"Yes!" Qin Xiaoyou nodded heavily, as if trying to use this posture to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling that inexplicably welled up in her heart.
"Why?" Bai Yuxiao asked in a low voice.
"Why what?" Qin Xiaoyou asked, puzzled.
"If you felt it was unnecessary, then why did you accept my jade pendant?" Bai Yuxiao asked sadly.
"I confiscated it!" When the jade pendant was mentioned, Qin Xiaoyou suddenly felt a surge of anger, and her tone was also quite unpleasant.
"Confiscate it?" Bai Yuxiao frowned. "But that night when you were drunk, you clearly..." He abruptly stopped speaking. Qin Xiaoyou, intrigued, quickly asked, "What did I clearly do?"
Bai Yuxiao didn't respond, but instead changed the subject, asking, "Xiao You, do you know that as soon as I heard you were missing, I immediately sent people to search for you everywhere, I..."
"I'm a perfectly healthy person, with hands and feet and a sound mind. What's there to look for? Don't worry, nothing will happen." Qin Xiaoyou interrupted Bai Yuxiao before he could finish speaking.
"Okay, okay, okay." After saying "okay" three times, Bai Yuxiao's expression suddenly turned cold. "It seems I, Bai, have been presumptuous. Fine, fine. Since you don't remember, I'll pretend nothing happened that night. Don't worry, I won't bother you anymore. This time, I was too meddlesome. You had already left, indicating you didn't want to see me, yet I still searched for you everywhere. Don't worry, after today's farewell, I won't appear before you again!" After saying this, without waiting for Qin Xiaoyou to speak, Bai Yuxiao opened the door and disappeared into the night.
Qin Xiaoyou felt a mix of annoyance and sadness. What did Bai Yuxiao mean? He suddenly appeared, said a few nonsensical words, and then left. And what did he mean by "never to appear before me again"? Did he mean they would never see each other again in this life? Although she had insisted on leaving without a word, seeing Bai Yuxiao say this still made Qin Xiaoyou feel very uncomfortable. She hadn't said she didn't want to see him again; she just wanted to sort out Qin Qin's network of relationships and figure out some things on her own. Besides, what exactly had she done to Bai Yuxiao that night when she was drunk? That bastard Bai Yuxiao left without explaining himself, and judging from his angry expression, could it be that she had taken liberties with him while drunk? The thought sent a chill down Qin Xiaoyou's spine.
Chapter 26, Why are you peeking at me?
When Zui Linglong returned from her walk to digest her food, she saw Qin Xiaoyou sitting alone on the edge of the bed, looking angry. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Hey, what did that Young Master Bai do to you? Why are you so angry?"
Qin Xiaoyou looked up with a deep sense of resentment, beckoned to Zui Linglong with a finger, and Zui Linglong leaned closer. Qin Xiaoyou then began to speak indignantly. Zui Linglong listened and nodded, finally concluding after Qin Xiaoyou finished: "It's definitely wrong, so wrong!"
Qin Xiaoyou, looking like she'd found a kindred spirit, grabbed Zui Linglong's hand and said tearfully, "So tell me, should I be angry? This white jade flute is really going too far, isn't it!"
Zui Linglong looked at Qin Xiaoyou with suspicion, then looked at her again, and after struggling for a while, slowly said, "I'm saying you're wrong."
"What? You're saying I'm wrong?" Qin Xiaoyou's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Of course you're wrong," Zui Linglong said, casually undressing and pulling the blanket over herself, explaining to Qin Xiaoyou with the air of an experienced woman, "It's understandable that he's angry. You left without even saying a word. Let me tell you, based on my years of experience judging people..."
The two heads on the bed drew closer and closer, and for a moment Qin Xiaoyou felt as if she had returned to her middle school days, sleeping and chatting with her best female friend.
