Young Prime Minister, a Hermit

Chapter 26

"Galan, I beg you!" Xue'er's icy hands gripped my wrist, tears streaming down her face. "I don't expect you to give him to me, I just beg... I just beg you to give me a chance to win him back. Xu Lie... he's my first man, I..."

A deafening boom exploded in my head. I jumped up from my seat with a thud, everything went black, and suddenly I couldn't see anything. Coffee was splashed on my hands, and there was a cold, slippery hand holding mine.

I flung her away as if branded with a hot iron. My vision was still blurry, and I stumbled forward, staggering towards the dimly visible doorway. Xue'er reached out and grabbed my clothes tightly, sobbing and pleading, "Galan, please don't do this, I'm so sorry... I..."

"Stop talking!" I yelled, shaking her off. Everyone in the shop looked over. I covered my ears hard with my hands, shook my head violently, and tears streamed down my face. I yelled at her fiercely, "You're so noisy! You're so noisy!"

After saying that, I rushed out of the coffee shop.

A black sedan stopped in front of me, but I didn't notice and kept my head down.

"Hey, why are you squatting by the roadside like an abandoned puppy?" A slightly amused male voice rang in my ears. "Has your husband abandoned you?"

I glared at him fiercely with my swollen, red eyes—Shao Junyi—before getting up to leave. But my legs went numb from squatting for so long, and I tripped and fell onto his car.

"Hey! Are you alright?" He quickly got out of the car and helped me up, looking concerned. "How about I take you home?"

"No..." I choked out the two words and shook my head vigorously.

"Alright, alright... if you don't want to go back, then you don't. So where do you want to go?" He looked at me amusedly, then suddenly his smile turned deep, and he leaned closer to me, saying, "How about... going to my place?"

I shook my head again, not even glancing at him closely, and said in a hoarse voice, "I won't go to the hotel with you again."

"Why?" He looked at me with interest and a smile.

“Xu Lie said…” I paused, then impatiently shook him off and said, “Anyway, I’m not going and I’m not going, so don’t bother me!”

The smile in his eyes vanished, replaced by an icy chill. He stared directly at me and asked, "Does whatever Xu Lie says go? You just listen to him like that?"

I felt uneasy under his gaze and couldn't help but take a step back, but I still replied, "He is my husband, why can't I listen to him?"

The light in Shao Jun's eyes flickered, and veins throbbed slightly in his temples. His face was filled with unconcealed pain and madness. Suddenly, he grabbed my shoulders and growled, "He told you to die, are you going or not?!"

I was completely terrified, my face deathly pale, and my whole body trembling. He continued to shake me, his distorted face close to my eyes as he roared, "Can't you see how good I've been to you? What's so good about Xu Lie...?"

"Let her go!!" A chillingly angry shout came from behind me. I was being shaken so badly that I felt dizzy and disoriented, but hearing that voice made it seem as if every cell in my body that had been sluggish suddenly came alive.

"Xu Lie!" I shouted, and with a strength I don't know I got from somewhere, I forcefully shook him off and staggered to Xu Lie, looking at him with teary eyes.

"Didn't I tell you to wait for me at the school gate after school?!" Xu Lie's entire being was radiating anger, his voice deep and thunderous, as if it might explode at any moment. However, the moment his gaze met my swollen eyes and tear stains on my face, the anger in his eyes was instantly replaced by heartache. His slightly calloused hand touched my cheek, and he whispered, "What's wrong?"

I felt all the grievances, heartache, and sorrow I had accumulated over the past few hours melt away with his question. I threw myself into his arms, hugging him tightly, my voice choked and hoarse, sounding terribly unpleasant, yet I still kept calling out, "Xu Lie! Xu Lie! Xu Lie! Xu Lie! Xu Lie..."

"Let go!" Xu Lie's voice was tinged with embarrassment and unease. He tried to pry my hands off, but didn't dare to use too much force. In the end, he could only sigh and pull me into his arms, patting my back lightly with his left hand: "You woman... you've dirtied my clothes. Go back and wash them!"

"What a loving couple!" Shao Junyi's cold and sarcastic voice rang out from behind him.

