Her sudden move made Helian Duo pause for a moment. He thought she was scared because she had witnessed that kind of scene. It turned out she was afraid he would kill her to cover up the evidence.
Helian Duo grabbed Cheng Xiran's collar with one hand and lifted her up, saying, "I have no intention of killing you. Moreover, I don't act like this towards just anyone. It's just him..."
"Don't bother explaining why. As long as you don't kill me, I'll be your servant to repay your kindness of sparing my life," Cheng Xiran said with sincere eyes.
"He did such things to you and Jiang Yulang, so I punished him. I didn't kill him either," Helian Duo said. Somehow, seeing Cheng Xiran's scared look made him feel flustered. He never trusted anyone, but at this moment, he hoped Cheng Xiran could trust him.
Was Helian Duo explaining his actions to her?
"I, I understand," Cheng Xiran said softly after gradually calming down her nervous and scared mood. "It's the first time I've seen such a scene, so I'm a bit scared."
Helian Duo frowned and looked at Cheng Xiran. After pursing his lips, he said, "It won't happen again. Even if it does, I won't let you see it."
"Huh?" Cheng Xiran was confused. There would be more such things in the future? She really hoped she would never see them again. It was truly terrifying. She had only seen such scenes on TV before, and she never thought it would be so scary when it happened right in front of her.
Helian Duo noticed that she wasn't with Zhuque and asked curiously, "Why are you out alone? Are you feeling better?"
Cheng Xiran nodded. Suddenly, she remembered something and asked, "Where is Jiang Yulang? I'd like to pay my respects to him during festivals."
Hearing this, Helian Duo couldn't help laughing. "That was just a story I told the emperor to deceive him. Yulang is fine. He just needs to rest and recuperate. I sent him to another place to recover."
"He's not dead?" Cheng Xiran felt her mind go blank. She had been sad for a long time. Fortunately, Jiang Yulang was okay. Otherwise, she would have felt guilty for the rest of her life.
"Ah!" A shrill scream came from the yard. Cheng Xiran instinctively took two steps back. She slipped and fell into Helian Duo's arms. She quickly stood up and kept a distance from him.
Seeing this, Helian Duo walked back, closed the courtyard door, and told Zuo Yan to gag Xiao You. Zuo Yan, who was torturing the man, looked at Xue Lianyu blankly.
Xue Lianyu shrugged and said, "Just do as he says. I think he's in love. He's never been so nervous before."
When Helian Duo came back, he somehow had a handful of jujubes in his hand. He stuffed them into Cheng Xiran's hand and said, "These were just picked from the yard today. Yulang likes them. I think you'll like them too."
The jujubes in her palm still had the warmth of his touch. Cheng Xiran was a bit embarrassed. She stuffed one into her mouth. The jujube was sweet and delicious, even better than the ones she had eaten before. She couldn't help giving Helian Duo a thumbs - up to show that it tasted great.
Helian Duo didn't understand her gesture. He thought she didn't have enough to eat, so he rushed back to pick some more. "These are all the ripe ones. I asked Zuo Yan to pick the rest this morning and send them to Yulang."
Cheng Xiran waved her hands repeatedly and said, "It's okay. This is enough." She felt that she should repay Helian Duo for his care, lest he use it as an excuse in the future.
"Are you free tomorrow? I'd like to invite you to dinner when I get back," Cheng Xiran said after swallowing the jujube in a hurry.