Chapter 35: Forcing An Xin to stay by my side.
After leaving the section of road near the county government office, the surroundings gradually quieted down, with only the faint, lingering chatter of the women behind us still drifting over:
"Tsk, such a handsome young man, and judging by his overall demeanor, he is actually...?"
"He doesn't look like one to me. His appearance and demeanor clearly suggest a scholar, someone of refined elegance..."
Hearing these unvarnished words, Yu Man couldn't help but smile. She turned her head to look at the unmoved expression on the face of the person next to her and deliberately teased him, "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you embarrassed by the praise?"
Pei Ji lowered his eyes to look at her, and asked leisurely, "What did you say? That I'm your distant... indebted cousin? That you're my creditor?" He deliberately softened the word "creditor," with a hint of mockery.
Upon hearing this old grievance, Yu Man burst into laughter, her eyes crinkling with joy: "It's better than last time in Li Family Village when I said you were 'a distant cousin who was jilted by his fiancée since childhood and came to live with my family,' isn't it?" Recalling the old woman's mixed look of pity and sympathy when she looked at Pei Ji, she laughed until her stomach hurt.
Mentioning this matter, even Pei Ji couldn't help but raise his hand and press hard on his brow, revealing an almost helpless sense of frustration.
Seeing him like this, Yu Man felt even better.
Pei Ji looked at her rare relaxed smile and knew that she had finally unloaded the burden of the past few days and was in a good mood. His gaze fell on her eyes, which were slightly tired but still bright, and his tone carried an imperceptible indulgence and a hint of teasing: "As expected of Master Yu, after only three days, you were able to fight a bunch of scoundrels in the courtroom with great eloquence."
Yu Man snorted, ignoring the teasing, and instead asked, "Have you been having a lot of classes at the academy lately? You look like you haven't been sleeping well." There were some barely perceptible dark circles under his eyes. Although he was still upright, a closer look revealed a trace of travel-weary fatigue.
"It's alright," Pei Ji replied briefly, walking alongside her on the street where lanterns were gradually being hung up. "I just went back to see my former teacher and chatted for a while longer."
At this moment, he stopped in front of a steaming sesame seed cake shop. The shopkeeper greeted him warmly and reached for a sesame seed cake that had cooled to a warm temperature on the shelf next to him. Pei Ji shook his head and said calmly, "Excuse me, I'd like one that's just out of the oven."
"Alright!" The shopkeeper deftly wrapped a freshly baked, golden-brown, crispy sesame seed cake in oil paper and handed it over. Pei Ji paid three coins, took the cake, but didn't immediately hand it to Yu Man, who was staring at him expectantly.
"Hot." He said succinctly, his hand holding the sesame seed cake remaining steady in the air.
Yu Man looked at him without moving, just staring at him, as if to say, "If you don't give it to me, I'll just keep watching."
Pei Ji stared at her for a moment, then finally let out a barely audible sigh, giving in. He reached into his robes with his free hand and pulled out a neatly folded plain blue cotton handkerchief. With careful movements, he wrapped the scalding hot sesame cake around it, tested the temperature through the handkerchief to make sure it wouldn't burn his hand, and then handed it over.
Yu Man finally accepted it with satisfaction and carefully took a bite. The outer layer was crispy and fragrant, while the inside was soft and hot, mixed with the aroma of sesame, instantly soothing her stomach. She squinted her eyes in satisfaction as she continued the previous topic: "Teacher? Which one..." An image of an angry old man involuntarily appeared in her mind.
No kidding, the pancake in my hand doesn't taste so good anymore.
"Hmm." Pei Ji responded, then walked to a nearby stall selling drinks and bought a cup of warm osmanthus drink before walking back to walk alongside her. "The one you saw before, the one in the bamboo forest behind the academy."
Upon hearing the words "academy and bamboo grove," Yu Man couldn't hold back any longer and glared at Pei Ji, bringing up old grievances again: "How dare you bring that up!"
At that time, the two were still young, in the throes of first love, tentatively testing each other's boundaries with awkwardness. Pei Ji would often find excuses, such as "searching for rare books" or "discussing poetry and literature," which she found full of holes, to pull her aside for private moments. Unfortunately, these clandestine days did not last long, as he had to return home due to his important studies at the academy.
The letters kept coming back every two days. Yu Chengfu went from being pleased at first to being annoyed by them later. He probably didn't expect Pei Ji to have so many sarcastic things to write.
