“Master! There are many soldiers outside!” The voice belonged to Qiu Zhi.
When Qiu Zhi called out “master,” she was referring to both Meng Jinyue and Xie Yunye.
Meng Jinyue inwardly smiled. In her past life, Qiu Zhi had not been by her side, and Xie Yunye had stumbled into the room she was in by accident.
In this life, with Qiu Zhi present, it was impossible for her not to have noticed Xie Yunye’s arrival.
If Qiu Zhi stepped forward to stop him, Xie Yunye would know she was inside, and he would not dare to enter her room.
But Qiu Zhi did not, and Meng Jinyue knew she would not.
In Qiu Zhi’s heart, Xie Yunye was the true master, and his interests were her foremost concern.
However, Meng Jinyue did not mind. Qiu Zhi was useful to her for now.
Moreover, Qiu Zhi’s inability to forget her old master was actually the best outcome for her.
As for the future…
“Are these people here for you?” Meng Jinyue looked at Xie Yunye, her expression flustered.
Xie Yunye nodded. “Yes, don’t be afraid. I’ll leave now. I’ve already wronged you tonight, and I can’t involve you further.”
Meng Jinyue grabbed his sleeve. “If you leave now, won’t it be dangerous?”
Xie Yunye shook his head. “Don’t worry.”
But Qiu Zhi spoke up again from outside the door. “Master! There are many of them. The temple is already surrounded. If you try to hide outside now, you’ll only be caught.”
Hearing this, Meng Jinyue tightened her grip. She bit her lip nervously. “You… you can’t leave. Hide.”
Her voice was still as soft as a mosquito’s, but her tone was resolute.
“Aren’t you afraid?” Xie Yunye looked at her with a complicated expression.
“No, I’m not.” Meng Jinyue’s body trembled with fear, and her voice shook, but she stubbornly insisted.
Xie Yunye chuckled.
“If you’re not afraid, why are you trembling?”
“Why are you helping me?” Xie Yunye’s dark eyes fixed intently on her.
Of course, it was because of her persona. Someone as kind and innocent as her would never stand by and watch someone she knew in trouble.
Meng Jinyue explained softly, her voice tinged with guilt. “You are my second sister’s fiancé and A Zhi’s older brother.”
Xie Yunye replied, “Oh.”
That reason again.
He didn’t believe it.
Meng Jinyue then saw the favorability points increase by five, reaching forty-seven.
Meng Jinyue nervously grabbed his sleeve and urged him. “Now… now is not the time to talk about this. You… you need to hide quickly.”
She was so nervous and afraid that she stammered, but Xie Yunye remained calm and composed, his expression unchanged even now.
“Fine, hide on the bed first. They won’t search my bedding, will they?”
Xie Yunye let her lead him and press him onto her bed. She quickly pulled the quilt over him, covering him completely.
Under the quilt, Xie Yunye’s lips curved into a faint smile.
The bed was filled with the fresh, elegant fragrance of a woman, a pleasant scent he had never smelled before, so soft it seemed to envelop him.
“Soldiers are searching! Everyone, come out!”
Meng Jinyue quickly wrapped herself in her clothes, making sure she was fully covered, and opened the door.
“Yao Yao, is that you?”
Su Lie had not expected the person inside to be her.
Su Lie knew Qiu Ning but not Qiu Zhi, so he had no idea that Meng Jinyue was staying there.
“Yao Yao.” Su Lie’s eyes fixed intently on Meng Jinyue, filled with infatuation, and his voice softened.
But Meng Jinyue had no intention of reminiscing with him. She asked nervously in a small voice, “Officer Su, who are you looking for?”
Su Lie snapped back to his senses, but his eyes remained fixed on Meng Jinyue, unwilling to look away.
“It was a thief.”
Meng Jinyue lowered her gaze, pretending to be afraid. “But I haven’t seen any thief. I came here to pray for my grandmother’s blessings. This residence only has a few of us, master and servants. No outsiders have ever come.”
“Don’t be afraid.” Su Lie comforted her gently. “With me here, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Young Marquis Su, do you still remember the purpose of this mission?”
The man beside Su Lie sternly reminded him.
“Search inside!”
With that, these men barged in directly. Meng Jinyue tried to stop them but couldn’t.
Clearly, the man beside Su Lie was the one truly in charge.
“Don’t overlook any corner!”
Meng Jinyue’s eyes reddened. “Lord Su, I am a woman. Must you really search even the bed?”
She even stood directly in front of these men, blocking them from approaching the bed.
Seeing Meng Jinyue’s tears and her frail figure, Su Lie couldn’t bear it. “Stop! Don’t search the bed.”
“Everyone, halt! Listen to me!”
“Hmph, Young Marquis Su, do you still remember who you’re working for?”
Su Lie’s face turned ashen, but it was clear this man was not his subordinate and would not obey his orders.
The man sneered coldly:
“Search, especially the bed!”
