"Lu Jiangfeng, can we change our request?"
She was a married woman and it was inappropriate for her to have any ambiguous relationships with other men. His hand touched her face, the action was too intimate. Not to mention that a jealous man would be jealous, she didn't want such intimate actions either.
"Why?" Lu Jiangfeng asked calmly, showing little surprise at Shen Lixue's rejection.
"I... am not in a good position!" Shen Lixue made up a casual excuse.
She was a married woman, and Lu Jiangfeng was a young man. Even in modern times with more open-minded views, touching someone's face would be controversial, let alone in feudal ancient times where men and women were separated and children under seven years old were not allowed to sit together.
"Well... never mind!" Lu Jiangfeng smiled lightly, neither happy nor sad.
They compromised so easily!
Shen Lixue thought she would have to argue with Lu Jiangfeng for a long time before she could convince him.
"Make one more request, and I will never refuse you as long as I can do it!" Lu Jiangfeng was considerate, and Shen Lixue was not one to renege on her promise; she still had to repay the life-saving grace.
"I have no other requests. If it's inconvenient for you, then forget it!" Lu Jiangfeng smiled slightly, his smile as warm as a spring breeze in March. "It's getting late. Let's go back so that Mother and Grandmother won't worry!"
Madam, Lady Hou!
Speaking of them, Shen Lixue recalled Lu Jiangfeng's sudden appearance last night: "Third Young Master, you escorted the Old Madam and the Marquis's wife back to the manor, why did you come back?" At the time of the incident, it was already late at night, and Lu Jiangfeng should have been resting at the Zhenguo Marquis's manor, but he actually came to the deserted wilderness to rescue her.
"I was worried because you hadn't returned to the manor, so I came out for a walk and picked you up. I didn't expect to run into an assassination attempt by the Duke of Mu's manor!" Lu Jiangfeng said casually, as if he didn't care about what happened last night.
Shen Lixue smiled awkwardly: "We are just friends who met by chance, you don't need to go to such lengths!" In the middle of the night, fearing that something might happen to her, he rushed out of the mansion to pick her up, which is beyond the scope of concern of ordinary friends.
“Now that you’ve moved into the Zhenguo Marquis’s residence, you’re a friend and family member of the Marquis’s family. We’re not just strangers who met by chance!” Lu Jiangfeng’s voice was soft and sincere, with a faint glint in his dark eyes. The Zhenguo Marquis’s residence wasn’t a place anyone could just move into, especially someone who lived next door to Lu Jiangfeng. They weren’t just guests invited by the Marquis’s family.
Looking at Lu Jiangfeng's handsome face and unfocused black eyes, Shen Lixue felt a pang of guilt. She had entered the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion with the selfish intention of finding out news about Huasheng, but she hadn't expected the people in the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion to treat her so sincerely.
She could feel the old lady's concern, the madam's thoughtful arrangements, and Lu Jiangfeng's gentle care. Their feelings were truly sincere and warm; she treated him as a good friend without any selfish motives: "I'm sorry!"
The three words were so light they were almost inaudible. Even with Lu Jiangfeng's keen hearing, he couldn't hear them clearly. He frowned slightly and asked, "Li'er, what did you say?"
"Lu Jiangfeng, do you still want to 'see' what I look like?" Shen Lixue gritted her teeth and made a decision instantly.
Lu Jiangfeng was taken aback: "Didn't you say it was inconvenient?"
He had long noticed that Shen Lixue's body was different from his, and last night it was confirmed. She rejected his proposal, which was within his expectations. He had remained calm and not sad or upset. Why did she suddenly change her mind?
"It's convenient now." Shen Lixue looked at Lu Jiangfeng and said, enunciating each word clearly, "If you still want to see, please do so!"
Lu Jiangfeng paused, then walked slowly forward. The faint fragrance of crabapple blossoms surrounded him, and his snow-blue robes fluttered in the wind. He had already arrived in front of Shen Lixue. In the warm golden sunlight, his jade-like fingers slowly reached out and gently stroked Shen Lixue's beautiful face...
Bai Yu's fingertips lightly touched Shen Lixue's fair face. The touch was slightly cool, like a layer of dew on her face, refreshing and without any chilling sensation. Her fingers slowly slid down, stroking her face gently, as if she were cherishing a rare treasure.
Lu Jiangfeng stood quietly, feeling the warm, soft skin beneath his fingertips, as delicate as porcelain. A beautiful face quietly took shape in his hand, and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "Is this your appearance?"
