A Stolen Romance - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Tribulation

Shi Yuning followed the maids to a secluded courtyard. To avoid being discovered, she first hid in a dark corner, watching the maids enter a brightly lit room. She looked around the courtyard, surprised that Xie Zhaoran’s quarters in the Duke’s estate were even smaller than her own in the Marquis’s residence. If she had to find it herself, she would never have guessed that such a small, quiet courtyard would be Xie Zhaoran’s.

Under the moonlight, Shi Yuning observed her surroundings. The courtyard might have been small, but it was fully-equipped. The main hall faced south, a good layout that would allow sunlight to fill the room during the day, with an open view. There were two side rooms on both the east and west, but they were dark, so she didn’t know if anyone lived in them. The main gate was on the south side; that was where Shi Yuning had entered. There were two smaller rooms on either side of the gate, yet no one was on duty in the evening. She had just walked in like that, and no one knew. Xie Zhaoran had probably let her guard down in her own home. If someone with bad intentions wanted to do something, it would be effortlessly easy. This was far too unsafe. She had to remind Xie Zhaoran about this later.

Shi Yuning watched the maids walk out from the winding corridor and quickly hid again. The courtyard was connected by a winding corridor, and a path paved with bluestone led from the main gate to the main hall. A tall rose bush grew in the courtyard, and she hid behind it. After the maids left and their footsteps faded, Shi Yuning emerged from behind the bush. She tiptoed, crouched low, and cautiously followed the wall to the main hall.

Lightly and quietly, Shi Yuning pushed the window of the main hall. She was delighted. Her luck tonight was fantastic; the window wasn’t bolted. She gently pushed the window open a crack, peeked inside, and saw no one. A little relieved, she leaped through the window. Just as she landed, before she could exhale the breath she had been holding, she saw a pair of black, low-heeled boots appear in front of her.

Oh no, I’ve been found!

Shi Yuning panicked and tried to retreat, wanting to go back out the window the way she came in. Just as she crouched, her collar was yanked, and her hands were pinned tightly behind her back. She couldn’t move. She was easily lifted and thrown onto a pear wood canopy bed with sky-blue curtains, landing on the soft, fluffy bedding. Just as she was about to struggle to get up, a slender hand pressed down on her waist, holding her in place.

“Where did this little thief come from, daring to trespass on my Duke’s estate?”

Shi Yuning looked up and saw Xie Zhaoran staring down at her. Xie Zhaoran’s eyes reflected the flickering lamplight of the room, shining brightly, and her voice held a hint of playful mockery.

“You recognized me,” Shi Yuning realized instantly, pursing her lips. “Then let me go—”

As the word “go” left her lips, a breath of air brushed past her cheek like a breeze. Shi Yuning unconsciously swallowed. Instead of letting her go, Xie Zhaoran leaned in closer. Shi Yuning held her breath, afraid that a single breath from her would touch Xie Zhaoran’s face.

Xie Zhaoran looked at Shi Yuning’s stunned expression below her and couldn’t help but gently poke her with a finger, her tone quite frivolous. “A young lady coming in the dead of night, are you here to rob me?” Xie Zhaoran paused, a faint smile on her lips. “Or are you here to… seduce me?”

Shi Yuning clearly saw her own reflection in Xie Zhaoran’s eyes and the poorly hidden smile. She thought to herself, Xie Zhaoran is a teaser.

Alright, if she wants to play along. Shi Yuning cleared her throat and replied in kind, “Given your beauty, Miss Xie, I am naturally here to seduce you—”

Not again! Before the word “you” had fully left Shi Yuning’s mouth, she was in a dizzying spin again. The hand on her waist was scorching hot, pressed against her skin, turning her a hundred and eighty degrees. She had suddenly switched places with Xie Zhaoran, now on top of her.

She looked at Xie Zhaoran in a panic. The heat on her waist suddenly vanished. Xie Zhaoran had let go and lay completely open on the bed. “Come on, seduce me. Take whatever you want~”

As she spoke, her chest rose and fell. Shi Yuning didn’t dare to put her full weight on her. Her stiff body trembled, and as she saw Xie Zhaoran’s red lips opening and closing so close to her, saying such wildly suggestive things, her cheeks turned a deep crimson. Looking at Xie Zhaoran’s upturned eyes and the glimmer in them, Shi Yuning felt her heart skip a beat.

She frantically looked away, scrambling to get off Xie Zhaoran, and leaped back, putting some distance between herself and the bed. And some distance between herself and Xie Zhaoran.

Shi Yuning looked around, tugged at the curtains held by a golden hook, and touched the wooden partition in the room. She was flustered, frantically looking for something to talk about. The more flustered she became, the more she couldn’t find a topic. The more she couldn’t find anything to say, the more nervous she got. She was like an ant on a hot pan, scurrying around in a panic, but to no avail. After a while, she finally saw the food on the round table in the middle of the room. With a huge sigh of relief, she pointed at the bowls and dishes, unconsciously raising her voice.

“Oh, you’re eating! I’ve interrupted your meal. You… you should eat quickly.”

Ever since Shi Yuning had gotten off her, Xie Zhaoran had propped herself up and watched her at her leisure. She saw Shi Yuning acting busy, her hands and feet moving without stopping, yet she accomplished nothing. Xie Zhaoran found it very amusing and didn’t say a word, just wanted to see what Shi Yuning would do. When she heard Shi Yuning tell her to eat, Xie Zhaoran suddenly burst out laughing.

Shi Yuning was already flustered and embarrassed, and Xie Zhaoran’s laughter made her a little annoyed. “What’s so funny?!”

Xie Zhaoran smiled even more. “Oh, nothing. I just felt like laughing.”

