Under the dim candlelight, the sitting man looked calm. The flickering side profile set off his slightly pursed thin lips.
Lan Guifan stared at Song Yinghuai in surprise. "You're not leaving? Are you trying to throw your life away?"
Song Yinghuai simply nodded. "Your sister doesn't want me anymore. It doesn't matter if I lose this life."
Lan Guifan said, "...My sister, well, my sister is going to get married soon. She and Brother A Li are a perfect match. It's immoral of you to force things like this."
Song Yinghuai slightly shifted his eyes and looked at him. "But your sister loves me, and we made mutual vows first... If it weren't for so many misunderstandings and accidents, I would have been the one marrying your sister today."
Lan Guifan looked at him sympathetically and advised, "Fate is like this. God plays tricks on people. Since you two are no longer fated, I think you should let it go. Don't act so recklessly for a woman... My sister has a bad temper. There are so many good women in the world."
"I remember the princess who picked you up on Qilian Mountain was very nice. Maybe you can give it a try... As for my sister, I'm afraid no one but Brother A Li can put up with her stubborn and spoiled temper."
"I can put up with it too." Song Yinghuai looked at him. "I'd enjoy it."
Lan Guifan looked at him in distress. "Why are you so stubborn... My sister has been with Brother A Li for two years. You don't mind?"
Song Yinghuai's eyelids trembled slightly, but he still answered affirmatively, "I don't mind."
Lan Guifan secretly glanced at A Ye. "Are these men as stubborn as you? Are they determined to be with just one woman for their whole lives?"
A Ye let out an unhappy growl.
Wolves only have one mate in their lifetime. How rare!
What's wrong with that?
It thought it was great.
It admired this man!
Suddenly, Song Yinghuai spoke up. "Young Master, although I don't mind, I still want to expose your lie... Your sister hasn't been with Sheng Jiangli yet."
Lan Guifan was shocked. Then he glared at him fiercely. "Nonsense! My sister and Brother A Li have lived together for two years. You're just deceiving yourself. Why bother?"
"I went back to Qingshui Village on Qilian Mountain three months ago." Song Yinghuai slightly lowered his eyes and said, "I saw the bedding and old clothes you left behind... There were two sets of bedding in one room, and your and Sheng Jiangli's old clothes were in the wardrobe."
Song Yinghuai looked at Lan Guifan's shocked face. "Young Master, your sister hasn't accepted your Brother A Li yet... But in Yanjing and Shangjing, she was willing to eat, live, and sleep in the same bed with me. Although you're young, you're old enough to understand love."
"You should know why your sister behaved like this."
Lan Guifan didn't dare to say a word for a long time.
He knew!
He lied just to make Song Yinghuai give up. The truth was indeed as Song Yinghuai said. Caiyu just couldn't accept having a more intimate relationship with Sheng Jiangli.
But it didn't mean he could take his third sister away from Sheng Jiangli.
Everyone in their Lan family liked Brother A Li.
Lan Guifan frowned and said, "What on earth do you want to do? Even if my sister has nothing to do with Brother A Li, she has promised to get married tomorrow. After she gets married, things will naturally happen. Do you think you can stop it?"
Song Yinghuai had no confidence at first.
But after coming to Jizhou and seeing Caiyu's reaction today, he suddenly had a glimmer of hope.
The man remained calm. "I don't have the ability to stop it, so I'm not going to leave."
Lan Guifan got anxious. "What on earth do you want! Don't think my sister will really break off her engagement for you just because you're acting recklessly! My sister has a hard heart!"
"Don't throw your life away just because of a momentary impulse!"
A glint of a smile flashed across Song Yinghuai's eyes.
The young boy was tough - mouthed but soft - hearted. He still couldn't bear to see him in trouble.
The man lowered his eyes and said coldly, "I want to see your sister."
Lan Guifan said, "...No, if my sister was willing to see you, she would have come to save you herself. Would she have sent me? We finally managed to get a moment. Please don't waste any more time!"
