nodded in agreement: "Remember to prepare one for His Highness as well." Meng Jin quickly agreed.
She also instructed, "If Meng Yin and the others are tired, let them go and rest first. There's no need for them to stay here all the time. You can just catch up on some sleep tomorrow morning."
Meng Jin quickly explained, "Thank you for your consideration, young lady. We all grew up by the sea and haven't seen the ocean in years. We're so happy to see it today, and we just wanted to chat for a while. Don't worry, young lady, I won't miss my mission."
Meng Yuning understood their feelings and nodded with a smile: "We're out here to have fun, just be at ease."
On the other side, Qi Jingyan had already stepped into the water. Seeing that Meng Yuning was slow to catch up, he turned around and saw that the girl was still chattering. He did not rush her, but just stood quietly in the shallow water, waiting for her patiently.
Meng Yuning stopped talking and trotted over to Qi Jingyan, looking up at him and saying, "Your Highness, let me make this clear first. I can't swim. You have to teach me."
Qi Jingyan raised the corner of his lips slightly and stretched out his hand towards her: "Come."
Meng Yuning placed one hand in his large palm, and Qi Jingyan squeezed it tightly. Hand in hand, the two of them slowly walked into the water. Meng Yuning couldn't contain her excitement and walked a little fast, but Qi Jingyan pulled her back: "Walk slowly. It's easy to catch a cold if you suddenly immerse yourself in water."
Meng Yuning used her toes to stir up a string of water splashes: "How could it be, this water is not cold at all, it's warm when you soak in it, it only feels cold when you come out."
Qi Jingyan smiled and whispered, "A Ning knows so much."
Meng Yuning thought he had spoken too quickly and quickly lied, "How would I know this? Meng Jin just told me."
As he spoke, he shook their clasped hands and urged, "Let's go, let's go. If you dawdle any longer, it will be dawn."
Qi Jingyan chuckled and let her pull him forward.
When the seawater gradually covered Meng Yuning's chest, she subconsciously wanted to float up, but because she had to pretend not to be able to do so in front of Qi Jingyan, she could only pretend to be panicked and tightly grasped his arm: "Your Highness, I can't stand the bottom!"
Qi Jingyan held her arms steadily with both hands and said in a calm voice, "Don't panic, I'm here, I won't drown."
After saying that, he held her arm, helped her float up, and swam to a deeper place.
Seeing him dragging her along and swimming so comfortably, Meng Yuning felt anxious and tugged at his arm: "Your Highness, please teach me how to swim. I want to swim too."
Qi Jingyan stopped as instructed and said gently, "If you want to learn to swim, you must first learn to float. Take a deep breath, hold it, bury your face in the water, relax your whole body, straighten your legs, and you will naturally float."
After he finished speaking, he leaned over to demonstrate, and submerged his whole body in the water. When he looked up again, water droplets rolled down from his eyebrows, eyelashes and hair. Under the bright moonlight, his whole face seemed to be glowing.
Meng Yuning was stunned for a moment, until Qi Jingyan smiled and stretched out his hand to wave gently in front of her eyes, she suddenly came back to her senses, her ears felt slightly hot, and she lowered her eyelashes: "Then I'll try it too."
After saying that, she took a deep breath, immersed herself in the water, and gradually floated up. But halfway up, she suddenly remembered that this was her "first time" in the sea and she shouldn't learn so quickly. So she deliberately exhaled and thrashed her legs a few times, pretending to lose control and sink.
Just as he sank a little, a pair of hands firmly held his waist and brought him out of the water.
Qi Jingyan carefully studied her expression and asked in a low voice, "Are you okay?"
Meng Yuning raised her hand to wipe away the water droplets on her face and shook her head: "It's okay, I'll do it again."
Qi Jingyan still held her forearm lightly with one arm, protecting her from the side.
Meng Yuning took another deep breath and submerged herself in the water. This time, she gently kicked her legs, her body floating steadily. She silently counted a few breaths, and when she felt the time was right, she suddenly emerged from the water, excitedly wiped the water off her face, and looked at him with sparkling eyes: "Your Highness, am I floating?"
Qi Jingyan smiled deeply and nodded in response, "Yes, it floats very steadily."
Meng Yuning laughed out loud, and then continued to "practice" floating with great interest.
Not long after practicing, she pushed away Qi Jingyan's hand and said confidently, "Your Highness, please let go. I can do it myself."
Qi Jingyan smiled and said okay, then withdrew his hand.
Meng Yuning practiced alone for a while and felt that she "should" have mastered the key points, so she wanted to look up and ask him what to do next.
