Acuerdo de Mu Yucheng

Capítulo 78

Wanlan's face was extremely pale. She glared at the man in front of her, who was in pain, and said, "Why did she only say this after it happened? Since you were poisoned and she took the initiative to approach you, she couldn't possibly have mistaken you for Zhao Dezhao, could she? Even though she is ill, she shouldn't be so confused, right? Have you forgotten some important clue?"

“An important clue?” Xue Weiji murmured, repeating her words, and went through the events of that night three months ago again. “I remember… I rushed into the cabin and saw her sitting peacefully on the grass. I immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and then… she seemed to look up, see me, smile, and say something…” What was it again?

Wanlan's eyes lit up. "What did you say?"

"She said 'You've come'—" Xue Weiji was suddenly shocked. Why did Su Xin say that at that time? What happened later could be explained by her being driven mad by his violation or having a mental breakdown, which made her mistake him for someone else. But why did she say "You've come" to him in the first place? Did she mistake him for someone else from the beginning? That's why she approached him with such concern?

"You've come..." Wanlan murmured, but her thoughts were completely different. She smiled and said to Xue Weiji very seriously, "So, the person Suxin is waiting for is you!"

"What?!"

Xue Weiji stood up in shock, his face turning deathly pale. "How could this be... She was clearly going to meet the Prince of Yan, how could she be waiting for me?" No... it can't be... If Su Xin was waiting for him, if Su Xin had been waiting for him all along, and yet he treated her like that...

My God... how much pain must she be in?

"Xue Weiji!" Wanlan roared at him, hoping to dispel all the chaotic thoughts in his mind. "Do you even understand what I mean? Su Xin may have had a promise with Zhao Dezhao, but the fact that she could smile and say those words to you at that time shows that she was very clear-headed, that the person she was waiting for was you. And her later initiative to approach you also shows that she absolutely did not see you as someone else. Regarding that matter, she knew from beginning to end that the man holding her was you! Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Xue Weiji stared dumbfounded at the frantic woman before him. It was the first time he had ever seen her so agitated. He had always thought of her as a gentle princess. What was she saying? She said that Su Xin knew he was the one holding her? Why would Su Xin allow him to hold her? Didn't she always dislike him?

"Wanlan." Zhao Defang, who had remained silent, sighed and pulled Wanlan back into his arms. "Calm down."

Wanlan took a deep breath and pouted in annoyance, "Who told him to be so stubborn? I've made it so clear, but he still refuses to accept the fact that Suxin doesn't reject him at all and might even like him. How am I supposed to stay calm?"

Do you like him?

Xue Weiji smiled bitterly. Su Xin's attitude of avoiding him like the plague was so obvious; how could the Princess possibly believe that Su Xin liked him? She even—

"She said that if there is an afterlife, she never wants to be my sister again, but how could that be possible..."

Wanlan was exhausted. She buried her face in Zhao Defang's arms and said in a muffled voice, "Zehua, tell him that I don't talk to stubborn people." It made her want to abandon all reason and lash out at him.

Zhao Defang chuckled softly, patting her back. Meeting Xue Weiji's bewildered gaze, he smiled and said, "Young Master Xue, Wanlan's analysis just now was actually quite accurate. Following that line of reasoning, it's not hard to understand Miss Xue's thoughts." He paused, then continued, "She never mistook you from the beginning. Not only did she know it was you who came to see her, but she also knew that you were the one who accompanied her from start to finish. In such a lucid state, you can't doubt her intentions. As for her saying she didn't want to be your sister..."

Zhao Defang chuckled softly again, looking helplessly at the "stubborn" man opposite her. "If Miss Xue likes you, but she doesn't know that the man she likes is not actually her biological brother, she will naturally hope that you are not siblings if she mistakenly believes you are her brother. Young Master Xue, do you understand?"

Xue Weiji was stunned by his clear explanation and stood there, unable to move.

Is this what Su Xin is thinking?

Chapter 81

The new year has passed quickly.

After a few days, because the weather was too cold, Zehua forbade her to go out. Wanlan was very depressed by being confined, but she had no choice. If that man could only feel at ease by using this method, she simply couldn't resist.

