Lantern Festival (4)
Gu Jinghong froze, and the sugar butterfly in her hand almost slipped from her grasp.
She looked up abruptly and saw Xie Yan wearing a striking crimson brocade robe, playing with a jade flute, his usual cynical smile on his face, but his eyes, like poisoned hooks, were shooting straight at her through the crowd. His gaze swept between her and Xiao Chengyan, finally settling on the sugar butterfly in her hand, and his smile grew even colder.
An overwhelming sense of fear washed over Gu Jinghong like ice water, and her face paled slightly.
Xie Yan, that madman, always does this, always choosing the most crucial moment to appear.
But Gu Jinghong knew very well that Xie Yan intended to threaten her. Since he addressed her as "Sister Jinghong" instead of the usual "Grand Secretary Gu," he clearly had no intention of revealing his identity to King Jin.
Gu Jinghong subconsciously removed his mask, his jawline instantly tightening, his eyes turning as cold as ice, and his voice low and deliberate: "Brother, do not speak nonsense in front of the Prince!"
Even though Gu Jinghong tried her best to hide her inner unease, Xiao Chengyan still keenly observed that Gu Jinghong's skin was slightly pale and her voice was slightly trembling, and he could feel her inner tension.
Almost simultaneously, Xiao Chengyan moved swiftly and silently, taking a step to the side. His tall figure, like a mountain, completely shielded Gu Jinghong behind him, blocking out that nauseating gaze.
He also removed his mask, his deep, cold eyes staring directly at Xie Yan with the overwhelming pressure of a superior and an undisguised warning: "Young Master Xie, how have you been?"
Xie Yan exaggeratedly cupped his hands, his smile unchanged, but the sinister look in his eyes was almost overflowing: "Thanks to Your Highness, it's very good! It's truly a blessing for my sworn sister to be able to 'work' in Your Highness's mansion. I was wondering why I hadn't seen her on New Year's Eve. It turns out she went back to Prince Jin's mansion."
Xie Yan's gaze lingered like a venomous snake on the sugar butterfly in Gu Jinghong's hand, then he gave a wicked smile.
"But Your Highness may not know this, but my sworn sister, though she appears obedient and sensible, is actually... quite cunning. Men who have sparred with her in the past have all been subdued by her within three rounds. Your Highness, you are of noble status, so please... do not be deceived by her innocent appearance, lest you get into some inescapable trouble and tarnish His Highness Prince Jin's reputation."
"Knock knock knock—"
Gu Jinghong could clearly feel her heart beating faster.
Xie Yan's every word was like playing with fire. Although he didn't mention Zhuoyue Tower or Qianyuan Pavilion, he was clearly telling Xiao Chengyan that Gu Jinghong was a woman who was used to controlling men with dirty tricks.
A cold killing intent flashed quickly in Gu Jinghong's eyes. If they weren't on the street and under Xiao Chengyan's watchful eye, Xie Yan would have been speechless by now.
Seeing that Gu Jinghong really had nothing to say, Xie Yan suddenly smiled smugly. Then, under everyone's gaze, he took Gu Jinghong's hand, bent down, stretched his neck, and licked Gu Jinghong's butterfly candy deeply.
"Tsk, so sweet."
Everyone's pupils dilated in shock!
Xie Yan clicked his tongue, his eyes defiantly glancing at Gu Jinghong, whose face was ashen and who was trembling uncontrollably, and Xiao Chengyan, whose face was ashen. He raised the tainted sugar butterfly in his hand, his smile twisted and triumphant: "Thank you for the sugar butterfly, my sworn sister. I appreciate this 'sweetness'!"
This scene was full of insults, provocations, and blatant innuendo.
That's a pervert!
Gu Jinghong felt a sudden darkness before his eyes—the sticky sound of Xie Yan's tongue touching the sugar, the image of the sugar strands stretching, the movement of his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed… every detail made Gu Jinghong feel a churning in his stomach.
In an instant, Gu Jinghong's pupils shrank to pinpoints, and the fear in his eyes vanished, replaced by a chilling killing intent, like a sharp blade tempered with millennia-old poison piercing Xie Yan's throat.
Xie Yan had known Gu Jinghong for many years and was familiar with her methods and temperament, but he had never seen her with such an expression. In that instant, he seemed to see mountains of corpses and seas of blood churning in her eyes, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
A moment of silence fell over the area, and several astonished gazes were cast over before quickly shifting away.
Meanwhile, Xiao Chengyan's face froze the moment Xie Yan licked the sugar butterfly.
He clearly saw Xie Yan's gaze sweep over Gu Jinghong's collarbone, and he also felt Gu Jinghong's body trembling uncontrollably and her face on the verge of collapse. Every word and every action of Xie Yan was filled with malicious aggression towards Gu Jinghong and extreme provocation towards him, Xiao Chengyan.
If he weren't surnamed Xiao, he would definitely have beaten Xie Yan to a pulp right now.
However, this is the capital city, and he is Prince Jin, Xiao Chengyan. If he were to get angry just because Xie Yan provoked him, Xie Yan would be underestimating him too much.
Xiao Chengyan closed his eyes, his face showing no sign of rage, but rather an unusual calm.
Without even glancing at the tainted sugar butterfly, he slowly raised his hand, gracefully taking out a snow-white handkerchief, and naturally and as if no one else was around, took Gu Jinghong's hand, which Xie Yan had just touched.
