Bai Bai cleared his throat, looked at Su Ruanruan, and said seriously, "Miss Su, there's no need to be afraid. I've invited you to the restaurant today for a private matter."
After a moment of silence, he continued, "My wife passed away seven years ago. I have not remarried, and I have no concubines or maids in my household. I have raised my daughter Baiyun all by myself."
"Now that my daughter has reached marriageable age, when she gets married, I... I won't even have anyone to talk to."
Su Ruanruan listened attentively, but soon sensed that something was amiss.
Why is he telling her all this?
He... he's not going to confess his feelings to her, is he?
Σ( ° △ °|||)︴
No, she hadn't even thought of a way to refuse.
Moreover, offending a government official like him is a very troublesome matter.
She didn't even want to marry Mu Bai.
She has no interest in being someone's second wife or a stepmother.
Besides, that daughter was really fierce; the whip really hurt when it hit her.
I only knew that Baiyun and Uncle Bai were father and daughter before, but now I know that Baiyun is the daughter of the county magistrate.
If you can't afford to offend them, you should at least avoid them; why would you go out of your way to be abused?
But Baiyun is really lucky; she's actually the daughter of an official.
“Miss Su, you’ve reached the age of marriage this year…”
Before Bai Bai could finish speaking, there was a knock on the door.
After two sounds, the door was pushed open from the outside.
Huo Yan, dressed in a constable's uniform, leaned lazily against the door frame, glancing at them with a languid air.
Su Ruanruan's mind raced. She glanced at Huo Yan quickly before lowering her head again.
She nervously fumbled under the table with her little hands, looking terrified.
A thought flashed through Bai Bai's mind, so fast that he almost couldn't catch it.
He immediately turned coldly to Huo Yan at the door, "I haven't answered you yet, who let you in?"
Huo Yan tapped the door frame leisurely with his fingers. "Sir, it's your turn to be on duty, and you're not in the county office. This has kept the officials from the capital waiting."
"From the capital?" Bai Bai couldn't understand why an official from the capital would come from this remote, mountainous region.
But what big thing is about to happen?
"You go out first, I need to say a few words to Miss Ruan... Miss Su."
Bai Bai then pointed to the door, "Close the door."
Huo Yan closed the door with a cold smile on his lips.
Su Ruanruan stared blankly at the door.
What kind of look is that?
His expression was one of blatant disdain and disgust.
She still remembered how, back in town, he yelled "Get out!" at her through a door.
Seeing that Su Ruanruan kept looking towards the door, Bai Bai couldn't help but ask.
"Is Miss Su afraid of Huo Yan?"
“Huo Yan?” Su Ruanruan nodded immediately. “So his name is Huo Yan.”
Su Ruanruan clutched her dress tightly and looked up at Bai Bai, "Lord Bai, does Brother Huo have any wives or concubines at home?"
Bai Bai picked up his teacup and took a big gulp. "He has only been in office in this county for a short time, but as far as I know, he should not be married yet."
Bai Bai asked again, "Why are you asking this?"
Su Ruanruan said, "That day, when I was kidnapped by the flower thief, I thought I was going to die in that desolate wilderness. But I never expected that Brother Huo would come down like a god to save me from my predicament. I still remember his majestic and domineering appearance to this day."
Su Ruanruan lowered her voice again, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Sir, as you know, I lost his things and can never find them again."
"That day he locked me in a cell, intending to torture me, but in the end I had to agree to another request before he released me."
Bai Bai thought back to that day, no wonder the advisor later told him that Huo Yan had released her; it turned out they had reached some kind of agreement.
"What are your requirements?" Bai Bai asked through gritted teeth.
Su Ruanruan bit her lip. "My lord, I'm only telling you this. You must keep it a secret for me, or I won't be able to face anyone."
When Bai saw her like this, he realized that something must have happened between them.
“You said that my rules are not to be passed on to six ears.”
"I always thought Officer Huo was a gentleman, but I never expected that he would take advantage of my vulnerability and force me to do things I didn't like. That's why he didn't pursue the matter. Otherwise, he would have locked me up in jail and charged me with theft."
Su Ruanruan covered her face. "Now, he has taken advantage of me, and no one in my family knows about this. He forbids me from telling anyone, or I will have to bear the consequences."
Su Ruanruan then looked at Bai Bai, “My lord, you also know Mu Bai’s feelings for me. I thought we could be a perfect couple, but now… how can I face him?”
"This is outrageous! I'll go find Huo Yan right now and get to the bottom of this!" Bai Bai was furious and slammed his fist on the table.
Su Ruanruan quickly grabbed him, "My lord, please don't. If he finds out that I told the lord about this, he will definitely not let me off easily. In the end, I will be the one who suffers."
"I have no choice but to tell you this today, because I trust you as much as I trust my own uncle. I have given up on the idea of getting married in this life. After raising my younger brother to adulthood, I will go to a nunnery to live out my days."
"Right now, my biggest worry is Mu Bai. I know that Miss Baiyun likes him, but matters of the heart cannot be forced; a forced relationship will not be sweet."
"Mu Bai is devoted to the imperial court. One day he will rise above his station and become a disciple of the emperor."
"I hope that Lord Bai can properly discipline Miss Baiyun and not let her personal feelings cause trouble at the academy, thus affecting Mu Bai's studies."
“I know I have no right to lecture Miss Baiyun. But you should know about her previous disturbance at the academy. I’m just worried that this back and forth will damage Miss Baiyun’s reputation. I hope you understand.”
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