What he was thinking was that if he turned back, he would probably never see this barbarian princess again in his life.
The thought of this possibility filled him with an unprecedented sense of loss and dull pain.
Since when did this girl become so influential to him?
He himself couldn't explain it clearly.
But a voice inside him told him not to let A-Tuo Jiang Hua go, or he would regret it for the rest of his life.
This prompted him to speed up his horse, just to catch up with Atuo Jianghua.
But now that he's seen the person, he doesn't know what to say.
As he was carefully considering his words, the girl opposite him completely ignored him and rode her horse past him.
Xiao Yan: "..."
Realizing what had happened, he gritted his teeth in anger. So this brat is now turning her back on me?
He abruptly turned his horse around and followed, grinning menacingly, "A-Tuo Jiang Hua, it's been a while. Have you grown too big for your britches and started to turn your back on me?"
The strange, sarcastic voice reached A-Tuo Jiang Hua's ears. She paused, then realized what was happening. She turned around abruptly, looked at the displeased and gloomy man, blinked repeatedly, and seeing that he still hadn't disappeared, suddenly smiled brightly, "It really is you. I thought I was hallucinating."
Now, Xiao Yan was confused.
Why does this girl seem so happy to see me? She's smiling so beautifully, with such a captivating look...
Furthermore, she even said that she thought she was hallucinating just now. Could it be that she was looking forward to my arrival?
This realization made Xiao Yan so happy that he almost laughed out loud, but he still had his senses. He coughed lightly to cover it up, then rode his horse to push aside Atuo Qingye and stayed by Atuo Jianghua's side.
"You heartless girl, have you forgotten who brought you out of the palace? How dare you leave without saying goodbye?"
A-Tuo Qingye, who was squeezed to the outside: "..."
He looked at Xiao Yan with a completely bewildered expression.
This guy is acting strangely.
Also, my younger sister is weird.
For once, Atuo Jianghua didn't argue with Xiao Yan. She gripped the reins tightly and whispered, "I've waited for you for more than half a year, but you haven't come back..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan paused for a moment, but could no longer hide the smile on his face. "You stayed in the Prince's mansion for so long, was it to wait for me to return?"
Seeing that his smile was almost reaching his ears, Atuo Jianghua bit her lip, suddenly whipped her horse, and galloped away.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Yan quickly chased after them.
Atuo Qingye, who had just eaten a mouthful of dust: "..."
For a long time, I couldn't figure out what these two were up to.
Atuo Jianghua was a very good horseman, and in no time she had gone quite far.
But Xiao Yan still managed to catch up with her.
"Why are you running?" he asked, frowning and panting as he looked at her.
Whether it was from the heat or something else, A-Tuo Jianghua's face flushed red. She didn't speak, but bit her lip and glanced at him.
That glance, both angry and coquettish, made Xiao Yan's heart flutter, his legs went weak, and he stared at her blankly.
Atuo Jianghua didn't notice his strange behavior. Seeing a pavilion nearby, she simply reined in her horse, dismounted, and went inside.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Yan dismounted and then entered the pavilion.
The pavilion was serene, with a gentle mountain breeze.
For a moment, the two suddenly lost their ability to speak, becoming mute, and neither of them uttered a word.
Finally, it was Atuo Jianghua who couldn't stand it anymore and broke the silence first.
With a straight face, she deliberately said, "By the way, I'm going back to Xinjiang. You've already seen me off for a while, so you don't need to see me off anymore. You can go back now."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan frowned. "I didn't come here to see you off."
"Then what brings you here?" Atuo Jianghua asked, holding her breath. Her fingers, hidden under her sleeve, were nervously twisted together, and her beautiful eyes held a hint of expectation.
When Xiao Yan met her bright eyes, he suddenly felt very awkward and embarrassed.
He found it even harder to speak when he thought about what he was about to say. After a long while, he stammered, "You...you promised my older sister that you would marry me. Can you...can you stay?"
He stammered as he spoke, and by the time he finished, he was covered in sweat.
A-Tuo Jiang Hua was stunned for a moment. Seeing his look as if he were facing a formidable enemy, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.
This guy is usually very eloquent, and she had never seen him so tongue-tied before.
After laughing, she couldn't help but correct herself: "That's not what I said. I meant that if you ask me to marry you, I will marry you."
Xiao Yan frowned. "I'm proposing to you right now."
A-Tuo Jiang Hua pouted, "I don't see any sincerity in you."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan scratched his head, unsure of what to do.
He chased after her on impulse, without giving it any serious thought or time to make any arrangements. Now, hearing what she said, he realized that he had indeed been rather insincere.
He looked around and suddenly saw the wildflowers blooming outside the pavilion. His face lit up with joy, and he quickly went forward, picked a large handful, and handed them to her.
"I came in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare. Please keep this for now, and I'll make up for it later."
A-Tuo Jianghua glanced at the unknown wildflower he was holding with some disdain. Although the flower was quite pretty, it was really too rough. Nevertheless, she reached out and took it.
Seeing that she didn't seem very satisfied, Xiao Yan remembered something and suddenly asked, "Do you still have the jade pendant I gave you in the palace last year?"
Upon hearing this, A Tuo Jiang Hua paused for a moment before remembering that she had forgotten to return the jade pendant to him.
She reached up and touched her collar, then suddenly lowered her head, feeling a little guilty.
Xiao Yan saw her movement, and then his sharp eyes spotted a red line peeking out from her collar. At first, he didn't understand, but when he saw that she kept her head down, he suddenly realized what it meant.
He smirked, leaned closer, and whispered, "So you've been carrying it with you all this time."
When Atuo Jianghua saw that he had noticed, she didn't hesitate and said, "Yes, if you want to go back, I'll take it off and return it to you." As she spoke, she made a move to untie it, but Xiao Yan stopped her.
"You don't need to return it to me. This jade pendant was a gift from the Empress Dowager when I was born. I've kept it close to my body for over twenty years. Now I'm giving it to you as a token of our... love."
After saying the words "token of love," Xiao Yanjun's face flushed, and he awkwardly turned his face away.
A-Tuo Jiang Hua, who was always carefree, blushed instantly upon hearing these words.
The atmosphere became awkward again, and both of them felt uncomfortable.
A moment later, Xiao Yan looked at her left hand resting on her lap and tentatively reached out his hand.
Seeing that she didn't pull away, he immediately grabbed her hand. "I've given you flowers and a token of our love. Has my proposal passed the test?"
Atuo Jianghua blinked. "It's barely passable."
Knowing he was unprepared, Xiao Yan said, "I'll make it up to you later." He paused, then asked, "So, are you willing to...?"
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Atuo Qingye, who caught up from behind, "Why are you running so fast?"
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