Before we knew it, it was the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Yuxing Street. Ten thousand colorful lanterns were stacked into a mountain of lights, with lanterns and fireworks reflecting each other in a dazzling display of gold and jade. Tourists gathered under the corridors on both sides of Yuxing Street to watch various kinds of magical arts, songs and dances, and a variety of performances, with music and noise that could be heard for more than ten miles.

In the streets and alleys, teahouses and taverns were lit with candles, gongs and drums resounded, firecrackers crackled, and lights stretched for miles.

"It's so lively."

Disguised as an ordinary citizen, Wanlan put her arm around Zhao Defang, whom she had pulled out, and they walked along, marveling at her beauty. Being confined for several days had resulted in this outing, which was quite a good thing; her persistent pleading had been very effective.

Zhao Defang held her close to prevent her from being jostled by the crowd and said with a light smile, "In previous years, it would have been even more lively than this."

Seeing the street food stalls and colorful lanterns, Wanlan's childlike heart was stirred. She dragged Zhao Defang to a vendor's stall and took down the top five-petaled lotus lantern. Turning to look at the person behind her, her almond-shaped eyes filled with surprise, she said, "Zehua, let's buy a lantern and release it by the river later!"

Zhao Defang covered her mouth and chuckled, glancing sideways at Lan Wu beside her and nodding. Lan Wu stepped forward, paid the silver, and smiled at the girl with the same innocent smile as his master.

"What are you laughing at? Was what I said funny?" Wanlan was greatly annoyed, her cheeks flushed, feeling extremely embarrassed by her actions. Was Zehua laughing at her for being so childish, a mother of a child?

Zhao Defang smiled and waved her hand, "No, of course you can go release the lanterns. We can stroll over there together."

Turning around with the lantern in her hand, Wanlan said as she walked, "I wonder where Xuan'er went? I told her to be careful because there are many people on the street before I left, but I didn't expect her to get separated from me in less than a quarter of an hour."

"With Lan Wen with you, don't worry."

As soon as Zhao Defang finished speaking, a sudden surge of people rushed into the street. He quickly pulled Wanlan aside and led her to a stall on the side of the street. Seeing many people running in one direction, he asked a stall owner nearby, puzzled:

"What happened?"

The vendor replied with a smile, "Sir, everyone is rushing to the East City to participate in the lantern riddle competition. If you're interested, you might as well take a look. I heard that the prizes are lanterns specially designed by the Chai family for this event, and they can't be bought anywhere else in the city."

Wanlan glanced sideways in surprise and asked, "The Chai residence? What's the purpose?"

The vendor was even more surprised than she was. "You're not from the capital, are you? You don't even know the Chai family? The Chai family participates in the lantern riddle festival every year, and the lanterns they design for the festival are all unique each year."

"Really?" Wanlan stared in surprise, then turned to Zhao Defang. "Zehua, 'Let's go take a look too? These are unique lanterns that can't be bought anywhere else in the city; they must be so beautiful!'"

"If I had known this would happen, you wouldn't have needed to buy this lantern earlier." Zhao Defang chuckled, then put his arm around her and followed the crowd toward the east side of the city.

Wanlan blinked, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, and glanced at him sideways. "Are you sure you can win the prize, my lord?"

A soft laugh followed her words; it came from Lan Wu, who was following behind her.

Zhao Defang glanced back at him indifferently, and Lan Wu immediately stopped laughing, coughed lightly, and straightened his face again with a very serious expression.

Wanlan chuckled and nudged the man beside her, "What are you doing? Are you sure you can make that 'one-of-a-kind lantern that can't be bought anywhere else in the city'?"

Zhao Defang sighed and ruffled her hair. "Just you wait and see!"

In front of the Moon-Viewing Tower in the East City, a crowd had already gathered around rows of lantern riddle stalls, shaking their heads and trying to decipher the riddles. Lan Wu stepped forward and made a narrow path for the two of them to squeeze into the stalls. Wan Lan reached out and took a slip of paper with a riddle written on it from a lantern:

"The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are separated by the Milky Way. Shoot the medicine name with dosage."

Zhao Defang took the note from her hand, glanced at it, and smiled, saying, "Chuan is cut in two."