Even though Meng Ruyi was usually calm, seeing the man kneeling on one knee at this moment, she couldn't help letting out a soft laugh. It was truly miraculous.
When Meng Ruyi locked eyes with him, she saw his eyes as clear as a child's. They were cold but without malice, only filled with simple confusion as he stared at her intently.
Song Huaizhi didn't expect Jingzhe to say such a thing either. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. He took a deep breath and stared fixedly at him.
"Not bad," Meng Ruyi found it hard to harbor any ill will towards Jingzhe. Moreover, in the subsequent script, this person didn't have much to do with her tragic ending. Now that Song Huaizhi wanted to recruit him, Meng Ruyi said, "Delicious food."
"Then would you like to work for Brother Song?" Meng Ruyi continued.
After hearing this, Jingzhe nodded silently, slightly frowning. His gaze returned to Song Huaizhi. "You're right. There's indeed no difference between working for you and working for the Sword Pavilion. That's fine too."
How strange.
Hearing Jingzhe's words, Meng Ruyi found the man in front of her even stranger.
Why did he seem so unrestrained and illogical when speaking? It seemed that leaving the Sword Pavilion and joining Song Huaizhi's camp was just a passing thought.
He was a bit like a sword or a saber that had turned into a spirit, completely ignorant of the human world.
"Well, I also need your loyalty," Song Huaizhi showed no reaction to Jingzhe's oddity. He naturally picked up the next sentence.
"Loyalty?" Jingzhe looked up curiously and asked, "What's that?"
"It means you can only work for me and her," Song Huaizhi pointed at Meng Ruyi standing behind him. He stared at Jingzhe expressionlessly. "Just like now, if someone else asks you to work for him, you can't agree."
"Okay," Jingzhe said and then stared at him silently.
"Good."
A smile finally appeared on Song Huaizhi's face for the first time since he saw Jingzhe. He turned to look at Li Ergugu and said, "Find a doctor to check on him."
Jingzhe was released. He staggered to his feet and looked at Song Huaizhi, asking, "Then what do I need to do?"
"Recover from your injuries."
Actually, Song Huaizhi didn't expect this unexpected gain.
Maybe because the Third Prince hadn't encountered any major setbacks so far and the journey had been quite smooth, the people in the capital had sent an unknown small-time killer to give him a warning.
By sheer coincidence, the yet-to-be-famous Jingzhe was sent right in front of Song Huaizhi.
"And then?" Jingzhe pressed on.
"For now, stay by Yuyu's side," The situation had been turbulent recently. It was rare to find someone with high martial arts skills, let alone a reliable one. That was simply impossible.
Although Jingzhe was still inexperienced, he was barely up to Song Huaizhi's standard. Even though this was their first meeting, Song Huaizhi had fought him countless times before and naturally knew everything about him.
"Okay," Jingzhe said and then looked at Meng Ruyi. "Then please take care of me in the future."
After saying that, he was taken by Li Ergou to the next room to treat his injuries, take a bath, and change clothes.
[This plot... I'm thinking about what's going to happen in the capital. How come Jingzhe was taken away by Song Huaizhi before he even had a chance to grow up?]
[If Song Huaizhi still wants to target the male and female leads, they're in trouble. Without the protagonist's aura, it'll be hard for them to win.]
[Aaahhh! Cute Jingzhe! How can Jingzhe be so naive! He's so adorable!]
Seeing the discussions on the bullet screen, Meng Ruyi's heart skipped a beat. She tried to suppress her excitement.
Now the bullet screen all thought that Brother Song might eliminate all his enemies, but the only uncertain factor was the protagonist's aura of those people.
Hope emerged, but new problems followed closely.
Meng Ruyi calmed down and sighed helplessly in her heart.
"Brother Song is giving him to me?"
Meng Ruyi naturally understood what Song Huaizhi meant. Now that Song Huaizhi had placed Jingzhe by her side, he actually wanted her to keep Jingzhe.
"Yes," Song Huaizhi smiled and said gently, "Jingzhe is quite skilled in martial arts. With my skills, it would be a waste for him to stay by my side."
"Then thank you, Brother Song," Meng Ruyi nodded in surprise. Then she remembered the letter and asked, "Brother Song, have you read the letter from Mr. Lin?"
"I haven't had the time to read it yet," Song Huaizhi saw the look on Meng Ruyi's face and asked, "What did he say?"
"It's not a big deal. He's just urging us to go to the capital earlier next year. Recently, because of the Gu family, the capital has been quite lively. If we go too late, it might be difficult to get involved."
"Next year?" Song Huaizhi was a bit surprised. He looked at Meng Ruyi and asked, "Do you want to go next year?"
Meng Ruyi nodded. There was a faint smile on her face and her voice was gentle.
This wasn't what she really thought. Meng Ruyi didn't have a good impression of the capital that was everywhere but she had never seen. If it weren't for Song Huaizhi, if it weren't for completely getting rid of her own ending, she thought she would never set foot there in her life.
Song Huaizhi could tell that she was being insincere, but there was nothing he could do. He silently stroked her head and just promised, "It'll be soon. We'll be home soon."
Meng Ruyi didn't miss the word "home" in his words. Suddenly, she looked up sharply, her eyes full of surprise.
Home? So Song Huaizhi also regarded this place as home?
An indescribable emotion spread in her heart. Song Huaizhi said this so casually. After saying that, he turned around and gave a few instructions to his subordinate just now. After watching the person leave, he then turned to look at Meng Ruyi.
"Go back quickly," Song Huaizhi frowned. He didn't forget that Meng Ruyi had come in a hurry just now and her skirt was splashed with mud. She must be feeling uncomfortable now. He waved to her and said, "Come on, I'll walk you back."
Just as Meng Ruyi was about to refuse, she saw Song Huaizhi already pick up the umbrella and look at her. There was a look of determination in his eyes that brooked no refusal.
The rain had started to pour again at some point.
When Meng Ruyi came just now, the raindrops were still falling one by one. Now, it was pouring down in sheets. The rain splashed on the ground, kicking up a lot of mud and turning it into muddy water. Everything looked wet and soggy.
As the wind blew, the rain even drifted under the umbrella.
Meng Ruyi subconsciously hugged herself and sniffed. She thought that she must add more clothes when she got back.
Song Huaizhi beside her looked at the muddy water and was quite entangled. He thought about whether he should carry Meng Ruyi over, but then he remembered that she had grown up and there were gender taboos. So he had no choice but to tilt the umbrella a bit more towards her.
The rain quickly soaked half of Song Huaizhi's body, but he still held the umbrella calmly. He walked Meng Ruyi to the door and then said, "Go in first. Change your wet clothes. I'll send someone to bring you a bowl of ginger soup later."
Meng Ruyi nodded. In the dim light, she could clearly see Song Huaizhi's whole body.
It was really...
Seeing that the other side of Song Huaizhi's body had been soaked by the rain, but he pretended as if nothing had happened and smiled at her while holding the umbrella.
Meng Ruyi felt a tingling sensation in her heart. The itchy feeling crawled from her heart to her fingertips and then to her face, condensing into an indescribable expression.