Who else could you love besides me

Chapter 38

She really hoped this dream would end soon. She covered her forehead and leaned against the pillar in the corridor. Whether it was because of the hangover from last night or because she hadn't slept all night, she felt very uncomfortable.

"Yu-di, are you feeling unwell?"

In contrast to her haggard appearance, Minglu looked refreshed. She raised her head to face Minglu as he approached and smiled, "It's nothing, I probably just didn't sleep well last night."

Minglu smiled warmly at her and said, "I'll have someone prepare a cup of refreshing tea for you."

Xi Ri shook her head, took a deep breath in the morning light, and said, "The morning air is so fresh, I feel much better."

Minglu stood beside her, turning his head to look at her. He saw a smile on her lips, her eyes slightly closed, her head tilted back, taking a deep breath in and out, as if she were savoring the fresh morning air. The morning light shone on her face, making her look incredibly gentle.

So close...within reach...he could even hear their breathing. His heart, out of control, suddenly longed to...

But... he is a man, he is Yu Di!

This realization startled Minglu, who immediately composed himself.

At this moment, the steward hurried over from the other side and greeted Minglu and Xiri. He then said, "Young Master Nalan and the others are already waiting in the front hall."

"Okay, you go down first and prepare a cup of refreshing tea for Yu-di."

"Yes." The butler acknowledged the order and left.

Minglu said to Xiri, "Let's go have breakfast too." Unconsciously, her tone was gentle, and Minglu's heart skipped a beat.

Xi Ri, however, did not notice anything amiss. He rubbed his slightly aching forehead and nodded with a smile.

As soon as the two entered the front hall, they saw Nalan and Fu Jin laughing heartily. They wondered what amusing thing had happened to make the two so happy so early in the morning. Xi En was not there, so he must have left last night to prepare for the extermination of the mountain bandits.

Upon seeing Xi Ri and Ming Lu enter the hall, the two exchanged knowing glances. Fu Jin spoke first: "I heard that last night, Yu Di tore Hong Lü's clothes to shreds..."

Xi Ri paused, feeling awkward.

Upon seeing this, Minglu scolded, "Fu Jin, you're talking nonsense first thing in the morning."

Fu Jin continued with a smile, "I'm not making this up. This morning, as soon as I stepped out, I heard Honglu asking the maid for her outer garment, saying that her clothes were torn by Yu Di last night. Isn't that right, Yu Di?"

Xi Ri was both amused and exasperated, never expecting that he would overhear Long Ming asking for clothes that morning. He could only nod reluctantly.

Seeing Xi Ri blushing, Fu Jin found it even more amusing and continued, "Yu Di was really amazing last night. I could hear him clearly even through a wall. Xiao Hong Lü's cries were so pitiful."

Fu Jin was referring to them, but Xi Ri wasn't thinking about that. She remembered that last night she and Long Ming had overheard Fu Jin and Cui'er... For a moment, Xi Ri wished she could just run away without a care in the world.

Minglu scolded, "Fu Jin, stop talking. Brother Yu is young, unlike us."

The group burst into laughter.

Finally, they sat down for breakfast, but Xi Ri didn't eat much. Partly, the strange looks from the others kept circling her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. Partly, she wasn't feeling well, and after a few bites, she excused herself, saying she was unwell and wanted to go home to rest. Ming Lu tried to persuade her to stay, but she insisted on leaving, especially since Fu Jin laughed at her, saying she must have been exhausted the night before, and Xi Ri couldn't stay a moment longer.

Minglu finally let her go, only ordering someone to prepare a carriage to send her back.

Finally leaving the Prince Ming's mansion, Xi Ri felt a great sense of relief.

Back at the house, Tian Shuang and Tian Yong greeted him with worried expressions as soon as he entered. Xi Ri didn't want to say a word, feeling only tired. He waved them away, went into his bedroom alone, and fell into a deep sleep on the bed fully clothed.

He slept until 5 PM.

During that time, I kept having recurring dreams, which were very chaotic, but I couldn't remember any of them when I woke up.

After waking up, Xi Ri ate something casually, while Tian Shuang served her. Seeing that Xi Ri had almost finished eating, Tian Shuang said, "Miss, Tian Yong has already found out that the mother of Prince Ming often goes to the Great Buddha Temple in the south of the city to listen to Master Fu Yuan preach Zen on the first day of each month."

Xi Ri put down her chopsticks, gently wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, and rinsed her mouth with the water Tian Shuang handed her.

Tian Fang said, "Miss, Tian Yong asked if we should proceed according to plan?"

Xi Ri leaned back lazily in her chair, closed her eyes to rest, and sighed, "Tian Shuang, tell me, what I did... was right?"

Tian Shuang didn't react for a moment. What was Xi Ri asking? She called out, "Miss?"

With a sigh, he said sadly, "I have done so many absurd things, and I don't even know if they were right or wrong. Now, I am very tired and exhausted. I feel that everything I have done is like a farce, and it has all been in vain."

“Miss…” Tian Shuang sighed softly, “Tian Shuang doesn’t know if what you’re doing is right or wrong, but Tian Shuang knows that you’ve been laughing heartily and looking radiant lately. In Tian Shuang’s eyes, you’re living a very happy life. Tian Shuang doesn’t know if this marriage is good or bad, but if you don’t like it, then no matter how good it looks to others, it won’t be good in your heart. Miss, you used to say: How do you know if you don’t try?”

Yeah, how would you know if you didn't try? That's just her stubborn nature; she won't give up until she hits a brick wall.

Tian Shuang's words eased some of the knot in Xi Ri's heart, and she sighed, "Tian Shuang, I have a very bad feeling..."

Xi Ri considered whether to tell Tian Shuang what she had promised Ming Lu to do the night before, but after much deliberation, she was afraid that Tian Shuang would worry, and she was also afraid that Tian Shuang and Tian Yong would object, which made her already hesitant heart waver even more.

She suddenly felt afraid, truly afraid. She was afraid of the uncertainty of the future and of everything that was about to happen. Instead of taking steps to break off the engagement, she did dangerous and useless things, sinking deeper and deeper into the mire, becoming increasingly powerless to control her own destiny.

*************

“Miss.” Tian Shuang mistakenly thought that Xi Ri was worried that Ming Lu would discover her true identity, and advised, “Perhaps you are overthinking it. Prince Ming will not discover your identity so easily unless he knows that you can use the art of disguise. Besides, even if Prince Ming knew, so what? Miss, you once said that if that day ever comes, you would like to leave here and live in anonymity in the martial world. Tian Shuang is really looking forward to that day. At that time, Tian Shuang and Tian Yong are willing to accompany Miss away from this troublesome place in the capital.”

Cherish the sun and laugh.

The world of martial arts... wherever there are people, there is a world of martial arts; wherever there are people, there will be unavoidable circumstances; wherever there are people, there will be things beyond one's control.

The martial arts world... that was just a childhood fantasy for them. Now, perhaps only Tian Shuang still aspires to be a chivalrous woman who helps those in distress.

only……

Tian Shuang is right. If absolutely necessary, she can leave and live alone in anonymity.

Disappeared into the vast sea of people...

It was a way out, albeit a bad one. But the fact that she had a way out suddenly gave her a bit of courage to keep going, especially since the path ahead was full of thorns!