Chapter 29: Doubts "Cousin...I don't want to be a concubine."
It was almost dawn, and the dim light was barely enough to penetrate the doors and windows, casting only a faint shadow on the windowsill.
Xiao Ningwang walked into the room, but received no response for a long time. His face also darkened. "Why, are you busy with something?"
Xiao Yunqi avoided answering and said coldly, "Father, what do you want from me?"
Xiao Ningwang frowned, quite dissatisfied with Xiao Yunqi's attitude.
He was still sitting at the table, showing no intention of getting up to greet them.
Xiao Ningwang wanted to explode, but he had to stop when he remembered the purpose of his coming here.
After the father and son stood in a stalemate for a while at a distance, Xiao Ningwang gave in, sighed, and walked over.
The thick curtain wrapped Xue Zhiying tightly. She had dodged in such a hurry that there was no gap. She was now feeling suffocated behind the curtain.
Fortunately, Xiao Ningwang didn't notice her presence at all, and normal conversation began in the house.
Xue Zhiying looked at her nose and her heart, trying to empty her mind and not listen to anything they said.
If you happen to overhear some extremely important secrets, it might bring you unnecessary trouble.
Just as he was thinking, Xiao Ningwang suddenly slammed the table and said, "Xiao Yunqi, I am your father!"
Xue Zhiying was startled, but then she had to listen even though she didn't want to. Xiao Yunqi said coldly, "So, a son still needs to worry about his father's extramarital affair?"
Xue Zhiying gasped silently.
Still heard it.
They were indeed talking about something extraordinary.
The house fell into dead silence.
Xue Zhiying also felt cold in her heart.
She didn't want to know about the master's private affairs.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Ningwang spoke again: "Since you know these things are not your concern, then tell me where they are."
Xiao Yunqi: "I told you, I don't know."
"Don't you know? You met with Liu Xu so frequently before, and even brought her back home so brazenly, wasn't it all for me to see?"
"Father, you're worrying too much. I don't have the time for such idle thoughts, nor do I have any interest in plotting against my own father."
"Okay, then just pretend you don't know. I'll find them myself."
"You don't have to tell me about your father's private affairs."
Xue Zhiying had always known in the Xiao Mansion that Xiao Yunqi and his father did not have a close relationship, but this was the first time she actually heard such a tense conversation between the father and son.
The atmosphere was frighteningly cold. Xue Zhiying was already feeling depressed behind the curtain, and now she was holding her breath, not even daring to breathe.
Soon, Xue Zhiying heard the sound of a chair moving.
Xiao Yunqi stood up and said, "Father, if you have nothing else to say, please go back."
The anger that Xiao Ningwang had just tried so hard to suppress was about to be ignited again.
He frowned unhappily: "I haven't seen you for half a month. You just came back. Don't you even have time to say a few more words to me?"
His eyes darted irritably around the room until they stopped at the curtains piled in the corner by the window.
The heavy curtains bulged into a strange arc. The windows were closed and there was no wind, but the corners of the curtains swayed slightly for unknown reasons.
Xiao Yunqi suddenly stepped forward to block his view: "Father, what else do you want to say?"
Xiao Ningwang's gaze was forced to fall back on Xiao Yunqi's face. His tightly furrowed brows were still there, and there was even a hint of subtle suspicion.
It seemed that there was something indescribable strange about him since he came in.
He wanted to think, but soon met Xiao Yunqi's obviously impatient expression.
Xiao Ningwang paused briefly, then collected his thoughts and spoke, "I've discussed this with your grandmother while you've been away, and have selected several women from prominent families for you. Please take some time to visit Ren De Yuan and finalize this matter."
Xue Zhiying had just swayed a bit because she couldn't stand the boredom anymore, but now she froze again.
She heard Xiao Ningwang say in a serious tone, "Mother has been ill repeatedly over the past six months. Her health is much worse than before. She's finally feeling better. I advise you not to upset her at this critical moment."
Xiao Yunqi said, "Thank you so much, father, for taking so much trouble to figure this out for me."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Your father worrying about your marriage has become a conspiracy. Are you really planning to remain single for the rest of your life?"
Xiao Yunqi sneered and didn't answer.
