Xie Yun’s voice from outside shattered her wandering thoughts.
All that remained was her racing heart.
“Xiao Jing? Are you there? Jiujiu is gone!”
The knocking at the door continued, each rap sending her heart pounding faster.
Xie Jing’s eyes also opened. Qin Jiujiu looked at his face and their gazes met. Embarrassment quickly flooded her, but the knocking outside successfully pulled her thoughts back.
Yet, the hand around her waist hadn’t moved.
His eyes were bloodshot. Still groggy from waking, his peach blossom eyes were slightly narrowed, falling upon her face and lending a hint of deep affection.
Qin Jiujiu took a deep breath, telling herself it was all an illusion!
She wouldn’t be fooled by this bewitching man again!
Xie Jing’s eyes gradually cleared, though a distinct displeasure surfaced. As the knocking persisted, the displeasure in his eyes grew more pronounced.
His voice seemed to emanate from his nasal cavity. She heard him say, “I haven’t seen her.”
That simple statement caused Qin Jiujiu to cast her gaze back at his face. How could this man lie so brazenly?
The voice outside continued, “Xiao Jing, we’re right outside, open the door!”
It seemed Xie Yun and the others wouldn’t leave unless Xie Jing opened the door.
The moment Qin Jiujiu heard he was about to enter, she grew anxious. She tried to escape his embrace, but he, perhaps intentionally, suddenly extended a long arm and pulled her back just as she thought she was free.
Her back pressed against his chest. In that instant, she trembled as if electrocuted.
The disparity in strength, coupled with his strange movement, made her squirm, wanting to distance herself from him.
The people outside still hadn’t left!
She felt the temperature behind her rise significantly. His breath reached her nostrils, his exhalation brushing her earlobe, causing her face to flush crimson!
Her breath hitched as she heard his hoarse voice, “Don’t move!”
It felt as though a fire had engulfed them. Though his body temperature was actually quite low, it now felt as if a blaze had erupted, threatening to consume her.
Qin Jiujiu quickly stilled, afraid to move. But the commotion outside continued, and Xie Yun sounded as though he would push the door open at any second.
A scene flashed in her mind—a monumental social faux pas! Like being caught in the act of an illicit affair!
She could only try to negotiate with Xie Jing, “Um… how about I go out the window?”
Xie Jing chuckled softly, “Can’t you wait to let them see you like this?” If she went out the window, she’d be instantly spotted by those outside. Qin Jiujiu didn’t know the layout of this room and assumed the door and window were in opposite directions, unlike her own room.
But why was he so indifferent?
The system suddenly appeared, “This is his room, and you’re the one who ran in here…”
“You can shut up! Nobody will think you’re mute if you don’t speak!”
Qin Jiujiu’s outburst silenced the system. This host was becoming increasingly short-tempered. It seemed spending time with the villain had made her quite audacious!
Indeed, proximity to vermilion makes one red, and ink makes one black!
Xie Jing suddenly loosened his grip on her waist. As the restraint around her waist vanished, she instinctively pulled the quilt up higher.
He stood up and moved towards the door, as if to open it.
Qin Jiujiu instinctively hid herself under the quilt, even slowing her breathing, fearing the people outside would hear.
“The great villain won’t let them in, will he?”
“Possibly!”
The system’s schadenfreude-filled tone infuriated Qin Jiujiu. “Do you believe I’ll beat you up!”
The system laughed even harder this time, dancing unseen backstage. Suddenly, it heard Qin Jiujiu say, “Do you remember the agreement we signed?”
A bad feeling bloomed in the system’s core, and it fell silent. Qin Jiujiu continued, “I know what reward I want now…”
The system: …
It didn’t dare to appear again.
The door opened. Qin Jiujiu tried her best to minimize her presence. She heard Xie Yun’s voice, “Jiujiu is gone…”
From their conversation, it seemed they hadn’t become suspicious yet. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, she heard Xie Yun say, “You’re so injured yesterday? Why didn’t you treat it? It’s all bruised…”
Xie Yun stared at the bruises on Xie Jing’s neck and exposed skin, assuming they were injuries from his fight with Hei Xiazi yesterday. He then cautioned him to apply medicine before leaving.
Qin Jiujiu hadn’t initially understood Xie Yun’s words. Bruises?
