"What's wrong, Xiao Wu?" I asked worriedly, tugging at Xiao Wu's sleeve as she stood there.
Did I do something bad again to make Xiaowu feel bad? But why does that woman seem to dislike me? I've never seen her before. Could it be because of what happened before that they think I'm willful and look down on me? That must be it. Otherwise, why would she dislike me so much for no reason? I can tell that Xuanqin hates someone intensely, but I don't understand this woman's eyes. There's no jealousy in them, only coldness. No, there's also a hint of pity. Something must have happened before that made them hate me. In the end, that was the only conclusion I could come to.
Asking Xiaowu? Forget it, I probably won't get any information. Let's just forget about it; there's no need to bother him with something like this.
Recommended, recommended, Xue'er wants to recommend!
Chapter Seventy-Nine
Being absent-minded has always been one of my strengths. Someone as forgetful as me would have long since dismissed those strange thoughts and would never bother with problems I could never figure out no matter how hard I tried.
However, here I met someone I never expected—Gui Yao.
I don't know why he came here. Meeting him was a difficult process.
I remember wandering around the Blood Tower, staring at all sorts of people. I just didn't understand why they looked at me like that. Was I that annoying? I'm not stupid enough to be a saint and try to befriend everyone. I remember my mother once said, "If someone looks at you with mockery and contempt, either ignore them or kill them. Don't let them have a chance to come back for revenge." When I heard that, I laughed and didn't pay much attention. I thought that although I wasn't some kind of heartthrob, I always treated people kindly and never thought of taking advantage of anyone. So I took my mother's words as a joke and let it go. Who knew I'd encounter this situation today? You ask me why I didn't kill them? I'm not crazy. I know my place. I wouldn't go looking for trouble.
Just as I was pondering the problem, I glanced at something and stared wide-eyed, mouth agape, at that alluring scenery in the distance.
"Ghost... Ghost... Yao..." I pointed in that direction, my eyes fixed on him, and my eyes followed his every move.
Perhaps my gaze was too intense, for he turned around, his hair fluttering in the wind, gently brushing against his delicate cheeks. His deep gaze was icy cold, and his expressionless face was unlike any of the Gui Yao I had ever seen. It possessed a solemnity like that of a sculpture, with the vibrant garden behind him forming a backdrop, creating an absurdly beautiful scene.
I was terrified. I withdrew my fingers, bit my left fingernail, supported my left hand with my right, and began to rack my brains.
This face is clearly Gui Yao's, but why does it feel different? Yes, it's just a feeling. I slammed one hand on my other. The first time I met Gui Yao, his eyes were full of wariness, but his aura wasn't so cold. This time, Gui Yao exudes an icy chill, like... like... Jue. His eyes, though lacking murderous intent, give off a creepy feeling. That must be his twin brother or older brother. Yes, that's right, how could that ice-cold handsome man possibly be Gui Yao?
"Xue, what are you doing here?" I was so preoccupied with whether she was Gui Yao's twin that I didn't sense Gui Yao's approach. I was only thinking about seeing a different Gui Yao to give me an explanation.
"Ah, oh, what, you really are Xiao Yao?" I was dazed, then suddenly became startled, took a step back in fright, and looked at him fearfully.
"It's only been a while since we last met, and you've already forgotten? How sad," Gui Yao raised an eyebrow when she saw me step back, and spoke in the same teasing tone she used before.
"So it really is you!" I exclaimed in surprise, circling around him. Wow, he's truly an incomparably handsome man. Even after all these days, he still has that arrogant face, and his deep eyes have become even more profound, gradually turning into an iceberg.
"What do you mean it really is me?" This time, Gui Yao understood the implication in his words. What kind of nonsense was this girl thinking again?
"Oh, I thought you were your twin brother or sister. Now that I think about it, I know your aunt only had you, so how could there be a younger or older brother?" I said regretfully, then jumped in front of him, patted his shoulder, squinted, and leaned slightly against his shoulder, saying, "Hey, I didn't expect you to become even more handsome these days. How come you've attracted so many girls?"
