A single sentence almost made Yi Yan Geng have a heart attack.
What did he know was wrong?
Did he expect her to watch her get close to another man and remain indifferent?
Even knowing she had ulterior motives, that all appearances were false, he couldn't remain calm.
But he was indeed wrong, terribly wrong.
How could he lose his temper and express his displeasure in front of her?
It was fine to do so behind her back.
In front of her, he had to use some tact.
He also needed to know where to draw the line.
No matter how unwilling he was, he had to admit a cruel fact.
He wasn't that important in her heart.
She had truly forgotten him.
Of their past, only he still lingered, cherishing it in his heart.
He didn't have the right to be willful in front of her.
He needed more patience.
Until, without her even realizing it, he could gradually enter her heart.
Yi Yan Geng did not hesitate to admit his mistake.
There was plenty of time.
Xie Jiang was very satisfied with his attitude; knowing his place was important.
"You're so busy, how do you have time to come?"
She cupped his face, which was sculpted by heaven and earth, and touched it again and again.
Yi Yan Geng let out a light sigh, "With you here, what else can I do?"
Xie Jiang saw the bloodshot in his eyes and kissed his honey-sweetened lips forcefully as a reward, "You came here day and night?"
"I heard that Young Master Xie showed great skill in Gangshi Town, killing over three hundred Yellow Orchid Mountain bandits with more than thirty escorts, leaving them in disarray and with hardly any survivors."
"After arriving in Ninghe, you also displayed your might, purchasing over ten mountain peaks in one go, and I heard you plan to open a factory to produce colored glaze."
"People in the capital are very curious about Young Master Xie's next moves. Even His Majesty, upon receiving the reports from Duke Xu and Bai You, summoned me to Yuan You Palace with great interest to ask a few questions."
"Young Master Xie, you either do nothing or make a grand move. Of course, I can't be an exception, so I came specifically to take a look."
Xie Jiang hooked his neck and brought her head close to his face, "Then do you think it looks good?"
Seeing the two embracing, as if they couldn't bear to be apart, Aunt He immediately led the two young maids far away. From the looks of it, anything could happen next.
It was just that both of them were travel-worn and covered in mud, yet they didn't mind each other's dishevelment.
As soon as Xu Hengyan returned to the county office, he heard that Xie Jiang had also returned early. He washed his face, changed his clothes, and prepared to go to the back street to have dinner with Xie Jiang.
Perhaps it was because he was too lonely, but she was always happy when he visited.
Xu Hengyan also got used to going over to sit for a while when he had time. They would eat a meal, have a cup of tea, and also understand the preparations for the glazed tile factory.
As a result, if he had free time now and didn't go to eat with her, he would feel inexplicably embarrassed.
Just as he was about to leave, Guang Bai told him, "Duke Yi has come to Ninghe. He arrived this evening and went straight to Young Master Xie's place."
Xu Hengyan was stunned when he heard this, "Duke Yi is here? Is he still here?"
What did Duke Yi come to Ninghe for? Going straight to Xie Jiang's place, was he coming for her?
"Duke Yi also arrived not long ago. He hasn't come out since entering. It's probably to have Young Master Xie examine him. Young Master Xie was treating Duke Yi's injuries in the capital before."
Xu Hengyan nodded, accepting Guang Bai's guess, and then turned back into the room.
Guang Bai asked when he saw this, "Is the Duke not going anymore?"
Xu Hengyan decided not to go. Since Yi Yan Geng was at her place, there was no need for him to go.
Guang Bai hesitated, "Then should we inform Young Master Xie? Young Master Xie knows the Duke is at the county office and might be waiting for the Duke to eat with her?"
...
Aunt He originally thought that given the affectionate state of the two, it would take at least half an hour. To her surprise, before half an hour had passed, the young master called her to serve the meal.
Aunt He secretly glanced and saw that the young master's complexion was not good, but it wasn't too bad.
Although nothing was eaten, it was estimated that he had taken plenty of liberties.
Just then, Guang Bai came to deliver a message, saying that Duke Xu would not be coming for dinner tonight.
Yi Yan Geng's expression remained unchanged, but he sneered inwardly, "He's not coming for dinner tonight, which means he came for dinner every day before?"
Living on opposite streets, eating together every day...
Yi Yan Geng told himself to calm down. She had deliberately followed Xu Hengyan to Ninghe; could they really not interact?
From her series of actions, she had her own plans for coming to Ninghe. It was not denied that it was related to Xu Hengyan, but it was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
He actually didn't need to pay too much attention to Xu Hengyan.
Xie Jiang let out a faint "oh." Facing Yi Yan Geng's face, she didn't have the energy to think about Xu Hengyan.
Yi Yan Geng immediately felt much better.
The two went to the hall to eat together.
After the meal, Xie Jiang asked Yi Yan Geng, "How long can you stay in Ninghe?"
Yi Yan Geng said, "At the latest, I have to leave by tomorrow morning."
"So soon?"
He had indeed come specifically to see her, and the time spent with her was less than the time spent on the journey.
"Then will you finish your business here and return to the capital soon?"
Returning to the capital was, of course, inevitable; that was her ultimate destination. "Then where are you planning to stay these two days?"
Xu Hengyan's smiling eyes flickered, "Young Master Xie, would you be willing to take me in for two days?"
"My bed would be very happy to take you in," Xie Jiang wished she could drag him upstairs right now and not let him down until the morning of the day after tomorrow.
"The side room over there is perfectly fine."
It wasn't that he didn't want to fulfill her wish, but he didn't even have a formal title yet. If she got him so easily, she would cast him aside in a few days.
He didn't want to be loved for his looks.
He only wanted to be the person in her heart.
Yi Yan Geng sighed silently.
It was a long and arduous journey.
Smiling at her like that, making her restless, and then wanting to sleep in the side room!
Xie Jiang almost lost her temper, but thinking that he was only staying in Ninghe for two days, she decided not to waste time.
"Then let's go take a bath together. It's been a long journey, so let's relax." She hooked his finger, wanting to pull him away.
Absolutely not!
Yi Yan Geng withdrew his hand, firm yet polite.
"Goodbye!"
Xie Jiang turned and left.
Yi Yan Geng shook his head helplessly.
After sitting quietly for a while, figuring she wouldn't come back, he got up and went to the side room.
While bathing, he seemed to have thought of something and asked Wen Feng to lock the door from the inside and block it securely with something.
Wen Feng carried out the order with a head full of questions.
Was it necessary to be so vigilant and defensive for a bath?
Soon, Wen Feng knew that it was indeed necessary.
Just as he finished blocking the door, someone reached out and pushed the door from the outside.
At first, it was a quiet push, clearly an attempt to sneak in.
When he realized he couldn't push it open, he started kicking it with his foot.
Wen Feng looked back at his master in shock.
Yi Yan Geng, who was in the bathtub, straightened up, ready to get out of the tub at any moment, and picked up his clothes to cover himself.
After kicking twice and finding that it wouldn't open, Xie Jiang's angry voice came from outside, "Yi Yan Geng, are you sick!"
Wen Feng stared worriedly at the seemingly flimsy door.
Miss Xie is...
A hooligan!