She suddenly remembered what she had just seen—Xie Jing seemed to have opened the door without properly dressing!
So those marks Xie Yun saw were her doing!
To verify her suspicion, the moment the door closed, she quickly turned to look at Xie Jing.
Sure enough, his white undergarment was draped loosely, sliding down with his casual movements, as if about to fall off.
Qin Jiujiu instinctively said, “You should put your clothes on properly!” Her stern tone fell upon Xie Jing’s ears. He looked down, as if discovering something amusing, and chuckled.
“Do you recall these marks…?”
Qin Jiujiu had no desire to get entangled with him further. She was already covered in a thin layer of sweat and felt suffocated in this space. She just wanted to escape.
Wrapped in the quilt, she sat up. Xie Jing stood by the bed, watching her leisurely, without bothering to put on his ill-fitting clothes.
“Didn’t you say it was from a black bear?”
Xie Jing suddenly burst into laughter, this time unrestrained, his laughter quite loud.
Qin Jiujiu retrieved her clothes with effort. The lingering smell of alcohol made her frown. Hearing Xie Jing’s laughter, her hands, busy dressing under the quilt, paused.
“It was a silly rabbit’s doing!”
She couldn’t fail to recognize the sarcasm in his words, but her clothes were now on, and all she needed was to leave this room. Thus, she didn’t want to continue this conversation!
She replied absently, “Is that so! It seems that rabbit is quite fierce!”
Completely ignoring that the silly rabbit was her!
She continued, “Second Young Master Xie, it’s getting late… I won’t disturb your rest anymore…”
As she was leaving, she added with feigned concern, “The weather is still a bit cold! You should put on your clothes properly to avoid catching a chill…”
Xie Jing had no intention of touching her again, so he simply watched her actions without intervening. However, her words did amuse him!
He felt as though Qin Jiujiu was reprimanding him for not dressing properly!
System: The villain is truly a master of wisdom!
Qin Jiujiu returned to her room and quickly changed her clothes, pretending she had just returned from exercising.
Liu Jin and the others, unable to find her, returned to her room, only to find Qin Jiujiu there.
“Jiujiu? You…”
Her words were interrupted by Qin Jiujiu, “I just finished working out!”
Qin Jiujiu’s expression was calm. Liu Jin saw the light sweat on her forehead and her flushed complexion, which indeed resembled someone who had just exercised, and thus believed her.
System: She did just finish working out!
Soon, they had spent nearly a month in Chunfeng Du. It was late autumn, and the weather had grown quite cool.
The steward from the Qin Estate paid a visit. The grandeur of his arrival in the city caused quite a stir in Chunfeng Du. The common folk mistook it for an engagement procession, with such an impressive entourage entering the General’s Estate.
However, no good news from the General’s Estate followed.
Qin Jiujiu looked at her steward and the mountain of goods behind him. Although Master Qin had mentioned it in his letter, she was still somewhat taken aback. Had he brought half the Qin Estate with him?
It was evident that the Qin Estate’s wealth was even more substantial than she had imagined!
But what truly mortified her wasn’t the gifts, but the fact that Master Qin had directly brought a letter for Liu Qi. Of course, she wouldn’t have known this if the steward hadn’t let slip a few words later on.
Her father had actually discussed her marriage with Liu Qi!
What could she do with such a father?
She did notice Liu Qi’s evasive gaze when he faced her after the steward’s arrival.
It wasn’t until the day the steward was leaving that she learned the reason, after which she also felt a sense of awkwardness.
Steward: “My lady, please take good care. In a few days, Master will personally travel to Xiliu City to discuss your marriage with the City Lord. Master loves you the most, and he will find a way to secure this marriage for you! Although our Qin family is merely a merchant household, incomparable to the hereditary titles of the Liu family, we are immensely wealthy, and Master has extensive connections…”
Qin Jiujiu couldn’t absorb the rest of his words. At this moment, she was unsure whether to be moved by her father’s devoted love for his daughter or anxious about the sudden marriage she was about to face.
So she cut short the steward’s rambling, “Steward, it’s getting late, you should depart quickly…”
Then she hurried him onto the carriage.
Turning back, she saw Xie Jing squinting at her, his expression seemingly darker than the evening sky.