Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 24

I looked up defiantly, about to speak, when I saw Xu Lie's expression change slightly. He stared blankly down below, his eyes flashing with surprise, doubt, joy, disbelief... a series of expressions that passed by in an instant.

I followed his gaze and saw people coming and going in the corridor across the street, nothing particularly special. Suddenly, I froze, my gaze fixed anxiously on a figure that had vanished in an instant.

Straight, flowing long hair, slender, beautiful legs, a white long dress—I only caught a glimpse of the woman's profile as she turned the corner and disappeared, yet I was struck dumb, as if by lightning.

Is it her? Meng Xue'er, is it really her who has returned?

I turned around, my complex and bitter gaze falling on Xu Lie's face. He had already returned to his indifferent expression, but for some reason his gaze drifted elsewhere, his dark eyes shimmering with a mixture of sadness and joy.

After leaving the disciplinary office, neither of us said a word. Xu Lie seemed absent-minded, while I kept glancing at his furrowed brow and sighing inwardly.

Suddenly, everything went black before my eyes. Before I could stop myself, my nose slammed into Xu Lie's back, which was as solid as an iron wall.

"Ouch, it hurts..." I groaned softly, about to speak, but my head seemed to be stuck, stiff and unable to move. My gaze passed over Xu Lie and landed fixed on the front, and I felt that all my complex emotions, joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, were clearly expressed in my eyes.

“Xue…Xue’er…” I murmured absentmindedly, “It really is you.”

Meng Xue'er's gaze was fixed on Xu Lie, her gentle, watery eyes filled with deep longing, pain, yearning, and despair... all sorts of thoughts swirled together like ripples on water, lingering and rippling in her beautiful eyes.

Upon hearing my voice, her lips paled slightly and trembled gently, but she instantly regained her former gentle and graceful demeanor, as fresh as a lotus, and gazed at me with a soft smile. The Xue'er of the past was beautiful, with straight and smooth long black hair, a delicate oval face, clear and bright eyes, a pretty nose and red lips, like a rare orchid in a secluded valley, making people unconsciously feel close to her.

Xue'er is even more beautiful now, with a mature charm and a poignant, weathered beauty. I don't know how to describe her appearance. Although she doesn't possess Yun Yan's stunning beauty, Lin Yu's heroic spirit, or Mu Shuangshuang's otherworldly grace, she has a gentleness that modern women often lack, as if she can melt hearts instantly.

"Although it's a bit late, I still want to congratulate you both," Xue'er said to me and Xu Lie in her gentle and peaceful voice. "I hope it's not too late."

"Why did you come back?" Xu Lie asked in a hoarse voice.

Xue'er trembled slightly, a sad smile on her face, and said to me, "Galan, I'm sorry, I made you unconscious for two years..." "I asked you why you came back?" Xu Lie grabbed her shoulders hard with both hands and growled, "Didn't you say you would never come back?"

"Don't you want to see me?" Xue'er looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "You really don't want to see me?"

Xu Lie froze, his face a jumble of complicated emotions, as if he had been stirring up a mess of mud. He slowly loosened his grip, remaining silent.

“Junyi said that Jialan has woken up and that you two are very…” She paused, her voice slightly hoarse, “very loving. I just wanted to come back and see you.”

Xue'er's face turned pale inch by inch, her pearly teeth biting her lower lip tightly. After a long while, she choked out, "Now that I've seen it, I can finally give up. You never did anything for me before, that's good... that's good! You've finally learned how to care for people. And I... can now go and get married in peace."

The words "getting married" hit Xu Lie and me like a bombshell. I saw his pale face and his trembling hands clenched into fists. Then, as if only a moment had passed, or as if years had gone by, Xu Lie said expressionlessly, "Then congratulations."

Crystalline tears slid down her cheeks instantly, a poignant yet beautiful sight. Xue'er closed her eyes, a self-mocking smile blooming on her face, and softly murmured, "You said congratulations? You actually said congratulations to me, Xu Lie, you... how cruel!" The last three words suddenly rose in volume, like a sharp blade piercing my heart. I clenched my chest tightly, trembling and speechless.

Xue'er turned around gently like a beautiful white butterfly and walked away step by step until her white figure disappeared from our sight.

