Li Changche
Bao Chan was crying her heart out, her voice hoarse from sobbing. Seeing the figure struggling in the water gradually disappear beneath the surface, she was so terrified that she was about to jump in.
At this critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere and firmly pressed a hand on her shoulder.
Bao Chan turned around with reddened eyes. Before she could clearly see the handsome face of the young man, she watched him leap straight into the water.
Soon, the man carried Xue Ning, who had sunk into the depths, back to the surface.
“Who is that man…?”
“Does Miss Xue still care about her reputation?”
“If it were me, I’d rather die than let someone else touch my body.”
“Thankfully, winter clothes are thick—”
But no matter how thick the padded dress, once soaked, it clung tightly to the woman’s graceful figure.
Xue Ning was born with peerless beauty, and unexpectedly, her figure was curvaceous and alluring… sensually breathtaking.
There were many onlookers on the shore. As soon as the man reached land, he wrapped Xue Ning tightly in the cloak he had just removed.
Bao Chan rushed forward, “Miss… Miss, are you all right?”
Xue Ning lay dazed in a warm embrace, her body trembling uncontrollably from the cold.
Her teeth chattered, and she shakily lifted her thick, dark lashes to look at the person holding her.
For a moment, she thought she had seen someone from her past.
“Can you still breathe?”
The man’s voice was pleasant, and he smiled gently.
His large hand originally intended to press on her chest to force the pond water out of her stomach.
But after a moment’s thought, he only pinched her cheek lightly.
Xue Ning turned her pale face away and vomited to the side. As she regained her senses, she stared blankly at the man who had saved her.
He had a naturally handsome and refined face.
High brows and deep-set eyes, with long eyebrows that extended toward his temples.
His jawline was smooth, his nose bridge straight and tall, and his lips were moist and full.
Glistening droplets of water dripped from the ends of his dark hair, falling one by one onto her pale hands.
In this bitterly cold weather, they felt strangely warm.
“Miss, are you so captivated by my handsome face that you’ve lost your wits?”
The man teased with a playful smile, a roguish grin curling at the corners of his slightly upturned lips.
It brought his already exquisite, painting-like face to life.
“I didn’t—”
“Since the young lady is fine now, come, little girl, help your mistress.”
The man released her and stood up cleanly and efficiently.
Soaked through, his tall and sturdy waist was clearly outlined.
Coupled with his strikingly handsome face, he secretly made many young ladies blush.
Quite a few girls kept stealing glances in his direction.
But the man stood tall and straight, dressed in simple blue cloth robes, his demeanor cool and detached, without a hint of impropriety.
Xue Ning blinked, peering through the hazy snow mist to see his face clearly. Her mind went blank for an instant.
Then, her eyes grew hot as she urgently asked, “Is it you?”
In her past life, the man who had once saved her in the Suiye River of Yongzhou.
After rescuing her, it was he who carried her to the medical clinic.
He changed her clothes, bought medicine, and even bought her plenty of food to eat.
It was the first time since arriving at the old estate in Yongzhou that she had eaten something so delicious and filling.
She ate while crying, and the man patted her head, telling her that if she ever wanted to eat anything in the future, she should just tell him. As long as he had money, he would unconditionally fulfill her wishes.
The man’s large hand, adjusting his pale blue sleeve, paused slightly as he turned back. “Do you know me, Miss?”
Xue Ning’s eyes were red, tears clinging to her lashes as she gazed at him tearfully. Then she shook her head with a smile. “It’s just that you look familiar, sir, but I don’t know your name.”
Indeed, even though they had met in her previous life.
She still did not know his name or where he was from.
Because after that, she had never managed to escape from the old residence again.
Nor had she seen him again, nor had she any way to inquire about a nameless young gentleman.
Snowflakes drifted down, settling on the man’s high, neatly tied hair.
The man casually lifted his lips, his smile refined and elegant, standing in the snow, as gentle and flawless as a jade-carved beauty.
Xue Ning, afraid he might leave again, hurriedly struggled to stand up from the ground.
She wanted to grab his sleeve but didn’t dare.
She could only gaze at him cautiously, full of hope, and ask, "May I know your name, sir?"
The man’s gaze swept over the onlookers before returning to the young girl who was staring at him with eager eyes.
He smiled gently, his clear voice seeming to drift across the river of time from two lifetimes.
"Li Changche."
Hearing his name, Xue Ning’s eyes widened slightly.
Li Changche?
He was Li Changche?
The great scholar of later times who almost rivaled Su Zhan, the revered "Great Blue Sky" in the eyes of the common people, the leader of all scholars—Lord Li?
Li Changche had no intention of becoming the center of attention. After rescuing her, he also feared causing unnecessary trouble for this beautiful young girl. So, with a glance at her, he cupped his hands in farewell and departed.
Xue Ning stood there in a daze until the Black Eagle Guards took Cao Jin away and the crowd of onlookers dispersed.
Only then did she smile with overwhelming excitement, pulling back her bewildered thoughts.
But as she turned, she met Su Zhan’s deep, icy phoenix eyes from behind the crowd.
The man’s expression was impassive, his gaze profound, his demeanor cold and stern, watching her intently.
Her breath caught, her entire body stiffened abruptly, and the smile on her lips froze instantly.
Hadn’t he returned to Dongjing last night?
Why was he still at Zhenguo Temple?
From a not-so-close distance, Su Zhan watched Xue Ning coldly as he walked step by step toward her.
Xue Ning had fallen into the water, and now, chilled by the wind, she felt freezing all over.
She tightened her cloak, took a few steps back, barely standing by the pond’s edge, and nervously lowered her eyes.
But then she thought, Su Zhan didn’t care about her.
Why should she be nervous?
In this life, she was no longer his fiancée.
She was merely his unrelated younger sister.
Thinking this, Xue Ning forced an innocent smile. "Why hasn’t Brother Lu returned to the Marquis’s residence?"
Su Zhan, wrapped in a thick fox fur robe, chuckled, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. "If I had returned, how could I have witnessed today’s little drama?"
Xue Ning’s face turned pale. "A’ning doesn’t understand what Brother Lu means."
Su Zhan sneered, unsure why an uncontrollable anger surged within him.
Whether it was because of Cao Jin or because of that man named Li Changche.
Even he couldn’t explain it.
He only knew that the moment he saw Xue Ning fall into the water, a sudden, sharp pain pierced his heart, leaving his limbs numb.
As her elder brother, he naturally intended to step forward and rescue her.
But that man named Li Changche acted faster than he did.
He quickly saved Xue Ning but didn’t let her go, instead wrapping her in his tattered cloak.
After that, Xue Ning wore a strange smile on her face.
She seemed to know that man.
Displeased, Su Zhan’s voice was low and hoarse, his long, beautiful eyes burning as they stared into the woman’s gaze.
"If you don't understand, then I shall speak more plainly. How did those Black Eagle Guards manage to lie in ambush at the temple ahead of time? There's no need for Brother Lu to elaborate further, is there?"