Chapter 72 Drinking Tea
The carriage slowly stopped in front of the Shen Mansion.
Chen He opened the car curtain, with a barely perceptible trace of fatigue in his eyes.
The heartfelt conversation she had just had with Zhou Yan'an and Chu Yue had almost completely drained her mind. Those blood oaths, those expectations, weighed heavily on her heart.
She gently rubbed her furrowed brows, hoping to return to the mansion as soon as possible, put aside her chaotic thoughts, and find a moment of peace.
But fate always seemed to like playing tricks on people. Not far away, a carriage that she was very familiar with was parked quietly, like a silent watchman.
The car curtain was slowly lifted, and a familiar figure came into view. It was Xue Minglan.
How could he be here? Shen He's brows knitted together inadvertently, the wrinkle barely perceptible, yet it truly revealed her inner surprise and confusion.
Xue Minglan's steps were somewhat anxious, and he took several steps at a time, just blocking the path of Shen He who was about to get off the car.
His face was slightly pale, and the scar on his forehead left by the white jade teacup, despite having been carefully treated, still stubbornly left a faint bruise, just like his complicated and unspeakable emotions at the moment.
Chen He's eyes flickered slightly, and his heart grew colder.
"Ah He."
There was a subtle hoarseness in Xue Minglan's voice, as well as an indescribable complex emotion.
Chen He's steps paused involuntarily, but his face remained calm, and he was distant but polite, making him difficult to touch.
"Master Xue."
Her response was as cold as water.
Xue Minglan looked at her with such a distant attitude, his eyes dimmed unconsciously, and the waves in his heart were difficult to calm down.
"Maybe we can talk sometime?"
There was a hint of cautious tentativeness in his words, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.
"Or, how about letting me treat you to some snacks?"
Chen He lowered his eyes gently, his tone calm and indifferent, like the breeze passing gently across the lake, leaving no trace.
"No need."
Just a few short words, but they made her position clear, distant but firm.
"I just had some snacks outside and now I'm a little tired."
She paused and added.
"I don't want to talk too much."
Especially, unwilling to talk to you.
Recalling how the pair of frosty hands mercilessly strangled her throat by the rockery and pushed her hard against the cold stone wall, the suffocating pain and humiliation of the soul are still as clear as yesterday, engraved in her heart.
Xue Minglan's face seemed to have lost some of its color, becoming so pale that it was almost transparent.
He slowly took a step forward, his tone intertwined with obvious anxiety and a hint of imperceptible pleading: "Ah He, how did things between us come to this point today?"
"Are we really that estranged?"
His voice dropped, a hurt daze in it.
"Just a cup of tea, okay?"
"Please."
His eyes were fixed on Shen He, almost as if he was begging for alms.
That almost humble attitude was completely different from his usual pride as a young master from an aristocratic family.
Chen He looked at the wound on his forehead and the struggling emotions in his eyes, and suddenly a trace of extremely complicated emotions flashed through his heart.
She recalled the cryptic conversation between him and Yunxiu, the Queen's trusted maid, in the palace courtyard. Although she couldn't hear it clearly, it was enough for her to infer a lot. The Queen had a handle on him, and he had no choice.
She remembered again that even earlier, before she experienced that devastating disaster, the man in front of her would gently call her "Sister Ah He" and would stand up for her "Brother Minglan" when she was bullied.
The hatred from the attack by the rockery remained. But now, seeing him like this, thinking of the coercion and pain he might have endured... that long-forgotten, extremely weak old friendship and reluctance quietly surfaced in my heart.
She is not a saint and cannot be completely heartless.
Especially, to a poor person who may also be imprisoned.
Chen He took a deep breath, and the tight lines on his lips finally softened a little.
She raised her eyes and looked at Xue Minglan.
"Brother Minglan."
These three words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up huge waves in Xue Minglan's eyes!
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with disbelief, even with a hint of... ecstasy?
Shen He's voice was still calm, but no longer so cold.
"Let's skip the meal."
"To be honest, I do feel a little tired."
She paused for a moment, as if struggling internally, and finally spoke her mind.
"However, I think it's still possible to spare a moment and drink a pot of tea together."
Upon hearing this, Xue Minglan responded almost without thinking, with a hint of joy and eagerness in his voice, fearing that this sudden invitation would disappear in a flash.
"I heard there's a new teahouse nearby. It's quite elegant and peaceful!"
Chen He nodded slightly, the movement so subtle that it was almost imperceptible.
"Then let's go."
So, the two of them walked slowly, one in front and one behind, towards the newly built teahouse on the corner of the street with light steps.
***
The teahouse was indeed quiet.
The hustle and bustle of the street seemed to be isolated outside the carved wooden door.
Xue Minglan led Chen He to sit in a private room by the window.
Light shines through the window lattice and falls softly on the table.
The waiter stood aside with his head bowed, waiting for instructions.
Xue Minglan didn't look at the tea menu on the table. His eyes fell on Shen He and his voice softened a little.
"A pot of 'Yuqian Longjing'."
He added.
"Another plate of 'Hawthorn Cake'."
The waiter retreated immediately.
Longjing tea before the rain, hawthorn cake. These two were once her favorite tea snacks. When she was young, every time she visited Xue's house, he would always prepare them in advance.
Chen He picked up the white porcelain teacup on the table and paused for an almost imperceptible moment.
There was a cool touch on my fingertips.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and some complex and indescribable emotions flashed quickly in her eyes, but she suppressed them tightly.
He actually still remembered it.
This seemingly casual attentiveness was once a rare touch of brightness and warmth in her dark teenage years. But now, thinking about it, it only seemed incredibly ironic, even a bit deliberately hypocritical.
The tea was served quickly.
The emerald green tea leaves expand in the boiling water, emitting a refreshing and elegant fragrance.
The hawthorn cake is attractively rosy, with a sweet and sour luster.
Xue Minglan personally poured a cup of tea for Shen He and pushed it in front of her.
"Try it and see if it's the flavor you like."
His tone was filled with a hint of cautious flattery.
Shen He didn't move.
Her eyes did not fall on the tea or the cakes.
Instead, it fell on...Xue Minglan's face.
To be precise, it fell on the bruise on his forehead that had not yet completely faded.
She looked at it intently, as if the wound had some special attraction.
Xue Minglan felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by her and subconsciously wanted to raise his hands to cover himself.
At this moment, his eyes accurately caught a hint of strange color on Shen He's fair neck.
There, a faint purple color looked particularly glaring on the delicate skin.
That was... the mark he had pinched out with his own hands that day when he lost control next to the rockery in the palace courtyard!
Xue Minglan's breathing suddenly stopped at that moment!
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