Gui Yao dodged away, almost causing me to stumble and fall. After regaining my balance, I heard him mimicking my tone, saying, "I didn't expect that you really haven't changed at all during this time. You're still as idiotic as ever."
"Hey, what did you say?" I yelled at him. You know, girls change a lot as they grow up, and they become more and more beautiful.
(The author weakly says: It hasn't even been a year yet, how much have you changed? Zi Xue says: Shut up, don't you know? I change every day, accumulating my charm little by little. Author: I'm going to vomit...)
"How did you end up here?" Gui Yao changed her tone, looking at me with a serious expression.
"Jue brought me here, you don't know, this place is even stranger than your First Manor. Everyone treats me like I'm a major enemy. Even when I haven't done anything, they all look at me with such lustful eyes. It makes me so suffocated. Jue, I don't know what's wrong with him. I only saw him a few days after I came in, and now it's like he's disappeared. I haven't seen a trace of him at all. He must have forgotten about me." I looked melancholy, not caring whether Gui Yao was listening or not. I've been so bored these past few days. I can't say this, I can't touch that. Xiao Wu is like an invisible machine, constantly reminding me. I'm almost suffocating. Now it's all good. Finally, I have someone to vent to. Whether he hears me or not, I feel like I have to vent.
"This isn't a place to play around," Gui Yao said to me, looking around with her usual deadpan expression, her tone tinged with worry.
"Of course I know. Besides, this is a dangerous place, so I can't possibly smash it. You know, I'm very clear about who I am and I firmly believe in what I do and won't do anything reckless." I clenched my fist, looking proud, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Xiao Yao's eyebrows twitch.
"So that's why you ruined my estate so badly that time," Gui Yao said, chatting with me with great interest.
"Destroy? What do you mean by ruin? You'll only know what ruin means when you see Luozhuang," I glared at him and tapped his chest with my finger.
"Did you set up Luozhuang?" Gui Yao frowned and asked me when she heard my words.
"Yeah, you don't know, I wanted to ruin that Ying's face because of his righteous look. And when he heard about Yuan'er, he acted like nothing happened. He investigated you and even wanted to kill you. I was furious. I couldn't kill him, but I could take it out on his manor." I smugly chattered to Gui Yao, who looked like she wanted me to be praised.
"What?" Gui Yao's face darkened, and she turned me around, her dark eyes staring intently at me. "You said you told him?" Her words carried a chilling force, making me feel afraid.
"No...no...I didn't tell him your identities. I lied and said you were just an ordinary couple." As I spoke, I lowered my head, then timidly glanced up at him. I was afraid of this ghost Yao.
Chapter Eighty
Gui Yao let go of my hand after hearing what I said, and fell silent. Only the sound of the wind trembling could be heard, and everything was so quiet.
I saw him let go of my hand, put his hands on his shoulders, and immediately took a step back to distance myself from him. I wondered if he would still stare at me like a madman.
"What's wrong? I haven't even revealed your identities. Are you alright?" I gently tapped his arm and asked weakly.
"Let me lean on you for a bit," Gui Yao said, pulling me into his arms around my waist.
I struggled, trying to pry open Rang's chest, but it was clearly ineffective; the difference between a boy and a girl was obvious. So I shouted, "What are you doing? Let go!"
"Just for a moment, just for a moment," I heard him plead. It was the first time I had heard him speak so weakly. I felt a little sorry for him and gently placed my hand, which had been pushing him away, on his back.
I don't know what's wrong with him. Is it Luo Ying's ruthlessness that hurts him, or Yuan'er's naivety that torments him? I have no way of knowing what he's thinking. Some things and some people, if they really want to hide them, you can never guess. Just like Jue, I have no idea what he's thinking. A secret is called a secret because it's buried deep in someone's heart, like a big lock. When you want to unlock it, the secret is no longer a secret.
A scream startled Gui Yao and me.
