caring for others
Sparse footsteps approached from outside the door, and the firelight drew near.
Li Yin's heart tightened, her face flushed, and she turned her head away. But Wen Youqing didn't want her to escape. With a slight movement of her fingers, she straightened her head and lifted it up.
The noise outside the door grew louder, and the firelight was approaching. A maid dressed in purple was carrying a lantern. She tilted her head and blinked when she saw the flickering lantern in her hand. Then she turned to the person beside her and said, "Sister Xu, why is the wind so strong today?"
The woman named Sister Xu, dressed in blue with light-colored cloud patterns, gracefully raised her hand and gently tapped the man's head, saying, "This is not your business. Doing a good job is what you should be doing."
The man said "Oh," nodded, and muttered, "Sister Xu is so boring," before walking towards the study door.
As Li Yin listened to the footsteps growing louder, he felt a little guilty for some reason... like someone who was having an affair and was afraid of being discovered. He was very worried, yet also very... excited.
Her heart leaped into her throat, her face flushed crimson, but ultimately, her thin skin gave way to reason, and she yielded to Wen Youqing, saying softly, "Wen Youqing, could we have a proper talk after they leave?"
Wen Youqing stared at Li Yin, and seeing the pleading look in her eyes, his heart ached, pounded, and went crazy.
He liked this feeling, liked Li Yin's dependence on him, but he also liked Li Yin's sharp edge. So he felt a mix of emotions: bitterness, excitement, and madness. He nodded, and before letting go, he gently kissed Li Yin's lips. He whispered, "Deposit."
The maid outside had already placed her hand on the door, waiting to gently push it open and enter. Just as the person placed their hand on the door and applied slight pressure with their fingertips, the door creaked open.
She pushed open the door and went inside, but there was no one there. She muttered, "That's strange. I could clearly hear some noise just now. I thought someone was there, but I can't see them."
Li Yin was led by Wen Youqing to hide under a table behind a screen. Time was too short for Li Yin to think. She let Wen Youqing pull her along, thus escaping this embarrassing situation.
The two of them squatted under the table. The space was small, and they were very close to each other. Their warm breaths touched their faces. Whether it was nervousness or excitement, their breathing slowed down.
The person carried a lantern in one hand, the dim yellow light overshadowing the silvery glow of the sky. The lantern slowly approached, casting an extremely long shadow of the person, and through the screen, the hem of the person's purple skirt could be seen.
The man placed the lantern aside, and then Li Yin heard a faint sound, like the gentle rubbing of clothes.
After a while, the sound stopped, the room lit up, the person yawned, then wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, rubbed his eyes, and then reached out to pick up the lantern.
However, since the person's lantern was hanging on the screen frame, she took a few more steps forward and took it down. As she looked closer, light shone through the screen, making it easier to see.
The room was bright. Although the two were well hidden under the tablecloth, the corners of their clothes were still visible, especially Wen Youqing's, which had a faint dark pattern that was particularly noticeable. However, she just yawned again and left as if she hadn't seen them.
Li Yin's heart had been in her throat ever since the lights came on inside the house. Her breathing slowed, and her swallowing became lighter, but her hand gripped Wen Youqing's sleeve even tighter.
She lowered her eyes, staring intently at the purple hem of her skirt peeking out from behind the screen. Wen Youqing smiled and watched her intently.
Seeing that Li Yin was watching intently, he raised his hand and lifted a strand of Li Yin's hair, then lifted a strand of his own. He carefully twisted their hair together, his movements gentle, skillful, and devout.
He had just finished wrapping the hair around his neck, with only one knot left to complete the task. His long, slender fingers twirled the strands of black hair with a hint of reluctance. His movements were slow and gentle, but because of this, the knot came undone immediately after it was tied.
He stared blankly at the scattered strands of hair, slightly lost in thought. Slightly unwilling, he reached out again, wanting to repeat the whole process, but a slender hand pulled the strand of hair away, gently brushing against Wen Youqing's fingertips before moving on.
Wen Youqing looked down at her hand through her hair, then at Li Yin, whose eyes held a strong sense of resentment.
Li Yin was startled when she saw the look in Wen Youqing's eyes. She didn't understand what was wrong with Wen Youqing and why she felt so unwilling.
However, Li Yin's intuition told her one word: leave, leave Wen Youqing as soon as possible. This person is unpredictable and too dangerous. But Li Yin didn't want to... She needed the power of the Wen family and the status of a member of the Wen family. But undeniably, she also had her own selfish motives.
She didn't know why, but she wanted to keep Wen Youqing, to keep... She smiled, and seeing the slightly crazy look in Wen Youqing's eyes, she understood a little; they were very similar.
No one can stay quietly in solitude forever, and neither could she. She longed to be with her kind, and her kindred spirit was Wen Youqing.
But they looked too alike, and she had the urge to kill Wen Youqing. No one likes a second person in the world who looks exactly like them.
She finally got up, took a step back, and emerged from under the table. The shadow under the table covered Li Yin's feet and Wen Youqing's hands. He reached out and grabbed Li Yin's ankle.