But when she emerged from the water, she found that Qi Jingyan, who had been guarding her, was nowhere to be seen.
She hurriedly turned around and looked around. The sea was sparkling, and there was no one where the moonlight could reach.
Although Qi Jingyan is good at swimming, he grew up in the north after all and has few opportunities to swim. What if his technique becomes rusty or his legs suddenly cramp... and he sinks into the water.
When Meng Yuning thought of this, her heart suddenly tightened, and she hurriedly shouted, "Your Highness? Your Highness!"
She turned around and called out several times, but only the waves responded, no human voice.
When I looked towards the shore again, I was surprised to find that the two of them had swam very far away without me knowing when.
She was anxious and afraid, her voice was filled with tears, she cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Your Highness!"
"Qi Jingyan~"
"Qi Yunzhou~"
The sea remained silent.
Meng Yuning was extremely anxious. She cupped her hands to her lips and shouted towards the shore: "Mu Yun~, Mu Feng~, His Highness is missing, come quickly!"
She wanted to call them, and if they all came together, it would be faster.
But the distance was too far and the waves were too loud, so everyone on the shore remained quietly where they were, either standing or sitting, and no one noticed anything unusual.
She quickly waved her arms towards the shore and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Hurry, someone! His Highness is missing!"
This time, they saw it.
In an instant, everyone was startled. Mu Yun and his companions ran wildly towards the sea, and even Meng Jin and his companions ran after them.
Meng Yuning's tears fell in an instant. She couldn't wait for them to arrive, so she took a deep breath and plunged into the water.
It was dark and blurry underwater, and the moonlight could hardly penetrate. She tried her best to open her eyes wide and search around, swimming back and forth in several directions, but she still could not see Qi Jingyan.
As her breath was about to run out, she suddenly rushed out of the water, breathing heavily, tears mixed with sea water rolling down her face.
It’s all her fault. Why did she have to come play in the water in the middle of the night?
If something really happened to Qi Jingyan, what would happen to poor Yi'er? He was still so young and had just lost his mother, how could he bear to lose his brother as well?
Who would avenge the Empress? What would become of Mu Yun and the other loyal guards? And how would the Empress Dowager, who longed for their return in the capital, bear this heartbreaking pain?
Is she going to become a sinner again?
But at this moment she had no time to cry. She took a deep breath and dived into the water again.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he sank, he crashed into a solid embrace and was then brought to the surface.
Meng Yuning was still in shock. When she saw the person in front of her clearly, she didn't bother to wipe the water droplets off her face. She held Qi Jingyan's face with both hands and looked at him anxiously, her voice trembling, "Are you okay?"
Qi Jingyan smiled and soothed her gently, "Nothing."
Meng Yuning then raised her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes, her voice still filled with fear: "I'm glad you're okay. I was really scared just now."
Qi Jingyan then noticed Meng Yuning's red eyes filled with tears. The smile in his eyes gradually faded, and his gaze was as deep as water: "A Ning, are you crying for me?"
Meng Yuning didn't answer, but asked in a choked voice, "Where did you go just now?"
"It's underwater." Qi Jingyan answered simply, but he still stared at her and asked, "A Ning, are you worried about me?"
Meng Yuning didn't respond, but only asked: "Is your leg cramp?"
"No." His voice was gentle, but he insisted, "A Ning is crying because you are worried about me?"
Seeing that he was safe and sound, with no signs of drowning at all, a thought suddenly crossed Meng Yuning's mind, and her face darkened: "Since there are no cramps, then His Highness is entangled in the water plants?"
Qi Jingyan: “Not really.”
Meng Yuning pursed her lips and remained silent for a moment before she spoke: "So just now, Your Highness deliberately hid to scare me?"
Qi Jingyan: "That's absolutely not my intention."
An idea suddenly struck Meng Yuning. Staring at his black clothes that almost blended into the dark sea, her heart sank. "Your Highness, are you testing whether I can swim?"
Qi Jingyan's hand paused slightly, then he gently stroked her back: "I'm sorry, I scared you."
Mu Yun, who had just jumped into the water and swam out for a while, looked up and saw two people standing quietly in the water hugging each other.
He was stunned for a moment, then quickly turned around, and grabbed Mu Jiang and Mu Feng, who were swimming hard forward, one in each hand, and swam back with them.
Seeing this, the other guards also looked into the sea. Seeing that His Highness and Miss Meng were safe and sound, they all turned around and returned to the shore tacitly.
