Mermaids Weep (29)
Ye Yingying admitted she didn't really understand Yun Yanqiu; their first encounter was fraught with scheming. At that time, Yun Yanqiu completely disregarded her, repeatedly driving her into deadly sword formations. She, however, only approached him again and again, determined to obtain the Rakshasa Jade. Call it shamelessness, call it unreasonable, as long as she could get the Rakshasa Jade, Ye Yingying could endure the blatant disgust in Yun Yanqiu's eyes. After all, the Ghost Calculator hadn't given her a pleasant look either; she was already used to others' open dislike.
It was precisely because of this that when Yun Yanqiu later took her hand, handed her the Rakshasa Jade, and gazed at her with affectionate and trusting eyes, Ye Yingying's first reaction was joy. Although she knew she couldn't fulfill her promise to Yun Yanqiu, she still pretended to agree for the sake of the readily available Rakshasa Jade. Afterwards, Ye Yingying felt a pang of guilt. Only after leaving the Xuanming Realm did she belatedly realize that Yun Yanqiu's feelings for her seemed genuine, leaving Ye Yingying momentarily at a loss.
Before she could figure out how to face Yun Yanqiu, the cunning strategist killed her first. Thus, the hazy feelings in Ye Yingying's heart, along with her complex emotions, were buried deep within, never erupting even when she saw Yun Yanqiu again. Ultimately, Ye Yingying wanted to be a coward, avoiding her past with Yun Yanqiu.
So at this moment, Ye Yingying blinked her bright eyes innocently, tilted her head slightly, pretending not to know what he was talking about, and then softly uttered a single word from her throat: "Hmm?"
An awkward smile had already frozen on her lips, and the words Yun Yanqiu had just uttered were echoing repeatedly in her mind.
He knows who I am? When did he find out? How could he? Where did he find out?
A series of questions flooded Ye Yingying's mind. She stared blankly at Yun Yanqiu's furrowed brows and displeasure.
Yun Yanqiu also stared at Ye Yingying, clearly displeased with her bewildered reaction. He hesitated for a moment, then questioned her again, "Ye Yingying, do you not want to acknowledge me?"
He really knew. Ye Yingying panicked immediately. She had no idea how to face Yun Yanqiu as "Ye Yingying," or more accurately, she didn't know how to deal with her relationship with Yun Yanqiu.
Ye Yingying glanced away guiltily, wanting to say something else to buy herself some time to think. But this action was clearly evidence of her evasion in Yun Yanqiu's eyes.
Yun Yanqiu's pupils suddenly contracted, a hint of disappointment flashing across his face. Before Ye Yingying could speak, he took the initiative to say, "Never mind."
"If you don't want to admit it, then don't."
After saying that, he turned his back without hesitation and walked into his room without looking back.
Upon seeing this, Ye Yingying's mind suddenly went blank. Looking at the wide sleeves that billowed with Yun Yanqiu's movements, she stretched out her arms without thinking. By the time she realized what was happening, her hands were already firmly gripping Yun Yanqiu's sleeves, while Yun Yanqiu looked at her hands holding his sleeves with slight surprise.
"Um..." Ye Yingying smiled awkwardly, her mind racing as she tried to make amends for her behavior, but after thinking it over, she could only come up with three words in the end, "I was wrong."
This answer surprised Yun Yanqiu somewhat. He hesitated for a moment, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Where did you go wrong?"
"I shouldn't have hidden my identity from you..."
Yun Yanqiu remained silent, quietly waiting for her to continue.
"I shouldn't have pretended to be stupid with you..."
"Anything else?" Yun Yanqiu asked with interest.
"I shouldn't have run away after taking your things..."
"..."
Ye Yingying stared intently at Yun Yanqiu, only to see his previously calm expression completely waver upon hearing those words. He looked stunned, as if his words had touched a raw nerve. Ye Yingying was also taken aback by his reaction, immediately realizing she had misspoke.
"I, I..." Ye Yingying's mind was so confused that she couldn't speak. She had originally wanted to appease him, but instead, she had only added fuel to the fire. What should she do?
Yun Yanqiu didn't give Ye Yingying another chance. He angrily shook off Ye Yingying's hand, walked into the house, and slammed the door shut.
Oh no, he's really angry. Ye Yingying stood there, cold sweat pouring down her back, a bad feeling creeping over her. Based on past experience, she knew that when Yun Yanqiu was truly angry, he would sulk and it would take days to calm him down.
But now there's a grudge both old and new, how can she appease him with just her words? Ye Yingying was in a dilemma. She hadn't expected to be exposed so quickly. Where could she be? When exactly did he recognize her? Ye Yingying couldn't figure it out, but thinking about it now was useless. The important thing was to figure out how to appease Yun Yanqiu.
Ye Yingying looked at Yun Yanqiu's tightly closed door with a complicated expression. Her identity had long been exposed to him, yet he hadn't mentioned the Rakshasa Jade. Instead, he was angry because of her deception. Could it be that his previous search for the Azure Nether True Fire wasn't to cause her trouble, but rather...