Gui Yao and I immediately separated and looked over. We saw Jue looking at us expressionlessly, Xuan Qin looking at me with a gloating and triumphant expression, and Xiao Wu looking at me with worry.
This sudden scene caught me off guard, but I was still very happy to finally see Jue.
I excitedly ran to Jue's side, grabbed his arm, and said, "Jue, you've come to see me! I thought you'd forgotten me!"
Suddenly, Jue broke free from my grasp, walked past me to Gui Yao, and said, "Let's go." Then, without saying anything more, he brushed past Gui Yao and left. Xuan Qin glared at me happily, then cheerfully caught up with Jue, following behind him with the same adoring expression. Xiao Wu stood worriedly beside me.
I stared blankly at my empty hands, somewhat incredulous, wondering what this meant.
"Jue," I called softly, looking up at Jue's back. I could hear the helplessness in my voice.
Gui Yao glanced at me, a hint of pity and sadness flashing in her eyes.
Jue acted as if she hadn't heard anything and continued walking, while Xuanqin glanced back at me with disdain.
I don't know where I got the strength, but I shouted, "Jue, what do you mean by this? There's nothing between me and Gui Yao, we're just friends." I think Jue is angry about my hug with Gui Yao earlier, which is why he's ignoring me.
"You don't need to explain, I don't care." These heartless words drifted in the wind, entered my ears, and kept echoing in my mind.
"What did you say?" I widened my pupils, my eyes blurry, desperately trying to suppress the hurt these words would cause me.
"I said I didn't care," Jue turned around this time, her eyes calm, not thinking that his words had hurt me that much.
"Hehehe," I laughed, using a smile to hide my sadness. "Don't you care? Yeah, you never said I was anyone to you. I've been deluding myself all along. Ever since I entered this Blood Tower, I've been desperately trying to suppress my fear of it, and I haven't dared to bother you. I haven't complained about you not coming to see me these past few days. Yes, I have complained, but I kept telling myself I had to keep it up. But now, you're telling me you don't care? Heh, it seems I'm disliked here." I lowered my head, not letting them see the tears in my eyes. That's it. I turned around and ran back to my room, ignoring the mocking glances along the way, ignoring Xiao Wu's calls, and ignoring Jue's cold gaze. Now I just want to go back to my room. Now I just want to be alone.
I closed the door, collapsed to the floor, covered my face with my hands, and bit my lower lip to keep from crying out.
What's wrong with me? If it were the old me, I could have slapped Jue Zhiqing without hesitation, mocking him with "I don't even want you," and then walked away gracefully. But why am I hiding in my room like a turtle, licking my wounds?
I really want to cry out loud right now, ignoring everyone and desperately sobbing about my pain. But I know that there are no loving parents here, no friends who let me do whatever I want. All I have now is an unfamiliar era. I can't let outsiders hear about my vulnerability. I can't, absolutely not.
A loud bang came from the door behind me, followed by Xiaowu's worried voice, "Miss..."
"I'm fine, Xiaowu. Can you get me something to eat? I'm hungry, I need to eat." I wiped away my tears, opened the door, and forced a smile. I couldn't let the people who love me worry.
Xiao Wu looked at her mistress, whose eyes were slowly filled with sorrow yet who was smiling happily. For a moment, she didn't know what to say, only managing to say, "Okay, Miss, Xiao Wu will go get the food. You wait here."
Xiao Wu stared in disbelief at the young lady wolfing down her food, momentarily stunned. She glanced at the young lady's belly and began to sincerely marvel at how big it was, that it could hold so much food.
"Xiao Wu, I want more!" I want to turn my grief and anger into appetite, eat, eat, eat everything here, and eat away all the unhappiness from before.
"Miss, you've already eaten so much, and you still want more? Aren't you afraid of being stuffed?" Hearing that her mistress wanted more, Xiao Wu began to doubt whether her mistress was actually in a good mood at all, otherwise how could she possibly eat so much? Glancing at the increasingly piled-up plates, Xiao Wu breathed a slight sigh of relief. It was good that she could eat it all, but this way of eating was a little worrying.
