My Love Rivals Have All Reborn - Chapter 42

It was noon, and the sunshine was pleasant. Xiao Kunning’s small face was fair and tender, and her eyes sparkled with a vibrant brilliance, making her seem insincere.

Xiao Kunning came because she wanted to see Wen Yu-ke. Though she had her own thoughts, she dared not reveal the slightest bit of them on her face. Xie Yu’s eyes saw clearly. She suppressed her words, but her tone became much gentler. “You came because you want to see Wen Yu-ke?”

Xiao Kunning’s hand, holding the teacup, paused. The current scene inexplicably reminded her of the previous life. The tea in her hand could not be offered. She felt endless remorse—why bring humiliation upon herself?

In her anxiety, she might spoil things if she couldn’t see Wen Yu-ke. She endured the feeling and changed her statement. “You are overthinking, Master. I ran into a maid earlier who wasn’t feeling well, so she asked me to deliver the tea. Since everything is fine here, your student will return.”

Xie Yu’s eyes flickered. She did not expose the clumsy excuse. Instead, she took the tea and drank it in one gulp. She said magnanimously, “I am also going to see Wen Yu-ke. If you wish, you may come along, but once inside, you are not allowed to speak.”

Xiao Kunning immediately beamed with joy and thanked her profusely.

Xie Yu saw her smile but felt no happiness herself. She instructed her to follow, and the two went to the guest courtyard together.

Wen Yu-ke was awake, lying very weakly in bed. Su Ying was boiling medicine nearby. The affairs of the Xie Estate were unusual, and she was well aware of Xie Yu’s character, but the person she saved should not be harmed by others. Therefore, she dared not let anyone else handle the process, from preparing to boiling the medicine.

Xie Yu had long known of Su Ying’s actions. Physicians possess kind hearts. Su Ying’s approach was not wrong. However, seeing this, Xiao Kunning felt she had found an opportunity and eagerly approached. “Physician Su must be very tired alone. Why don’t I help you?”

Su Ying’s hand, holding the fan, trembled. If she let Xiao Kunning care for Wen Yu-ke, Xie Yu might literally kill her. Facing Xiao Kunning’s friendly suggestion, she chose to ignore it. “No need, no need. I’m only boiling the medicine because I’m not busy.”

Xiao Kunning held Su Ying’s hand and didn’t let go, strongly recommending herself. “I truly admire your medical skills. I want to follow you and learn. What do you think?”

Faced with Xiao Kunning’s hopeful eyes, Su Ying’s heart softened. She was about to agree, but then she saw the cold gaze of Xie Yu behind Xiao Kunning. She had no choice but to change her words. “Medical skills are not passed down externally.”

“Medical skills are not passed down? What kind of rule is that?” Xiao Kunning was confused. She knew the rule against passing down martial arts, but medicine was the basis for saving lives. When did it become like this? Was her knowledge shallow?

Su Ying smiled unnaturally. It wasn’t that medical skills couldn’t be passed on, but that she couldn’t pass them on to Xiao Kunning. Who was Xie Yu? She was the Great Proprietor of the Hengxiang Pavilion. Su Ying dared not offend her.

Xiao Kunning was disheartened, her face full of disappointment. Xie Yu poked her forehead. “Those are her rules. No need to force it.”

The Master was in a very good mood today. Not only was her tone much softer, but she wasn’t cursing. Xiao Kunning dared not be presumptuous. She lowered her head and followed.

Su Ying, standing in the corridor, wanted to go forward and expose Xie Yu’s hypocrisy. She learns fast; she knows how to win favor with Xiao Kunning now.

Inside the room, Wen Yu-ke was drowsily sleeping. Upon hearing a familiar voice, she suddenly opened her eyes. Xiao Kunning’s bright face seemed right before her. Her dry lips twitched. She is still so silly, treating Xie Yu as a saint.