Ye Yingying suddenly realized something, and her heart raced. Just then, a voice called out from outside the courtyard: "The Second Young Master is awake!"
With excited shouts, A-Zhuo rushed into the courtyard and bumped into Ye Yingying, who was looking stunned. He stopped abruptly, bowed to Ye Yingying, and couldn't hide his joy: "Distinguished guests, the second young master has finally woken up. He would like to see you both. Is it convenient?"
Ye Yingying raised her eyebrows awkwardly, her eyes darting around before her gaze fell on Yun Yanqiu's tightly closed door.
He was definitely still angry. Ye Yingying thought for a moment, then guiltily looked away. She said to Azhuo, "Senior Yun is resting. I'll go with you."
Azhuo nodded and led her to Han Chengjin's residence. Upon arriving at Han Chengjin's courtyard, Ye Yingying immediately heard Han Yaocheng's hearty laughter coming from the brightly lit room.
Ye Yingying entered the room and saw Han Chengjin leaning against the headboard, looking weak. He had probably just recovered from the brink of death. He noticed the figure entering through the door, and when he recognized the person, a smile suddenly appeared on his face: "Miss Ying'er!"
"Your eyes are better?" Han Chengjin was pleasantly surprised to find that Ye Yingying's eyes had regained their sparkle. He immediately made a connection and blurted out, "Could it be Yao Yao..."
"Yaoyao?" Han Yaocheng heard an unfamiliar name, and his gossipy nature kicked in. "Sounds like a girl's name? Cheng Jin, someone you recently met?"
"Huh?" Han Chengjin was slightly taken aback, suddenly feeling his brother's suggestive gaze beside him, and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Fortunately, Ye Yingying took the initiative to speak: "They are friends from the sea."
"Oh." Han Yaocheng rubbed his chin and gave his two sons a meaningful look.
How could he not know? These two have loved merfolk since they were kids. Who else could their friends in the sea be?
Han Yaocheng saw through it but didn't say anything, just chuckled and said, "I don't get involved in your young people's affairs."
Having said that, he wisely turned and left the room.
"This person is really..." Han Chengyu looked at his father's departing figure with a look of disgust.
Ye Yingying tilted her head, not expecting Han Chengyu to have such an expression, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Brother Chengyu, what did your father do to make you look like this?"
When asked this, Han Chengyu composed himself and coughed awkwardly twice: "It's nothing, I just don't like his nonchalant attitude."
When Han Chengyu went to Juehai Cliff to ask him for help, it didn't go smoothly. He thought that the man would come out of seclusion without hesitation when it came to his son's life or death, but who knew that this guy had really secluded himself for so long that he had cut off all his emotions and desires. After hearing the news, he was not in a hurry at all. It took him an hour of talking to persuade him to come out of seclusion.
Is achieving immortality really that important? He hesitated between his last chance to break through in seclusion and the life or death of his own son.
Thinking of this, Han Chengyu became furious.
But Han Chengjin didn't know any of this, and Han Chengyu didn't want him to know either, so he changed the subject and asked, "Why didn't Senior Yun come?"
"Him..." Ye Yingying scratched her chin shyly when Yun Yanqiu was mentioned, "He's resting now."
"By the way, now that Brother Cheng Jin is awake, I can also convey Yao Yao's words to you."
"Me?" Han Chengjin was stunned and pointed to himself in surprise.
She asked me to say 'thank you' to you.
Thank you for risking your life to save me, thank you for your steadfastness over the years, or perhaps thank you for Han Chengjin for allowing me to see my own feelings clearly.
"She also said that if her protective scale can wake you up, then the two of you are in sync." Ye Yingying shrugged and teased, "As for how you are in sync, I have no idea."
Han Chengjin blushed at her words, unconsciously lowering his head and covering his face, pondering the meaning of "mutual understanding" in his heart.
The two people beside him saw his little actions. Han Chengyu sighed softly, while Ye Yingying revealed a meaningful smile.
"By the way," Han Chengjin snapped out of his reverie and asked Ye Yingying, "Miss Ying'er, I still don't know what your plans are with Senior Yun?"
"Well..." Ye Yingying pretended to think, then pouted, "Let's see what you think, senior."
She still needed to find a way to appease Yun Yanqiu, so she had to go along with him first. Thinking of this, Ye Yingying became troubled again. How should she appease him? Unlike Zhao Yuxiao, she couldn't coax him with good tea. She was penniless now, and all she could do was use her words.
Ye Yingying grew increasingly worried and lost all interest in chatting with the Han brothers. After a brief farewell, she returned to the villa under A-Zhuo's guidance. Ye Yingying looked towards Yun Yanqiu's house; the door remained tightly shut, as if silently refusing her entry. She hesitated for a moment, then went straight to her room. Just as she pushed open the door to rest, Yun Yanqiu's calm, deep voice came from behind her: "How is Han Chengjin?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
