Ning Yanzhi was different from Mu Wang and Wen Wuyou. If she wanted to probe, she had to be the one to raise the questions.
She almost swallowed most of the simple sentence. Ning Yanzhi could only hear the vague syllables of the last part.
The hand massaging around her eyes paused slightly.
"It works well."
Qu Yue was like a prisoner who had grasped the rope of hope. Her breathing grew heavier and heavier, and her heart pounded against her chest wall, causing violent tremors. "Ning Zhuangyuan, do you know I cried last night?"
She even had an urge to run away. Every inch of her skin that he had touched was faintly itching.
But her eagerness for the answer held her in place.
Learning from Wen Wuyou's lesson, Qu Yue specifically avoided the afternoon when they were receiving mourners and emphasized the time.
Ning Yanzhi understood her emphasis.
He tried to close the lid of the ointment box twice but failed. He said coldly, "You'd better ask yourself rather than me."
Just as he finished applying the ointment, Ning Yanzhi withdrew.
However, the unique chill of his seemed to seep down Qu Yue's spine and spread throughout her body.
Qu Yue sat there on the stone bench in a daze. His ambiguous answer made things even more difficult for her.
So... was it him or not?
Qu Yue's mind was in a mess. Then the jar of ointment came into her sight again.
"Got it?"
Qu Yue didn't dare to ask further for fear of arousing his suspicion. She nodded vigorously like a pounding garlic. "Yes, I got it."
Her skin was delicate. The places he had just pressed were now marked with light red imprints, looking extremely alluring.
Ning Yanzhi fought back the urge to leave deeper marks on her body. "Hmm."
He put the ointment on the stone bench and turned away.
This man walked in a very upright posture. Every step seemed to be measured with a ruler. Qu Yue counted ten steps, and he had become just a tiny dot in her vision.
The highly tense nerves suddenly relaxed. Qu Yue let out a sigh and slumped across two stone benches, gasping for breath.
The sky was as black as ink, dotted with countless stars. The beautiful stars were like a gorgeous galaxy, healing people's hearts.
Qu Yue was searching for the brightest one among them. Her pink lips pouted in dissatisfaction. "Why doesn't anyone explain things clearly?"
How could she figure out who did it like this?
Qu Yue stared at the starry sky. Only then did she realize that her eyes were not as sore and swollen as before.
It seemed that the warmth of Ning Yanzhi still remained on her eyelids. Together with the cool ointment, it relieved the fatigue of her eyes.
She shook her head and stretched out her hand to look for the star.
It was said that the deceased relatives would turn into the brightest star in the sky to protect their loved ones.
"Hey!"
She traced the brightest star in the sky and showed a knowing smile. "Mother, I will definitely solve everything and clear your name!"
Gurgle—
Inappropriately, her stomach growled.
She had walked a long way during the day and had been busy with Wen Wuyou for most of the day. Counting it all, the only thing she had eaten today was that stale bun.
She was really starving now.
Qu Yue reached out and rubbed her empty stomach. She couldn't help but recall the carefree and happy life she had when her mother was still alive—
She was like a little princess then. All she needed to do was say a word, and the delicious food she wanted would appear on the table.
She could even taste the rarest lychee ice.
But now.
Since her mother's downfall, her happy life was gone forever. All that was left was a life of extreme hardship.
She actually didn't understand why her life had changed like this. She had not only lost her innocence but might also be sent to be buried with someone...
The contrast was too great. The more Qu Yue thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Her beautiful eyebrows and eyes were tinged with sadness.
Thinking that there was no one around anyway, she simply plopped down on the ground and hugged the stone bench to pour out her grievances.
The more she talked, the more astringent her nose became. Her vision was gradually blurred by tears, and suppressed sobs escaped from her throat.
She knew very well that this was a side courtyard and no one would come here. Liu Xu slept soundly. Even if there were drums and gongs outside, she might not wake up.
Relying on these two things, her sobs gradually changed from suppressed to unrestrained.
But who would have thought that the next second, a cold question came from above her head.
"Why are you crying?"
"..."
Qu Yue was startled. She looked up in surprise and met Ning Yanzhi's calm and steady gaze.
For a moment, all the words she wanted to pour out were stuck in her mouth. Her clear eyes blinked again and again.
Why... why did he come back?
The air between them seemed to freeze, and an indescribable awkwardness filled the air.
Ning Yanzhi didn't expect that she would cry after he left either.
It was when he was about to walk out of the path that he suddenly realized that he had forgotten to remind Qu Yue not to mention their marriage during the mourning ceremony tomorrow, lest she be gossiped about in the future.
As a result, when he came back, he saw this scene.
He should have just turned around and left.
But his feet seemed to be out of control. Somehow, they led him to Qu Yue.
The woman was crying very sadly. Her tears fell like broken pearls, sliding down her fair cheeks, gathering at her small chin, and finally dropping to the ground.
Even her long black eyelashes were clumped together, with crystal - clear teardrops hanging on them.
Her delicate nose was red, just like a budding lotus in the pond.
For a moment, his heart ached too.
Therefore, he, who never liked to meddle in other people's business, took the initiative to ask Qu Yue.
After a long while, he finally heard Qu Yue's muffled answer.
"I... I'm so hungry..."
As soon as the words came out, Qu Yue herself was embarrassed and tightened her grip on the stone bench.
She never expected that Ning Yanzhi would come back. She was like boiling water that exploded with a bang. Then her mind went blank.
Ning Yanzhi frowned slightly. "Hungry?"
If he remembered correctly, the food in the Marquis Mansion was of a top - notch level in the capital.
How could Qu Yue be hungry?
"Yeah." But the woman didn't seem to be lying at all. Her eyes, which had just been applied with ointment, were now red and swollen again. "I only ate a bun for dinner."
Ning Yanzhi said, "You'd better not be lying."
"I won't lie." Qu Yue thought to herself that if he had come back a little earlier, he would have heard her stomach growling.
Ning Yanzhi urged, "Then why don't you get up?"
He always spoke in just a few words. Qu Yue usually had to piece together the meaning based on the context.
But this time, she really couldn't understand.
With tears still on her face, she stared blankly at Ning Yanzhi. "Huh?"
Ning Yanzhi's patience was running out. Every word was frosty. "Go and have dinner."
Qu Yue knew very well about the curfew time in the Marquis Mansion. "I can't get out, can I?"
He avoided Qu Yue's direct gaze and squeezed out an answer between his lips and teeth. "Side gate."
Qu Yue was slightly shocked. "Did you come in through the side gate?"
Ning Yanzhi gritted his teeth. "Are you going to eat or not?"
"Eat!" Qu Yue nodded seriously.
Ning Yanzhi saw that she had agreed but didn't move for a long time. He raised his eyebrows and pointed at the stone bench Qu Yue was holding. "Are you going to take it with you?"
Qu Yue was embarrassed. "I think my legs are numb."
"What a nuisance." Although Ning Yanzhi said he was annoyed, he still reached out his hand to Qu Yue.
She said thank you softly and slowly placed her hand in his palm.
With Ning Yanzhi's help, Qu Yue got up from the ground.
But just as she regained her balance, she was suddenly tripped by her favorite stone bench!
"Watch out—"