Xiao Ningwang then said, "Even if you truly have no intention of marrying for the time being, you must at least take a concubine first. If you already have a suitable candidate, please tell your grandmother the truth. Otherwise, your family will make the decision for you. After all, you are already quite old and must have someone to keep you company. We will not tolerate your foolish behavior any longer."
Xue Zhiying's heart tightened when she heard this, and she unconsciously grabbed the curtain beside her.
Over the years, she had often heard the Xiao family worry about Xiao Yunqi's marriage, feeling depressed behind his back and urging him in front of him.
Even in the beginning, her marriage was handed over to Xu because the old lady was fed up with Xiao Yunqi's repeated rejections.
This matter must eventually come to an end. Now it seems that Xiao Ningwang is determined to end this stalemate. Not only did he bring up the old lady's body, but he also persuaded Xiao Yunqi to take a concubine as a second choice.
Perhaps, Xiao Ningwang's original purpose in saying this was to say this last sentence.
Xue Zhiying was uneasy. She couldn't imagine what excuse Xiao Yunqi could use to refuse after being forced to this point, unless he had completely disregarded the old lady's health, the relationship between father and son, and the entire family.
Only if both parties take a step back can this matter be resolved peacefully.
Xiao Yunqi's retreat was to take a concubine.
She was afraid that she would become the ready-made choice in his mind.
Xue Zhiying held her breath and waited for Xiao Yunqi to make a statement.
But the room fell silent again.
Xiao Yunqi did not answer, and Xiao Ningwang did not urge him any further.
I don’t know how long it took, so long that Xue Zhiying felt so chest tightness that she almost suffocated.
Xiao Yunqi's cold voice could be heard from behind the curtain: "Father, it's almost dawn."
This means to drive people away.
But Xiao Ningwang was not annoyed. He had said everything he wanted to say. He believed that he would naturally make a decision in his heart about what was more important.
"Remember what I said today and think about it carefully."
Before leaving, Xiao Ningwang said, "Also, if you have any news about them, I still hope you can tell me the truth."
Slow footsteps approached the door, followed by the sound of the door opening and closing.
Xue Zhiying fell into anxious panic. She didn't want to flatter herself, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt that if Xiao Yunqi was really forced into a corner, she would be the most likely person to be caught by him and thrown in front of the old lady, and used as a shield to deal with this matter.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice someone approaching.
Until the curtain was suddenly pulled open from the outside, the light shone in, and the coolness dispelled the dullness behind the curtain.
A hint of surprise flashed in Xiao Yunqi's eyes. The girl behind the curtain had red cheeks and her breathing was fluctuating. Her eyes were still moist, her clothes and hair were messy, and she looked like she was suffocating in there.
She hesitated to speak, her eyes trembling.
"Are you so scared?" Xiao Yunqi asked her in a calm voice.
Xue Zhiying nodded, then shook her head. She was nervous but didn't dare to mention the matter on her own initiative, for fear that she was just overthinking it and that saying it out loud would instead alert Xiao Yunqi.
But Xiao Yunqi seemed curious, so he stood in front of her and continued to block her behind the curtain.
He observed her for a moment and asked, "Are you afraid of being discovered by him?"
Xue Zhiying subconsciously wanted to nod, but stopped herself and whispered, "I should have hidden well and not been discovered."
Her words and reactions struck Xiao Yunqi as logically contradictory.
He thought that after hearing what Xiao Ningwang had just said, she would seize the opportunity and test him as soon as he left.
After all, this would be a much greater help than her forcing him to marry her without considering her own abilities, so she had no reason not to seize it.
But why does he look like he's afraid of being discovered?
Xiao Yunqi pondered for a moment, then said slowly, "Really? Then why did the curtain sway only when my father turned his head to look at it?"
"When he talked about me getting married as soon as possible."
Xue Zhiying's eyes widened when she heard this, and she said in panic, "I didn't move. It might have been the wind."
"But the doors and windows are closed inside the house, so where does the wind come from?"
Xue Zhiying was so anxious that she almost cried: "I don't know, I really didn't move, I definitely didn't want the master to find out that I was hiding here."
It doesn't look like acting.
