"Enough!" she said in a low voice, her face turning cold.
Pei Junwu, one day he will regret saying these words to her! These words that hurt her so deeply.
"Xiaoyuan, don't be childish." He spoke to her again in the tone of a father or older brother.
Hearing his tone, she couldn't help but sneer. "Senior Brother Pei," she said sarcastically, "I also have a question for you. You love your sister Juyuan, and you think she is the only one, the best, and incomparable to anyone else."
"I didn't..." He frowned, wanting to explain, but she interrupted him.
"With such a wealthy and beautiful fiancée, why do you come to me, hug me, and kiss me?"
He remained silent.
She burst into loud laughter, tears streaming down her face. "Senior Brother Pei, tell me!"
"I was wrong." He said coldly, "It will never happen again."
"I'm not asking that, I'm asking you why?!" Her eyes shone brightly, and she looked at him with intense contempt and disdain. It was the first time he had seen her look like that, and he felt both heartbroken and embarrassed.
“Because you’re beautiful!” He was stung by her gaze. “I was captivated by you the moment you kissed me. Isn’t that what you wanted? If that pleases you, I can tell you. You are indeed more beautiful than the most beautiful woman, and you can bewitch her fiancé. Is that enough?”
She swayed, filled with hatred—a hatred she had never felt before! Why did he make her hate him more and more each time?!
"That's enough. Great, I'm so happy," she said, forcing a smile. Why cry?!
He took a few steps, stopped, and without turning around, said, "Xiao Yuan, from now on, I am just your senior brother."
She burst into manic laughter, which startled Pei Junwu so much that he froze for a moment before quickly leaving.
Just her senior brother? What else does he think he can be besides senior brother? Pei Junwu, isn't he overestimating himself a bit? Fine, Heaven above, she, Li Yuan'er, swears that she will never fall in love with Pei Junwu in this lifetime!
Senior Brother Pei! Did he think he had beauties and wealth in his hands, and his martial arts and fame were at their peak? Hmph, one day he will lose both his wealth and his beauty, and become a laughing stock! The phoenix he had treasured for ten years turned out to be just a chicken, and the treasures he had put in his pocket were nothing but illusions!
The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, Chapter 35: Of the Same Kind
When Yuanxun entered Xiaoyuan's room with a bottle of wound medicine, he found her leaning against the headboard, lost in thought. He felt a pang of sympathy. Since arriving in the Central Plains, Xiaoyuan had always been preoccupied and hadn't had a single truly happy day.
“Xiao Yuan,” he approached her, “let’s go back to Xixia.”
Xiao Yuan looked at him, slightly taken aback. Western Xia? When he was in Western Xia, he felt that Sichuan was his hometown. Now that he was really back, he felt that Western Xia was also home.
"Not yet..." she smiled. Because they were close, she could smell the alcohol on Yuan Xun again. She gave him a reproachful look, "Why are you drinking in the middle of the day?"
“Oh,” Yuanxun said nonchalantly, sitting on the stool by the bed. “He was drinking with Murong. He said dragging it out wasn’t a solution and he needed to make things clear with Juyuan today. He even had a little to drink on the way there to bolster his courage.” He said this with great amusement.
Xiao Yuan pursed his lips. How could the Murong family produce such a person? No wonder Master Murong was chasing after him to beat him up. He's utterly useless! Impulsive, reckless, and unable to assess the situation.
"Xiao Yuan, I'm a little worried." Yuan Xun swallowed, his mouth was dry after drinking the wine, so he turned around, poured himself a glass of cold tea, and gulped it down.
Xiao Yuan looked at him, her eyes questioning him.
"It seems that Senior Sister has really fallen for Young Master Hang. She has been taking care of him every day for so many days."
Xiao Yuan nodded but didn't reply.
“If my senior sister marries him, she won’t be able to return to Western Xia with us,” Yuan Xun said with distress. “The three of us won’t be able to stay together all the time.”
Looking at his childlike, innocent expression, Xiao Yuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He reached out and took his hand, looking at him, but didn't know what to say. He thought... the three of them would be together forever.
Yuan Xun also squeezed her hand, and the trouble he had just felt vanished in an instant. He put on his usual smile again, "I forgot about the important matter. I'll change your dressing. Senior Brother Pei has entrusted this task to me."
Hearing his name abruptly, her face paled. "No need, I won't change!"
Yuanxun didn't notice anything unusual about her expression. He took out a medicine bottle from his pocket and kept talking to himself, "How can we not change it? It will leave a scar and heal slowly."
"Put it there, I'll do it myself," she said coldly. "Let's go see Young Master Hang and Senior Sister now."
Sure enough, one thing distracted Yuanxun from the previous one, and he rushed over to help her up.
Two maids stood outside Hang Yisu's room, the door tightly shut. One of the maids gestured to them and whispered, "Young Master is treating Young Master Hang's injuries; we can't go in now."
Xiao Yuan was hesitating whether to wait or go back when the door opened and Yan Minyu appeared with a happy expression. Despite taking care of patients for several days in a row, she was still full of energy.
"Xiao Yuan, come in quickly, it's all ready." She greeted him happily.
Inside the room, Hang Yisu was still sitting cross-legged on the bed, covered in sweat. Although his face was pale, his energy had mostly recovered.
Pei Junwu had just gotten out of bed, covered in sweat and looking exhausted. Treating Hang Yisu's injuries had taken a toll on his strength and energy. Xiao Juyuan tenderly wiped the sweat from his forehead and cheeks with a handkerchief.
"Young Master Hang, are you feeling better?" Xiao Yuan stared intently at Hang Yi Su, his eyes fixed on him.
"I'm much better." Hang Yisu's voice was still weak. "Thanks to Brother Pei for healing me several times, I'm recovering quickly."
Yan Minyu skillfully wrung out a hot towel to wipe his sweat, and the two smiled at each other.
“You must take extra care of yourself now that you’re injured, Young Master Hang. Do not eat anything that is cold in nature.” Pei Junwu only looked at Hang Yisu.
"Did you hear that? Did you hear that?" Yuanxun tapped Xiaoyuan's nose. "You can't keep dragging your feet on changing your dressing."
Xiao Juyuan laughed, "Little Yuan, are you afraid of pain and afraid of seeing your wound? If it's inconvenient for you, Senior Brother Tuoba, I can change it for you."
Xiao Yuan looked up at her. Her smile was pure and beautiful, but behind those smiling eyes always flickered a elusive and unpredictable glint. He wondered if Pei Junwu could see it.
"No need, I can handle this little injury myself." She gave a slight upturn of her lips.
Hang Yisu looked ashamed. "Miss Xiaoyuan, I...I'm sorry."