Hearing Xie Lang's inner thoughts, Shen Mingzhu's expression faltered. Subconsciously, she felt a bit uncomfortable and averted his half - smiling gaze. Then she changed the subject, saying, "Do you want to go and see Sister Xi Yu?" Xie Lang was well aware that Shen Mingzhu was trying to change the topic. He just didn't know why she suddenly seemed so guilty. So he squinted his eyes and replied, "No."
Shen Mingzhu and Li Xiyu must have something to talk about. If he went, he'd surely be disturbing them.
However...
Thinking of the last incident, Xie Lang felt a throbbing pain in his temples. He took a deep breath, then stood up and said to Shen Mingzhu, "But don't be like last time. While discussing things, suddenly give me a surprise."
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
"..." There definitely won't be a next time." Shen Mingzhu stood up and said to Xie Lang, "I'll discuss something else with you later."
"What's the matter?"
Xie Lang looked at Shen Mingzhu with an inscrutable look in his eyes. He was a head taller than her, so his gaze carried a bit of condescension. Considering what he had done in the past few days, Shen Mingzhu couldn't help but feel guilty. But she still stubbornly refused to show weakness. She pursed her lips and stared back at Xie Lang.
"Humph." She let out a soft laugh with a hint of provocation and said to the man in front of her, "I'm not telling you."
After saying that, Shen Mingzhu turned around neatly. After walking a few steps, she turned back and said, "Just wait."
Xie Lang was so annoyed by Shen Mingzhu's childish behavior that his teeth itched. It wasn't exactly anger, but a feeling hard to describe.
It was like... like the little cat under his care suddenly turned around and patted him with its paw, then swaggered away proudly and cutely, making him unconsciously smile.
Shen Mingzhu walked briskly with an involuntary smile on her lips. Just as she was about to step over the threshold, her sleeve was suddenly grabbed.
"Ah—"
She let out a soft cry of surprise. Immediately afterwards, she was enveloped by the jasmine fragrance that filled the air.
Shen Mingzhu fell backward. The next moment, she was pulled into a pair of strong arms. The man's hands wrapped around her waist, and his head rested on her shoulder.
She was really startled by Xie Lang. Then she exclaimed, "Xie Lang! Let go!"
[What? The magistrate may set fire, but the commoners may not light a lamp? Shen Mingzhu is really too much. She can tease me, but I'm not allowed to tease her back? Tut.]
Hearing Xie Lang's inner thoughts, Shen Mingzhu didn't want to admit that she was a bit flustered and angry. So she forcefully suppressed the anger in her heart and said to the man in front of her, "Let go. I still have things to do."
[No.]
"No." Xie Lang thought so in his heart and said so out loud. So he tightened his arms and hugged Shen Mingzhu tightly, saying, "I won't let go."
Shen Mingzhu was both angry and amused by him. She was too lazy to struggle and just said, "What's the use of holding me like this?"
"Do you want to make a fool of yourself in front of the servants coming and going?"
Xie Lang looked up and saw that the servants in front had either lowered their heads or left. They all tried their best to reduce their presence. Even Chun Tao had run to the corner, turned her back, and covered her ears.
"Really?" Xie Lang felt the delicate body in his arms and couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. Then he continued slowly, "It seems so."
After saying this, Shen Mingzhu felt the arms tightly holding her loosen. She thought Xie Lang was going to let her go, so she breathed a sigh of relief and was about to glare at him and then run away.
But unexpectedly, the man in front of her only loosened his hold briefly. The next moment, Xie Lang grabbed Shen Mingzhu's hand and pulled her into his arms. Then he calmly said, "Indeed, you're right."
At this point, he paused. The smile on his face was almost impossible to hide. He squinted his eyes like a cunning fox and said, "Thanks for the reminder. I really couldn't do anything just now."
Shen Mingzhu's eyes widened slightly. The next moment, the man in front of her suddenly leaned towards her. Her lips felt warm as Xie Lang pulled her tightly into his arms. One of his big hands pressed firmly on the back of her head with a hint of dominance.
"Um..."
Shen Mingzhu let out a cry of surprise. Broken words involuntarily spilled from her lips and teeth.
"Xie Lang... you... you brute!"
[Hahaha, brute it is.]
Shen Mingzhu: ...
He really had a nerve!
Shen Mingzhu gave him a disdainful look, but her thoughts drifted along with the man in front of her. The familiar jasmine fragrance filled her nose, and in front of her was Xie Lang's slightly warm body, pressing tightly against her through the not - too - thick summer clothes, adding a lot of ambiguity.
One of her hands was held by Xie Lang, but the other was still free.
Shen Mingzhu gritted her teeth secretly and began to think about how to break Xie Lang's kiss.
The next moment, she reached out and pulled out the hairpin from the man's hair. Xie Lang's hair instantly came loose and fell down. Some strands even covered his eyes.
Xie Lang had his face covered with hair. Then he let go of Shen Mingzhu and said with a bit of helplessness, "So resistant?"
[Does Shen Mingzhu really not like me?]
[It can't be...]
Xie Lang's inner thoughts instantly turned gloomy. Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu couldn't help but feel a tightness in her heart. Thinking that Li Xiyu was still waiting for her and that Xie Lang in front of her had suddenly fallen into such thoughts, she suddenly felt flustered.
"Sister Xi Yu is waiting for me!"
Shen Mingzhu didn't answer directly. Seeing Xie Lang stunned, she hurriedly lifted her skirt and turned around, saying, "We'll talk later!"
She didn't answer him directly. Does that mean...
Xie Lang stared at Shen Mingzhu's embarrassed back and fell into deep thought. But his heart gradually soared, and he even felt a bit giddy.
This was the first time Shen Mingzhu had said such a thing to him. She had never admitted it before!
When Xie Lang came back to his senses, he realized that he had been standing there grinning foolishly. So his face couldn't help but turn a bit red, and his ears gradually felt hot.
What should he do next?
Xie Lang thought for a moment. Without hesitating for too long, he stood up and left, walking towards the outside of the mansion.
...
When Shen Mingzhu pushed open the door, she saw Li Xiyu sitting in front of a small table with a look of uneasiness on her face.
"Zhaozhao!"
Li Xiyu suddenly turned around. Seeing Shen Mingzhu standing there, she suddenly stood up and looked at her. Her eyes carefully scanned Shen Mingzhu from head to toe. Then she let out a long sigh of relief and said to Shen Mingzhu, "It's good that you're okay. It's good that you're okay!"
After saying that, she grabbed Shen Mingzhu and scanned her again, asking, "What happened? Are you injured?"
"It's nothing serious. It's just..."
Shen Mingzhu rarely felt guilty and stammered in front of the person in front of her.
Just thinking about how she deviated from the plan and was kidnapped, and even the scene when that maid committed suicide in front of Li Xiyu, Shen Mingzhu felt full of uneasiness and guilt in her heart.
She couldn't imagine how much suffering Li Xiyu had endured when she heard the news about her.
She was silent for a moment and then continued, "It's really nothing serious."
Hearing Shen Mingzhu's tone, Li Xiyu's face immediately sank. The usual gentleness on her face disappeared. She looked at Shen Mingzhu and asked, "Where are you injured?"
Shen Mingzhu felt her heart filled with guilt. She lowered her head and said to Li Xiyu, "I accidentally scratched a small cut on my foot with a branch. It's very small. It's no big deal."