Xiao Yunqi remained silent for a moment, but his doubts were still unresolved.
After a long while, he spoke again: "It's not good to be discovered. If we had been discovered just now, maybe my father would have forced you and me to get married right here."
After Xiao Yunqi finished speaking, he waited to see her look of sudden realization and regret.
Xue Zhiying was getting more and more frightened, and said without thinking, "How can it be that we are just going to get married and then just make me a concubine?"
Xiao Yunqi was stunned and fell silent again.
Xue Zhiying didn't know what he was thinking, and she was even more worried that she had reminded him about taking a concubine in a moment of desperation.
The longer the silence lasted, the more tense she became.
Until she finally couldn't hold back any longer, she reached out cautiously to grab his sleeve and said, "Cousin... I don't want to be a concubine."
Xiao Yunqi lowered his eyes and watched his sleeves being gently pulled by her and shaking again.
His doubts were answered from an unexpected direction.
It turned out that she didn't want to be discovered, but she was afraid that if she was discovered, she would fail to force him and end up becoming his concubine.
Be a concubine.
It's a pity she could think of that.
If he doesn't want to marry, would he be willing to take a concubine?
Xiao Yunqi suddenly chuckled, and with the strength of her grip, he led the person out from behind the curtain.
Xue Zhiying didn't understand what he was laughing at. Maybe he was going to laugh at her again, but she didn't know what she had said that would make her laugh.
She stumbled after him, racking her brains for words, "Cousin, please believe me, I have never thought of letting anyone know about our relationship. I haven't even told Yuanxiang, not before and never will. I just want to stay by your side and won't force you to do anything else."
To Xiao Yunqi, not a single word of these words was credible.
But he suddenly thought of something, stopped and looked back: "What is our relationship?"
Xue Zhiying was stunned and stumped by the question.
The man in front of her looked at her calmly, his expression unreadable. He didn't allow her to think too much, and before she could answer, he pressed her again, "Answer me, what is our relationship?"
Xue Zhiying looked into his eyes and said in a panic, "It's... because I like you."
Xiao Yunqi raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this, without commenting, he withdrew his gaze and took another step forward.
It was already dawn outside the house. The morning light penetrated the clouds and spread across the earth, and also entered the house, as if dispelling the stagnant dullness that had just settled.
But when she walked back to the table, Xue Zhiying loosened his sleeve and walked to the seat opposite him without looking back.
Seeing this, Xiao Yunqi looked up and frowned slightly.
So just before she was about to sit down, he said coldly: "Why are you sitting there? Do you have anything else to do?"
Xue Zhiying paused, bent over and blinked in confusion.
Soon she resumed her movements and sat down on her own: "Well, there's something else."
Xiao Yunqi ignored her and looked away.
But the girl called him: "Cousin..."
He still turned his eyes back and interrupted her drawn-out tone: "If you have something to say, just say it."
Xue Zhiying said, "It's about leaving the house. Now that my cousin is back, I don't have to climb over the wall. Can I leave the house with my cousin?"
Hearing this, Xiao Yunqi wanted to pinch her.
How did she have the nerve to speak up?
But the person couldn't reach it because of the table between them, so he could only rub it unconsciously with his fingers.
"Why should I take you out of the house?"
Xue Zhiying was actually embarrassed, and her face started to get hot after she said that.
Now, he responded with a refusal, and the redness and heat spread to the back of his ears.
But she still gritted her teeth and continued, "Because I...I want to go to the embroidery workshop."
Xiao Yunqi changed his posture, crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair leisurely, and said slowly, "What does this have to do with me?"
“…”
Xue Zhiying frowned and began to regret why she sat opposite him.
Otherwise, since we are close, I can try to seduce him first to see if I can succeed.
But now, after being rejected several times in succession by him, she no longer had the courage to move closer to him with her already weak energy.
She could only sit there and whispered, "I won't cause any trouble to my cousin. After leaving the house, I will go there and come back on my own. Cousin, please help me."
Xiao Yunqi scoffed. This response was clearly a mockery. "If you can't go there and come back on your own, then why do you need my help?"
Xue Zhiying choked and murmured aggrievedly: "...Did you say that on purpose?"