Let's set aside the story of Qin Xiaoyou and Zui Linglong lying in bed sharing their secrets and talk about Qin Wu and Ren Dong. Ever since Qin Wu's straw hat was stolen that day, he hasn't bought a new one to wear all day and pretend to be mysterious. For several days in a row, Ren Dong couldn't help but peek at Qin Wu from time to time. Even Qin Wu, a tough and thick-skinned man, felt uncomfortable being stared at.
That night, Qin Wu couldn't sleep and went for a stroll. He unexpectedly saw Ren Dong leaning against an osmanthus tree in the yard, lost in thought. Qin Wu initially intended to turn away; he never liked dealing with women, finding them synonymous with trouble. However, remembering Ren Dong's recent strange behavior, he hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself and approached her.
"Looking at the moon?" After standing behind Ren Dong for a while, Qin Wu finally managed to utter this question. The sudden voice startled Ren Dong, and when she turned around, Qin Wu saw her face streaked with tears. Ren Dong initially wanted to cover herself with her sleeve, but then she thought, since she'd already been seen, she decided not to hold back and simply let herself cry freely in front of Qin Wu.
Honeysuckle's outburst startled Qin Wu, leaving him flustered. He wanted to comfort her, but his tongue trembled, and he didn't know what to say. Yet, simply turning away seemed inappropriate. So, Qin Wu stood there, watching Honeysuckle cry.
Fortunately, Ren Dong knew her limits and quickly composed herself, wiping away her tears and forcing a smile as she said to Qin Wu, "I'm sorry you had to see this."
Seeing Ren Dong's aggrieved expression, Qin Wu felt a tightness in his chest for some reason. He really wanted to find out who had bullied Ren Dong so he could go and find the culprit and beat them up. However, Qin Wu then shook his head, not understanding what had gotten into him. Ren Dong usually treated him coldly and never gave him a kind look. Shouldn't he be happy to see her being bullied? Even if he wasn't happy, he shouldn't have this thought of standing up for her.
Ren Dong watched as Qin Wu frowned and shook his head vigorously as if denying something. She couldn't understand what he was trying to do, but she wasn't interested in knowing. She lowered her head slightly and said, "If Brother Qin has nothing else to say, then I'll go back to my room first."
"Oh? Brother Qin?" Hearing Ren Dong's address, Qin Wu raised an eyebrow. When did this girl become so polite to him? But calling him Brother Qin didn't sound bad. Hearing Ren Dong say she was leaving, Qin Wu remembered the purpose of his trip and quickly reached out to stop her, saying, "Don't rush off, I have something to ask you."
Honeysuckle stopped, looking puzzled. "What is it?"
"This..." Seeing that she had actually stopped, Qin Wu scratched his head, suddenly unsure how to begin. Seeing his troubled expression, Ren Dong assumed he wanted to ask why she had cried earlier, and immediately turned cold: "I don't think it's necessary to explain my private matters to you." With that, she flicked her sleeve and turned to leave. Qin Wu, flustered, grabbed Ren Dong's wrist. Ren Dong blushed, stamped her foot, and whispered, "What are you doing?" Qin Wu then realized his mistake and quickly let go, but immediately stepped in front of Ren Dong, saying, "Don't rush off, I really have something to ask you."
Rubbing her wrist, which had been gripped so tightly, Ren Dong felt a mix of shame and anger. In all her years, apart from her father, she had never been so intimate with a man, and her heart was pounding. However, seeing Qin Wu's expressionless face, she guessed he had acted rashly in his haste to stop her. Ren Dong suppressed her disappointment and asked with a bitter smile, "What do you want to ask?"
Qin Wu scratched his head, wondering how to bring it up, not noticing Ren Dong's expression. After hesitating for a while, he thought it wouldn't matter whether he asked sooner or later, and since he'd run into her today, he might as well ask to avoid tossing and turning at night thinking about it. Having made up his mind, Qin Wu stopped being coy and stared intently at Ren Dong, "Since that day, you've been acting strangely?"
"Which day?" Ren Dong asked, puzzled.