"Let your sister come and see me. Maybe I'll change my mind." How could a man compromise so easily?
He came to Jizhou with the determination to die.
Now that there was a glimmer of hope in front of him, he would force Caiyu to show up even if he had to die.
Seeing the time passing by, Lan Guifan stamped his foot helplessly and shouted towards the wall behind the cell:
"Sister! Come out! I can't persuade him."
A graceful figure slowly emerged from behind the cell, like a slender willow.
Song Yinghuai looked at the figure, his eyes full of longing.
He had long sensed that there was someone behind the wall, but since Caiyu refused to come out, he had to resort to this method.
"Yu'er!" Song Yinghuai looked up at her. "You're finally willing to see me again."
Caiyu stood at the cell door and refused to go any further. She just urged, "My Lord, you've seen me. Hurry up and leave! It'll be too late if you don't leave now!"
Lan Guifan patted A Ye. One person and one wolf squeezed out of the cell, leaving the space for the two of them.
Song Yinghuai seemed not to understand her urging at all, nor did he seem to care about his own life and death. Instead, he asked,
"What if I ask you to leave with me?"
"Impossible!" Caiyu coldly refused. "My Lord, I'm saving you because you don't deserve to die. Moreover, I know that I once delayed your important business, and you've been kind to my Lan family... For the sake of the country and for personal reasons, I must save you!"
"But it doesn't mean we can go back to the past."
"Really..." Song Yinghuai's eyes were lost and painful. "I thought you came because you still remembered our feelings. Why can't we go back to the past?"
"You've reflected, and so have I. I know I was too conceited before and hid many things from you, which made you feel insecure. That's why you acted recklessly. The root cause of this matter lies with me."
"I swear to you that from now on, I'll never do anything that makes you suspicious again. Can you think about it again and give me a chance to start over?"
Caiyu's heart trembled.
Everyone knew how seriously Song Yinghuai took his promises.
But...
The contradictions between them couldn't be resolved just by his oath or her two - year reflection.
Their feelings had already faded away in the constant quarrels and mutual harm.
Song Yinghuai looked at her expressionless face, feeling extremely nervous.
He didn't know how much affection Caiyu still had for him now. He didn't know if his threat of death would work. He was even more afraid that the girl would turn around and leave in anger.
The man swallowed hard a few times. He almost couldn't hold back and blurted out the explanation.
Sure enough, Caiyu sniffed and said heartlessly, "Since my Lord has chosen to court death, I can't stop you. I've done my best to save you. If my Lord refuses to leave, I can only leave it to fate."
"My Lord, farewell forever." After saying that, she turned around and was about to leave.
Song Yinghuai immediately panicked.
He couldn't win!
He couldn't win against this cold - hearted girl!
"Yu'er! Don't go!" Song Yinghuai suddenly got up from the straw pile, took a few steps to the cell, and stretched out his hand through the gap in the cell bars. He grabbed Caiyu's wrist and pulled her hard towards him.
Caiyu's body was stuck between the wooden bars of the cell and couldn't move. Before she could react, Song Yinghuai changed the direction and turned her into the cell along the bars.
Her waist was held tightly. The man's arms were strong as he pressed her hard into his arms.
The corners of Song Yinghuai's eyes were red. His thin lips found her red lips and accurately kissed them.
They hadn't touched each other for two years. In an instant, it was like a thunderbolt striking a wildfire, which finally made his floating heart settle down a little.
He kissed deeply, urgently, and wildly. Caiyu pushed him hard, but it was useless.
The delicate red hairpin on the woman's head swayed. She was pressed against the dim cell wall by the rough prisoner and kissed deeply. The light of the oil lamp flickered, stretching the shadows of the two people into a lingering one.
At the dungeon entrance.
Li Muge led a group of Southern Army soldiers and arrested Lan Guifan.
Sheng Jiangli stared at Lan Guifan with an ashen face. "Is Shu'er inside?"