The girl had no aura at all and was blocked in just a few words. It was hard to imagine what she would look like when she really became more and more demanding and forced him to marry her.
Most likely it's like this now, lips pursed, eyes closed, cheeks slightly puffed out, and then...
Xiao Yunqi's expression changed slightly, and his eyes raised as the girl stood up.
It wasn't until he saw her walking towards him that his expression relaxed and calmed down.
Xue Zhiying lowered her head and walked slowly to Xiao Yunqi.
Her eyes met his hand casually resting on the chair, and she stopped.
But he didn't speak for a long time.
He just stood there as if he was being punished, without even raising his head.
Xiao Yunqi waited for a while, and gradually became impatient.
He had just returned from a long journey overnight, and if she continued to plan like this, he didn't know when he would be able to go and rest.
He moved his fingers slightly and was about to raise his hand.
Xue Zhiying suddenly made a move and bowed quickly towards him: "Cousin, I'll go back first."
After saying that, he turned around and left as if escaping.
Xiao Yunqi grabbed her wrist, made her stagger, and then pulled her back to her original position.
I was so angry that I wanted to laugh.
"You've been thinking about this for a while, and this is what you came up with?"
Xue Zhiying had never expected that she would be caught. Her body was unstable and she had to support herself on Xiao Yunqi's shoulders.
Her swaying gaze met his, and then she lowered her head again: "Because I can't figure out how to get my cousin to agree to me."
"so what?"
"So... I have to give up."
Xiao Yunqi was sitting at a high enough height that he could easily see her lowered expression.
It was very obvious that he didn't mean what he said, but he couldn't guess the correct answer for a moment.
I decided to expose her directly: "Tell the truth, and I may consider taking you with me."
“…”
Xue Zhiying struggled with her wrist but couldn't get it free.
I looked up at his expression again, but didn't understand.
Instead, he urged: "Speak."
"so……"
Xue Zhiying paused for a long moment before whispering, "I plan to wait in front of the mansion gate when you leave. Since begging you won't work, why not..."
"Why not just force me."
Xiao Yunqi chuckled and continued the conversation for her.
Xue Zhiying said quickly, "You just said you would take me with you."
After saying that, she looked away feeling a little guilty, not wanting to hear Xiao Yunqi's next sentence to refute her again. He repeated to her that he was considering bringing it, not actually bringing it.
But surprisingly, he didn't say that.
Xiao Yunqi let go of her: "Just this once."
I was really tired, otherwise I would have wanted to tease her a little longer.
Unexpectedly, he just let go.
Xue Zhiying held him backhandedly: "No, cousin, I want to go out more often."
Xiao Yunqi narrowed his eyes slightly, even with a hint of disbelief.
"Xue Zhiying, when you were begging me with grievance, were you already planning how to get even more out of me?"
Xue Zhiying said unconvincedly, "No, because this is what I asked for in the beginning."
After saying that, she observed Xiao Yunqi's expression.
She felt that he seemed a little angry, so she held his hand and bent down to kiss his fingers.
Seeing his thin lips moving as if he was about to speak, most likely to take back his promise, she leaned over and touched his lips again.
They separated immediately after the touch. Her mind was not on kissing him, but on watching the man's eyes gradually become deeper, and she was cautious and didn't want to give him the chance to take back his promise.
In just a short moment, while Xiao Yunqi moved his lips three times, Xue Zhiying kissed him three times.
Finally, for the fourth time, Xiao Yunqi opened his mouth and bit her lips as she kissed him.
"Ah." Xue Zhiying cried out in pain.
"If you come any closer, you won't be able to leave again."
Xue Zhiying pursed her lips, reacted a little late, and was immediately surprised.
This is the many times I promised to take her out!
She nodded, even loosening her hand that she had been holding, took a step back and said, "Thank you, cousin, I won't kiss you anymore."
“…”
Having achieved his goal, Xue Zhiying now really planned to leave.
She thought that Xiao Yuanxiang might still be worried about her, so she had to go and tell her that she was safe and could leave the house.
But how should I tell her?
"come over."
Xue Zhiying was stunned and came back to his senses.
"cousin?"
