Lin Xihe noticed that the atmosphere at the table was becoming increasingly heavy and oppressive, which made her feel very annoyed, so she decided to get up and go out for some fresh air.
She leaned closer to Gu Qinghuai and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I want to go put on another coat; it's getting a bit cold."
Gu Qinghuai nodded slightly, knowing that Lin Xihe didn't want to be by her side. She turned her gaze back to the wine glass in front of her and poured one glass of wine after another into her stomach, as if she wanted to use the spicy wine to wash away all the sorrow in her heart.
As soon as Lin Xihe stood up, Ji Zhuo across from her also stood up abruptly.
Gu Qinghuai took in the whole scene, a self-deprecating bitter smile appearing on his lips, before helplessly lowering his head and continuing to drink one glass of wine after another in silence.
In this bustling, noisy banquet venue filled with laughter, he seemed to be the only one left out of the joy.
Lin Xihe had only taken a few steps from the hunting grounds, and hadn't even reached her tent, when Ling Shuang beside her whispered, "Miss, Lord Ji has followed us."
Lin Xihe, who was about to return to her tent, stopped abruptly upon hearing this. Before she could react, Ji Zhuo, who had rushed over, dragged her to the back of a carriage without explanation.
Seeing this, Ling Shuang could only stand by with a worried expression, vigilantly watching the surrounding movements.
Before Lin Xihe could utter a single word, Ji Zhuo suddenly lunged forward and forcefully kissed her lips. The kiss was filled with surging anger and intense possessiveness, as if he wanted to devour her whole.
Lin Xihe was filled with resistance. Whenever she saw Ji Zhuo, the words that Ji Zhuo's mother had said would involuntarily come to mind.
She struggled and pushed desperately, but Ji Zhuo held her hands tightly, leaving her unable to move and helplessly at his mercy.
After a long while, Ji Zhuo seemed to have finally finished kissing Lin Xihe. He then released her and said through gritted teeth, "I agreed to you being with him, but I never agreed to you hugging each other! Nor did I agree to you holding hands. Do you not want this hand anymore?"
As he spoke, he gripped Lin Xihe's hand even tighter, making her wrist ache.
"It hurts..." Lin Xihe couldn't help but cry out in pain.
Ji Zhuo was annoyed, but he also felt a little relieved.
"Xi'er, if I see you two together again, I'm afraid I really won't be able to control myself."
Lin Xihe was afraid that someone passing by would see them there, so she quickly said, "I know, Azhuo, let's talk about it after we get back to the manor, okay?"
"Then don't let him touch you! Okay?"
Lin Xihe felt helpless and could only nod slightly.
Seeing this, Ji Zhuo released Lin Xihe's hand, turned around and strode away.
Lin Xihe leaned weakly against the carriage, gazing up at the starry night sky. After a long while, she slowly came back to her senses and said to Ling Shuang, who was also looking worried, "Let's go back."
When Lin Xihe sat down next to Gu Qinghuai again, a strong smell of alcohol hit her.
At this moment, the singing and dancing on the stage had come to an end, and His Majesty was summoning several juniors who were rarely seen to come forward for a chat, in order to show his great favor.
Lin Xihe looked up and around, but couldn't find Ji Zhuo. She searched carefully again, but still couldn't find Ji Zhuo.
"Don't look anymore. He came back before you and then left again," Gu Qinghuai said, his tone so flat that it revealed no emotion.
Lin Xihe was immediately flustered, and a hint of embarrassment appeared on her face.
Just then, Gu Qinghuai slowly turned his head, and his expressionless face froze instantly when he saw Lin Xihe's lips.
Lin Xihe felt a strange sensation and subconsciously raised her hand to touch her lips, only to find that there was a bite mark on her lip where Ji Zhuo had bitten her in his rage, and it was now slightly swollen.
Lin Xihe quickly pursed her lips, but saw that the already dwindling light in Gu Qinghuai's eyes was gradually dimming.
Immediately afterwards, a soft laugh came from Gu Qinghuai's mouth.
He laughed at himself, how ridiculous he was. He had waited for a full hour that afternoon, but Lin Xihe still hadn't returned.
He laughed at himself, asking for only these three short days, yet these two still acted this way in front of him.
"Lin Xihe, why are you so cruel?" Gu Qinghuai's voice was tinged with bitterness.
"I'm sorry..." Lin Xihe said softly.
Looking at Gu Qinghuai in such a state, Lin Xihe felt that even breathing had become difficult. She couldn't bear to watch Gu Qinghuai suffer like this without doing anything. She felt as if she was about to be taken over by the original owner's thoughts again, so she immediately got up, wanting to escape this suffocating atmosphere.
Gu Qinghuai did not stop Lin Xihe from getting up. However, just as she was about to stand up straight, a shout suddenly came.
"Miss Lin Xihe."
Lin Xihe quickly adjusted her breathing and turned her head to look. She saw that the person who had called her was the eunuch beside His Majesty.
"Miss Lin, step forward and answer the question," the eunuch called out again.
Lin Xihe knew in her heart that she could not refuse His Majesty's summons.
She glanced at Gu Qinghuai, only to see that Gu Qinghuai also quickly suppressed his emotions and nodded slightly at her.
Lin Xihe moved gracefully to His Majesty and knelt down, saying, "This humble woman, Lin Xihe, greets Your Majesty."
Seeing this, His Majesty smiled and said, "You little girl, how can you be so timid? You should ask me to see what Qinghuai thinks first."
"It is not that I am afraid of Your Majesty. Your Majesty loves your people like your own children, and I admire you wholeheartedly."
Lin Xihe understood that His Majesty's words were merely pleasantries, and she hadn't been afraid; she had just subconsciously looked at Gu Qinghuai, as if that would make her feel more at ease.
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