Xie Jiang said, with her arms crossed, "Since you already know this was a ploy to trick you, you can still back out now."
Xu Hengyan replied, "I will never go back on my word."
Xie Jiang raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. "What credibility do you, Young Master Xu, still have? Back at Yongfeng Village, you said no matter what happened, we would always be good friends."
Xu Hengyan said, "I was terribly wrong." Terribly, terribly wrong.
He had actually thought that a harsh parting was the best choice for both of them.
"Since you are so sincere, begging to get back together with me, you want to get back together with me, right?"
As Xie Jiang spoke, her expression suddenly turned fierce, as if she would drag Xu Hengyan down with her if he dared to say no.
Xu Hengyan dared not disobey her. "I am sincere and beg Young Master Xie to be magnanimous and forgive me."
Xie Jiang was somewhat satisfied with Xu Hengyan's attitude, but she still wouldn't give him a pleasant look. "Since you insisted on getting back together with me, shouldn't you tell me properly what kind of madness you've been in lately? What went wrong, or what upset you? If you think I haven't done enough, tell me, it's not like I can't change."
Xu Hengyan looked at her. "There's nothing you've done wrong; it's my own problem."
Xie Jiang scrutinized him. "What problem do you have? Where did you go wrong?"
Xu Hengyan said, "The incident that morning, don't you remember?"
Xie Jiang asked, "Which morning? What incident?"
Xu Hengyan said, "It was when we returned from Yongfeng Village. You said you couldn't sleep alone and slept in my room. The next morning..."
"The next morning? Did something happen?" Xie Jiang frowned, trying hard to recall. "Didn't I just... didn't I just..."
Xu Hengyan's breath hitched. She remembered...
"I remember you seemed to fall out of bed. Did I kick you out? Is that why you wanted to break off our friendship?"
Xie Jiang's eyes widened in disbelief. "Xu Hengyan, are you kidding me? You're doing this over something so small? Didn't you also kick me out of bed? Did I make a fuss about it? Is our friendship so fragile?"
Seeing her bewildered expression, Xu Hengyan said helplessly, "It's not that. Do you really not remember anything at all?"
"Was there anything else? Wasn't I asleep? What else could have happened? Did I fart in bed?" Xie Jiang tried to recall for a long time, her eyes growing more confused.
Xie Jiang rubbed her own head, but after a long while, she still couldn't remember what had happened that early morning to make Xu Hengyan want to break off their friendship.
Unless, with that kick that sent Xu Hengyan flying, she had accidentally hit him in a sensitive spot.
"Could it be... did you see a doctor? Are you infertile?"
Xie Jiang lifted Xu Hengyan's hem and reached out to touch his vital area.
If she had really injured him, it was no wonder he wanted to break off their friendship!
In Xu Hengyan's mind, it was as if a thunderbolt had struck, exploding with a deafening roar.
"Let me take a look. Is it really bad? Have you tried anything? Is Miss Shen still in Ninghe? Should I..."
"Xie Jiang!" Xu Hengyan grabbed her wrist, wanting to break it off.
"Was my kick that hard?" He saw her exquisite acting.
"It's not what you think. I... I'm not injured. Don't touch me!"
"So fierce. I was just concerned about you, worried you'd lose the pleasure of your later years," Xie Jiang mumbled.
Xu Hengyan looked at her with a deep gaze and silently thought to himself, "My pleasure in my later years is you."
"Then do you remember if you dreamt of anything at that time?" Xu Hengyan gently guided her, perhaps she thought she was dreaming?
"Speaking of dreams, there was one. I dreamt I went out to sea and sank several pirate ships, rescuing many beauties with high noses and deep-set eyes. One of them was so beautiful..." Xie Jiang became animated when talking about this.
Seeing her eyes light up with excitement, Xu Hengyan's face darkened involuntarily. "You remember this kind of dream so clearly?"
Xie Jiang snorted. "Ever since then, you wanted to break off our friendship, and I haven't had a good dream since. Can you say I wouldn't remember it clearly?"
"..."
Xu Hengyan had considered that this person, who was always carefree, might not remember that incident. At the time, he hadn't fully woken up, and it was merely an instinctive action in his daze.
But he hadn't expected her to forget it so completely, leaving not even a vague impression.
He had been worrying for nothing all these days.
Xie Jiang said impatiently, "It's neither this nor that. Then what was it?"
Xu Hengyan lowered his eyes. "Actually, it's nothing. It's good that you don't remember. It's not a big deal; I was being petty."
"So you don't need to give me an explanation and just brush it off so casually? I'm really too pitiful and too easy to bully..." Xie Jiang lay down sadly on a rock behind her.
"Then shall I let you bully me back? I misunderstood some things."
The thorns that had been blocking his path were swept away, and Xu Hengyan's state of mind changed dramatically.
However, the bloodstains on her body still made his heart clench. "Has your old injury relapsed? Are you hurt anywhere else?"
Xie Jiang leaned lazily against a large rock, arrogantly lifting her chin at him. "I told you, the injuries are all in my heart, the kind that don't heal easily. What do you plan to compensate me with?"
Xu Hengyan looked at her, his eyes deep. "Whatever you want, I'll give it to you."
"Whatever I want, you'll give it to me?"
"Everything."
Xie Jiang was about to ask Guang Bai and the others to bear witness, but when she looked up, they were nowhere to be seen. Only Guang Bai's half-covered skull was visible in the distance.
"Even though no one is here to bear witness for me, you have to keep your word."
"Of course, I will. Where exactly are you injured? Do you have any medicine with you?"
"I'm not injured."
Xu Hengyan thought she was saying this to ease his mind. He raised his hand and gently scraped away the dried bloodstain on her lips with his finger.
"The evidence is right here, and you're still being stubborn?"
"Is it difficult to circulate your qi and spit out a mouthful of blood? Does tricking the dignified Young Master Xu require no effort?" Xie Jiang said as a matter of course.
"..."
Xu Hengyan realized what it meant to be so angry he gnashed his teeth only after meeting her.
"You're really not injured?"
"I already told you I was tricking you. Do you really think I went after that bandit leader alone?"
"..."
Xu Hengyan was simply speechless. "Should I praise you for not acting rashly this time and knowing how to act?"
Xie Jiang said, "Shouldn't I be praised? Or do you wish I had done it for real?"
Xu Hengyan chuckled helplessly. "You've certainly improved by not trifling with your own safety. But have you ever considered what would have happened if I hadn't come?"
"Guess."
Xie Jiang stared at him and smiled chillingly, filled with a terrifying malice.
She had been digging this pit for so long, playing the cute and troublesome girl in front of him for so long. If he still didn't jump into the pit, what was the point of his eyes?
If Guang Bai were here now, his hair would be standing on end from being stared at.
However, Xu Hengyan didn't feel any fear at all. Xie Jiang's expression in his eyes was like that of a little tiger pretending to be fierce.
Xu Hengyan rubbed her forehead, a smile appearing in his eyes. "I won't not come."