He carefully and meticulously wiped each of Gu Jinghong's fingers with that snow-white brocade handkerchief. After he finished wiping, his slender fingers loosened their grip, and the snow-white brocade handkerchief fluttered and fell to the snow. The strong light reflected off it stung Xie Yan's eyes.
"Sugar stains the hands and taints the heart."
Xiao Chengyan lowered his eyes to look at Gu Jinghong beside him. His voice was calm and even, yet it clearly pierced through the surrounding noise, carrying a chilling coldness and an undeniable protectiveness, "Go back and wash your hands."
Gu Jinghong watched Xiao Chengyan wipe his fingers in profile, his noble and composed demeanor overlapping with Xie Yan's twisted face in her mind. She suddenly had a feeling that the vast difference between her and the King of Jin... was an insurmountable chasm between them.
Xiao Chengyan slowly raised his eyes, his gaze as cold as ice, shooting straight at Xie Yan, whose smile was frozen on his face.
That look was as if he were looking at a pile of disgusting mud.
"To take something without asking is to be a thief."
Xiao Chengyan's voice was not loud, but each word was like an icicle, carrying a judgmental authority: "To steal filthy things is an insult. In broad daylight, under the emperor's nose, to commit such an act of stealing filth is to disgrace an innocent family..."
He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over Gu Jinghong's still pale face. "...Take him down. Send him to the Prefectural Government of Jingzhao for strict punishment according to the law."
"yes!"
Changfeng, who had been waiting in the wings, immediately pounced on the enemy with several men dressed as yamen runners from the Jingzhao Prefecture.
Xie Yan's smugness instantly turned into shock and anger. He tried to resist, but Chang Feng subdued him in an instant, and the iron chains rattled as they were put on his hands.
"Xiao Chengyan, you...!"
Xie Yan was about to curse angrily, but suddenly his temper softened and he smiled.
He looked at Xiao Chengyan again, his eyes filled with provocation: "Prince Jin, you protect Ah Hong so much, but do you even know why Jing Hong went to your Prince Jin's mansion? Do you even know what's missing from the secret chamber of your Prince Jin's mansion?"
Everyone present looked at each other in bewilderment, while Changfeng stared at Gu Jinghong with furious eyes.
Instead, it was King Jin, the one in question, who looked down at Xie Yan with a pitying attitude: "It's just a Nine-Turn Resurrection Grass, isn't it? Jinghong wanted it, so I gave it to her. What's the problem?"
Everyone was stunned by these words.
A sudden "boom" echoed in Gu Jinghong's mind, and the whole world seemed to fall silent.
He knew; he had known all along.
After the initial shock, an overwhelming chill crept over Gu Jinghong like vines.
The tenderness of New Year's Eve, the subtle approach, care and protection that followed, the gentleness when handing over candy, and even the shelter at this moment... all of this was instantly tinged with a chilling color.
What exactly does he want to do? — This thought, chillingly cold, instantly overshadowed her previous fear, filling her eyes with an indescribable complexity as she looked at Xiao Chengyan's profile.
After speaking, Xiao Chengyan didn't look at Xie Yan again, as if he had disposed of a trivial piece of trash.
He gripped Gu Jinghong's slightly cool and still trembling hand again, pulling her closer to his side, using his tall figure to shield her from all prying eyes and noise.
"Jinghong." He called her name for the first time in public, his voice deep and carrying a strange sense of calm. "Don't let irrelevant people spoil the fun."
He took her hand and turned to leave this place of trouble.
Gu Jinghong followed him, her steps unsteady, as he held her hand tightly.
The warm, strong embrace in Xiao Chengyan's palm acted like a sturdy dam, forcefully pulling her back from fear and humiliation.
That powerful and steady strength caused her icy fingers to unconsciously curl up slightly, with a vulnerability and dependence she herself was unaware of, and grasp him back. The exhaustion of surviving the ordeal intertwined with a strange, heart-warming current that almost overwhelmed her.
However, in that moment of peace, a cold voice pierced her heart—'He already knew everything! Was his protection genuine?'
The sunlight shone on her, and the lingering sweetness and the smell of gunpowder in the air mingled together. The relief of surviving the ordeal and a deeper, more cautious vigilance were intertwined in her heart, inseparable from each other.
...
As Xiao Chengyan led her back to the Prince's mansion, his hand firmly held, Gu Jinghong's heart was like a pond churned by a storm, the turbulent waves masking a bone-chilling cold. The warmth from his touch on her wrist still lingered, the strength that had brought her a moment of reassurance now burning like a branding iron. She abruptly pulled her hand back, stopping before the tightly closed vermilion gates of Chen'an Residence.
Xiao Chengyan felt the emptiness in his palm, paused, and turned to look at her.
The setting sun outlined her silhouette, her eyes calm and unfathomable, revealing no emotion. At that moment, Xiao Chengyan felt a strange unease; he suddenly felt that the stunning beauty before him seemed... further and further away.
Gu Jinghong bowed respectfully: "Your Highness, thank you for rescuing me from today's predicament. I still have many questions in my mind. Would Your Highness be willing to move to the study to discuss them in detail?"
Xiao Chengyan's gaze flickered almost imperceptibly, then swept over her tense face, finally settling on the red mole at the end of her eyebrow.
His lips twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he understood, or perhaps with a hint of barely perceptible weariness.
"Okay." He didn't insist, only giving a single word before turning and walking towards the study. Changfeng and the others tactfully retreated to a distance.
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