Chapter 125
Someone handed Luo Shenyuan a handkerchief. He took it, wiped the blood off his hands, and casually handed it back. He asked Ting'er, "Do you like watching monkeys?"
Ting'er recognized Luo Shenyuan, though not very well. With tears still on his face, he nodded, "Monkeys are fun..."
"Don't get too close to them next time, and don't feed them with food in your hands." Luo Shenyuan warned him, then he stood up and the guards prepared to follow him away.
"Do you like monkeys too?" Ting'er asked quickly.
After listening to this, Luo Shenyuan thought about it, then smiled and said, "I don't have any favorites."
Ting'er looked at him with some confusion. Yining also watched him from afar. Even though he now held an official title and held power, he seemed to have nothing. At this moment, a man wearing Chengzi's robes stepped over the stone steps, walked up to him, and knelt on one knee. "Sir, Minister Liu of the Ministry of Justice has sent someone to invite you..."
He whispered something to the man, and when he looked up, he saw Yining standing at the foot of the stone steps not far away.
Yining suddenly didn't know what expression to use to face him.
Yi Ning took a deep breath and asked someone to take Ting'er back to the guest room, and have the old lady keep a close eye on him to prevent any more trouble. Then he walked towards Luo Shenyuan and said, "Third brother, is your hand safe?"
She walked up to Luo Shenyuan, and no guards stopped her. Yi Ning grabbed his injured right hand and saw a deep bloody scratch from the monkey.
Luo Shenyuan let her hold his hand without saying a word. Yi Ning couldn't figure out what he was thinking. She was familiar with everything about this person, but now it was becoming increasingly difficult to understand. She thought for a moment and continued, "Third brother, your wound is quite serious. We can't just ignore it. Let me help you..."
Yining put down his hand and took out a hand towel to wrap him up briefly.
Caught off guard, she was suddenly gripped by him. Luo Shenyuan's right hand was unable to flex due to injury, but it was very strong, holding on like an iron clamp.
Yi Ning looked up at him. He still had that handsome face and straight nose. She almost suddenly bumped into Luo Shenyuan's eyes, which were as deep as an ancient pond. When she heard his voice, there was a hint of indifference in his forbearance: "Yining, what do you want to do?"
"If you don't like me, if you hate me—you should stay away from me." Luo Shenyuan continued, "Otherwise, what happened that night will happen again, and I won't be just your third brother anymore."
Yining was a little flustered by his stare and pulled her hand.
"How could I possibly hate you—" Yi Ning avoided his gaze, which held a searing depth. Her feelings for Luo Shenyuan were complex: pity, dependence. She trusted him immensely, but as she gradually understood his true thoughts and what he had done to her, she began to withdraw.
This was the same as when she was little, perhaps a form of self-protection. Motherless as a child, she never mentioned her own mother in front of others, treating her stepmother with the utmost respect as if she were her biological mother. When her stepmother's younger sister disliked her, she would deliberately ignore her sister's dislike, telling herself that her sister treated everyone the same, and then get along with her. What else could she do? She wanted to point at her sister and scold her, but her stepmother undoubtedly loved her biological daughter more than her. Without someone to protect her, how could she dare scold her sister?
A teacher came to teach the Spring and Autumn Annals and liked her more than her younger sister. She often praised her to her father. However, her stepmother looked at her with a cold look, and she even distanced herself from the teacher.
When Luo Shenyuan suddenly kissed her that day, she was very scared, or perhaps it was the fear of the unknown. She was still trembling for a long time after he left.
She was still distracted, but Luo Shenyuan approached Yining and said in a low voice: "Are you scared?"
Of course I’m scared—don’t come near!
"Third brother, I don't know how to say this..." She closed her eyes. She could handle other things neatly and quickly, but this kind of thing made her slow and dragging her feet.
"I never hate you, but you, please stop being like this."
She seemed really scared and a little unsteady on her feet. He had felt that last time.
This is a little-known place in Yining, and it is really cute.
"If you get close to me again in the future, I won't be the same as before... Do you understand?" Luo Shenyuan continued.
Yi Ning shook her head, feeling a sudden urge to cry for some reason. She felt it was truly humiliating to be forced to cry like this. She looked down upon herself, yet her body had its own will. Suddenly, a sour feeling filled her eyes, and her vision blurred.
Luo Shenyuan was surprised, then took a few steps back, thinking he shouldn't push her like that. He should take it one step at a time. He sighed, "Okay, sit down and talk."
She turned her head to gaze at the distant green mountains and clear waters. From halfway up the mountain, the unharvested wheat fields lay lush green. Farmers were driving ox carts, and naked children were bathing in the river. Slanting wisps of smoke rose from the air, and the faint, loud voice of a peasant woman calling her children home was heard. It was almost noon.
She turned around and saw Luo Shenyuan. He had wrapped his right hand with a piece of white silk cloth. He held the teacup in his right hand and said self-deprecatingly, "Don't be afraid. No matter what, I'm still your third brother."
"I know," she said silently. Then she picked up the teapot. Luo Shenyuan was about to pick it up as well. She then brought the teapot over to her side, not leaving it to him.
Luo Shenyuan raised his eyebrows, then suddenly smiled: "Yining, I want to pour you tea!"
Yi Ning coughed as if to cover it up, drank the tea in one gulp, then stood up and bowed, saying, "Since Third Brother has nothing else to do, Yi Ning will take his leave first."
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