"Uh, it was that day, the day my straw hat went missing." Qin Wu, who was usually expressionless and serious, blushed uncontrollably. Fortunately, it was nighttime and the two of them were standing in the shade of a tree, so Ren Dong did not notice his unusual behavior.
"Why am I acting strange?" Honeysuckle was still puzzled.
"Why have you been sneaking peeks at me all this time since that day?" Seeing that Ren Dong didn't understand what he meant, Qin Wu decided to be blunt and ask directly.
Upon hearing Qin Wu's words, Ren Dong immediately became furious. Did Qin Wu mean that she had something going on with him? She retorted with a hint of anger, "Which eye of yours saw me looking at you?"
"I saw both of them," Qin Wu replied earnestly.
Ren Dong gritted her teeth, thinking to herself that she really hadn't expected this guy to be so shameless, as he usually seemed quite honest. Without saying a word to him, she pushed him aside and ran back into her room.
Seeing how quickly Ren Dong's face changed, Qin Wu muttered to himself helplessly, "I knew it. Dealing with women is the most troublesome thing. They can turn on you in an instant and don't listen to reason at all. I really don't understand them."
"Brother Qin is right." Qin Wu had barely finished speaking when a voice of agreement came from above. Qin Wu hurriedly looked up to find this kindred spirit, but he couldn't see anyone. He only heard the words left behind by the person before leaving: "If you want to drink, come find me in the peach blossom grove on the western outskirts of the city."
"Heh, that's interesting." Qin Wu rubbed his nose, thinking that since he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight anyway, having someone to drink with wouldn't be bad. Without hesitation, he took a few quick steps, used his light footwork, and like a nimble cat, darted across the rooftops towards the peach blossom grove the man had mentioned.
Chapter 27, It Turns Out We Were Acquainted
The place wasn't far, but it wasn't close either. Qin Wu walked for about half an incense stick's time before finding a small thatched hut deep in the peach grove. The outside looked dilapidated, but the inside was quite clean. Qin Wu unceremoniously sat down, first taking a sip of wine before asking, "What are you doing here?"
Judging from Qin Wu's tone, it seemed that the person who invited him for drinks was an old acquaintance. The man didn't seem to mind Qin Wu's impoliteness, as if he was already used to Qin Wu's overly familiar manner in front of him. He took another wine glass, poured himself a drink, and after tasting it carefully, said, "I suddenly regret it a little."
Qin Wu raised an eyebrow and asked with interest, "Regret? Is there anything in this world that could make Young Master Bai regret something?"
Bai Yuxiao sighed and said softly, "There are too many things in this world that I can regret. Meeting you is one, and asking you to drink is another." After saying that, she glanced at Qin Wu.
Qin Wu sensed the sarcasm in his words but didn't care much. He stretched out his hand, replaced the small wine cup in his hand with a small bowl on the table, poured the bowl full, tilted his head back and drank it down, sighing, "That's refreshing!"
Bai Yuxiao shook her head, saying with great heartache, "This is the Hundred Flowers Wine that I finally found, and you've ruined it like this."
Qin Wu scoffed: "What's so great about this wine? It's nowhere near as good as the wine in my old man's cellar."
Bai Yuxiao held a cup of wine and slowly smelled it, seemingly intoxicated by the aroma. After a while, he spoke, with a hint of dejection: "Your wine estate has countless fine wines. This little bit is naturally not worthy of your attention, Fifth Young Master Qin."
Qin Wu frowned, interrupting Bai Yuxiao with displeasure: "Are you alright? Why are you acting so strangely today?"
Bai Yuxiao didn't answer him, but stared at the wine cup in his hand. "Although drinking from a small cup is elegant, it can't satisfy our desires. Let's go outside and drink." With that, he tossed a wine jar to Qin Wu, picked one up for himself, and walked outside first.
Watching Bai Yuxiao's retreating figure, Qin Wu gave a wry smile. Although they had known each other for over ten years, he still couldn't figure out Bai Yuxiao's personality. No matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't understand what Bai Yuxiao was thinking. But since he couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried, he might as well stop thinking about it. Qin Wu was never one to create trouble for himself. He then picked up the wine jar and followed Bai Yuxiao out.
