This sudden scene almost made Xiao Jingcheng's heart stop. Before his brain could react, he had pounced like an arrow off the string and attacked the shadow!
The shadow didn't seem to expect his movements to be so swift and agile. At the moment when the yellow dog was about to bite its calf, it narrowly dodged, but accidentally bumped into a chair placed beside it, making a noise.
Xiao Jingcheng blocked in front of Ye Wanmian, growling ferociously in his throat and baring his teeth as he continued to pounce on the shadow.
All this happened in an instant. The noise of the chair being pushed and pulled behind her startled Ye Wanmian. She turned around and saw an extra person in the room. Frightened, she let out a scream: "Ah! There's a thief—"
"Shh!" The shadow was dodging the yellow dog's attacks in a sorry state and quickly made a sound. "Don't scream. It's me!"
Hearing that voice clearly, both Ye Wanmian and Xiao Jingcheng were stunned.
Prince Xuan, Xiao Yixuan?!
Ye Wanmian was shocked. Why did he come back?
Xiao Jingcheng was extremely annoyed. He knew that this bastard Xiao Yixuan had evil intentions. Since they met at Liuxiang Tower during the day, he had been staring at her. Just now, he even showed that kind of smile to her. Now he had sneaked into the room with ill intentions!
This lecher!
He got really angry. Even though the other party had already revealed his identity, he still pounced forward and tried to bite Xiao Yixuan's leg.
Xiao Yixuan was also very annoyed. He had already exposed himself, so why was this stinky dog still chasing and biting him!
After confirming who it was, Ye Wanmian was no longer panicked. She watched coldly as the big yellow dog attacked Xiao Yixuan, crossing her arms and saying coldly, "Your Highness, didn't you confirm earlier that there were no clues in this humble woman's house? Now you've not only come back but also climbed over the wall. What's the meaning of this?"
Xiao Yixuan looked deeply at the figure several meters away from him, with a hint of grievance in his voice. "Wan'er, do you really have to be so distant from me?"
Wan'er?!
What did this dog thing Xiao Yixuan call her?!
Too shocked, Xiao Jingcheng stopped his pouncing and biting for a moment. Taking this opportunity, Xiao Yixuan dodged to the side and secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Ye Wanmian's body also stiffened. She looked angry. "I'm a widow. If Your Highness calls me by my name like this, how can I face others if it gets out? Your Highness is deliberately trying to force me to death!"
"Widow?" Xiao Yixuan smiled faintly. His gaze on Ye Wanmian was very complicated as he directly revealed her identity.
"Ye Wanmian, do you really think I'm blind and stupid? Even though you've disguised your face, I still... recognized you at a glance."
Ye Wanmian?
Xiao Jingcheng frowned slightly.
This name did sound a bit familiar. Where had he heard it before...
Ye Wanmian clenched her fists tightly. Her heart was beating extremely fast because her identity had been recognized. She panicked and grabbed a chopstick from the table, pressing it against her throat.
"I don't know what Your Highness is talking about. Please leave quickly, or I'll have to die to prove my innocence!"
"Don't!"
"Woof!" Xiao Jingcheng also barked anxiously at Ye Wanmian and immediately gave up confronting Xiao Yixuan, running back to her side.
Xiao Yixuan sighed deeply. "Wan'er, don't worry. I'm not here to arrest you either, nor will I reveal your whereabouts in Dongli Town. I just... just haven't seen you for a long time, so I wanted to have a good look at you."
Ye Wanmian bit her lower lip, was silent for a moment, and replied hoarsely, "Well, you've seen me now. I have my master and Big Yellow to protect me. No one will dislike me for being a country woman, and no one will force me to marry. I'm living a good life."
Hearing her admit her identity, Xiao Yixuan felt relieved, while Xiao Jingcheng was completely shocked at this moment.
She... was actually an old acquaintance of Xiao Yixuan?!
The imperial concubine was in favor, the queen was neglected, and the emperor always compared him with Xiao Yixuan. So he had never had a good impression of this younger brother. Usually, he tried his best not to deal with him.
Now that he found out that she knew Xiao Yixuan, he had a feeling that his own possession actually had an owner long ago.
This made him feel inexplicably irritated.
But when Xiao Yixuan lifted his foot and wanted to walk towards Ye Wanmian, Xiao Jingcheng subconsciously lowered his body and growled threateningly.
Ye Wanmian thought for a while and finally said, "Big Yellow, come back. I know this person. He won't hurt me."
Xiao Jingcheng: ...
What should he do if he was even more displeased!
Xiao Yixuan took a deep look at the yellow dog blocking in front of her. "You've really raised a loyal dog to protect its master."
Xiao Jingcheng was angry and turned his head to bare his teeth at Xiao Yixuan.
No matter what their relationship was before, now he was a part of this family. Who the hell was Xiao Yixuan?
A moment later.
Xiao Yixuan was sitting at the table. Ye Wanmian walked in from outside the house with a bowl of hot tea in her hands and placed it in front of him.
She was about to sit down in the seat beside him when she saw the yellow dog jump up and firmly occupy that position.
Ye Wanmian was stunned for a moment, then moved aside and sat opposite Xiao Yixuan.
The Crown Prince, who had taken the lead, was satisfied. But when he looked up, he stiffened again. The two of them were facing each other, their gazes locked together, as if there were endless words in their eyes.
Grinding his back teeth, he jumped onto the table again, squatted in the middle of the table, and blocked Ye Wanmian firmly, glaring down at Xiao Yixuan.
"Big Yellow!" Ye Wanmian didn't expect the yellow dog to be so naughty, but knowing that it was protecting her, she felt a warmth in her heart.
His sight was blocked, and Xiao Yixuan was also very unhappy. Especially being sized up by a dog with that kind of anti - thief look, he could feel a strong sense of hostility from it.
Raising his lips, he said in a very gentle voice, "I haven't seen you for two years. You've lost a lot of weight compared to before. These two years... you must have suffered a lot, right?"
Ye Wanmian smiled faintly and said, "Compared to being forced to marry a man old enough to be my father as a second wife and living in fear of being beaten to death all day long, this bit of suffering is nothing."
Ye Wanmian didn't know what kind of waves her words had stirred up in Xiao Jingcheng's heart.
What was she talking about?
He couldn't quite understand.
Wasn't she married to an unknown soldier on the border and became a widow after her husband died in the war?!
Xiao Yixuan sighed. "I really didn't expect them to be so heartless. Even if you're not the Ye family's biological child, they've raised you for sixteen years. How could they just abandon you and arrange such a marriage for you?"
Xiao Jingcheng was shocked.
The Ye family?
There was only one Ye family in the whole capital, and that was the Ye family behind the imperial censor, Ye Changqing.
And Xiao Yixuan had just called her Ye Wanmian...
Something was about to come to his mind.
The next moment, Ye Wanmian's words were like a thunderbolt, hitting his heart hard.
"What else could it be? It's not because they thought I was seducing the Crown Prince and were afraid that the Crown Prince would punish the Ye family for this!"