Yu Man lay on the chair, eating snacks and looking at the latest letter. She got goosebumps, especially at the last sentence, "Alone and lonely, I can only send my thoughts to comfort me." But she still turned to her father and lied that she was going out to discuss business. In fact, she secretly hired a carriage and went straight to Shanqing Academy.
I did see him; he was still in the early bamboo grove of the academy, a true gentleman under the eaves.
Of course, what she couldn't forget was that the two of them had only exchanged a few words in hushed tones under the bamboo shadows when, upon turning around, they saw the old man with white hair and beard standing above the stone steps, his hands behind his back, looking at them expressionlessly... At that moment, she felt as if half of her soul had flown away in fright!
From then on, Shanqing Academy became a place she resolutely refused to set foot in again.
Pei Ji naturally knew that she harbored deep resentment about this matter, and dared not provoke her easily at the moment. He simply changed the subject without showing any emotion, handed her the osmanthus drink in his hand, and continued, "The two people you saw at the villa in the prefecture last time were students who were later taken in by the teacher." He didn't even want to mention their names.
Yu Man took the drink, sipped it, and the warm, sweet osmanthus fragrance relieved the dryness of the sesame seed cake. She thought of the two men, so different in style yet both undeniably handsome, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and tease, "Oh? So it seems your sect, besides academic ability, also specifically selects handsome young men as disciples? If someone is plain-looking, they probably won't even get into the sect, right?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Ji turned his head to look at her, his gaze deep, and replied in a tone that was neither too light nor too heavy: "It's just a pity..."
"I know! I know!" Yu Man immediately interrupted him, her ears burning slightly, and glared at him irritably. "I haven't forgotten! I'm still carrying your family's ancestral marriage contract!" This guy, all he knows is to use that to shut her up!
Pei Ji's eyes finally softened with a smile, like spring rain melting ice.
The two walked slowly, chatting idly, until they turned into a deserted alley.
“I’m planning to try out for this year’s autumn imperial examination,” Pei Ji said.
Yu Man was sipping her warm osmanthus drink when she heard this. She paused and turned to look at him with some surprise: "Are you in such a hurry? Have you finished reading all the books in the academy?" She remembered that he had mentioned before that the teacher had advised him not to rush.
Pei Ji's gaze fell on the bluestone path ahead, a faint smile curving his lips, his tone revealing no emotion: "It's alright. We should be fine dealing with the autumn examinations."
He paused slightly, turned his head, locked his gaze on her, and lowered his voice, carrying a hint of tenderness, "After all, I still remember... what you said back then."
"What did I say back then?" Yu Man didn't react for a moment, blinking and subconsciously repeating. Had she said anything related to the autumn examination?
Pei Ji didn't urge her, but patiently watched her.
Yu Man suddenly remembered that when she went home to discuss marriage last time, she said, "Let's talk about it after the autumn examination." At the time, she wanted to postpone it, and she didn't expect that Pei Ji really wouldn't go to the border.
unwise!
"Ah! That..." Yu Man's face flushed instantly, and she quickly lowered her head, pretending to choke on the drink, and mumbled a laugh, "That...that's great, hahaha...you'll definitely be fine!" She tried to get away with a dry laugh and perfunctory words. Getting married after the autumn examination...thinking back on that now, it sounded like she had dug a hole for herself!
Pei Ji knew her too well, and it was precisely because of this understanding that he did not intend to let her escape easily. He took a step closer, his voice low and clear, speaking slowly and deliberately, word by word: "I have not forgotten a single word."
Yu Man forced herself to calm down and retorted, "Well... I also said I wanted to be the Prime Minister's wife!" The implication was that she hadn't even become the Prime Minister yet, so wasn't it a bit too early to bring up the marriage proposal after the autumn examination?
Pei Ji seemed to have anticipated her rebuttal. He gazed at her calmly, his expression a mix of promise and reminder: "What I promised you, I will naturally give you. The position of the Prime Minister's wife will be yours sooner or later."
His words were so certain that Yu Man was momentarily stunned. In that instant, Pei Ji suddenly leaned closer.
He held her wrist, which was holding the drink, with one hand, and pressed his other wrist close to her body, pulling her towards him. His slightly cool lips covered hers.
Unlike his previous gentle restraint, which carried a hint of possessiveness, he unusually did not show her any leniency. He did not move the hand that was holding her, but instead gently rubbed the soft flesh of her waist with the other hand.
