Xiao Man breathed a sigh of relief when Nangong Yu left, and then got up to dress.
Nangong Yu watched Xiao Man dressing behind the screen, a nameless emotion brewing in his eyes. He wanted to ask Xiao Man if there was truly a real relationship between her and Wen Mohan, but he didn't know what grounds he could ask on. After all, Wen Mohan was her nominal fiancé. It seemed as if whatever they did was natural. But thinking like this made Nangong Yu's heart ache. Xiao Man was his woman, how could Wen Mohan be worthy of touching her!
Xiao Man finished dressing and came out, wringing her hair with a handkerchief. "Why are you running around outside instead of recuperating properly in the manor? You'll easily worsen your injuries like this."
Nangong Yu lowered his gaze, tapping his fingers on the table, contemplating how to speak. After a long thought, he asked, "Are you hungry? I'll make dumplings for you."
Xiao Man shook her head, her expression weary. "I've been busy with the spring hunt these past few days and haven't rested properly. I'm not hungry, just very sleepy."
Nangong Yu was momentarily at a loss for words, staring blankly at Xiao Man.
Xiao Man found it strange. "Did you come here for nothing today?"
"I have something to say." Nangong Yu gritted his teeth. "Xiao Man, let's get married."
The handkerchief in Xiao Man's hand fell to the ground with a *pat*. Her damp long hair immediately cascaded down, sticking to her face and making her expression appear even more shocked.
"Are you... stimulated?" After thinking for a long time, this was the only possibility Xiao Man could come up with. At this crucial moment, for him to come and talk about marriage was unlike Nangong Yu, unless someone had provoked him to such a degree of irrationality!
Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man's composed and unashamed face, and his resolve wavered. All of this was his conjecture. In reality, Xiao Man and Wen Mohan were entirely innocent and had no relationship whatsoever.
"Xiao Man, do you like Wen Mohan?" Nangong Yu asked nervously. He had always understood that Xiao Man placed Wen Mohan in a rather special position, a little more than a friend, a little less than a lover. Yet, it was this very position that made him feel extremely dangerous, because Wen Mohan was too intelligent.
He would probe Xiao Man's boundaries bit by bit, then approach little by little, finally skirting the edges and slipping within, making it impossible for Xiao Man to notice.
"Yes, I like him." Xiao Man replied frankly. "It's hard not to like someone like him."
"I mean, the kind of liking a woman has for a man."
"I do." Xiao Man still didn't hesitate. A woman could like a man in many ways. She might like his power, or his money, or even his handsome face and perfect physique. There were too many kinds of liking a woman could have for a man. But when men liked women, it always involved lust! Su Dan novel website
Nangong Yu's eyes flickered, a hint of panic in them. "How much do you like him?"
"I can't say." Xiao Man picked up the handkerchief from the ground and continued to dry her hair. "I like his unwavering spirit, I like his gentle personality, and I like the way he speaks softly and tenderly."
Nangong Yu's heart sank to the bottom, a frost settling in his star-like eyes. "You like him, then what about me?"
"As I said, you are different." Xiao Man sat down to the side and poured a cup of tea. "Mohan is like a orchid that needs careful nurturing, while you are like a tall pine tree."
"He needs nurturing?" Nangong Yu laughed in anger. "He's a grown man, and he needs a woman to nurture him?"
"Who says men can't be nurtured?" Xiao Man said lazily. "Men have moments of weakness too, they want someone to comfort and support them. They are all flesh and blood people. Just because they are men, they shouldn't be deprived of the right to be soft."
"So, you had to personally detoxify him?" Nangong Yu's suppressed rage was instantly ignited. He stood up abruptly, leaning aggressively on the armrest of the chair Xiao Man was sitting in. "Just because he's weak, you have to betray me?"
Xiao Man furrowed her brows. "When have I ever been loyal to you? And when have I ever betrayed you?"
These words were like a basin of cold water poured over Nangong Yu, chilling him to the bone. Yes, he and Xiao Man had been intimate, but that was all. Whether she was Duguman or Xiao Man, she had never expressed loyalty to him.
"You are this prince's woman. Whether alive or dead, you can only be this prince's woman!" Nangong Yu said through gritted teeth. "Your flirting with other men is a betrayal of this prince! If you value other men more than this prince, this prince doesn't mind killing them!"
Xiao Man looked at Nangong Yu calmly. "So, this is why you killed my father?"
Nangong Yu felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. The color drained from his face, his anger extinguished as if his blood had frozen, making him tremble uncontrollably, yet unable to utter a single word of rebuttal.
"You shattered my father's chest bones, making him suffer immensely before his death. You watched me grieve and run around trying to catch the murderer. Aren't you happy about that?"
Nangong Yu staggered back two steps, creating distance between himself and Xiao Man. He looked at her cold expression. He wanted to explain, that it was a misunderstanding, that he hadn't killed her father, that he had been framed. But no matter how he opened his mouth, no sound came out.
"You cared about my investigation, not because you truly wanted to catch the murderer, but because you were afraid of being exposed, weren't you?"
Nangong Yu shook his head. No, it wasn't like that. He was just afraid. Afraid that Xiao Man would cut ties with him completely if she found out. He was afraid of losing her, which was why he had tried his best to conceal it.
"You linger around me every few days, aren't you afraid?" Xiao Man's expression was so cold it was almost ruthless. Every word that came out of her mouth was like a knife piercing Nangong Yu, leaving him bleeding.
"Every night when you sleep, don't you have nightmares?" Xiao Man didn't spare him because of his pained expression. Her own heart was bleeding. When Cen Yu told her that Nangong Yu had shattered her father's chest bones, she didn't believe it at all, because she trusted Nangong Yu.
But Nangong Yu's behavior was too strange. She learned from Ye Qing that Nangong Yu had suffered a backlash, which was why he was so badly injured. Yet, she still wanted to believe him. However, the matter of Murong Shengrui constantly reminded her not to repeat the mistakes of the Dugu family by placing her trust in someone unworthy.
So, she had people investigate Nangong Yu's every move. She had no evidence because Nangong Yu was too clever to leave any clues or proof for her. Thus, taking advantage of Nangong Yu's distracted state, she tested him. To her surprise, the test revealed the truth!