63. Chapter 63: Embarrassment
Pei Xiuhan's breathing couldn't help but stop, and for a moment he thought he had heard it wrong. He pulled the girl to his side, his white and slender hands covering her shoulders, his eyes deep and hot.
Xiaoxiao was a little shy, and buried her little face in his arms. She nervously grabbed his collar, and her fair little hands unconsciously clenched a little.
The girl had a soft body and a faint fragrance. After she snuggled into his arms, Pei Xiuhan's eyes gradually darkened. He stretched out his arms and hugged her waist with such force that he almost broke her slender waist.
Xiaoxiao groaned in pain, and he subconsciously relaxed his grip. He pinched the girl's smooth, fair chin and looked down at her. "Zhang Xiaoxiao, do you know what you said?"
Xiaoxiao's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a thin layer of red appeared on her cheeks, which was more gorgeous than the sunset in the sky.
Her heart was beating like a drum, but she nodded obediently unconsciously.
Pei Xiuhan's hand unconsciously touched her snow-white cheek, and his thumb, with a slight callus, stroked her porcelain-white skin, causing waves of tremors.
Xiaoxiao held her breath unconsciously, her body trembling inexplicably. She was extremely panicked and didn't dare to look at him at all.
At this moment, Yang Hao walked in and whispered, "Master, the secret guards have sent a message..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw the scene inside the room.
The two of them were very close, and the master's hand, which had killed countless people, was gently stroking Xiaoxiao's cheek. His movements were gentle and ambiguous, as if he was touching some rare treasure.
Yang Hao was startled. Before he could retreat, Xiaoxiao had already seen his figure. Her cheeks flushed and she hurriedly pushed Pei Xiuhan away and ran away quickly.
Pei Xiuhan's eyes darkened and he glanced at Yang Hao coldly.
Yang Hao's legs went weak and he almost fell to his knees. He touched the tip of his nose awkwardly, and his usually expressionless face turned red. He quickly apologized.
Pei Xiuhan said, "Let's talk business."
Yang Hao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "The secret guards have sent news that Xiaoxing's identity is indeed not simple. A young master from that wealthy businessman's house did escape, but after identification by the servants, the young master's portrait differs from Xiaoxing's. If my guess is correct, he is not the wealthy businessman's son."
"Did the rich businessman interrogate him?"
"He's been interrogated. He insisted that Xiaoxing was his son. Even under torture, he refused to change his story. He said Xiaoxing was his concubine's son, raised on the farm, and rarely went out. That's why few people in the manor knew him. The secret guards investigated carefully and found some issues with his identity. He might be from Dajin and has been hiding in Jiangnan for many years. It's probably not just to make money."
Pei Xiuhan didn't speak for a while. He had the habit of hitting the table with his hands when he was deep in thought. Today, he was wearing a dark purple straight gown with narrow sleeves and a purse embroidered by Xiaoxiao tied around his waist.
His face was elegant and his expression was cold. After a while, he said, "Continue the investigation. Send someone to secretly watch Xiaoxing and find out what he is planning. Tell Luxiu to protect Xiaoxiao. Whenever he is around, she must not leave Xiaoxiao's side. She must also be careful with the food she eats."
Yang Hao responded respectfully.
Xiaoxiao had returned to Meiyuan at this moment. She almost ran all the way back. After running into the courtyard, her heart was still pounding.
When she thought of such an ambiguous scene and being seen by Yang Hao, her cheeks became hot. Not only was she a little embarrassed, she was even a little dazed. Until this moment, she could not believe that she was so bold as to express her feelings.
Xiaoxiao buried herself in the pillow, and her slender white hands unconsciously touched the place he had touched. She felt shy and sweet in her heart. He, he must have feelings for her too, right?
When the thought flashed through her mind, Xiaoxiao felt a little dizzy and unreal. She even suspected that she was dreaming.
Xiaoxiao took a long time to calm down before she got up, took out the letter, and couldn't help writing a sentence: What a dreamy day. If I am dreaming, I hope I will never wake up from this dream.
Xiaoxiao felt sweet in her heart. She thought she would be too excited to sleep, but after getting into bed, she fell asleep soon. There was a smile on her lips in her dream.
When Pei Xiuhan came over, she had already gone to bed. Seeing that the lights in the room were off, he did not come in. He stood at the door for a while before returning home.
When Xiaoxiao woke up, she first took out her letter paper. Seeing that everything she wrote last night was still there, she breathed a sigh of relief. After confirming that she was not dreaming, she finally felt at ease.