Xiao Kunning followed Xie Yu into the room, keeping their agreement not to speak. When she saw Wen Yu-ke, she smiled brightly. Her smile was like the morning sun, warming those around her. Wen Yu-ke felt a wave of warmth spread through her body. She felt comfortable, and her wound no longer hurt.

Xiao Kunning’s smile was a dose of good medicine.

Medicine that belonged only to her.

Xie Yu, as if she had eyes in the back of her head, turned and glanced at Xiao Kunning. The latter blinked, seemingly conveying, I did not speak.

The girl’s vitality and cheerfulness stunned Xie Yu for a moment. She hadn’t seen her this lively since their parting that year. Unconsciously, she clenched her fists, suppressing the rush of panic. She turned back to speak to Wen Yu-ke. “Minister Wen, how is your body?”

Wen Yu-ke lay still, her body weak. She apologized to Xie Yu. “I remember the Grand Tutor’s life-saving grace. I cannot get up today. Please forgive me.”

Xie Yu, meeting her gaze, subtly moved a step to the left, completely blocking Xiao Kunning from view. Wen Yu-ke’s eyes flashed with confusion. After a few breaths, Xiao Kunning’s figure appeared in her line of sight again.

Xiao Kunning didn’t know why Xie Yu moved, but she also had feet. If Xie Yu moved, she could move too.

Seeing this, Wen Yu-ke couldn’t help but smile. Xie Yu sensed something was wrong and ordered Xiao Kunning, “Go invite Physician Su over. I want to ask about the illness.”

Xiao Kunning didn’t dare to object. She mumbled her assent and dutifully went to call Su Ying.

Taking advantage of the interval, Xie Yu said, “Minister Wen came to Chang’an alone, facing immense danger. You are already like a clay Buddha crossing the river. Why do you still wish to pull others into the mire to sink with you?”

Wen Yu-ke heard this and remembered Xie Yu’s rigidity and cruelty in the previous life. Her body under the quilt tensed. Though she knew the disparity in their statuses, she chose to speak. “Your subordinate is clean and solitary.”

The mud clinging to Xie Yu’s body could drown Xiao Kunning. Compared to Xie Yu’s filth, she was clean.

Wen Yu-ke was not reckless, but her manifested words and actions were not simple; they seemed to carry her own objective, forcing Xie Yu to be wary. She regretted it now.

I shouldn’t have saved her last night.

Su Ying walked in in the time it took for two sentences, followed by the impatient Xiao Kunning. Xie Yu proactively said, “Minister Wen, please rest well. Just say what you need. I won’t disturb your recovery.”

After speaking, she took Xiao Kunning’s hand right in front of Wen Yu-ke and led her out of the room.

Xiao Kunning was confused. Xie Yu had just said she wanted to ask about the illness. Why did she leave without asking a single question? Was she making fun of me?

Wen Yu-ke was not surprised. Xie Yu had never changed. She was a hidden wolf, waiting in the dark, and one day she would pounce on her prey. Wen Yu-ke would not allow Xiao Kunning to fall into Xie Yu’s trap again.

I will not allow it, nor permit it.

Su Ying was also bewildered by Xie Yu’s sudden action. She looked around and saw Wen Yu-ke looking in Xiao Kunning’s direction. She roughly understood Xie Yu’s abrupt change of heart.

The vinegar jar had been kicked over again.

Wen Yu-ke felt tired. She closed her eyes and murmured, “Thank you for your hard work, Physician Su.”

The winter sun was heart-warming, chasing away the chill. Only after being warmed by the sun did Xie Yu realize her behavior had been overly childish. When she looked back at Xiao Kunning, the girl was looking at her as if she were a stranger.

Xiao Kunning’s hand was soft and warm, seeming to possess a kind of magic that attracted her. She quietly held it, reluctant to let go.

Xiao Kunning was stunned. She had been held by Xie Yu several times in less than a day. It was Little Xie Yu before; this time, it was the sober Xie Yu. It must be her imagination.