Shi Yuning’s annoyance helped her calm down from the earlier heart palpitations. The hot flush on her face also subsided. She took a deep breath and looked at the table full of food again. She thought of how she had been so worried about Xie Zhaoran these past few days that she hadn’t been able to eat.

“I didn’t expect you to have such a good appetite. It’s so late, and you have such a huge table of food for a late-night snack.” As she said this, a thought suddenly flashed in Shi Yuning’s mind. “Did you not eat dinner?”

The question was laced with concern. Xie Zhaoran caught it, dropped her smile, and nodded, putting on a sad expression and lowering her head as if she were very sad. “I couldn’t eat.”

Shi Yuning’s eyes widened. So her worry was real. No wonder the servants had brought Xie Zhaoran food at this hour. It must be because Xie Zhaoran hadn’t eaten dinner, and her family was worried about her, so they prepared a late-night snack. Shi Yuning felt a pang of heartache and softened her voice. “How can you not eat? How will your body hold up?”

Xie Zhaoran nodded as if she took the words to heart. “Why don’t you eat with me? I always have a better appetite when I eat with you.” Shi Yuning remembered the times they had eaten together in the Eastern Palace. Xie Zhaoran was probably like her own grandma, who loved to watch others eat with gusto because it made her feel hungrier.

Shi Yuning didn’t refuse. She hadn’t eaten much for dinner either. “Okay.”

Xie Zhaoran got off the bed and invited Shi Yuning to sit at the round table. As soon as Shi Yuning sat down, she noticed something was wrong. “Why are you also wearing a night-walking outfit? Were you going out?”

Xie Zhaoran looked down at her own clothes, her heart sinking. Oh no, I forgot to change. But she was quick-witted. Her eyes darted around, and when she looked up again, she had already come up with an excuse. “I just got back and ran into you.”

Shi Yuning was energized. “Why were you wearing that? Where did you go?”

Xie Zhaoran: “I went to punish the wicked and eliminate evil.”

Shi Yuning’s eyes lit up. “What evil did you eliminate? Do you need my help?”

Xie Zhaoran smiled. “Eat first.”

Seeing Shi Yuning’s instant look of disappointment, Xie Zhaoran added, “We can talk while we eat.”

Shi Yuning was happy. “Alright.”

Xie Zhaoran uncovered the dishes one by one. Shi Yuning became more and more surprised. “Aren’t all of these my favorite foods?” When all the lids were off, she hesitated. “Why is there scallion in this dish? Don’t you dislike scallions?”

The hand with which Xie Zhaoran was passing chopsticks to Shi Yuning paused. Her eyes shifted slightly. “Perhaps the cook in the house didn’t know.”

Shi Yuning took the chopsticks. Her fingers touched Xie Zhaoran’s, and her hand felt a little cold. Shi Yuning’s heart also grew a little cold. She thought of all the things about the Xie family, how Xie Zhaoran’s parents had not been by her side since she was a child. She never thought that they wouldn’t even know these basic details. Shi Yuning had already imagined a pitiful girl whose parents didn’t love her and didn’t even know what she liked to eat.

She gripped her chopsticks and quickly picked out all the chopped scallions from the taro dish. “I guess the kitchen was just careless. It’s fine now. Eat.”

Xie Zhaoran’s lips curled into a smile that reached her eyes. She gently picked up a piece of taro and placed it in Shi Yuning’s bowl. Seeing that Xie Zhaoran didn’t seem to mind, Shi Yuning breathed a sigh of relief and began eating the dish that Xie Zhaoran had given her. After she started eating, Shi Yuning’s bowl was never empty.

“You didn’t eat dinner?” Xie Zhaoran noticed the problem.

Shi Yuning quickly shook her head, not wanting Xie Zhaoran to know that she had been too worried to eat. She lied, “I’m still growing, so I get hungry fast.”

Just as her words fell, the window she had climbed through suddenly opened from the outside. Shi Yuning was startled, and the stuffed chicken wing in her hand dropped into her bowl with a plop.

Xiao Liju walked toward the two of them with a dark expression on her face. She aggressively plunked herself down next to Shi Yuning and grumbled to Xie Zhaoran, “I’m hungry too. Does anyone care about me?!”

Shi Yuning knew that Xiao Liju had been keeping vigil in the palace for several days. She hadn’t seen her in a while, and she was surprised to see how much she had lost weight. “Princess, why are you here?”

Xiao Liju glared at Shi Yuning. “What? You can come, but I can’t?”

Shi Yuning hadn’t recovered from her surprise and just shook her head blankly. Then, as if she remembered something, she looked at Xie Zhaoran. “I was just about to say, your guards are no good. They didn’t even notice someone came in.”

Xiao Liju, who had been angry, laughed bitterly at this. “Her guards are no good? Ha ha! Then there’s no good guard in the capital. I’ll tell you—”

“Shut up. Why are you here?” Xie Zhaoran didn’t give her a chance to speak, interrupting her.

Xiao Liju had been hammered off the wall by Xie Zhaoran’s subordinate, and now she wasn’t even allowed to talk. She was so angry that she slammed her hand on the round table. “What, did I interrupt you admiring a beauty under the lamp?!” she said with a sarcastic tone.

Shi Yuning looked around and pointed to herself. “A beauty? Me?” she seemed to ask, in disbelief.

The anger that had been welling up in Xiao Liju’s chest was like a punctured airbag; it deflated instantly. She looked at Xie Zhaoran with a hint of sympathy. “Forget it. So doltish.” She patted the table. “Get me a pair of chopsticks! If I don’t eat soon, I’ll start eating people!”

She had personally come to deliver a message in the middle of the night, only to find that Xie Zhaoran was enjoying herself, happily eating with the person she loved. What a struggle it was for her to come here hungry, after keeping vigil in the palace during the scripture chanting, just to pass along a message.

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