She took half a step forward and looked at Xiao Yunqi in confusion as he turned sideways, took out a brocade box from the side, and handed it to her.
Xue Zhiying asked in confusion, "What is this?"
Xiao Yunqi did not answer, but said calmly: "Take it, and then get out."
"……oh."
She still had doubts, but it was obvious that the man's patience did not allow her to ask any more questions.
Xue Zhiying held the brocade box and politely bowed to Xiao Yunqi: "Cousin, I will go back first."
Just after coming out of Yunmozhai, Xue Zhiying saw two squatting figures in front of the courtyard gate.
When I got closer, I saw that he was not squatting, but sitting on a small stool.
It was Mu Yan and Xiao Yuanxiang.
Mu Yan heard the sound keenly and immediately stood up and turned around.
Before he could do anything, Xiao Yuanxiang turned around and hurried forward.
"Zhiying, are you okay? Did big brother punish you? Uncle came just now. Was it a coincidence or was he here to punish you? What big brother said and how to punish you, it's all my fault. It was my bad idea. I..."
Xue Zhiying glanced at Mu Yan in shock and saw him shaking his head helplessly at her.
She quickly looked at Xiao Yuanxiang and interrupted her before she got more excited: "Yuanxiang, calm down. I'm fine. Let's... let's leave first. I'll talk to you slowly."
Xiao Yuanxiang should feel guilty. Xue Zhiying has been following the rules for many years. If she hadn't come up with this idea, she wouldn't have done such a rebellious thing and been caught red-handed.
But Xue Zhiying also felt guilty. She didn't feel it when she made the promise to Xiao Yunqi, but now she realized it when facing Xiao Yuanxiang. She couldn't tell her all the truth, but she was so worried about her, and she felt bad in her heart.
Fortunately, the final outcome of this incident was not tragic, so the story does not have such a heavy atmosphere when told.
Xiao Yuanxiang was quite surprised by this: "Brother is such a magnanimous person, I never knew that before."
Xue Zhiying had no explanation for this, so she didn't answer.
Then Xiao Yuanxiang asked again: "What's in this box?"
Xue Zhiying was completely unaware of this. After thinking for a moment, she and Xiao Yuanxiang opened the brocade box together.
What caught his eye was a round white jade bottle. Although the shape was different, Xue Zhiying could tell at a glance that it was made of the same jade as the bottle of ointment that Mr. Xiao had sent her before.
But when the box was opened, there was no strong fragrance like last time, but rather a faint aroma that was almost inaudible.
Xiao Yuanxiang exclaimed, "What a beautiful jade bottle! Did my elder brother give this to you?"
Xue Zhiying: “…”
She felt so guilty that her heart was tense and then began to beat wildly, and she couldn't answer for a while.
She didn't expect that this would be in the brocade box that Xiao Yunqi casually gave her.
Jade is precious, and everything from the box to the paste inside the jade bottle is used by women.
If she had known earlier, she would not have said directly that it was Xiao Yunqi who gave it to her.
She had no idea how to explain it at this moment.
"this……"
Xiao Yuanxiang had no intention of listening to her explanation. Curious and puzzled, he began to analyze the situation on his own: "You just said that your eldest brother suddenly gave you this brocade box before you left the house."
Xue Zhiying's expression had become somewhat stiff.
"You just said that Big Brother didn't punish you severely, and Big Brother kicked me out of the house at the beginning."
Her palms were already sweating.
"My eldest brother just returned from a long journey. Returning from a long journey means we haven't seen each other for a long time. When we met again, we took the opportunity to be alone together and gave each other generous gifts."
She moved her lips slightly as if to explain something.
Xiao Yuanxiang's eyes suddenly widened, and he lowered his voice: "Zhiying, tell me, is there a possibility..."
"Big brother, he has actually been secretly in love with you."
As soon as these words came out, Xiao Yuanxiang was so frightened that he gasped.
She thought back to today's events, her gaze returning to the exquisite white jade round bottle, and finally came to a conclusion: "It seems that this might really be the case."
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The author has something to say: This chapter is too slow, I'm sorry for being late today, I'll give everyone a red envelope [poor][poor]
The deadline for leaving comments on this chapter is tomorrow and red envelopes will be given before the update~
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