"What trick are you trying to pull now?" Ruan Tinghuai's eyes were deep and dangerous. "I don't believe you would be so kind."
The bamboo hat obscured Jiang Yanwan's expression. "She was separated from her biological parents at a young age and spent fifteen years in the countryside experiencing the coldness and injustice of the world. When she finally returned to the Prime Minister's residence, she was bound by the rules of aristocratic families."
“She was unwilling to be subordinate to me, and defied her mother’s advice to seduce Prince Jing. As a result, she was almost buried in the flower garden as fertilizer.”
Ruan Tinghuai felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of the flower garden.
“She is not suited to stay in the capital. Staying will only make things difficult for her father and mother, and she may even become a pawn once again.”
"It was lucky we survived this time, but will we be so lucky next time?"
Jiang Yanwan's voice was icy cold, yet her tone was gentle, like a flower poisoned.
Seeing Ruan Tinghuai's expression soften, Jiang Yanwan smiled slightly, "I have no ill intentions towards her. After all, I have been a cuckoo in her nest for fifteen years, and all this wealth should rightfully belong to her."
"But now there's no going back no matter what."
"My selfish motive is not to harm her, I just want her to be the only eldest daughter of the Jiang family."
"The fact that she is willing to save you time and time again proves that she cares about you, or that you are her only hope for survival."
Jiang Yanwan's words were like needles, piercing Ruan Tinghuai's heart with precision. His nails dug into his flesh, and his face was filled with complex emotions.
“Mr. Ruan, why don’t you take Qingwan away to a place where no one knows you? You can marry her, make up for your regrets and guilt over the years, and give her an easy and happy life. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone?”
"It will inevitably require sacrificing your business over the years, but I think you've earned enough to live comfortably for the rest of your lives."
Jiang Yanwan's tone was tinged with envy, "Qingwan survived such a calamity; she's sure to have good fortune in the future."
"Mr. Ruan, you are her good fortune."
Ruan Tinghuai was tempted. He had never thought of leaving Qingwan and really wanted to take her away, especially after Jiang Zhenlin's threat yesterday, when Qingwan painfully rejected his advances.
Even at this moment, she was still thinking of him. Ruan Tinghuai felt that if he had any conscience at all, he couldn't abandon her.
"But..." he hesitated.
Qingwan is stubborn, just like back then. She said she wouldn't leave, and she would rather bear the infamy than go with him.
Jiang Yanwan leaned closer, her breath rustling against the snow-white veil, as if bewitching, "Mr. Ruan, do you really want to make yourself regret it again?"
"Of course not!" Ruan Tinghuai's eyes trembled.
"That's it, she has feelings for you, you should fight for her. How can you give her up just because you're afraid of power?"
These words are like poison, yet also like honey.
Ruan Tinghuai clenched his fist. "What method do you have to get us out of the capital?"
"You don't need to worry about that. If you can persuade Qingwan, I will make arrangements."
Jiang Yanwan thought of something and lowered her voice, "Qingwan is smart and stubborn. If you want to win her heart, I'm afraid Mr. Ruan will have to suffer some grievances."
Small courtyard.
When Ruan Tinghuai returned, he was startled by the colorful lanterns in the courtyard. "This..."
Mu Xue took the ingredients from his hands. "Several eunuchs from the East Palace have come to put up couplets, hang lanterns, and prepare a meal for Miss."
Ruan Tinghuai glanced at the paper lanterns he had hidden under the ingredients, feeling dejected.
"I'll cook lunch again." He took the basket from Mu Xue's hand and headed to the kitchen.
Mu Xue felt something sticky on her palm. She looked down and gasped – it was blood!
Ruan Tinghuai started a fire in the kitchen and tore off a strip of cloth to bandage his wound, but the door was pushed open and Lin Qingwan was shocked to see a bloody mark the length of his index finger on the outside of his forearm.
It was a cut from a knife.
