The insects and birds remained silent, and the falling leaves made no sound, making the sound of the heartbeat inside the room particularly clear.
With his strong arms around her waist and the familiar masculine scent filling her nostrils, Yuan Xi found herself momentarily indulging in the embrace, almost reluctant to pull away.
But she quickly came to her senses, struggling desperately to break free from his grasp. However, his strength was overwhelming, and no matter how hard she tried, she could only futilely squirm in his arms, ending up exhausted and breathless. Finally, she turned to him with a fierce glare, gritting her teeth, “If you don’t let go, I’ll call for help!”
Xiao Du finally managed to hold her in his arms again, feeling utterly content. Even her angry expression seemed adorable to him. Suppressing the urge to kiss her, he whispered in her ear, “Go ahead and call if you want. Even if they beat me to a pulp, as long as I’m alive, I won’t give up on coming back to find you.”
Yuan Xi trembled slightly, feeling a mix of emotions. Greedily, she breathed in his scent and whispered, “Why do you insist on this? You know I won’t go back with you. It’s better to end it now than to suffer later…” Her words choked in her throat, turning into a sigh, dispersed by the cold wind blowing in from outside.
Xiao Du’s eyes reddened slightly, tightening his grip on her hand. He spoke in a low, firm voice, “You won’t. I won’t let you go.”
Yuan Xi hardened her heart and pushed him away abruptly, biting her lip. “In a few days, I’ll write a letter to request a divorce.”
Xiao Du was about to explode with anger. “A marriage bestowed by the emperor cannot be dissolved so easily!”
Yuan Xi, however, remained stubborn, staring at him coldly. “Then I’ll ask my father to take me to the palace to beg the emperor. I’ll do anything to leave the Marquis Mansion.”
“You!” Xiao Du couldn’t believe her heartlessness. He was so furious that he began to cough violently, his previously robust body now shaking uncontrollably, almost collapsing. Yuan Xi was taken aback and rushed to support him, trembling as she asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
Xiao Du finally managed to control his breathing, but the pain still lingered. Turning away from her, he muttered bitterly, “Nothing. You’ve long stopped caring about whether I live or die, so why bother about me now?”
Seeing blood seeping from his trousers, Yuan Xi gasped in shock, asking urgently, “Are you injured? How did this happen?”
Xiao Du forced a smile, squatting down to inspect the wound on his leg. It was a deep gash, blood flowing freely. Yuan Xi felt a pang of pain in her heart.
She helped him sit on the edge of the bed and gently cleaned the wound with a damp cloth. Then, she found a clean piece of cloth from the box and bandaged it up. Looking up at his pale face, she couldn’t help but shed tears, feeling guilty for her earlier harshness.
Xiao Du wiped away her tears and smiled softly. “You still care about me, don’t you?”
Yuan Xi turned away, wiping her tears, and said with frustration, “You keep saying how heavy your burdens are, yet you act recklessly. You take poison when you say you will, and get injured when you say you will. What if something happens to you? What about my father? What about the Marquis Mansion?”
Xiao Du gently grabbed a strand of her hair and played with it, feeling the warmth in his heart. He sighed and said as if choked with tears, “But I missed you so much… What should I do?” Then, he frowned slightly and muttered, “Your family’s dog is vicious. Despite your husband’s skills, he still got bitten by that beast.”
Yuan Xi couldn’t help but smile, but immediately composed herself, glaring at him angrily. “Who asked you to break into my room in the middle of the night? You’re lucky you weren’t bitten to death.”
Xiao Du felt like he must be sick. Even her glare made him feel comfortable. Suddenly overwhelmed with guilt, he finally apologized, “I’m sorry. I knew you would be upset, but I still lied to you.”
Yuanxi reluctantly withdrew her gaze, slowly releasing his trouser leg. “At first, I was really angry. When you were unconscious, I kept thinking that if you could wake up and smile at me, no matter what I had to endure, I would be willing. But I never expected that when you woke up, the first time I saw you, it would be like that.”
Xiao Du reached out apologetically to hold her hand, but Yuan Xi pulled back, standing up. “But I listened to your conversation with my father. I can understand your dilemma. For the Marquis Mansion, for the Xiao family’s army, you have to take a desperate gamble.” She took a deep breath, her voice choked with emotion as she locked eyes with him. “But the person you have to deal with is my father? If one day, you and he have to face each other, fighting for life and death, what should I do then?”
Xiao Du looked into her clear and determined eyes, feeling the chill in his heart. This was always the distance between them, an unbreakable barrier. No matter how different she was, she was still from the Xia family. How could he bear to make her betray her father and the entire family for him?
The atmosphere in the room grew heavier, and neither of them wanted nor could bring themselves to speak. In the end, Yuan Xi hardened her heart, forcing herself to turn away. “Go, give me some time to think.”
But Xiao Du feared that if he left now, he would drift further and further away from her. He hurriedly tried to stand up to pull her back, but a sudden pain shot through his leg, and he couldn’t help but gasp, clutching his leg. “My leg hurts. I’m afraid I can’t leave tonight.”
Yuan Xi was indeed taken aback by his words. She rushed over to support him, concerned. “What’s wrong? Did the wound reopen? Sit down, let me take a look!”
Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Du grabbed her hand and planted a kiss on it, looking at her with a pitiful expression. “I climbed over the wall just now, and I might have alerted the guards. With my leg injured again, I’m afraid I can’t leave tonight.”
Yuan Xi was momentarily fooled by his act. She furrowed her brows, hesitating for a moment, before relenting softly, “Then stay here for the night, but leave early tomorrow morning.”
Xiao Du felt a sense of relief wash over him, feeling as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He ignored the pain in his leg and quickly removed his outer clothes, preparing to lie down on the bed.
But Yuan Xi’s eyes widened in shock, not yet comprehending what was happening. Before she could react, Xiao Du had stripped down to his inner clothes, wearing a smug expression as he climbed into the blankets. She couldn’t help but get angry, whispering sharply, “What are you doing? Who said you could get into bed?”
Xiao Du innocently blinked at her and smiled. “My outer clothes are covered in dirt from climbing over the wall. Of course, I have to take them off before getting into bed.” Then, he glanced at the ground and said in a pitiful tone, “It’s cold and damp. Madam, can you bear to let me sleep on the floor?” He even pretended to cough weakly.
Yuan Xi glared at him angrily, feeling both helpless and annoyed at herself for agreeing to let him stay. Now, she was in a dilemma.
Contentedly snuggling into the soft silk quilt, Xiao Du greedily breathed in her scent, feeling a strange restlessness stirring within him. He looked up and saw Yuan Xi still standing there blushing, lost in thought. He grinned triumphantly and called out, “Xi’er, aren’t you coming to bed?”
Caught off guard, Yuan Xi, who had just discussed divorce, now found herself entangled in this situation. Seeing his triumphant smile, she couldn’t help but stamp her foot and curse softly, “Rascal!”