"That ghost was so scary. It had no head and was covered in blood. It suddenly appeared in front of me..." Zhou Xiruo was shocked and frightened, her eyes filled with tears. It wasn't that she was being dramatic. Most people would be scared out of their wits if they suddenly saw such a headless corpse. Even An Xin felt horrified when she suddenly saw it.
"Which direction did the headless corpse go?" It was An Xin who spoke.
The two people who were snuggling together paused for a moment. Yan Zhen raised his eyelashes and looked at An Xin's face. His eyes were as bright and beautiful as ever. An Xin thought, he is really very handsome, but unfortunately he is no longer the one she wants.
Zhou Xiruo was taken aback, not expecting An Xin to be here. Her face flushed slightly, and she subconsciously tugged at her clothes, saying softly, "I was very scared, so I couldn't see clearly. It seems like she ran ahead."
An Xin turned around and walked in the direction Zhou Xiruo pointed. Yan Zhen's long eyelashes trembled slightly as she said, "It's dangerous for you to go alone. I'll go with you."
An Xin paused, then tilted her head and smiled, "You're going? My lord, Miss Xiruo is so frightened. If I were you, my first priority would be to comfort her and then get her out of this awful place. What kind of business is it for you to accompany me?!"
Yan Zhen's eyes deepened slightly, and when they did, they took on a beautiful luster that was captivating.
Zhou Xiruo was terrified, but still said, "Miss An, Yan Zhen is right, that thing is really scary. It's too dangerous for you to go alone. But I'm also very scared. Why don't the three of us go together? It would be good to have company..." She spoke sincerely, but unfortunately An Xin was unwilling to accept her offer.
“No need.” An Xin refused, but a smile remained on her lips, its meaning enigmatic. “I think the dead are much cuter than the living, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
An Xin raised her eyelashes and glanced at Yan Zhen, then smiled and said, "You're more worried about your own exposure than others' safety. Remember to wear more clothes next time you run around like that." Her teasing was so casual, even her lips were smiling, but Yan Zhen could hear the sarcasm in her voice. He twitched his lips slightly and said indifferently, "Minghe, send Xiruo back to the manor."
Zhou Xiruo was suddenly startled and said worriedly, "Yan Zhen, you must..."
Yan Zhen patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "I'm worried about Xin'er being alone. You should go back to the manor first."
Zhou Xiruo's body suddenly trembled, "But..."
An Xin pursed her lips. What did this mean...? Somewhat disappointed, she looked away, not wanting to think about it anymore, and turned to leave.
Zhou Xiruo hurriedly grabbed Yan Zhen's sleeve, both surprised and frightened, but she didn't know what she was afraid of. She just subconsciously tugged at Yan Zhen's sleeve and whispered, "Yan Zhen..." As for what she wanted to say, she didn't know why she couldn't say a word.
Minghe appeared like a ghost. Yan Zhen glanced at him, then smiled faintly at Zhou Xiruo and said, "Go back quickly."
Zhou Xiruo looked at Yan Zhen with worry, her lips twitched and she finally nodded. Yan Zhen smiled and said, "I like obedient women the most. Minghe, put on some dry clothes and escort Xiruo back to the mansion."
Minghe immediately replied respectfully, "Yes."
Zhou Xiruo looked back several times before finally turning away. Yan Zhen watched her back, then turned around, but An Xin was nowhere to be seen. Her gaze suddenly darkened, but she walked forward unhurriedly.
An Xin wasn't walking fast, and she didn't know why she wasn't walking faster. Perhaps there was a sliver of inexplicable expectation in her heart, or perhaps there was something else...
An Xin slowed her pace. Her mind was in turmoil, the image of Yan Zhen and Zhou Xiruo embracing kept replaying in her mind. She admitted that she felt very uncomfortable, especially if this discomfort stemmed from her developing feelings for Yan Zhen…
An Xin suddenly slapped her forehead. Zhou Xiruo was indeed Yan Zhen's fiancée, wasn't she? Yan Zhen seemed to like his fiancée very much too. What would happen if she fell for Yan Zhen? The worst part was that once she set her mind on something, she would usually stop at nothing to get it, and that "any means necessary" included all sorts of methods...
Should I give up or continue to be attracted to this feeling?
An Xin tasted melancholy for the first time, completely unaware of the figure that suddenly appeared behind her!