Pei Jing was attending court at this moment. He thought that his uncle would be in the same bad mood as yesterday, but unexpectedly, his expression was surprisingly calm. Upon closer inspection, he was in a pretty good mood.
Pei Jing thought he was dazzled for a moment, but after finally waiting for the court to end, he pretended to be serious and walked up to Pei Xiuhan. He blinked and said, "Uncle, you've punished me. It's not like I was the one who was interested in Xiaoxiao first. It was she who was interested in me first. When are you going to help us arrange it?"
The next moment, the emperor's uncle glanced at him coldly.
Pei Xiuhan chuckled coldly, his voice piercingly cold. "Don't dream about it anymore. When you see her, call her Aunt Huang."
After he finished speaking, he ignored him and went straight back to Prince Yan's Mansion.
Pei Jing's beautiful peach blossom eyes widened a little. He never expected that he would directly admit that he was interested in Xiaoxiao. He clicked his tongue and muttered "old man".
Pei Jing was too lazy to chase after her. Thinking of Xiaoxiao, he picked up a pen and paper and wrote a letter to the little girl. He asked Eunuch Zhang to deliver it to Xiaoxiao. There was only one sentence in the letter, asking Xiaoxiao how to thank him, as it was really not easy for him last night.
When Xiaoxiao received the letter, a smile appeared on her face. She inexplicably recalled the scene of Pei Jing being pulled by his ears by his brother Pei yesterday. She picked up her pen and wrote back, "I'm sorry to bother you. When I go to the palace next time, I'll bring you some spicy rabbit head, okay?"
Pei Jingke was not so easy to deal with. A meal of spicy rabbit head was not enough. Compared with the delicious food, the emperor's uncle's obviously jealous look made him more excited. He immediately made a request: within three months, you are not allowed to tell him that he is the one you like.
Xiaoxiao was stunned. In fact, he didn't need to mention it, she was too embarrassed to say it. What she said last night had already exhausted all her courage. If he knew that she liked him when she was so young, he would definitely think she was weird, right?
After Xiaoxiao finished replying to Pei Jing, she received a letter from Zhong, asking her to go to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
Before I knew it, the weather had gradually cooled down. Even on sunny days, the sun was not as scorching as before.
Xiaoxiao packed up simply and went to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
Mrs. Zhong called her here because of her marriage. There were only three or four months left before the Chinese New Year, and Xiaoxiao would be fifteen years old by then.
There are no elders in her family, and her only brother has gone out to suppress bandits, and no one knows when he will return. Now, among those who have proposed marriage, there are two or three young men, and Zhong thinks they are all good. She was afraid that Xiaoxiao would regret it in the future if she blindly rejected them, so she called them to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion to persuade her.
When Xiaoxiao came over, Mrs. Zhong was standing next to the desk with several portraits on it. She was wearing a dark blue jacket embroidered with phoenixes and peonies, a phoenix-tail skirt, and her black hair was tied into a snake bun. She looked both graceful and dignified.
Seeing Xiaoxiao, Mrs. Zhong smiled and waved to the little girl, "Come here quickly and let your aunt take a look. You have indeed lost some weight since your illness. You really need to take good care of yourself recently."
Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "I've been eating the bird's nests that my aunt sent me. I've made up for it. Don't worry, aunt."
The girl had fair skin, rosy cheeks, charming eyes and eyebrows, and a particularly sweet smile. The more Zhong looked at her, the more she liked her. She took Xiaoxiao's hand and pulled her onto the couch.
"Some time ago, the prince sent Yang Hao to come over. He said that since you were still young, I shouldn't worry about your marriage. He has his own plans. He's a man, very busy all day, how could he understand these things? I've thought about it over and over again, and I feel that I can't rely on him to arrange it. Among the people who proposed marriage, there are two young men who are really good. Are you really not going to consider them?"
Xiaoxiao thanked him sincerely and said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry to have caused you so much worry. I can think about it after I reach the age of marriage."
The girl's cheeks were red, and she looked extremely embarrassed. Zhong's heart couldn't help but move, "Do you have a lover?"
Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously denied it, "No."
Her cheeks turned red unconsciously. Seeing her expression, Zhong Shi understood clearly that she was probably in love with someone.
Mrs. Zhong smiled and said, "Why should you be embarrassed in front of your aunt? Who do you like? Who knows, your aunt might be able to help you. Our Xiaoxiao is beautiful and well-behaved. Who knows, someone might come to propose marriage soon."