As he spoke, he roughly shoved Meng Jinyue aside, sending her crashing to the ground with a heavy thud. It was clear she had fallen hard.
“Ah…”
Meng Jinyue was a woman, delicate by nature, and no match for these martial men.
She recognized the man before her, knowing his violent temperament, and had deliberately blocked him. Though she had intended this, the fall was still painfully real.
“Yao Yao…” Su Lie quickly reached out to help her up. “Are you all right? Where are you hurt?”
Su Lie’s tone was urgent.
“I’m fine.” Meng Jinyue shook her head gently, subtly pushing Su Lie’s hand away.
Su Lie looked dejected, his eyes red as he stood up and glared fiercely at the man who had pushed Meng Jinyue. “Chen Hezhang! How dare you lay hands on a woman!”
Chen Hezhang sneered. “She’s just a lowly concubine-born daughter of the Meng family. What’s wrong with that? Today, even if I killed her, do you think the Meng family would come after me?”
“How dare you!”
“Why wouldn’t I dare? Young Marquis Su, are you going to hit me over a woman? Are you going to ruin the friendship between our families? Go ahead, then.” Chen Hezhang remained calm and composed.
Su Lie clenched his fists, his eyes red with fury. “If you truly dare to harm her, I will never let you go.”
Chen Hezhang sneered but said nothing.
“Lord Chen, there’s no one on the bed.”
“Reporting, my lord, there’s no one in the bathtub either.”
“Reporting, my lord, the adjacent rooms have also been searched. Nothing was found.”
“Let’s go!”
The woman’s obstruction had made him think someone was hiding on the bed, but after seeing for himself that no one was there, he realized it was just the affectation of a sheltered young lady.
“Young Marquis Su, aren’t you leaving yet?” The man stopped and looked back at Su Lie.
“Lord Su, please return.”
Meng Jinyue directly bid him farewell.
Su Lie’s eyes dimmed with guilt. “Yao Yao, I’m sorry about tonight. I was useless.”
You truly are useless, Meng Jinyue sneered inwardly.
But she had long known what kind of person Su Lie was and held no expectations of him.
This act of pleading was merely a performance for Xie Yunye to see.
After the others had left, Meng Jinyue closed the door, pressed a hand to her chest, and feigned a look of lingering fear.
“Young Master Xie, are you there?”
Meng Jinyue called out in a very soft voice.
“I am.”
The voice came from the rafters above.
Then Xie Yunye jumped straight down.
“So you were hiding up there.”
Xie Yunye nodded. “Were you frightened just now?”
Meng Jinyue shook her head quietly. “No.”
“Qiu Zhi is still awake. Shall I have her bandage your wound?”
She noticed the front of his robe was already stained red.
But Qiu Zhi quickly shook her head. “In reply, Miss, this servant only knows martial arts. I’m clumsy and afraid I wouldn’t handle the wound properly. Besides, someone needs to keep watch outside.”
After all that, it seemed she would have to do it herself. Qiu Zhi was truly devoted to her mistress.
Meng Jinyue pretended to be hesitant, pausing for a moment before finally nodding. “Then I’ll do it.”
Qiu Zhi said, “Then this servant will step outside.”
Meng Jinyue did indeed know how to bandage wounds. When the woman’s hands touched him, a strange feeling stirred in Xie Yunye’s heart.
“You also fell earlier. Were you injured?”
Meng Jinyue instinctively shook her head but subtly hid her arm behind her back.
Xie Yunye grabbed her wrist. “If you’re not hurt, why are you hiding it?”
Meng Jinyue shook her head. “Compared to your injury, mine is insignificant—just some scrapes. Young Master Xie needn’t concern yourself.”
As she spoke, Meng Jinyue withdrew her hand and then, with trembling fingers, quickly bandaged Xie Yunye’s wound.
She worked earnestly, fully focused, yet Xie Yunye’s attention was unconsciously drawn to her.
They were very close, so close that her hair occasionally brushed against his cheek, sending a ticklish sensation that seemed to tug at Xie Yunye’s heart.
Xie Yunye asked, “Have you studied medicine?”
Meng Jinyue was taken aback and shook her head honestly. “No, I haven’t.”
When he had arrived tonight, she was still bathing. Now her long, dark hair was loosely draped, and as she shook her head, strands of it brushed against his face and hand once more.
The fragrance from her hair felt familiar, the same fresh and elegant scent that lingered around her bed.
“But you bandage very well.”
His praise made Meng Jinyue lower her head, the tips of her ears turning slightly red. “It’s just practice.”
Xie Yunye gazed at her beautiful, delicate profile and couldn’t help asking more. “Why are you so practiced?”
Meng Jinyue fell silent, her moist eyes seeming to dim slightly.
“Young Master Xie, your bandage is done.”
She whispered this and then subtly distanced herself.
Xie Yunye observed her reaction, knowing she was unwilling to speak, yet it only made him want to know more.