The two drank in silence for an unknown amount of time before Bai Yuxiao suddenly asked, "Why are you with her?"
Qin Wu was stunned for a moment, and it took him a while to realize that the "she" Bai Yuxiao was referring to was Qin Xiaoyou. He stretched and casually replied, "We just happened to run into each other."
Bai Yuxiao gave him a deep look, her eyes filled with disbelief. It couldn't possibly be that simple. She didn't bother beating around the bush and asked directly, "You heard about her amnesia, so you came here specifically to join the fun?"
Seeing that he had been exposed, Qin Wu didn't seem embarrassed at all. After taking a sip of wine, he generously admitted, "I did come to watch the fun."
"So, did you figure anything out?" Bai Yuxiao asked, shifting his position and placing the wine jar on his lap.
"Well," Qin Wu seemed a little embarrassed, and after thinking for a while, he said, "I don't know how to describe this feeling, it's just pretty strange."
"You also find it strange?" Bai Yuxiao's expression turned serious.
"Hmm. Quite strange. Before, she couldn't wait for me to leave, acting like she never wanted to see me again. But ever since my appearance was revealed, she keeps stealing glances at me. Today I asked her why she was stealing glances at me, and she wouldn't even admit it." Qin Wu said with a conflicted expression.
Bai Yuxiao's expression grew increasingly grim as she listened, and she finally couldn't help but ask, "You're saying she's been secretly watching you these past few days?"
"Yes, that's right." Qin Wu nodded.
Bai Yuxiao's expression turned colder: "Why would she be spying on you?"
"Probably because they think I'm too handsome." Qin Wu stroked his chin and thought for a moment before giving what he considered the most accurate answer.
Bai Yuxiao glanced at Qin Wu with disdain. "How is that possible? Anyone who isn't blind can see that I'm clearly more handsome than you. Why is she looking at you instead of looking at me?"
"That's true, but I guess she prefers my rugged type." "Tch, I don't believe Qin'er would like your type." Bai Yuxiao continued to criticize and put down his young master. If the head steward of the Bai family, who had watched Bai Yuxiao grow up, were to see his young master like this, he would be greatly surprised, because Bai Yuxiao was like a sulking child, determined to prove that he was the best.
Hearing Bai Yuxiao's words, Qin Wu reached out and touched his forehead, then leaned over to feel Bai Yuxiao's forehead, but was slapped away by the young master Bai. Bai Yuxiao looked at Qin Wu irritably, "What do you want?" Qin Wu looked completely confused, "I know Miss Qin wouldn't like my type, I never said she would. Are you out of your mind or am I deaf? I was clearly talking about honeysuckle, why did you suddenly bring up your sweetheart?"
"I really shouldn't have invited him for drinks today." That was Bai Yuxiao's only thought after hearing Qin Wu's words. He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. All he wanted to do now was smash the wine jar in his hand against Qin Wu's round head. He really didn't know how someone with such an unreliable personality could have become the leader of the thirteen Southern sects. It was truly strange that all those shrewd old men below him remained calm and didn't rebel.
Perhaps guessing what Bai Yuxiao was thinking, Qin Wu put the wine jar aside, casually lay down on the grass with his hand behind his head, and said with some self-satisfaction, "Do you think I act like this in front of others as I do in front of you? Haven't you heard what people in the martial arts world say about me? Calm, cautious, serious, and with the demeanor of a senior master."
Bai Yuxiao twitched his lips. Indeed, this guy usually wore a deadpan expression when he was traveling around the world, which perfectly hid his unpredictable nature under that appearance.
Having already rambled on for too long, and considering the purpose of her meeting with Qin Wu tonight, Bai Yuxiao decided it was best to get back to the point. Otherwise, if things continued like this, she didn't know what other unrelated topics they would ramble on about. "When did you get together with Xiao You?"
