Chapter 108 Illusion
Upon hearing this guess, Qiu Heng unconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand, feeling her heart pounding faster.
It is an instinct beyond reason, an emotion that hardship cannot extinguish.
Humans are neither plants nor rocks.
But at this moment, Qiu Heng felt ashamed.
With countless difficulties ahead and heavy responsibilities on her shoulders, what was she thinking?
Qiu Heng submerged her hands in the stream again, letting the coolness of the water sober her up.
A hand reached out, but withdrew before it could touch Qiuheng's fingertips.
Xue Han forcefully clenched his fingers, suppressing the urge to grasp that hand, but his voice betrayed the turmoil in his heart: "Sixth Miss Qiu, the stream is cool."
"It is a bit chilly." Qiu Heng withdrew her hand, her ability to conceal her slightly disturbed emotions far better than the young man beside her. "Thank you for the reminder, Lord Xue."
The two stood up one after the other and walked along the stream.
The stream murmured and insects chirped incessantly, but Xue Han could only hear his own rapid heartbeat and the complex emotions he couldn't shake.
Mingming had many questions. For example, when Qiu Liu encountered the frightened horse, she not only escaped danger but also won the competition; and she dared to lure away the black bear alone, without being caught by it, and successfully waited for rescue.
Can these things really be explained by a simple blessing from God?
The attempts to test the mind never have a chance to be made before they turn into mental turmoil.
Xue Han clenched his fist in frustration, forced to confront his own thoughts: he was afraid that if she knew about his suspicions, she would dislike him.
However, being muddle-headed is not in his nature.
Forced himself to make a decision, Xue Han pretended to slip and fall towards Qiu Heng.
Caught off guard, martial arts practitioners react differently to such unexpected situations than ordinary people.
He wanted to test whether Qiu Liu was as weak as he suspected.
Qiu Heng instinctively tried to dodge, but her past training allowed her to control her instinctive reaction in time. She widened her eyes slightly and took a small step back, letting Xue Han pounce on her.
Behind me flows a stream, heading towards an unknown distance.
What Xue Han saw was the girl's bewildered and astonished expression.
Just as they were about to fall into the stream, Xue Han grabbed Qiu Heng and twisted her around, causing them to fall into the grass together.
Worried about pebbles or other debris in the grass, Xue Han almost instinctively put his back on the ground and let Qiu Heng sit on top of him.
Qiu Heng closed her eyes and then opened them again, staring blankly at the boy whose noses were almost touching, seemingly still not recovered from this sudden change.
She really didn't come to her senses.
Amidst the chirping of birds and the hum of insects, the fragrance of grass and the earthy scent, she listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat. Even though she suspected he was testing her, she couldn't bring herself to be angry.
I was angry at myself, and my rational mind was thrown into chaos again.
Xue Han is definitely here to ward off her!
A tear slid down from the corner of her eye and landed on Xue Han's cheek.
For Xue Han, it wasn't a tear, but a spark that burned him with unbearable pain and left him feeling helpless.
Xue Han closed his eyes and sighed inwardly: He seemed to be... finished.
He clearly realized that from then on, that tear was deeply etched into his heart, something he could never shake off.
What's even more frustrating is that he doesn't want to get rid of it either.
Qiu Heng watched as Xue Han closed his eyes, not daring to move an inch.
Why is he closing his eyes?
"Lord Xue—" Qiu Heng bit her lip hard, using the pain to regain her composure, but when she opened her mouth, she realized how different her voice sounded when she called him.
Xue Han suddenly pushed Qiu Heng away and got up.
"Sorry, I slipped," he explained awkwardly.
Qiu Heng also stood up and straightened her skirt, which was covered with weeds: "It's nothing."
She wanted to scold him for making such a lame excuse, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
He was the controller of the Imperial City Guard, and his suspicions about her were already sufficiently restrained and patient.
Qiu Heng thought of Xue Han secretly taking the incense pills from the Yuan family and silently added in her heart: Although she was restrained in her suspicion of her, she was not less suspicious of her at all.
For a moment, Qiu Heng didn't want to pretend anymore.
But she didn't dare to gamble.
Unlike Tao Da and his group, who had a clear blood feud with Yuan Shikai, Xue Han was Xue Quan's adopted son, while Xue Quan was a favored eunuch deeply trusted by Emperor Jingping.
Even though she felt she had a high chance of winning the gamble, she couldn't afford the risk of something going wrong.
She wouldn't completely trust Xue Han just because she had fallen for him.
As Qiu Heng thought this, a bitter feeling welled up in her heart.
This was a feeling she had never experienced before, all because of Xue Han.
Xue Han was far more conflicted than Qiu Heng at this moment.
Did she notice his probing?
Her reaction was no different from that of an ordinary person. Was he overthinking it, or was her self-control extraordinary?
If it's the latter, how did she, an ordinary country girl, manage to do it?
Putting all that aside, they were just so close, can a single apology really be enough to make it all go away?
Does this make him seem like a lecher?
Xue Han thought back to the restraint and impulsiveness, the excitement and heartache she had just experienced.
But there was one thing he was very clear about: he could no longer deceive himself and use guilt as an excuse to get closer to her; he was in love with Qiu Heng.
But realizing his own feelings only made Xue Han's once-boiling heart gradually cool down.
So what if he's in love with Qiu?
Her adoptive father is capricious and extremely controlling. How can he guarantee her safety if he forced this marriage upon her?
"Sixth Miss Qiu, it's late and the dew is heavy. Let me take you home." Xue Han had regained his composure as he said this.
Qiu Heng looked up at him. The boy, who had just been flustered and disheveled, now had a calm expression and eyes as cold as stars.
"Okay." Qiu Heng lowered her head slightly, concealing her self-deprecating smile.
It turned out to be her imagination.
It turns out that she was the only one who stirred my heart.
That's fine too.
Qiu Heng remained silent and walked step by step beside Xue Han.
The journey seemed both long and short.
"Girl, where have you been?" Fangzhou saw Qiuheng and ran over happily.
Hu Si chased after her, and if they weren't still strangers, he would have grabbed her sleeve.
This girl is a good cook, but she's a bit naive. She made the red bean cake and the adults blush with embarrassment. What will she do if she's too embarrassed to secretly go on dates in the future?
"I was so full that I took a walk along the stream with Lord Xue."
"Oh." Fangzhou didn't ask any further questions, and proudly showed Qiuheng a small straw cage, "Look, girl, these really are two fireflies. I thought they were about to freeze, so I brought them back."
Hu Si couldn't help but boast: "I wove the straw cage."
"It's getting late, let's go back." Qiu Heng looked at Xue Han, "No need for Lord Xue to see us off, we have guards with us."
Hu Si secretly nudged Xue Han.
Xue Han said, "Okay, then be careful on the road."
On the way back, Hu Si said with exasperation, "Sir, that young lady invited you to dinner, and you didn't even see her off?"
Xue Han remained silent and walked forward quietly.
Hu Si, who had known Xue Han for many years, immediately noticed his unusual behavior and quickly caught up with him: "Sir, did you and Miss Qiu have a falling out?"
"No, don't talk nonsense."
"Then why are you in a bad mood?"
Xue Han paused, looked back, and could no longer see Qiu Heng and the others; only the outlines of numerous houses remained hidden in the night.
"No, don't talk nonsense."
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