Xu Lie froze instantly. I looked up and saw his extremely gloomy face, his eyes brewing a storm. He said in a deep voice, "Don't go near Jialan again, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

A fierce glint flashed in Shao Jun's eyes as he said hatefully, "Do you think the Imperial Dynasty is afraid of your Xu Tian Group?"

Xu Lie, looking impatient, said coldly, "Don't forget, although you share the surname Shao, you're only a distant relative. The true heir to the imperial court is your genius cousin, Shao Qiyun. You'd better remember that!"

Shao Junyi's expression changed instantly, as if some scar had been ripped open, making him look terrifyingly ferocious. I trembled all over and involuntarily clung to Xu Lie, but his expression remained unchanged; he simply held me tighter.

Suddenly, Shao Jun laughed, but when the smile faded, only his usual deep and gloomy expression remained. He said with a slight smirk, "It seems you really intend to give up on Xue'er."

He paused, his smile turning eerily cold, his voice sharpening: "That's true. She's all yours now, you've got what you're entitled to. It's only natural to discard the old and find something new. Mrs. Xu, don't you think so?"

I felt a sudden darkness before my eyes, my legs went weak, and I almost collapsed to the ground. Xu Lie quickly caught me, his anxious voice ringing in my ears: "Galan, are you alright?"

I steadied myself and managed a weak smile as I shook my head at him. Xu Lie frowned slightly, then suddenly leaned over and swept me into his arms, carrying me towards the car parked by the roadside.

"Xu Lie." Shao Junyi's smiling voice sounded from behind. Xu Lie paused, only to hear Shao Junyi suddenly say quickly, "Xue'er's fiancé is me."

Xu Lie's face turned deathly pale, and his hands, which were holding me, trembled slightly. Shao Junyi's almost maniacal laughter rang out behind us as he shouted, "Xu Lie, you'd better keep a close eye on your little wife! Otherwise..."

With a loud bang, Xu Lie slammed the car door shut, shutting out the world outside. The car sped away.

Xiao Yi

2007.8.19 15:29

Chapter 17, the entanglement, is complete.

Chapter 18 Three Stars Paying Homage

Chapter 18 Three Stars Paying Homage

Chapter 18 Three Stars Paying Homage

It was already dinnertime when I got home. I followed Xu Lie silently into the dining room and ate my rice with a listless gusto. Midway through, Xu's mother and grandfather asked me something, and I answered absentmindedly, vaguely catching a glimpse of worry in their eyes.

Back in my room, the dim light was on. I walked to the window and slowly drew back the curtains, gazing at the serene moonlight outside. If I closed my eyes, would I still go to another world tonight? What is the purpose of this journey of travel and return?

I heard footsteps behind me, but they stopped a few steps away and then fell silent. I held the curtain in my hand and said softly, "Xu Lie, I saw Xue'er today."

I gave a bitter smile, and as the smile faded, I turned around and looked at his slightly pale face. I still spoke in a low voice, "Xue'er said she begged me to give her a fair chance to compete. She..." My voice suddenly became hoarse, and I took a deep breath, trying my best not to tremble, "She said she regretted it." So regretful that she didn't hesitate to beg me, her rival in love.

I clearly saw Xu Lie's pupils contract, and his face seemed to paler for a moment. I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my heart, but I didn't know if it was for him or for myself. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. I turned around abruptly, choking back sobs as I cried out, "Xu Lie, go find her! I know you still love her, and she loves you too, I..."

My body jolted violently, and a pair of long, strong hands embraced me tightly from behind, as if afraid I would suddenly disappear, their grip bordering on panic. I sobbed; even though we were on the street, I thought I had cried all my tears, but they kept falling.

"Xu Lie, do you really understand your own heart? Are you really... willing to spend your whole life with me?" I gripped the curtains tightly, my sweaty palms wrinkling them. "It's okay, it's really okay... Even if you say you don't love me, that you could never love me, I'm already prepared. From now on... I can live alone... We're not really husband and wife, I'm still young, I can remarry..."

"Stop talking!" Xu Lie interrupted me with a low growl, his hands gripping my sides so tightly they hurt my bones. He breathed heavily, his heart pounding in my ears, his voice seemingly emanating from there, "Galan, I have no intention of divorce, not since you woke up, never."

The room was quiet, save for the soft ticking of the clock on the bedside table. I bit my lip hard, trying not to let out a sob.