"What, can't such a big Blood Tower support a little girl like me? Is it so hard for me to eat a bowl of rice?" I said, pretending to be angry while eating, my cheeks puffed out, when I heard Xiao Wu's doubt.
"Okay, okay, I'll get it for you, I'll get it for you." Xiao Wu still couldn't stand her mistress asking for a bowl of rice. The problem was that the bowl had been empty several times, so she had no choice but to give her mistress another bowl of rice.
Finally, after finishing that bowl, the young lady didn't ask for any more. She simply patted her stomach, burped, and said with a grin, "I'm full."
Xiao Wu wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. She was finally full. She'd only ever heard of a prime minister's belly being big enough to hold a boat, but it was just an exaggeration. Now, Xiao Wu was starting to believe it. Her mistress's small belly had actually held seven bowls of rice and some vegetables! How did she even manage that? She'd truly witnessed it this time. It seemed her mistress wasn't really that heartbroken.
Xiao Wu packed her things and left without worry, while I lay in bed, not knowing what I was thinking. All I knew was that after Xiao Wu left, tears streamed down my face and I couldn't stop them.
Chapter 81
They say when you're down on your luck, even drinking water can be a problem. I was just trying to channel my grief into food, so why did I throw up?
My stomach hurts so much, it feels like it's churning, the pain comes in waves, making it impossible for me to sit or sleep. My throat feels like it's being choked, and I keep wanting to vomit.
Lying in bed, I tossed and turned, unable to stop the pain. Cold sweat slowly trickled down my forehead. My teeth were clenched tightly, and I had no strength left to call for Xiaowu. My back was damp with sweat.
"Xiao Wu..." I called out to Xiao Wu with my last bit of strength, but my voice was as faint as a breeze and couldn't reach the outside world at all.
With one hand pressed against my stomach and the other supporting me on the bed, my legs felt weak as I slowly walked. When I reached the table, my legs gave way, and my hand brushed against the teapot on the table. A sound of shattering followed, and I fell into the shards of porcelain, accidentally cutting my hands and feet.
"Miss," Xiao Wu pushed open the door and saw her lying on the porcelain shards, her hands and feet bleeding. Her face was pale, her lips were bloodless, and her whole face looked almost transparent, giving Xiao Wu the feeling that her mistress was about to disappear.
"Miss, what's wrong?" Xiao Wu ran to my side. She didn't dare to touch me, afraid that I might get cut by a shard of porcelain again.
"Help me up," my weak voice made me realize just how weak I was. I smiled bitterly to myself. What was I doing? Why did I always end up getting hurt here?
"But, Miss, this will hurt you." Xiao Wu was a little flustered. The Xiao Wu of the past would never have been like this. Xiao Wu stood out in training, not for anything else, but for her ruthlessness and indifference, which were necessary factors to become an assassin. Now, she herself was inexplicably panicked.
"It's alright, quickly help me up, or I'll bleed to death." I put my hand on hers, not knowing whether I was comforting her or myself.
"Okay," Xiaowu carefully helped me up, trying her best to keep me from touching the shards.
Once I leaned against the bed, Xiao Wu finally exploded.
"Miss, what are you doing? Didn't I tell you to call me if you need anything?" Xiao Wu's eyes blazed with anger as she looked at the young lady who wouldn't listen to her no matter what she said.
"Hehe, I just have a stomachache." I didn't look at the bloody hands and feet, I just leaned against the bedpost and teased Xiao Wu, but before I could finish speaking, I felt acid reflux in my stomach, and it churned even more violently.
"Xiao Wu, I'm going to throw up," I squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu immediately took out a chamber pot from under the bed.
I vomited violently, tears streaming down my face, and my already swollen eyes were even more unbearable to look at.
"Miss, are you feeling better?" Xiao Wu gently patted my back and asked softly.
I nodded slightly, closed my eyes, and didn't want to say anything.