Li Yin was startled. Wen Youqing only gently stroked his hand for a while before letting go, and he also got up.
Li Yin stared at him, her brows furrowing slightly, but he smiled and hid the hand that had touched Li Yin's ankle behind his back, concealing it in his sleeve.
Li Yin asked, "Qi Mansion, is Lin Zhaoshan's incident related to me?"
Wen Youqing nodded and smiled, "Madam, you are intelligent." But as he spoke, he took a step closer to Li Yin.
Li Yin also took a few steps back. She looked up and met Wen Youqing's eyes, and continued to ask, "Is Qi Shixu their next target?"
Wen Youqing tilted his head upon hearing this and smiled faintly. He said, "My wife, I've answered so many of your questions, aren't you going to do anything in return?"
Li Yin frowned slightly. She had a feeling that something might have happened to Qi Shixu. Wen Youqing's evasive answer made her even more worried. So she asked again with a hint of impatience, "Is Qi Shixu their next target?"
Wen Youqing's smile froze, he was slightly taken aback, then chuckled softly twice and said, "Madam, you shouldn't care about him so much."
The more you care, the more I want him to get into trouble. Even if he's fine, I'll find something to cause him trouble so he can experience something...
Seeing that she couldn't get any answers, Li Yin stepped around the screen and reached out to touch the door. Her hand was already on the door, but before she could apply any pressure, Wen Youqing grabbed her hand and pulled her wrist.
The movement was swift, almost instantaneous. Li Yin was startled, but she was determined to leave, to go to the Qi residence, to find Qi Shixu, and to investigate the matter.
Li Yin shoved it away, then struck out with a palm strike. The force of the palm lifted Wen Youqing's hair, causing the nearby fireworks to sway and the two figures on the door to intertwine.
Wen Youqing calmly dodged, and Li Yin merely touched a strand of Wen Youqing's hair with his fingertips.
Seeing that Wen Youqing had dodged the move so quickly, Li Yin was not surprised. Instead, he turned around and pushed the door open again. But as soon as he touched the door again, Wen Youqing put her head on Li Yin's shoulder and grabbed his hand.
He said in a low voice, "You're not allowed to go." His tone was calm, but Li Yin knew what kind of emotions were hidden beneath that calm tone.
She tried to push Wen Youqing away with her elbow, but Wen Youqing took the blow head-on. He lowered his eyes, his gaze filled with madness, mockery, and amusement...
He smiled, but his voice was weak. He said, "Madam, it hurts so much. How could you be so cruel?"
Li Yin's heart softened, and she loosened her grip, but then she thought of Qi Shixu's safety again. She couldn't ignore it, so she lowered her eyes and looked at the hand that Wen Youqing was holding.
Then, for some reason, she brought Wen Youqing's hand to her lips and gently kissed it, but in her heart she said, "I'm sorry."
When Wen Youqing felt the touch on her hand, she froze on the spot, her mind racing with a jumble of thoughts. She hadn't heard Li Yin's words clearly.
Taking advantage of Wen Youqing's dazed state, Li Yin pushed open the door and left. With a creak, he pulled Wen Youqing back. Her red ears silently told the truth of what had just happened. It felt as if he had kissed not Wen Youqing's hand, but his heart.
But just as he was about to reach out and take Li Yin's hand, he missed, just like he had been in the carriage. He looked in the direction Li Yin had left, and his eyes darkened.
The sky was cloudless, with only a lonely moon. Under the lonely moon, the room was dimly lit and flickered. Wen Youqing, dressed in a blue robe, let the wind blow, stirring his clothes and lifting his hair. He said, "Li Yin, how could you be so heartless? I hate you so much."
But he knew that what he hated was not Li Yin, but that Li Yin did not look at him alone. He was not Li Yin's everything, but he longed to be Li Yin's everything.
He raised his hand, and a man dressed in black jumped down from the tree. Wen Youqing put his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Qi family, eliminate Qi Shixu."
The man in black accepted the order, bowed respectfully, and was just about to get up when he heard Wen Youqing say, "He Jing should be included as well."
The man in black was puzzled, but dared not ask. He didn't understand how this fake young master of the He family had offended his master.
...
The bright moon hung high in the sky, its silvery light stretching for miles. Li Yin circled around and climbed to the rooftop. Her figure was as graceful as a sparrow, and she moved lightly and gracefully, leaping onto the rooftop, sinking into the darkness with the moon.
Li Yin moved swiftly, her shadow like a ghost. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, she arrived at the Qi residence. This time, however, there were no guards at the gate. Li Yin lightly leaped inside.
The mansion was very quiet, with only a few chirping insects. Li Yin walked on the roof, deliberately taking light steps, and relied on her memory to arrive at Qi Shixu's study.
It was late at night, the moon was bright, and the sky was so dark, yet candlelight was burning in Qi Shixu's room.
Li Yin stopped and squatted down. She gently lifted a tile to view the entire study from above.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com