They arrived rather late; breakfast had already begun. Pei Fuchong and Gui Datong, as usual, were eating rather unrefined at the head of the table. Pei Junwu was placing a piece of food into Xiao Juyuan's bowl when he looked up, saw them, and smiled as calmly as ever.
Nangong Zhan sat on the other side of Xiao Juyuan, while Murong Xiao sat opposite her. Neither of them looked over. Compared to last night, they were so indifferent that they seemed like completely different people.
Xiao Yuan sat in the chair, watching them calmly.
Xiao Juyuan pouted and said coquettishly, "Brother Wu, I can't eat."
Pei Junwu glanced at her, "How can you not eat?"
Nangong Zhan seized the opportunity to interject, "It's even worse to force someone to eat if they can't. If she doesn't want to eat, then so be it."
Pei Junwu remained silent.
Xiao Juyuan glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then turned her head and smiled cutely at Nangong Zhan, "Brother Nangong, the lotus bud you gave me actually bloomed into a particularly beautiful flower. I was so surprised when I woke up."
Xiao Yuan's body stiffened. Yuan Xun opened his mouth to speak, but she glanced at him, shook his head, and he could only purse his lips and drink the porridge in large gulps.
Nangong Zhan looked deeply into her eyes and said, "If you like it... then that's good."
“I like it.” Xiao Juyuan smiled at Murong Xiao again. “I like the plums that Brother Murong gave me even more.”
Murong Xiao laughed heartily, completely at ease, without even glancing at Xiao Yuan. "You've loved eating these plums since you were little, and I've always remembered that."
Xiao Yuan smiled as she ate her porridge, but her hands trembled slightly. How foolish, how foolish! Compared to the Xiao family treasure in Xiao Juyuan's hands, what was she? They deliberately ignored her, completely disregarding whether they were hurting her.
She... was just a penniless and powerless orphan girl, while Xiao Juyuan was a renowned beauty in the martial arts world, possessing wealth beyond measure. She couldn't compare, she couldn't compare at all.
She almost burst out laughing while drinking her porridge, which made Yuanxun look at her in surprise for a long time. "Xiaoyuan, is there something good that makes you happy?"
He asked in a low voice, and everyone at the table probably heard him, since they were all experts with exceptional hearing, but no one looked in his direction.
"No, I was just smiling casually."
Chapter 33 of "The Smile of the Flower": Where the Heart Leads
The Pei family's back garden was truly ingeniously designed, incorporating a cliff face within its walls. Sitting on a stone chair by the cliff, gazing into the distance, the winding Jialing River shimmered with light, and the lush green earth teemed with life. One's mood broadened accordingly. The sky and the earth were so vast and high; humans... were truly so insignificant.
The early summer breeze ruffled her hair. Xiaoyuan closed her eyes, enjoying the life sensation created by the sun, wind, flowers, and grass. This made her feel as if she was slowly being infused with some kind of power.
She just wanted to be alone, to look at the sky and the earth, and the knot in her chest would ease a little.
Murong Xiao walked hurriedly, his long sword occasionally striking the small trees along the way, making a clanging sound. He was indeed not a top-tier master. Xiao Yuan opened his eyes upon hearing the noise; Murong Xiao had already stepped onto the stone platform.
"Xiaoyuan...you're not angry with me, are you?" He plopped down on the stone stool next to her and got straight to the point.
Xiao Yuan looked at him and smiled. Did he know she should be angry?
"Xiao Yuan!" He looked deeply into her eyes, and she saw her own reflection in them. Oh no, it was too blatant, too obviously mocking. She composed herself and continued looking at him. "I...I can't help it," he said, distressed.
She wanted to laugh again, but she held it in! If he found out she wasn't fully immersed in the role, her acting would become half-hearted. Murong Xiao must have deceived many women; his expression was very sincere when he lied.
“Xiao Yuan… I have no choice but to get close to Xiao Juyuan! I have no choice but to please her. This is all the Murong family asks of me.” He said sorrowfully.
"You think getting close to her and flattering her will work? You think she'll fall in love with you and tell you the secret of the treasure? Even if Pei Junwu weren't in the way, you're overestimating yourself!" The words were on the tip of Xiao Yuan's tongue, but he felt it was pointless. What was originally a rhetorical question was changed at the last minute, finally masking the sarcasm and barely becoming a question.
Her "question" made Murong Xiao's eyes light up, and Xiao Yuan, seeing that light, could only sigh. Were the girls he had fooled before really that stupid, or did he think she was that stupid?!
"No matter what, I'm going to try! Xiaoyuan... I know you still like me." He stared at her again, trying to seduce her.
Xiao Yuan frowned, unable to recall where he had come from.
“That time, you wrote my name.” He spoke in a resonant voice from his chest. “From that moment on, I noticed you… and I liked you.”
Oh, is that so? Xiao Yuan lowered his head. Honestly, looking at his confession from a different perspective was quite laughable. Although his acting was good, he lacked logic, and his words were riddled with flaws. He tried to fill in gaps in his story, which was certainly courageous enough. He noticed her, he liked her, but she hadn't noticed at all. It was truly a mystery whose failure it was.
"Xiaoyuan, please understand my difficulties. I am only doing my best for my family. If she doesn't criticize me, I can face my parents and my family with a clear conscience, without any regrets."
Hmm, that's good, continue. Should she cooperate with some kind of reaction? Maybe not, it wouldn't be good if she laughed again.
"Xiao Yuan... what if she chooses me?" He took a deep breath and looked sadly at the vast line where the sky and the earth meet.
She held her breath, really looking forward to his plan.
"I will still be good to you."
She had to bite her lip, looking quite miserable, unable to bear laughing out loud. This man was truly cunning; he was admirable. His meaning was clear: he wanted both Xiao Juyuan's money and her body, wanting both wealth and beauty without missing a single thing.
“Brother Murong,” she calmed herself down and deliberately imitated Xiao Juyuan’s tone of voice when she called him, “Let me think about it some more, okay?” Adding the look she had just learned from him, “Thinking about it alone, my heart is so confused.”
"Hmm." Murong Xiao almost laughed with pride, and walked away with exceptionally light steps.
Xiao Yuan watched his retreating figure with a cold smile. No wonder his mother didn't choose him! Pretending to be upright and magnanimous, he was utterly hypocritical and lecherous, and thought himself clever!
She looked at the slowly drifting clouds... Would Nangong Zhan's plan be a little more innovative? She did have some expectations for him, because he seemed smarter than Murong Xiao.
She suddenly found it quite amusing to watch them use their various skills to seduce and deceive her. A pang of pity also struck her; if she had remained Xiao Juyuan, safely handed over to Pei Junwu from her parents' arms, and never opened those eyes that had so coldly observed the world, would she have been able to see through these men's schemes? Surrounded by all sorts of conspiracies, would she have been happy?
She took a deep breath of the pure mountain air and exhaled a long, pleasant breath. She felt a sense of relief. There are gains and losses, and losses and gains! She went from being an actor to being an audience member. Isn't that a good thing?
When Nangong Zhan's pale purple robes floated closer like a drifting cloud, she wasn't surprised at all. She looked at him; what would he say?
He met her gaze, realizing he hadn't understood her expectation and had instead misunderstood. He then frowned slightly.
He stood beside her, but didn't sit down.
"Xiao Yuan, your smile makes my heart ache."