Coercion and appeasement.
Soon, she couldn't stand his heat and wanted to get away.
But Pei Ji clearly wanted more. He ground it inch by inch until his lips parted and the osmanthus nectar mingled with the familiar scent of ink, seemingly blending into an even more intoxicating fragrance.
Yu Man could vaguely feel the constant beating of a heart, so rapid that she couldn't tell if it was hers or his.
After an unknown amount of time, just when Yu Man felt she was about to suffocate, he stepped back slightly, loosened his grip on her wrist, and gently caressed the delicate skin on her wrist.
Pei Ji buried his face in her shoulder, his breath unsteady, his heat spraying onto her sensitive neck. His voice was slightly hoarse:
“Xiaoman…” he called her name, “Don’t have any other thoughts… stay by my side and rest assured.”
...
She didn't know how she got back to the courtyard. Only when she lay on her familiar bed did Yu Man feel like she could breathe again. Deng San Niang and Yu Chengfu had already retired for the night, and the room was quiet. She looked at the blurry curtains above her head, his words "Stay by my side in peace" echoing in her ears. She couldn't help but sigh, her mind a jumble of emotions.
A long, drawn-out electronic sigh echoed in her mind.
Yu Man was feeling annoyed and replied in his mind, "What are you sighing about? Are you running out of energy?"
"No," the system replied solemnly. "This system is lamenting its tragic fate of being bound to a host. It seems destined to become hopelessly infatuated with love, with mission completion seemingly a distant dream."
Yu Man finally had a chance to vent her anger: "Stop it. Didn't many of the scenarios you told me not happen? You can't just tell me that, Xiao Tong." Her tone became sarcastic towards the end.
The system immediately corrected, its electronic voice carrying a research-like rigor: "[Host, please be mindful of your wording. It's not 'it didn't happen,' but rather that the host's intervention created variables, leading to a deviation in the plot's direction.]" It paused, seemingly checking data: "[According to statistics from this system's core database on similar transmigration cases, if the host completely ignores the system's prompts and doesn't make any behavioral changes consistent with self-rescue logic, the mission failure rate is as high as 99.99%.]"
Yu Man was speechless: "...Then you might as well just say it's one hundred percent."
As a latest-generation high-tech intelligent auxiliary system, the system must maintain the rigor and scientific nature of its data. The system stated firmly, "That 0.01% probability is determined to be an extremely low-probability event caused by uncontrollable cosmic microwave background radiation or quantum fluctuations, falling within a reasonable range of experimental error."
Yu Man: "..." She was speechless.
Seeing her silence, the system assumed its advice had been effective and pressed its advantage, attempting to dampen her enthusiasm: [Furthermore, does the system need to remind the host? Even now, the target, Pei Ji, has still not revealed his true identity and full plan to you. This clearly proves that deep down, he doesn't fully trust you. This poses a huge hidden danger to a healthy, equal, and sustainable relationship. The host is urged to be aware of this.]
Yu Man remained silent for a moment before replying sullenly, "...You're really rude."
[Honest advice, though unpleasant to hear, is beneficial.] The system was quite blunt.
"Fine," she persisted, "then tell me, you loyal subject, who exactly is he? What secrets is he hiding?"
The system froze instantly, its electronic voice even weaker: [...This is crucial plot information, restricted by core permissions, and cannot be unlocked for the host.]
Yu Man scoffed, "Ha, where is loyalty?"
System: [...] It was its turn to be rendered speechless, and a string of gibberish appeared in the database.
Seeing that reasoning was futile, the system prepared to initiate a forced hibernation program, ending today's doomed attempt to "persuade the love-struck host to return to his career path." Just then, it heard Yu Man's extremely faint, almost soliloquized murmur:
“At least… you can’t deny that he… really cares about me right now, right?” Her voice carried a hint of uncertainty. After a pause, she added carefully, “Right now, it’s real.”
The system retrieved past records—even when analyzed using its most stringent and rational data evaluation standards, the conclusions clearly pointed in one direction:
It's not just about caring.
Rather, it was an extraordinary, almost obsessive love...
If this were any other initial strategy mission, the host would already be at a perfect score.
The analysis results caused the system's core program to freeze for a moment. It silently swallowed the cold water that was about to be drunk, and for the first time, it did not immediately emit any electronic sound.
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