"You won't?" Mr. Li leaned forward abruptly, his gaze beneath the cloak exceptionally cold, even carrying a hint of ice.
This caused Xue Zi Ning to involuntarily step back a few paces. "You..."
She saw Mr. Li let out a soft laugh, a laugh that carried an indescribable feeling. "What... what are you laughing at?"
Xue Zi Ning sat in the corner, gritting her teeth as she spoke. She felt that Mr. Li was doing this deliberately, deliberately acting this way.
Mr. Li didn't reply, continuing to close his eyes. She looked up to appraise him.
She noticed that aside from the face mostly concealed by the cloak, what remained visible was his tightly pursed lips, which seemed almost perfect. A thought suddenly struck her: what did this Mr. Li actually look like? She was very curious.
However, she surmised it would be one of two extremes: either very ugly or exceptionally handsome, otherwise, why would he conceal his face with a cloak?
"Mr. Li, you always cover yourself like this, don't you find it very inconvenient?" she finally couldn't help but ask.
His closed eyes opened. Mr. Li was slightly lowering his head. Although she couldn't see his eyes clearly, she could feel the chill emanating from his gaze.
For some inexplicable reason, she felt as if the air around her had become much thinner, and a chill seeped into her body. She shivered involuntarily. "Well, Mr. Li, you can ignore my question. I'm just curious, that's all."
Mr. Li raised his eyes slightly. She felt that piercing, cold gaze. "Curiosity killed the cat."
She was startled. His gaze was too profoundly cold, like the ice and snow of winter, subtly invading her heart.
"Mr. Li, you are right. I will be careful." She quickly squeezed herself further into the corner. She didn't want to be frozen into an ice block by that gaze.
Suddenly, Mr. Li grabbed her wrist. Before she could react, she was enveloped by Mr. Li's cloak.
A crisp, clean scent enveloped her. She trembled all over. "You..."
Abruptly, Mr. Li, holding her, broke through the roof of the carriage. From a distance, hundreds of arrows pierced the air, flying towards her and Mr. Li.
Just as she was about to break free from Mr. Li's embrace to dodge the hundreds of arrows, she heard his low voice echo in her ear, "Trust me."
His deep, chilling voice entered her ears. Miraculously, her heart seemed to calm down. She had never felt such peace and tranquility before.
She closed her eyes, gripping his lapel tightly. The hand he had placed around her waist was burning hot.
She only heard the whistling of the wind, and in a moment, her feet touched the ground. His voice reached her ear, "You're safe now. Open your eyes."
She opened her eyes and saw his jawline, so exquisitely formed, even gleaming. Below his jaw were his lips, like peach blossoms in March. And further up, perhaps his gaze was as radiant as the dawn?
She instinctively reached out, wanting to pull aside his cloak. Before her hand could even touch it, he suddenly pushed her away.
Caught off guard, she was pushed back. She took several steps back before regaining her balance.
"It's safe here. You can return to the Prince's manor yourself!" he said, his voice still as cold as ever.
Only then did she realize how quiet the surroundings were. She knew those who had tried to assassinate her or him would not give up easily. Yet, she heard no sounds of pursuit. It seemed they were far from the ambush site.
He turned to leave. An intense feeling suddenly surged from the depths of her heart. Watching his retreating figure, she suddenly called out, "Mr. Li."
She saw his figure pause, but he didn't turn around, remaining with his back to her. "Is there something else?"
"Do... do you know Yan Zhao?"
She stared intently at his back. He chuckled softly. "Guard Ning, are you testing me? How could I not know him?"
Her body trembled. "You... you know him? You are..."
"Yan Zhao, the incredibly brave Young General Yan of the present dynasty, how could I possibly not know him?"
"I..."
"Guard Ning, I don't know who your master truly is, but I'll give you a piece of advice. It is Prince Jing's reign now. Let go of those thoughts you harbor!" With that, he left.
She was stunned. Leaning against a tree behind her, she let out a soft laugh. "How could he be him? No, it can't be."
Her body slowly slid down. She covered her face, tears pouring out at this moment. She didn't know how long it had been since she last cried, how long? It felt like a very, very long time.
Yan Zhao, where are you, really?
Truly, truly, I can hardly hold on.
The wind rustled. She raised her head, gazing at the swaying branches. Wiping away her tears, she stood up. He had done so much for her, and waited for her for so long. And she had only waited for how long?
Yan Zhao, I will wait for you, for you to come and get me.
Upon returning to the Prince's manor, Xue Zi Ning realized something was not quite right. She felt that as the servants in the manor passed by her, their gazes seemed off.
It wasn't just one person. Eventually, unable to bear the scrutiny, she grabbed a young attendant and asked coldly, "Why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face?"
The attendant, terrified, quickly shook his head. "Guard Ning, spare me! Guard Ning, spare me!"
Seeing the attendant's frightened state, almost losing his senses, she frowned but didn't release him. "If you don't tell me what's going on, I won't let you go."
The attendant, trembling, quickly said, "Guard Ning, I was wrong. I beg you to be magnanimous and forgive me!"
Xue Zi Ning became even more confused. Since when did she possess such great influence?
"Truly acting the bully because you have backing. But then again, some people do have a patron now."
Xue Zi Ning looked up and saw Sun Hao appear, uttering such a remark indifferently.
"Patron? What patron?" she asked Sun Hao.
Sun Hao snorted coldly. "What are you pretending to be so aloof for?" He walked forward and stopped in front of her, saying with a sneer, "Ning An, I truly underestimated you. You didn't manage to climb onto the Prince's bed, but you've hooked up with Mr. Li."
Xue Zi Ning was stunned. She frowned and asked Sun Hao, "What do you mean by that?"
"Ning An, what's the point of acting so pure and noble at a time like this?" Sun Hao said sarcastically.
She grabbed Sun Hao's lapel with one hand and said coldly, "Clarify what you're saying."
"What? Having a patron now, you're going to make a move on me?" Sun Hao's gaze was full of mockery.
"So what? I have a patron, and you don't. So don't speak to me in that passive-aggressive tone anymore. It's one thing if I find it displeasing, but it's another if the saber at my waist finds it displeasing. What do you say?"
Sun Hao trembled all over and gritted his teeth, "I... I understand."
"Good. Now tell me, what exactly happened?"