"Ah—" A shrill scream suddenly rang out from behind her. Even though An Xin was brave, she was startled at this moment. She turned around abruptly, but only saw a figure fleeing in panic. Her gaze suddenly darkened.
"What are you spacing out for?! If I had arrived any later, you would be dead by now!" A furious shout came from behind him. Yan Zhen's face was slightly pale, reflected in the mist. An Xin stared at him, slightly dazed.
Yan Zhen's anger inexplicably vanished under her gaze. Her eyelashes slowly curved, and she smiled sweetly, saying, "Xin'er, the way you're staring at me gives me this strange feeling that you've already fallen for me."
An Xin turned around abruptly, her face instantly darkening: "What are you doing here?"
Yan Zhenli replied matter-of-factly, "If I don't come, who will help you fight the monsters?"
An Xin's expression unconsciously turned a little blank when she thought of Zhou Xiruo. In fact, she was still a little happy when she suddenly saw him. Such feelings are delicate and somewhat selfish, but that joy seemed to be very real. She didn't want to worry too much, but she couldn't figure out Yan Zhen's thoughts.
"You've come, and you've scared away the monster I finally managed to lure here!" An Xin turned to leave, but Yan Zhen casually pulled her into his arms. If one thought An Xin would definitely struggle, she felt a sense of longing at this moment, or perhaps she would never again have this unique scent that belonged only to her. Thinking this, she calmed down.
“Xin’er, Xi Ruo grew up with me.” Yan Zhen paused before speaking.
An Xin pouted: "Childhood sweethearts?"
Yan Zhen hugged her tightly: "We are also engaged, but while I have feelings for her, they are not romantic love."
An Xin's heart trembled slightly, but she then said nonchalantly, "Why are you telling me all this?"
Yan Zhen cupped her small face in her hands and suddenly smiled, saying, "I like to get straight to the point in everything I do, and I try to minimize the twists and turns in the process. Therefore, I don't want Xin'er to have any misunderstandings. If Xin'er cares about me, I hope she will suffer less."
Although An Xin had never experienced the taste of love, she knew that no relationship could be smooth sailing. It seemed that there were always all sorts of strange and messy misunderstandings between couples, which either hurt the other person or themselves. Of course, she had seen countless ways men expressed their feelings, but Yan Zhen's way was the first time she had ever seen it.
An Xin pouted and said, "You're quite the schemer. You make even matters of the heart sound so pragmatic. Where's the romance in that?"
Yan Zhen pecked her lips and said, "So Xin'er likes a romantic style."
An Xin couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart. Just as some little bubbles were forming in her heart, Yan Zhen's words turned those sour bubbles into sweet ones. But she wasn't good at expressing her feelings, so she pursed her lips and said, "Why are you being so direct! It's like I care about your stuff! I'm not going to say anything more, I'm going to find the headless corpse."
She was actually a little flustered inside, a flustered feeling that was unfamiliar and left her feeling lost and powerless.
Yan Zhen smiled and said, "That thing is injured; there's blood here."
An Xin's gaze darkened slightly as she bent down and saw bloodstains on the ground. Recalling the scream from earlier, she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Was that a headless corpse?"
“How could a headless corpse scream? Besides, it’s a corpse, it shouldn’t be bleeding.” Yan Zhen casually took out a handkerchief, wiped some bloodstains on the ground, and handed it to An Xin. An Xin took it under her nose, sniffed it, and frowned. “It’s beast blood.”
"It was wearing a big robe, so I couldn't see it clearly. If someone hadn't been distracted and made me lose my composure, how could it have escaped so easily?"
An Xin's lips twitched. Her momentary lapse in concentration was all because of him! Heaven knows that she, who is usually so calm, could be so absent-minded at a time like that!
"Why did you decide to soak in the hot springs here?" An Xin frowned. With Yan Zhen's alertness, there was no reason why she wouldn't have noticed the strangeness of this place.
Yan Zhen glanced at her, coughed, and said, "Oh, I haven't taken a bath in a long time. I'm afraid I'll get lice."
An Xin's lips twitched: "Haven't you washed in a long time? Is the Prime Minister's residence so poor that you don't even have bathwater? Coming here to soak in a hot spring on a sweltering day?"
Yan Zhen smiled and said, "When my heart is cold, I naturally need to soak in a hot spring to warm myself up."