"Sigh—" I sighed, resting my chin on my hand and looking out of the carriage, feeling incredibly annoyed.

"If you want to know if your husband loves you, go ask him. What's the use of just sighing here?" Zi Mo's gentle double voice suddenly came.

"Han Ziming!" I glared at him, "What right do you have to eavesdrop on my thoughts? Do you think I have any privacy left?"

Zi Mo looked at me with a sneer, seemingly oblivious to my anger: "I'm telling the truth. Galan, your flaws are that you hesitate too much, are too insecure, and are too cowardly."

I immediately looked dejected and glared at him irritably: "I'm not Lin Yu, you can't expect too much from me."

"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Zi Mo said coldly.

I stared blankly up at him, truly seeing Zi Mo angry for the first time. His handsome face still wore a smile, but his brown eyes were cold and solemn, making me afraid to even breathe.

"Inferiority complex and cowardice are flaws you acquired later in life, but they are not excuses you can rely on to shirk responsibility. You always say you can't be like Lin Yu, but right now you have Lin Yu's body, Lin Yu's talent, and even Lin Yu's power. Why can't you do what she can do? You always bind yourself with the shackles of 'I'm not Lin Yu, it's not surprising that I can't do it,' and comfort yourself. So when will you grow up and stop unintentionally hurting others?"

"Zimo..." I called softly, feeling a little hesitant, a little scared, but mostly touched. If he didn't care about me, Zimo, with his carefree nature, would never have said these words to me.

"Teacher, what happened?" Chen Sheng opened his sleepy eyes and looked at me.

"No...it's nothing." I quickly suppressed my humility, straightened my back, clasped my hands together, and said with a faint smile, "Are you awake?"

Chen Sheng straightened his wrinkled clothes, feeling embarrassed, and said, "The student actually fell asleep in front of the teacher, truly..."

"It's alright, don't worry about it too much, Qingkong." I forced a kind smile, which I found disgusting. Lin Yu might even be a year or two younger than her!

"Teacher, aren't you bored being stuck in the carriage every day?" Chen Sheng's eyes shone with excitement. "Why don't we go to the next town—Binsheng—and explore the surrounding area? We can investigate the local customs and conditions in this desert-edge region, and also relax a bit."

"Great!" I exclaimed excitedly. Then, realizing I hadn't had time to ask Zimo for permission, I looked at him with a hint of trepidation.

Zi Mo sighed helplessly, shook his head and said irritably, "Go if you want, but remember to have Feng Yihan by your side."

He paused, then suddenly frowned and said, "Galan, do you know the true identity of that Wind Guardian? He seems to have a very large force hidden around you, so much so that even I can't detect it."

I shook my head blankly.

"Never mind." Zi Mo shrugged and sat down next to me, suspended in mid-air. "Anyway, I know he's harmless to you and will only protect you wholeheartedly."

The decision to travel lifted my spirits considerably. Even the melancholy that had crept in after Xue'er's return dissipated somewhat. Actually, it was good that Xue'er was back. Otherwise, regardless of whether she could be with Xu Lie in the future, she would have remained a thorn between us—something to dwell on, but painful to touch. It's better this way; the thorn was there, bleeding, and now that it's been removed, the pain is only momentary.

When I woke up in a daze and returned to the modern world, it was just dawn. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Xu Lie staring at me with wide-open eyes, not a trace of sleepiness in them.

“Xu Lie…” I called to him in a hoarse voice.

He was startled, as if only now realizing I was awake: "You're awake so early?"

"Okay." I nodded and struggled to get up. "It's my first day of school, I can't be late."

Xu Lie looked up, his face slightly flushed, coughed, and reached out to pull up the collar of my slipped pajamas, covering my left shoulder.

I gave an awkward laugh, my face burning red. I didn't dare look at him and mumbled, "You...you sleep a little longer, I'll have the driver take me to school." With that, I dashed into the bathroom in a flustered rush.

When I came out, I found that Xu Lie had already washed up and dressed, and was sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for me. When he saw me come out, he said expressionlessly, "Take your things with you, I'll take you there."

"Oh! Oh!" I nodded eagerly, a happy smile spreading across my face. Xu Lie couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle with a mixture of helplessness and indulgence, then his expression darkened as if he had just remembered something.