"If you open your mouth, you'll ruin your reputation."
Hai Ling thought about it and realized that it made sense. If Agu knew that there was someone in her room, and that it was General Bai Ye, things would get complicated. If word got out, who knew what rumors would spread in the capital? So she couldn't let Agu know that there was someone in her room. With that thought in mind, she gave him a look, indicating that she wouldn't call out.
Baiye knew she was a smart person, so he quickly let go of her hand and stepped aside to sit down.
Hailin spoke to the window, "Agu, it's nothing. I was reciting poetry just now, and I'm going to sleep now."
Outside, Agu responded, leaped onto the roof, and stared speechlessly at the night sky. Instead of sleeping, she was reciting poetry. This Crown Princess was indeed different from others.
Inside the room, Hailin looked at Baiye.
Under the lamplight, Bai Ye had striking features: sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. His dark pupils were as deep as a blue pool, and his features were strong and handsome. He sat casually, like a resilient blade of grass on a cliff, exuding tenacity and perseverance. Bathed in the dim light, he looked at her with a half-smile.
"Speak, what exactly do you want from me?"
As soon as Hailin spoke, Baiye toned down his usual frivolous manner, and his handsome face became serious and solemn.
"You'd better be more careful in the future. You're in a dangerous situation right now. Don't always think about venting your anger; that will only make things worse."
Bai Ye was well aware of the current situation. The Jiang family was too powerful and had become a thorn in the side of the royal family. They had to be eliminated. Unfortunately, Hai Ling had become a pawn in their struggle. To be honest, he didn't want to get involved in these matters, but the thought that Hai Ling might lose her life because of it made him uneasy. Although she was Fei Yu's sister, she was different from Fei Yu. She was strong and resilient. He saw his own reflection in her, so he often felt sorry for her.
"What's it to you?"
Hai Ling wanted to refuse his concern as soon as she opened her mouth, but she quickly realized that Bai Ye was actually concerned about her. She was a little confused. All along, she thought he disliked her. Was he really concerned about her now?
Hailin blinked her eyes, her little mouth wide open, looking very cute.
Shiro's eyes deepened, and for a moment my heart softened, but then a very unpleasant remark rang out.
"Are you worried about me? The moon has risen in the west."
Suddenly, that delicate and gentle feeling vanished. Bai Ye glared coldly at the woman, who had no sense of being a woman at all. He didn't want to say anything more. He reached out and released the pressure points on Hai Ling's body, stood up to leave, but then hesitated and looked back at Hai Ling.
"If you need anything, you can contact me."
After he finished speaking, he darted away, afraid that Hai Ling might say something hurtful next.
Inside the room, Hailin stared at the open window and murmured strangely, "Why did you run so fast? You at least cared about me. Would it kill you to let me say thank you?"
Although she spoke softly, Bai Ye heard her and unconsciously stretched out his lips. This girl still had a little bit of conscience.
However, Hailing had no time to think about anything else. Rouge was still lying on the floor in the room. She quickly helped Rouge up and placed her on the couch. She patted Rouge's cheeks, and Rouge finally woke up. As soon as she opened her eyes, her eyes rolled around. Then she took a breath and looked at Hailing, and nervously spoke.
"Miss, are you alright? What does General Bai want to do?"
"What did he do? He didn't do anything."
Seeing that Yan Zhi was alright, Hai Ling finally felt relieved and shook her head with amusement.
What could possibly happen between them? Bai Ye is the beloved of the second young lady, Jiang Feiyu. She doesn't want to have too much contact with him. She's already a thorn in Jiang Feixue's side, and if she provokes Bai Ye, she'll have even more enemies.
However, she was surprised that Bai Ye actually came to see her tonight. She initially thought he wanted to cause trouble, but in the end, she realized that he actually came to care about her. He even told her to contact him if she needed anything. But hadn't he always been at odds with her? When did he start caring about her again?
Hai Ling thought about it seriously. Over the past three years, she had met Bai Ye several times, and each time they had met with hostility. She never expected that he would actually care about her.
General Bai Ye is known to many in the Great Zhou Dynasty. He has a cold personality and is not the kind of person who easily cares about others.
Perhaps he was mindful of the fact that she was Jiang Feiyu's sister, Hailing thought, finally understanding the man's intentions and stopping thinking about him.
As she was lost in thought, Rouge, who was standing beside her, breathed a sigh of relief, squinted at her mistress, looked her up and down, and then said something shocking that made Hailing want to slap her to death...
Chapter 34 The Wedding Day
Rouge spoke incessantly, her words never surprising.
"Could it be that the young general likes our young lady?"
Hai Ling was speechless and wanted to slap her, but then she realized what she was doing and flicked Rouge's forehead: "Go away, you brat, what are you saying? Do you think anyone would like me?"
This statement is a genuine plea for the truth, without a trace of inferiority, resentment, or bitterness.
Rouge disagreed with Hailing's words, rubbing her forehead as she argued, "Why doesn't anyone like Miss? Although Miss isn't as pretty or charming as others, she's very cute. You'll find out if you spend time with her. General Baiye must be attracted to Miss, otherwise why would he come looking for her?"
"Why did he come to me? He must have had his head caught in a door. He might have a sudden lapse in judgment sometimes."
Hai Ling spoke with a smile, not taking Yan Zhi's words to heart at all. Besides, Jiang Feiyu was Bai Ye's sweetheart, so why should she think about it? Instead, she remembered what Yan Zhi had said.
"Rouge, do you know what cuteness is?"
Its big eyes sparkled brightly, shining like beautiful pearls under the starry sky.
Rouge stared in a daze. She really thought her mistress was very cute. Her plumpness was the pinkish kind, not the fleshy kind. So after not disliking her at first glance, she looked closely and found her really cute. However, she didn't understand what her mistress meant and stared blankly at Hailing.
Hailin chuckled and said, "Cute is the last word left after you've forgotten pretty, beautiful, good-looking, charming, alluring, and delicate. That's why it's called cute."
Rouge was almost confused by her mistress's words, but she still understood what she meant and couldn't help but call out, "Miss?"
"sleep."
Hai Ling yawned. She was exhausted and didn't want to dwell on whether it was cute or not. Right now, preserving her life was the priority: "I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow morning I'll practice the Eighteen Golden Flower Forms. From now on, I'll practice every morning and must master them as soon as possible."
"Yes, Miss."
Rouge fell silent, and the room returned to quiet. Hailing closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep when she suddenly heard Rouge mutter, "Perhaps General Bai likes Miss?"
In a daze, Hailin turned over, ignoring the woman, and went to sleep.
The next day, before it was fully light, the master and servant got up.