"You mean Miss Qin?" Qin Wu casually plucked a blade of grass, chewed it a couple of times, and thought for a moment. "I was her coachman when she left Youzhou."
Bai Yuxiao lowered his head and thought for a while before asking again, "Did you discover anything?"
"What did you find?" Qin Wuming feigned ignorance.
Bai Yuxiao weighed the wine jar in her hand, pondering the best angle to smash it. Seeing that Bai Yuxiao was truly unhappy, Qin Wu quickly dropped his previous nonchalant demeanor and said, "It's her."
"Are you sure?" Bai Yuxiao pressed.
"Of course." Qin Wu rolled his eyes.
Bai Yuxiao fell into deep thought again. Since Qin Wu said so, then there was no problem. But why did Qin'er suddenly lose her memory? This was truly puzzling. And why did she change her name to Qin Xiaoyou? Was there some deeper meaning behind it?
Seeing Bai Yuxiao's pained expression, as if she was about to hold in her poop, Qin Wu kindly asked, "Do you want to know the reason for her amnesia?"
Bai Yuxiao looked up, thinking, "Wow, it's rare to see Qin Wu reliable for once." But Qin Wu's next words made him realize how foolish he had been to place his hopes on him. Qin Wu said, "Since you're curious, why don't you go ask her yourself?"
Bai Yuxiao didn't even bother to roll her eyes; she simply turned to the side and stared blankly into the dark night. Qin Wu was quiet for a moment, then suddenly spoke up: "Although we're not close, she's my only cousin, so you'd better treat her well."
“By the way, I remember when we were little I asked you about Qin’er’s background, and you said you would help me find out, but then we never heard from each other again?” Bai Yuxiao suddenly turned around and asked.
"Sigh, don't even mention it. It's all because of you. I went to ask my dad, and as a result, my butt got swollen from the beating, and I was thrown into the wine cellar and locked up for a month." Qin Wu sighed, his face wrinkled. The old man was really ruthless back then; just thinking about it now makes his butt hurt.
"That's strange?" Bai Yuxiao frowned. Hearing this, Qin Wu sat up. "That's right. Later, I encouraged Qin'er to ask her once. I don't know what my father said to her, but the two of them stayed in the study for an afternoon. And then, as you know, Qin'er was taken away by her strange and elusive master. After that, I haven't seen her much or heard much about her."
Bai Yuxiao curled his lips in disgust: "How can you be a cousin like this?"
"What can I do? Qin'er has never liked to talk since she was little, and she's not close to me. But you, every time you come to the village, she's like a little tail sticking to you and you can't shake her off. Back then, I even joked that when Qin'er grew up, I would betroth her to you." Qin Wu looked at the starry sky and spoke of the past with a touch of emotion.
“But she doesn’t recognize me at all now,” Bai Yuxiao said with a wry smile.
"Whose fault is that? It's your fault for disappearing without a word for over ten years. Oh right, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. Qin'er returned to the Wine Cellar Manor once in the seventh year after she went up the mountain with her master, but unfortunately I wasn't there. The servants said she seemed to have something to give you, so she stayed at the manor for a day, but she left before you arrived." Qin Wu clapped his hands in surprise.
Bai Yuxiao glared at him: "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
Qin Wu looked puzzled: "What difference does it make whether you say it sooner or later? Qin'er doesn't know you anyway."
"That's true." Bai Yuxiao's mood was a little down.
"Hey, aren't you going to go find Qin'er?" Qin Wu suddenly leaned close to Bai Yuxiao and asked in a gossipy manner.
"I have important business to attend to these next two days, so please take good care of her for me. I'll come back to her after I'm done and explain what happened back then to her." As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Yuxiao disappeared several feet away.
Qin Wu lay back down on the grass, laughing as he said, "Your lightness skill has improved quite a bit in the past few years." His voice wasn't loud, and it was unclear whether he was speaking to himself or to Bai Yuxiao.
Chapter 28: What should I do next?