After the Cold and Aloof Husband's Mask Falls - Chapter 47

Protector Duke’s Manor, inside the flower hall.

Having left Gu Wanlan, Cui Jue did not take Xiao Sun back to the courtyard where they lived, but instead led him to the flower hall used for receiving guests.

“She will come looking for you shortly. Please make yourself at home.”

Xiao Sun didn’t truly want to help Cui Jue change his medicine anyway, so he was happy to be left in peace. However, thinking of how people of this sort usually acted, he raised an eyebrow. “And if she asks?”

Cui Jue let out a noncommittal laugh. “That is a matter between her and me.”

“Tsk.”

Xiao Sun snorted coldly and stopped talking. He walked straight across from Cui Jue, found a chair, and sat down.

Cui Jue ignored him. After having a servant serve a pot of hot tea, he simply closed his eyes to rest his mind. For a moment, no one spoke in the hall, and the atmosphere grew even more tense and heavy. The attending maids didn’t dare breathe loudly, keeping their heads down and eyes fixed on their own noses.

This was the scene Gu Wanlan saw as she rounded the screen and strode over.

It didn’t surprise her that Cui Jue hadn’t let Xiao Sun help, but brought him to the flower hall instead. Back at the gate, she had been somewhat flustered because Cui Jue mentioned applying medicine in public, so she had purposely used Xiao Sun’s words to needle him.

The truth was, they had fooled around so much yesterday that she found it difficult to look at his face directly. Originally, when she saw him, she thought of a crane in the snow or a lotus in the water. Now, when she saw his face, her mind was filled with his tightened jaw, his moving Adam’s apple, and…

Crap.

She was overthinking. Her foot slipped, and she nearly tripped over the threshold. Fortunately, someone grabbed her forearm.

“Be careful, Madam.”

Gu Wanlan looked up. The thin lips opening and closing before her eyes were exactly the ones she had been fantasizing about just now! In an instant, her whole body tensed up, and it felt as though all her blood rushed to her head.

She felt that retribution was swift indeed. Just a moment ago, when she exposed Gu Baozhu, she found the girl’s reaction amusing. Now that she was the “thief” caught in the act, she was so embarrassed she wanted to dig a hole and hide.

But her stubborn competitive streak made her refuse to let Cui Jue realize her momentary panic. The faster her heart beat in her chest, the more serious her expression became. She hardened her heart, slowly moved her gaze away from him, and spoke sternly. “I am fine. Thank you for your concern.”

Cui Jue studied her for a moment. Seeing that her expression didn’t look like she had encountered trouble outside, he let go. “It’s good that you’re fine.”

As soon as he let go, Gu Wanlan couldn’t wait to turn and walk toward Xiao Sun’s side. She instinctively stroked the spot where Cui Jue had held her; for some reason, it felt scorching hot now.

Watching the whole scene, Xiao Sun silently lowered his eyes.

Crack—

A sharp sound rang out. The teacup in Xiao Sun’s hand suddenly developed spiderweb cracks along its body. Scalding tea seeped through the fissures, quickly turning his fingers red, yet his face remained expressionless.

He simply held the tea, stood up, and said hoarsely, “Wanlan allowed me into the manor. What is it you wish to say to me?”

Gu Wanlan shifted her gaze away from Xiao Sun’s scalded fingers and said coolly, “Xiao Sun, I don’t know what you said to the Emperor last night to make him instruct me to look after you in Xijing. Since it is the Emperor’s request, I will naturally comply. However—”

She paused, staring into Xiao Sun’s eyes, emphasizing every word. “Xiao Sun, regarding matters like last night—if you want to plot against me, fine. We can each rely on our own skills. But if you involve my people, even if the Emperor wants to protect you, I will find a way to make you pay.”

“You think this Prince was plotting against you last night?”

Gu Wanlan let out a mocking laugh. “Could it be as Your Highness said, that you truly just wanted to see me once before being captured? Such deep affection—do you even believe it yourself, Your Highness?”

Xiao Sun hid the emotions in his eyes. “Wanting to see you… was not a lie. I wasn’t certain I could escape Emperor Qingyuan’s hands entirely.”

Gu Wanlan’s heart skipped a beat. She took a breath, and when she opened her eyes again, they were cold. “Furthermore.”

She took a step forward. Under Xiao Sun’s startled gaze, she reached out and gave the teacup he was struggling to hold together a light push. The cup shattered instantly, splashing tea over both of them.

Cui Jue watched this scene without moving forward. He simply lowered his eyes and looked away. However, Gu Wanlan’s chilling voice was inescapable, crashing into his ears just the same.

“Since the cup is broken, there is no need to struggle to maintain it. Get a new one.”

After Xiao Sun left, Gu Wanlan went to the training grounds that Tianxuan had prepared for her in the manor. She picked out a long spear from the Protector Duke’s armory and practiced alone for a long time.

She was truly sick to death of these schemes and plots wrapped in layers of emotion. She knew Xiao Sun probably did have some feelings for her, but she didn’t believe for a second that his actions last night were truly just to see her before his arrest. Besides her as a person, what else did she have that outsiders would covet? It was her status as the legitimate daughter of the Protector Duke.

