Could something urgent have happened?
The more Cheng Xiran thought about it, the more frightened she became. Finally, she simply ordered Zhuque, "Go and hire a carriage quickly. We're going to Feiyu Villa!"
Zhuque was in the dark, but seeing how anxious she was, she didn't ask any more questions and immediately went to do as she was told.
Cheng Xiran rushed to Feiyu Villa in a hurry. By now, the sky had already grown very dark. The path into the mountain was surrounded by thick forests, and hardly any moonlight could penetrate. If she weren't sure this was the territory of Feiyu Villa, she would really have been afraid of running into bandits next.
She had been here before, so the servant guarding the villa gate recognized her and led her straight to look for Xue Lianyu.
It seemed as if she was the only one in the whole world who was in such a hurry.
When she was led to the courtyard where Xue Lianyu was, this guy was leisurely counting money there, while Chu Liyin beside him was also sitting there with her chin propped up on her hands, watching.
"Master, Miss Cheng from the Cheng family is here."
As soon as the servant announced her arrival, Cheng Xiran had already walked up to Xue Lianyu and directly asked, "Is He Lianduo here with you?"
Xue Lianyu was completely stunned. It took him a moment to come to his senses. He stood up and said, "A Duo isn't here with me. Why are you looking for him and even coming all the way here? And seeing how anxious you look, has something happened?"
Cheng Xiran briefly explained the reason. Xue Lianyu's reaction was obviously not as strong as hers. Instead, he was even calmer than before. "You don't know him well. He's always been rather mysterious. So you don't need to worry too much. Maybe he's already back in the prince's mansion by now."
Chu Liyin immediately gave Xue Lianyu a gentle punch on the cheek and said discontentedly, "It's as if you know the prince so well..."
Cheng Xiran had no time to listen to the two of them joking around. Since she couldn't get any useful information here and Xue Lianyu really seemed to be in the dark, she was about to leave when Chu Liyin quickly grabbed her. "Sister, although Xue Lianyu is really mouthy, what he said does make sense. Look at the prince. Does he seem like someone who would get into trouble? He's really powerful!"
She rambled on a lot. Cheng Xiran was a bit annoyed by what she said, but upon closer inspection, it was actually quite reasonable.
"Come on, my dear sister. You rarely come to Feiyu Villa. Stay here for the night. I have so many things I want to talk to you about!"
Unable to refuse, Cheng Xiran agreed. It had to be said that Feiyu Villa had truly beautiful scenery. Due to its unique geographical structure and being located in the mountains, the moon always seemed clearer and more distinct here than elsewhere.
During dinner, Uncle Xue asked her a lot of questions about her and He Lianduo. Every time he asked a question, her longing for He Lianduo grew stronger. In fact, it wasn't just longing; there was also a bit of anger.
Seeing Cheng Xiran looking worried, Xue Lianyu patiently comforted her. "Xiran, don't worry. I've already sent someone to the prince's mansion to find out the situation. As soon as there's any news, they'll come and report it."
"I'm sorry for disappearing for a day and making everyone worried."
Suddenly, a very familiar voice came through her ears. Almost instinctively, Cheng Xiran stood up. When she looked in the direction of the voice, she happened to meet He Lianduo's affectionate gaze.
She carefully sized him up from head to toe. Seeing that his complexion was still good, she felt a little relieved.
Uncle Xue led the relatives in the mansion and bowed to He Lianduo who was walking towards them. "Greetings, Your Highness!"
He Lianduo stepped forward and pretended to support him. "Uncle Xue, didn't I tell you before? Lianyu and I are colleagues and brothers. So you're also my uncle. If you're still so polite to me, I won't recognize it."
"Your Highness, you've finally showed up. Sister has been so worried about you!" Chu Liyin quietly interjected.
The servants added a set of tableware, and He Lianduo sat down next to Cheng Xiran.
"I deliberately disappeared for a day to investigate some things..." He Lianduo stared deeply at Cheng Xiran and then continued, "I went to the newspaper office to look for you but didn't see you. I went to the Cheng mansion and only then did I hear from the butler that you had come to the villa."
Cheng Xiran looked calm on the surface, and there wasn't even a trace of ripples in her eyes.
She was angry, but she still gave He Lianduo enough face.
Xue Lianyu asked what it was all about, but He Lianduo just glossed over it perfunctorily, which made Cheng Xiran suspect that he might have used this as an excuse to do something else unknown.
After dinner, He Lianduo asked her if she wanted to go back. Since she had promised Chu Liyin, she refused.
"I heard from Zuo Yan that you came to look for me early this morning. Did you have something to talk to me about?"
Cheng Xiran casually opened and closed the lid of the white porcelain teacup. Listening to the crisp sound one after another, she replied indifferently, "It's nothing. I just woke up too early and was bored."
He Lianduo continued to ask unhurriedly, "You should have something you want to ask me, right?"
Seeing Cheng Xiran with a slightly solemn face, He Lianduo moved closer and said, "Actually, I know that you sent someone to follow me last night."
Yes, who was he? He was the great regent. If he couldn't even recognize such a clumsy little trick, he might have died many times over the years.
Cheng Xiran suddenly felt that she was a bit stupid. All her thoughts were so obvious, as if she didn't even need to say anything and he could quickly figure it out.
She slightly disliked this feeling, so she pretended to move to the side.
The next second, her small hand gently resting on the teacup was suddenly held by He Lianduo. He explained, "I went to Huayan Pavilion last night to discuss something serious. Don't you know my character yet?"
Cheng Xiran's heart softened all of a sudden.
She hated herself. Clearly very angry, but as soon as he coaxed her a little, she immediately gave in.
"Don't disappear out of the blue for so long again. Do you know how worried I've been?"
Before she could finish her words, she was gently pulled into He Lianduo's arms.
"Okay, okay, okay. I promise you that this kind of thing will never happen again."
The two were just enjoying their tender moment when a soft giggle came from not far behind them.
The two of them turned their heads in unison and saw Chu Liyin squeezing out of the flower bushes with a smile on her face.
"Liyin, what are you hiding in there for?"
Cheng Xiran asked in confusion.
She replied brazenly, "Of course I'm here to learn. I'm learning how you two fall in love."
Cheng Xiran quickly broke free from He Lianduo's embrace, and the atmosphere became a bit awkward.
"Chu Liyin, how can you peep like this!"
Xue Lianyu also quickly ran out from the dark and grabbed Chu Liyin's ear. "You, you. I really don't know what to say about you!"