Vallée Sauvage de Green Mountain (Transmigrée à la dynastie Song)

Chapitre 34

The person who had been hit, however, quietly watched me, his eyes slowly becoming unusually deep, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips. He didn't utter a word, only watching as my cheeks turned from white to red, and my head slowly lowered. My face was burning hot, almost dripping with sweat. Hearing Xiao Lü's laughter, I felt both ashamed and embarrassed, wishing I could disappear into the ground. Finally, I remembered to lift my leg to run—but Shang Shaochang's hand suddenly grabbed mine!

Shang Shaozhang grabbed my hand with one hand and laughed, "Hey, you were so fierce just now, why are you running away?" Ignoring my desperate struggles, he put his other hand around my waist and gently pulled me into his arms, saying with a grin, "Don't run away, that slap you gave me just now really hurt!"

"You..." I was held tightly by Shang Shaochang, almost unable to struggle, and said angrily, "You...you scoundrel! Bastard! You big idiot! Quickly...quickly let me go!" Seeing that Shang Shaochang was smiling and not repenting, but instead his face was getting closer and closer, I couldn't help but feel extremely ashamed, and quickly turned my head away, not looking into his eyes.

Shang Shaochang laughed and said, "Then how do you explain slapping a scoundrel like that?" As he spoke, he gently lifted my chin with his right thumb and forefinger, making my eyes meet his.

"You..." I couldn't stop inhaling his warm breath. If my face was burning at first, now my whole body felt like it was on fire. I murmured dazedly, "You... let me go! You... you can do whatever you want with me..."

"Really, whatever you calculate is fine?" I felt Shang Shaochang's fingers running through my flowing hair, and his soft voice sounded in my ear: "Then... let's calculate it like this..." Suddenly, his fingers on the back of my head tightened slightly, and Shang Shaochang kissed my lips without warning!

My mind went blank for a good half minute before I realized what Shang Shaozhang and I were doing.

Oh my god—this—is this a kiss?

I closed my eyes, feeling dazed and confused, as if I were floating on clouds. A soft sensation came from the corner of my lips, followed by a tender, lingering kiss... It seemed like an eternity before I realized that I had been half-conscious, half-dazed, being so wantonly teased by Young Master Shang! I tried to hit and kick him, but he held me tightly, kissing me until I was breathless, before gently releasing his arms to let me stand up. A tender look slowly filled Young Master Shang's eyes as he watched me panting heavily, my cheeks flushed like two red clouds, and he chuckled softly, "Mmm...so sweet..."

"You—" I stared intently at Young Master Shang, unconsciously wiping my lips with my sleeve. After a long while, I finally managed to utter, "You bastard Young Master Shang, I—I hate you to death!"

I forcefully pushed away Shang Shaochang's outstretched arm and suddenly turned and ran away!

I ran with all my might through the wind! My waist-length hair danced wildly in the air. I felt the icy air rushing into my lungs, suffocating me. I didn't know where I wanted to run to; my mind was completely blank!

Oh my god! What's wrong with me? How could I let a man kiss me like that... like that?

Xiao Zhenzhen handed me a cup of coffee and said with a smile, "Sister in white, would you like to know what other people are saying about you?"

I took a sip and said casually, "What are they talking about? It's nothing more than arrogance, pride, indifference, and looking down on everyone—"

A trace of worry appeared on Xiao Zhenzhen's beautiful face. "Sister in white, this won't do. Look at you, you're already—"

"Twenty-four? Still young!" I smiled and waved. "At least you're still young."

Xiao Zhenzhen walked up behind me, her slender fingers running through my hair, and said softly, "Sister Baiyi, I know a nice guy. How about I introduce him to you tomorrow?"

"Oh no!" I playfully stuck out my tongue. "I don't want to go on a blind date! It will affect my accurate judgment. Do you think I would flirt with a stranger? Fall in love? Be manipulated by him? Don't be ridiculous, nothing like that will ever happen to me, Baiyi!"

Xiao Zhenzhen put her hands on her hips and pretended to be fierce, saying, "So what do you want? A pure 24-year-old girl? If there were an award for Joan of Arc someday, I reckon it would definitely be yours!"

I shrugged and laughed, "Not necessarily. Although... although my first kiss is still intact, but... let me think... I shook hands with a male teacher the day before yesterday... ouch!"

Unfortunately, I was "gently" taken care of by the gentle Xiao Zhenzhen.

My past conversations with Xiao Zhenzhen suddenly came flooding back as I ran. But now, for the first time ever, I suddenly felt an urge to burst into tears!

Damn it! Bastard! Scoundrel! Vulgar! Despicable—I cursed him incessantly in my mind, how could I have let an ancient person bully me so thoroughly! My hand unconsciously rubbed my lips hard, trying to wipe away all of Shang Shaochang's lingering scent—I don't want that scoundrel to touch me! I don't want to give my first kiss to that man whose smile is like a spring breeze! I don't want my mind to go blank in his arms! I don't want to—ouch!