"Yes!" Shen Lixue nodded. She didn't wear a fake face mask or undergo any plastic surgery involving bone ash removal. This was her true appearance.
Lu Jiangfeng looked at Shen Lixue with his dark eyes, his smile deepening: "She must be very beautiful!"
Beautiful! Shen Lixue suddenly raised an eyebrow and looked at Lu Jiangfeng. He knew she was a woman.
"Crack!" The crisp sound of a branch breaking suddenly rang out. Shen Lixue glanced to the side and saw a white figure standing ten meters away. Handsome face, sharp aura, and deep, piercing eyes—it was Dongfang Heng…
---Aside---
(*^__^*) Hehe... Thank you so much for the flowers, diamonds, and votes, everyone! Mwah!
Chapter 177 Apology? Cold War? Springtime
Shen Lixue froze, then took a few steps back to distance herself from Lu Jiangfeng. She blinked hard and looked again. Dongfang Heng was still standing ten meters away under the evergreen pine tree, with a handsome face and a graceful figure. He was dressed in white, exuding an indescribable depth of elegance.
She was startled; it really was Dongfang Heng. She wasn't mistaken. She rushed towards him, calling out, "Heng!"
Dongfang Heng was highly skilled in martial arts, and the pine resin in the air blended perfectly with his elegant aura, so she did not notice his approach.
Dongfang Heng remained calm, looking at Shen Lixue indifferently without saying a word.
Shen Lixue approached step by step. Golden sunlight shone through the dappled branches, casting deep and shallow shadows on Dongfang Heng, making him appear even more noble and mysterious. A strange unease rose in her heart, and she asked cautiously, "Heng, what's wrong?"
Dongfang Heng said casually, his expression indifferent, "It's nothing!"
"Are you really alright?" Shen Lixue lowered her voice, her slender hand gently grasping Dongfang Heng's arm, a chill running through her.
She was taken aback and looked closely. His silk robes exuded a cold chill, his jet-black hair was streaked with frost, his deep eyes showed exhaustion, and his whole body was permeated with the cold scent of pine resin, indicating that he had been in the pine forest for a long time: "Heng, you've been looking for me all night?"
"You still know I've been looking for you!" Dongfang Heng's sharp eyes narrowed, a cold glint appearing in them. He had been frantically searching through the woods all night, worried sick, fearing for her safety. But when he finally saw her, he felt no joy, no happiness, only a surge of anger...
"I just woke up too. I was knocked unconscious when I rolled down the slope!" Shen Lixue wanted to tell Dongfang Heng the whole story, but he was angry and wouldn't listen to much more, so she had to get to the point first.
"Is that so? When I arrived here, you were perfectly lucid, and he approached you intimately..." Dongfang Heng's icy voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, and a layer of coldness gathered in his obsidian-like pupils.
There were few people around. The "he" Dongfang Heng referred to was Lu Jiangfeng.
Shen Lixue was so startled by his cold voice that she couldn't speak. She turned her head and looked at him. From this position, she could see Lu Jiangfeng's perfect profile. Lu Jiangfeng's white jade fingers felt her, and she looked at Lu Jiangfeng. In Dongfang Heng's eyes, it was like a loving couple being intimate.
“It’s not what you think…” Shen Lixue explained urgently.
Dongfang Heng ignored him, turned around abruptly, and looked coldly at Lu Jiangfeng. It was him again. On the night of the Lantern Festival, he was the one who disturbed him and Li Xue. Last night, he risked jumping down the slope and searched anxiously in the pine forest all night. He finally found Shen Li Xue, only to see Lu Jiangfeng appear in front of her before him, his damned hand gently stroking his wife's face...
His slightly clenched hand suddenly opened wide, and his powerful inner strength rapidly condensed, fueled by an irreconcilable hatred for the stolen wife!
"Don't do it." Shen Lixue was startled and grabbed Dongfang Heng's wrist tightly. Both Dongfang Heng and Lu Jiangfeng were unfathomable in martial arts. If the two of them fought, they would most likely be injured.
Lu Jiangfeng is the third young master of the Zhenguo Marquis's Mansion. After being injured, he can recuperate peacefully in the mansion. Dongfang Heng is the Prince of Qingyan Anjun. If he is seriously injured, his identity will definitely be exposed. If he attracts his enemies, the consequences will be unimaginable.