Perhaps Xiao Sun wanted to drag the entire Protector Duke’s faction down with him as part of some deal with Emperor Qingyuan.

The grand situation between Great Xia and Roulan, her entangled relationship with Xiao Sun, Emperor Qingyuan forcing her to stay close to him, the people of the Duke’s manor being drawn into the whirlpool, and Cui Jue, who was constantly affecting her state of mind.

Scene after scene of her life since arriving in Xijing flashed through her mind. She felt as though her brain had become a tangled mess of hemp. She could only grip her spear, eyes turning red as if she were fighting for her life against some invisible enemy.

It wasn’t until the sun sank low and the golden sunset hit her face that, during a turning thrust, her right hand suddenly lost its strength. The spear flew from her hand, and she lost her balance, falling heavily to the ground.

The gravel on the ground scraped her joints until they bled, but she didn’t even notice. She just stared at the fallen spear, her face pale, her jaw trembling uncontrollably.

She propped herself up on her knees and stood up slowly. Suddenly, an ivory-white hem appeared beside the spear. Seeing her approach, the owner of the hem didn’t move, just stood there.

Gu Wanlan pursed her lips tight, leaned down, and personally picked up the spear, gripping it firmly with both hands. When she looked up, she saw an ivory-white hair ribbon lying in the palm of Cui Jue’s hand.

Gu Wanlan was stunned. What does this mean?

Cui Jue let out a soft laugh and reached out to pick up the ribbon himself. “Why have you gone dazed all of a sudden?”

“What?” Gu Wanlan followed his movements, looking up at him blankly. Because of his joke, her tensed nerves gradually relaxed. But in their wake surged another, unidentifiable emotion.

The sunset fell behind Cui Jue, casting a warm yellow halo over him, softening his usual coldness. In his clear eyes, there was only a trace of a smile, like an immortal sitting high upon the clouds who had descended to the mortal realm just for her.

He took a step forward, raised both hands, and wrapped the ribbon around the back of her head. Inadvertently, his wrist brushed against her earlobe. Gu Wanlan was instantly stiff, her heart thumping like a drum. She even buried her head in embarrassment, not daring to look at him, but this only made the sensation of his fingertips sliding through her hair clearer.

It was too strange. Gu Wanlan gripped her spear tightly. Clearly, they had already done the most intimate of things. But why was she so nervous at this moment? She hated this feeling of being out of control.

“There.” Fortunately, before her abnormal state was noticed, Cui Jue let go and stepped back. Gu Wanlan reached up and felt her hair tied into a ponytail by the ribbon. “Go on, this should suit you better.”

Gu Wanlan was startled, only now realizing that she hadn’t even changed her dress or hair ornaments for today’s practice! She felt utterly absurd—what on earth was she doing…

“Forget it, I’m not going. I’m still wearing a skirt, it looks stupid.” She spoke gloomily, kicking a loose stone on the ground.

“Then shall we go back for dinner? Mother and the others are worried about you.”

“Oh, alright. I’ll go back and clean up first.”

Gu Wanlan and Cui Jue walked back side-by-side. After a moment, she couldn’t help but ask, “You… why didn’t you come over to persuade me to stop? I saw them; Qi Rong and the others all came by to try and talk me out of it.”

Cui Jue didn’t look back, just gazed ahead and said calmly, “Would you have listened?”

Gu Wanlan thought about it, laughed at herself, and shook her head. “Probably not. I’m the type that doesn’t turn back until I hit the wall. It’s a hard habit to break.”

“Mhm. That’s why I’m only responsible for making sure you feel better when you hit the wall, so you don’t knock yourself silly.”

Gu Wanlan was somewhat speechless. “You really don’t know how to talk. Those should have been moving words, and you say them like that.”

Cui Jue didn’t respond. He just watched her back for a long time. They had already entered the room, yet she was still gripping that spear tightly…

Cui Jue reached back and closed the door. He lowered his eyelashes, his figure sinking into the shadows of the room. “Does Madam like that hair ribbon?”

Gu Wanlan had her back to him, one hand on her spear and the other unfastening her belt. She nodded instinctively. “Naturally.”

“Does Madam also like practicing with the spear?”

“Naturally.”

“Is Madam troubled by Xiao Sun today?”

“It’s because Xiao Sun, he…”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she snapped her mouth shut, nearly biting her tongue in the process. She whirled around, incredulous. “Cui Jue! You gave me a hair ribbon just to ask me this question in a roundabout way?! If you want to know something, you can just ask directly!”

Why?! Why is it that in Xijing, even a common question between husband and wife requires such calculation!

The mood that had softened slightly under the sunset surged again, wanting to explode. Back when she was forced to leave Changping Pass and temporarily give up her identity as Ji Lin, she had already prepared herself to be trapped in Xijing amidst intrigue and deception.

But it was too much. So much that… she had let her spear slip today. Like a sign that things were beginning to slide into a bottomless abyss of chaos, she was drowned in an immense panic. She could only grip what was in her hand.

Cui Jue took a step closer, emerging from the shadows, though a dark silhouette still covered his eyes.

“I have asked. Is Madam prepared with an answer?”