Xiaoxiao didn't even dare to think about proposing marriage.
She was too embarrassed to discuss this with Mrs. Zhong. Her face flushed red as blood dripped from her cheeks. She said in a whisper, "Aunt, I really didn't."
Knowing that she was shy, Zhong did not ask any further questions. She had a close relationship with the Duke of Zhenguo and naturally knew that when you like someone, your heart cannot accommodate anyone else. So Zhong did not persuade her to consider those two people.
She just smiled and warned, "You are gentle and well-behaved, so there must be a lot of people who like you. Even if the person you like also likes you, you can't let your momentary feelings cloud your head. If he likes you, let him marry you in a formal way. Our Xiaoxiao is such a good girl, you must not let yourself be wronged."
Xiaoxiao felt warm in her heart and responded obediently, "I know, thank you, aunt."
After returning to Meiyuan, Xiaoxiao discovered that Brother Pei had actually come over. The man was standing in front of the desk, watching her practice writing.
As soon as she saw him, Xiaoxiao completely forgot about Zhong's instructions. Her heart and eyes were filled with him, and the corners of her lips unconsciously raised. She happily moved closer. When she was close, she felt a little shy and took a step back with a blushing face, "Brother, why are you here at this time?"
It was only noon now. In the past, he would always return home in the evening and rarely come back at noon.
Pei Xiuhan naturally wanted to see her. They hadn't had time to talk last night. He placed the calligraphy on the desk with a smile on his lips, "I'll come back to have lunch with you."
Xiaoxiao curled her lips, her eyes sparkling with smiles.
The girl's smile was very sweet, and her porcelain-white face was extremely beautiful. Pei Xiuhan couldn't help but pull her close to him, lifted the hair by her ear, tucked it behind her, and asked her in a hoarse voice, "Why are you so happy?"
Xiaoxiao's cheeks flushed slightly. She bit her tender pink lips unconsciously and said shyly, "I didn't expect my brother to come back now."
Pei Xiuhan's gaze fell on her pink lips, his eyes were extremely deep. He narrowed his eyes and flicked her forehead, "Are you happy to see your brother?"
Xiaoxiao's face flushed, and she felt inexplicably nervous. She didn't nod, nor did she deny. She just blushed, lowered her eyelashes, and took a step back shyly. "I, I'll go cook."
When she wanted to run away, Pei Xiuhan grabbed her snow-white wrist. He hooked his long arm slightly and pulled the little girl into his arms.
Xiaoxiao's back hit his chest. When she realized he was hugging her, her head buzzed and her face flushed.
Pei Xiuhan's slightly low voice rang in her ears, "Why are you running?"
Xiaoxiao's cheeks felt hot, and she felt a warmth in her ears. She rubbed them unconsciously, her heart beating very fast. She was so nervous that she didn't know where to put her hands. "I, I'm going to cook."
Seeing her blushing so much, Pei Xiuhan felt a little happy and let her go. "Why are you in such a hurry to cook? Explain to your brother clearly what you said last night. Have you started to like him?"
When his smiling voice rang in her ears, Xiaoxiao's heart beat so fast that she didn't dare to look at him at all. After noticing his burning gaze, her palms were sweating with nervousness.
Perhaps because she was too nervous, the girl's fair and small earlobes were red as if dripping blood.
Pei Xiuhan's eyes were darker than the deep night sky. Seeing that she didn't say anything, Pei Xiuhan made a sound and unconsciously pressed her red earlobe with his fingers, "Speak."
Xiaoxiao was extremely embarrassed and didn't know what to say. She just felt that Brother Pei looked a little bad. She bit her lips unconsciously, and her cheeks puffed up, showing a bit of embarrassment and helplessness.
Pei Xiuhan loved her shy look. His heart softened and swelled, and all kinds of emotions intertwined, releasing all the evil in his body. He lowered his head and took the girl's cute little earlobe into his mouth, biting it as punishment. "Are you mute?"
The man's voice was a little unclear, but it was full of smiles, and he was obviously very happy.
His bite was not painful, but extremely affectionate.
Xiaoxiao's body froze involuntarily, and she felt a tingling sensation in her ears. Her face flushed red, and she quickly reached out to cover her ears. She couldn't tell whether she was more shy or shocked, as her dark eyes were wide open.
When she met the man's smiling gaze, she was so embarrassed that her big toe curled up unconsciously.
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