“Master, are you feeling unwell, or is there some misunderstanding?”

Xie Yu’s heart, filled with warmth, was splashed cold by this one sentence. She let go of the girl’s hand as if it were burning, pretending to be reserved. “You hope I’ve gone silly that much?”

Xiao Kunning originally thought she was quite smart, but after this whole ordeal, she couldn’t figure anything out. Her mind was a mess. Was there something wrong with Xie Yu that she kept holding her hand?

After letting her thoughts run wild for a while, she looked down at Xie Yu’s hands—fair as jade, with clearly defined joints. Then she looked at Xie Yu’s face, which seemed normal. She did not look sick at all.

She couldn’t figure it out. She decided to keep her distance from Xie Yu, though her words remained as polite as ever. “Master is greatly wise and intelligent, well-read, and full of talent. I envy you too much to wish you were silly. You must have misunderstood.”

Her little mouth spoke more sweetly than a performing opera singer. Xie Yu did not believe a single word. She had been ecstatic moments ago exchanging glances with Wen Yu-ke; she was just being polite to Xie Yu. Gu Ning had said she needed to be coaxed. Xie Yu once again suppressed her impatience and said, “That makes sense. It seems you don’t intend to leave the Xie Estate today.”

This was the second reason Xiao Kunning had come to find Xie Yu. Given the major incident last night, the lessons at the Guanzhi Academy would certainly be suspended. If they didn’t go to the palace, they should return to their estates. The crucial point was that returning home would completely cut off any news about Wen Yu-ke.

She didn’t want to go back, so she had no choice but to plead with Xie Yu.

Xie Yu shattered her fantasy. She nodded. “I hope the Master will grant my request.”

Xie Yu wanted to get angry but was afraid of scolding her away. She could only inwardly curse Wen Yu-ke from start to finish before saying, “Do you like Wen Yu-ke?”

Like Wen Yu-ke? Xiao Kunning was stunned. She only felt gratitude toward Wen Yu-ke. The Wen family had strict rules. She heard that a woman genuinely wanted to marry Wen Yu-ke back then, even as a concubine. But when the Wen family in Chang’an found out, they informed Wen Yu-ke not to agree, simply because the woman was of low status and constantly exposed herself in public.

The Xiao family’s status was neither high nor low. The Wen family wouldn’t necessarily refuse, but she was a famously wild girl, so the Wen family would definitely make Wen Yu-ke reject her.

Besides, the waters of Chang’an City were murky. Having experienced the power struggles of the previous life, her desire for power had long since faded. She did not want to step into those muddy waters again. Wen Yu-ke was destined to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Xie Yu, and she could not hold her back.

The person standing before her was Xie Yu, not Little Xie Yu. She could not be fooled, so she could only speak the truth. “Master, you must be joking.”

“Joking?” Xie Yu’s expression softened slightly. Xiao Kunning’s nature was daring; she would admit it if she liked someone. Xie Yu inexplicably felt relieved. She stopped dwelling on Wen Yu-ke and took her hand again. “Let’s go to the study. News has arrived from the border.”

The hand-holding was too quick and too natural. Xiao Kunning’s scalp prickled. Since when were she and Xie Yu this close?

In the previous life, they were separated by hatred, standing on opposing sides of life and death. Now they were holding hands and talking happily?

No, no, that’s not right. She and Xie Yu were different. Regardless of what Xie Yu was thinking, she needed to maintain distance first. She tried to pull her hand back forcefully, but Xie Yu held on tightly. Her hand was no longer her own; it was Xie Yu’s “hand.”

“Master, don’t you think something is strange?”

Xie Yu pretended not to understand the meaning. Her earlobes were secretly flushing red. If Xiao Kunning struggled any more, she would let go. She quickly thought of a countermeasure. She suddenly remembered something and said, “Shen Rui has taken over the Shen family army. The heir is bringing the Prince’s body back.”

Upon hearing Shen Rui’s name, Xiao Kunning quieted down.