Everyone got ashore dripping wet. Mu Shan, who stayed behind, hurried over and asked, "What happened to Miss Meng just now?"
Mu Jiang also wiped the water off his face and asked in confusion: "Yeah, why are you stopping us? Why won't you let us pass?"
Mu Yun glanced at them and said coldly, "Don't ask about His Highness's affairs."
Meng Jin and the others had no time to spare. When they came back, they ran into the water and asked anxiously, "Is our girl okay? She was waving so vigorously just now."
Mu Yun waved his hand and said, "Nothing, His Highness and Miss Meng are just joking around. Your shoes are all wet. Go back and warm yourself by the fire and don't disturb His Highness and Miss Meng."
Still worried, Meng Jin glanced intermittently out to sea a few more times. Seeing that Meng Yuning was indeed safe, she led Meng Yin and the others back to the fire to dry their shoes and socks. However, she still looked up at the sea from time to time, a hint of worry in her eyes.
Meng Yuning looked at Qi Jingyan silently for a moment, then suddenly pushed him away, broke free from his arms, turned around and swam towards the shore.
This damn man is really not easy to fool.
Now that we know she can swim, what should we do?
If he had checked, he would have found out that she had never had the opportunity to learn swimming, whether in the Shangshu Mansion or at her maternal grandfather's home.
If he asks her in detail later, how will she respond?
Also, if people scare others, they can really scare them to death.
She really thought she had met with an accident. When she thought of the pain she had felt at that moment, she became inexplicably angry, so angry that she wanted to come back to her senses and slap him, and then kick him a few times to vent her anger.
Seeing Meng Yuning running away angrily, Qi Jingyan hurriedly chased after her, his voice full of apology: "A Ning, I'm sorry for being rude, don't be angry."
Meng Yuning didn't bother to pay attention. She paddled the water quickly with her arms and swam to the front.
Qi Jingyan looked at the girl, who was as agile and nimble as a fish. Then he recalled how she had pretended to be awkward and practiced clumsily in front of him before, and he couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.
Meng Yuning swam back to shore in one breath. As she stood up from the shallow water, the night wind blew across her soaked clothes, bringing a sudden chill. She couldn't help but hug her arms and shivered slightly.
She didn't need to shout. Meng Jin, who had been keeping an eye on her, ran over quickly with a handkerchief in his arms. He stepped into the water and draped the large handkerchief over Meng Yuning's shoulders. "Young lady, put it on quickly. Be careful not to catch a cold. The hot water is ready and in the servant's tent. Go take a hot bath to drive away the cold."
Meng Yuning was too lazy to ask her why she didn't get a towel for Qi Jingyan. She silently followed Meng Jin back to the tent where they were resting.
She took a careful hot bath, washed her long hair, and changed into dry clothes.
After Meng Jin had half-dried her hair, she said, "Your shoes and socks must have been soaked through, right? Did you bring a change of shoes?"
Meng Jin quickly replied, "Don't worry, young lady. It's hot out there, and it will dry out overnight."
She explained softly, "Just now, the young lady was waving in the sea. We were slow, so by the time we got there, Lord Mu and the others had already returned, saying that His Highness was playing with you. I came back because I saw you were alright."
Meng Yuning patted her arm and said gently, "It's okay. I saw you guys running here desperately."
Seeing that she was not angry, Meng Jin asked carefully, "Miss, are you okay?"
Meng Yuning smiled and shook her head: "It's okay." She just didn't want to go back and face that scheming man.
However, what you fear will come true. Mu Ying's voice rang out from outside: "Miss, His Highness has sent me to ask if you have packed everything. It's getting late, you should go to bed."
Meng Yuning glanced at the already cramped tent where Meng Jin and the other four were staying, and sighed softly, "Here we are."
She stood up, walked to the door of the tent, put on the flip-flops that Meng Yin had brought for her, and walked back to her tent.
She saw Qi Jingyan, who had changed his clothes, waiting at the door. When he saw her coming, he helped her open the curtain. Meng Yuning didn't even look at him. She went straight in and lay down next to Yi'er on the couch on the floor.
Qi Jingyan followed closely behind, went in, lay down next to Yi'er's other side, picked up a palm-leaf fan, and fanned the two of them.
Meng Yuning hugged Yi'er, closed her eyes tightly, and said nothing.
Qi Jingyan fanned for a while, then tentatively asked in a low voice: "A Ning, are you still angry?"
At this moment, Meng Yuning didn't want to communicate with him, not even a word. She got up with Yi'er in her arms, turned her head, and went straight to sleep on the other side.
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