As I ran, I bumped into something.

That "thing" then hugged me and said softly, "Don't run so fast, your body can't take it."

I was panting heavily in the arms of this "thing". In my anger, I hadn't expected to run so far. Now that I've stopped, I feel like my heart is about to jump out of my chest!

After catching my breath for a while, I slowly caught my breath and looked up to see Shang Shaochang's smiling face, as warm as a spring breeze.

He smiled and gently patted my back to help me catch my breath, saying, "Are you feeling better now? Your heart condition has just improved, how could you run so fast?"

I shoved his hand away forcefully, gritting my teeth, "Who cares what you do! You—you—!" My face suddenly burned uncontrollably again. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Suddenly, I clenched my fists and punched Shang Shaochang's face and body hard: "It's all your fault, you big bastard! You scoundrel! You lecherous bastard! It's all your fault! It's all your fault!"

"Okay, okay... It's all my fault, I'm so bad!..." Young Master Shang smiled bitterly, letting me hit and punch him haphazardly. After a while, he gently held me in his arms, exhausted from hitting me for so long, and patted my back softly, saying, "It's alright, it's all my fault..." Young Master Shang slowly stroked my hair, and as he held me in his arms and comforted me, I suddenly and unconsciously gave up struggling for the first time.

Seeing that my breathing was gradually becoming even, Shang Shaochang gently closed his eyes in his arms. He suddenly laughed and said, "But you can't blame me, who told Yiyi to be so sweet?"

"You...Young Master Shang!"

I sat by the pool, with Shang Shaozhang right next to me.

I gritted my teeth inwardly. I didn't know what day it was today, but I was being kissed by a man for the first time, being gently comforted by a man for the first time, and hearing a man tell a story for the first time.

For the first time, all three of these firsts happened on the same day, and to make matters worse, they all happened to one man!

Shang Shaozhang seemed oblivious to my murderous glare. He cleared his throat and began his story:

"Once upon a time, there was a man and a woman."

He noticed the way I was looking at him, as if I were a monster, and chuckled. "I'm really not a very good storyteller." He cleared his throat and continued, "That man was an assassin, a very skilled one. No one in the world could escape his pursuit!"

I said casually, "That seems to be talking about you."

Shang Shaochang smiled lightly and said, "No, compared to him, I am far inferior... Go on, that woman is a miracle doctor. Her hands have never killed anyone, nor have they stepped on an ant, yet she has medical skills that can bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded."

I listened in astonishment as Shang Shaochang recounted his story, his eyes narrowed as he gazed wistfully into the distance, as if telling a very important tale, a story long buried in his heart. I asked softly, "And then?"

Shang Shaozhang seemed lost in thought for a long time before slowly saying, "Then, it's a very old story... The assassin was seriously injured in an assassination attempt, but was saved by the goddess-like doctor... Then the two of them fell in love. The assassin decided to give up killing and wanted to be an ordinary husband, and the woman, like him, wanted to be a happy wife... Then, they had two children..." For the first time, a trace of sadness and confusion flashed in Shang Shaozhang's eyes as he murmured, "They could have been happy, living a simple and ordinary life as a couple..."

I stared in surprise at Shang Shaochang, this man who always wore a smile and was always nonchalant. For the first time, he displayed such a deep and bewildered expression in front of me. Was what he was telling merely a story? Although he only spoke a few words, I instinctively felt that this story, eliciting such a reaction from him, couldn't be that simple!

I gently grabbed his sleeve and said, "And then..."

Shang Shaozhang slowly said, "Then...then, in a sniping attempt, the assassin, in order to protect his wife and children, finally allowed his opponent to take his life. His wife, who was already in poor health, was greatly weakened during the escape and passed away less than two years later...leaving behind two children, the older one was fourteen years old at the time, and the younger one...was not even two years old..."

I looked up at Shang Shaochang's gaze into the distance and said softly, "These two children..."

Shang Shaochang smiled slowly, his eyes regaining their warmth. He stroked my hair and said softly, "Yes... you guessed right, they are my parents. The portrait you saw in the thatched hut is of them... Time flies... In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed, and Xiao Lü has grown into such a mischievous little girl... Suddenly, I feel like I'm really getting old!"

I looked at Young Master Shang, this Young Master Shang who had changed for the first time in my eyes! I let Young Master Shang pull me into his arms and slowly said, "Don't overthink it... you won't get old..." Suddenly remembering something, I clenched my fist and punched him hard in the chest: "You lecher! You'd never get old!"

"Hahahaha—you!" Young Master Shang laughed heartily. Before I could react, he suddenly hugged me tightly, gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and said with a smile, "How about I play the flute for you?"