"Sir!" Lin Qingwan's legs went weak and her voice trembled. "What happened?"
Ruan Tinghuai avoided her gaze, turned to the side and put his hands behind his back, "I had a little conflict with someone, it's nothing."
Lin Qingwan's breath fell on him, making his heart burn. "Let me see."
"Muxue, go and get the medicine and bandages," Lin Qingwan instructed. "No, let Physician Zhu take a look. Make sure it doesn't get infected."
"It's really nothing, no need to trouble Physician Zhu." Ruan Tinghuai tried to avoid her, but couldn't help wanting to see the anxiety and worry in her eyes.
Jiang Yanwan's words echoed in his ears, and he immediately stopped dodging. Lin Qingwan bumped into his shoulder unexpectedly, and he reached out to protect her back.
He was delighted but cautious. "Qingwan, you're very worried about me."
Lin Qingwan's ears also turned hot. The feeling of being encircled was like returning to the time when he held her hand and wrote. Her breath caught in her throat, and her gaze fell on his bleeding wound. Her expression froze slightly.
Ruan Tinghuai rested his chin on the top of her head, a very intimate and natural gesture, and his voice was full of bitterness, "Qingwan, don't push me away again."
Lin Qingwan trembled, feeling as if a huge rock was pressing on her throat.
Even if I'm shattered to pieces, I want to be with you. Let's leave the capital together, okay?
“I’m not afraid of being wanted by the Prime Minister’s office, nor do I care about the business in the south; none of that matters. All I know is that if I let go this time, I will never be able to forgive myself for the rest of my life.”
He hugged Lin Qingwan tightly; she was so thin that he could hold her in his arms.
These words weighed heavily on Lin Qingwan's heart. No one had ever cherished or cared for her like this before, no one had ever measured her life against her. They weighed so heavily that she couldn't believe it, and she couldn't even breathe.
"Qingwan, you like me too, right?"
Noticing the stiffness and slight trembling of the person in his arms, Ruan Tinghuai felt a pang of heartache. He gently lifted her cheeks with both hands, closed his eyes, and placed a trembling kiss on her forehead.
The cool and the warm intertwined were enough to bewitch each other.
"Miss Qingwan, when I came here I saw Miss Jiang..." Tong Di's voice stopped abruptly, staring blankly at Ruan Tinghuai kissing Lin Qingwan's forehead, her mind a complete blank.
Lin Qingwan suddenly came to her senses and pushed Ruan Tinghuai away, but he not only didn't let go, but also pulled her chin down to deepen the kiss.
"gentlemen···"
Lin Qingwan pushed the person away forcefully, took several steps back, and couldn't hide the surprise in her eyes as she gasped for air.
Ruan Tinghuai steeled his heart and said, "Qingwan, I love you. If I have to leave, I'd rather die."
Seeing his determined, red gaze, Lin Qingwan felt a sudden pang in her heart, but she couldn't speak.
"Miss, the medicine is here!" Mu Xue ran back and saw Tong Di outside the door. "Guard Tong, I thought you had forgotten about us. You haven't come over for several days."
Tong Di coughed lightly, pressing her fist to her lips. "How could that be?"
"I have been ordered to take care of Mr. Ruan for two days."
When Mu Xue entered the kitchen, she sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat different, especially the way Mr. Ruan looked at Miss... It revealed a domineering possessiveness that he had never shown before.
Lin Qingwan lowered her head, quickly concealing the emotions in her eyes, and said, "Please help the master bandage his wounds."
Then she fled from the kitchen, taking a deep breath, "Guard Tong, you said Jiang Yanwan is outside?"
Tong Di glanced at her smooth forehead subconsciously. "The guards at the door didn't stop her, but she stood outside saying she was afraid of upsetting you."
Lin Qingwan snorted coldly, "She's not afraid that I'm unhappy, she's afraid that others won't know I'm unhappy."
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