Finally, Deng Xiao left. But seeing that Xiao Tian also hadn't received an affirmation, Deng Xiao felt somewhat relieved. After leaving a harsh warning, "You'll be mine sooner or later," he took his leave.
Xiao Tian glared at Yi Qing gritted his teeth, his expression as if to say, "Give me an explanation!"
Yi Qing grinned, "Anyway, we can't get married. As long as it's not public, it doesn't count. He's not going to eavesdrop on what we're doing in the middle of the night, is he?"
Xiao Tian: "..."
Yi Qing added, "Don't be fooled by Deng Xiao's amiable demeanor. He's actually unpredictable and hard to figure out. It's better to offend a gentleman than a villain. Being on his radar is no good."
Xiao Tian said proudly, "I'm not afraid of him."
Yi Qing rolled her eyes, "Well, I am, okay?"
Xiao Tian was silent for a long time before muttering, "Did you choose me and reject him because he's a eunuch?"
Yi Qing raised an eyebrow, "You mean I'm attracted to your body?"
Xiao Tian blushed.
"Want to hear the truth?" Yi Qing leaned closer, crooking her finger.
Xiao Tian nodded.
"I've never been with you. How would I know if you're good? How about I give it a try?"
Xiao Tian: "..."Speak properly!"
Yi Qing laughed uncontrollably, holding her stomach.
"What's going on in your head? Why would I have to choose between you and Deng Xiao? Deng Xiao kidnapped me. Even if I can't fall out with him for the sake of my interests, I can't forget that he once tried to harm me. Have you ever done anything that extreme to me? Do you think I'm crazy or just into being mistreated?"
Deng Xiao and Xiao Tian were simply not comparable.
"Even if he weren't a eunuch, and even if there were reasons behind his kidnapping me, he's so unpredictable. The stronger his feelings are now, the more heartless he'll be when he turns against me." Yi Qing stood up and walked over to the vase. She reached out and touched the dewy hibiscus, then leaned in to smell it. Her voice was distant, "At my age, I don't want a passionate, tempestuous love. I just want a peaceful, long - lasting relationship."
Xiao Tian could give her a sense of security.
With him, she didn't have to be constantly on guard, didn't have to be nervous, and didn't have to weigh every word. She could laugh, scold, and just be the lively Yi Qing.
With Deng Xiao, she couldn't. She felt ill - at ease.
Suddenly, she turned back and gave Xiao Tian a charming smile, "So, when are you going to pick up where we left off before Deng Xiao interrupted us?"
It took Xiao Tian a while to understand. Blushing, he said, "You're a woman. Shouldn't I be the one to say that?"
Without giving Yi Qing time to react, he suddenly stepped forward, held her small face in both hands, and bent down to kiss her.
This was the only way to shut up this chattering mouth.
Baozi, who had left the academy early because he was worried about Yi Qing, stood at the door, stunned.
A moment later, he quietly backed out, just as silently as he had come.
The next day, Baozi went to see Ranran.
"Done with class?" Ranran asked in surprise. Somehow, she produced a plate of fresh lychees, "Here, I saved these for you."
Ranran no longer had to sweep the garden. Instead, she had entered the kitchen and become a junior supervisor.
Xu Maozhi had played a big part in this.
This upright and somewhat stubborn man had gone to Lu Tianxun on Ranran's behalf and asked him to arrange this job for her. Xu Maozhi even paid for it, but Ranran didn't know.
"Auntie," Baozi sat on the kitchen threshold with Ranran, peeling lychees. The sight of the big and the small was harmonious and pleasing. "When you're distributing the meals, don't give me extra meat. People are more concerned about unfairness than poverty."
Ranran laughed, "You're just a kid. Why do you think so much? You're the youngest. You should be taken care of. Those who gossip must be really petty to compare with you. Just ignore them. Why do you care what they say?"
Baozi said, "I'm small, so I eat less. I should follow Kong Rong's example and yield. Anyway, auntie, it's not right. I know you love me, but we're relatives, so we should avoid suspicion. If this goes on, it'll have a bad influence on the academy's atmosphere."
Ranran: "..."Did that Xu guy say something to you?"
Why did she feel that Baozi was starting to sound more and more like Xu Maozhi?
That wouldn't do.
Baozi was the only descendant of her elder brother and was going to carry on her brother's legacy in the future. A man like Xu Maozhi, who was old and still couldn't find a wife, had no future.
Ranran had completely forgotten the time when she had been infatuated with Lord Xu like a fangirl.
Her infatuation with Xu Maozhi had died as soon as it saw the light.
"No. Mr. Xu never talks to me alone. He's very good at avoiding suspicion."
Two blushes appeared on Ranran's face, "What kind of suspicion - avoiding is that? What relation does he have with you?"
"Auntie, you're blushing," Baozi said, taking a bite of the sweet lychee.
Ranran's face turned even redder, "Don't talk nonsense."
"Grandpa Cao still won't let you marry Mr. Xu, right?"
A look of distress flashed across Ranran's eyes. She silently cursed "that stupid Xu" in her heart, but said out loud, "If I don't marry, I don't marry. I never really wanted to anyway. I'll help your mother raise you. When you get married and have kids in the future, I'll help you take care of them. Would you let me stay in your mansion and mooch off you?"
"But Mom has Uncle Xiao now," Baozi said. "Then you'll be all alone. Won't you be sad?"
Ranran lowered her head. After a while, she said, "If your Grandpa Cao just won't agree, then this is how it has to be."
It's better not to marry than to marry someone randomly.
Xu Maozhi had exhausted all his efforts to please her father.
When her father was chopping firewood in the kitchen, Xu Maozhi went to help and almost chopped off his own foot; when her father was fixing the roof, Xu Maozhi fell off the ladder before he even climbed up. If he hadn't been caught, God knows what would have happened to him. Yet, he still didn't give up and kept pestering her father every day...
"Mom's going to have a little brother or sister soon," Baozi suddenly said.
He used to be so naive, thinking that babies were really put in through the soles of the feet. Now that he was older, he knew that was impossible. There was no opening on the soles. Babies must be put in the mother's belly when people kiss.
Yes, it must be so.
Ranran was shocked - Yi Qing was pregnant?
Yi Qing had just returned after being kidnapped. Being pregnant at this time, was the baby...
No, no, no. She couldn't think like that. It must be Xiao Tian's.
Since the emperor had issued a gag order to protect Deng Xiao, no one knew who had kidnapped Yi Qing or what had happened to her. At least at Ranran's level, it was hard to find out the truth.
But what if it wasn't? No, it had to be.
What would Xiao Tian think? And what about Yi Qing herself?
Ranran couldn't help but think too much. There were still some details she didn't understand, and she had to go and ask Xu Maozhi.