“Mister!”
When Xiao Jing saw Xu Ping’an walking in from outside, the tension in her eyes immediately vanished, and she hurried forward.
“Mm, I’m fine. You all will be fine too. Don’t worry, at least for now, there’s no danger.” Xu Ping’an smiled, calming Xiao Jing.
“Brother Zhao, tonight you, Brother Zhou Liang, and I will take turns keeping watch to ensure safety. Tomorrow morning, we leave this place.”
“All right, Mister.”
Zhao Pingzhi nodded. Only then did Li Yuer’s voice come from inside the room.
“But Mister, you’re back?”
“That’s me.”
Xu Ping’an responded as a girl’s silhouette appeared at the doorway.
Her delicate hand rested on the railing, beautiful eyes fixed on her beloved.
“Mister, are you unharmed?”
Even after seeing Xu Ping’an, Li Yuer took a few steps forward, scrutinizing him carefully.
He nodded.
“I’m fine. Old Mister Qian is still here, so at least for now, there’s no problem. As for the rest… we’ll talk after we leave.” Xu Ping’an glanced casually toward the courtyard wall outside, and seeing his gaze, Li Yuer immediately understood.
“All right, whatever Mister says, Yuer will do.”
Looking at the woman before him, his heart seemed completely tied to her, which made him silently shake his head.
At this rate, separating would be difficult.
But for now, he couldn’t just abandon them.
Xu Ping’an knew his place clearly—he was an ordinary man, neither completely kind nor evil, wavering between the two.
His biggest flaw was his soft heart.
“Besides, Yuer, there’s something I need to tell you. Come inside with me.”
Xu Ping’an hesitated. He had lied to Old Mister Qian before; he needed to inform Li Yuer first, so no slip-ups occurred.
Though confused, Li Yuer followed Xu Ping’an inside. This time, not even Xiao Jing was allowed in.
The two sat facing each other, a small table between them.
“Mister, what is it that even Xiao Jing can’t hear?”
Of course not. If Li Yuer didn’t want to play along with this act, he couldn’t compromise her innocence.
“It’s like this. Earlier, when I treated Old Mister Qian…”
Xu Ping’an recounted everything that had happened. Li Yuer listened quietly the whole time, but when she heard him lie, claiming she was his wife, no matter how hard she tried to remain calm, her heart fluttered uncontrollably.
Even her jade-like face blushed faintly.
Unable to help herself, Li Yuer lowered her head shyly, then mustering courage asked,
“Mister, did you really tell Old Mister Qian that?”
“There was no choice. In this situation, to guarantee your safety, I had to lie to Old Mister Qian. If you don’t want to cooperate, that’s fine too. Tomorrow morning, we won’t even say goodbye to Old Mister Qian—just leave directly. After that…”
…
“No, no, no, that’s not what I meant. Of course I’m willing…”
Hearing this, Li Yuer froze for a moment, then her pretty face flushed bright red.
Xu Ping’an understood.
After all, she was still an unmarried young lady; once those words slipped out, there was no way to explain them normally.
“Since you don’t refuse, we’ll do it this way for now. But when we bid farewell to Old Mister Qian tomorrow morning, don’t embarrass me, alright?”
No matter what, Old Mister Qian was like a senior to him. If the lie was exposed later, that would be one thing.
But if someone exposed it to his face, as a junior, that would be really improper.
“Don’t worry, Mister. Yuer will be a good wife.”
Li Yuer’s cheeks flushed like the evening reeds, yet her bright eyes seemed to hide a certain hope.
“Mm… later, I’ll need you to explain things to Xiao Jing, Brother Zhao, and Brother Zhou Liang. I’m… not very good at explaining this myself.”
“Mister, leave that to Yuer.”
“That’s good… then… you rest first. I need to rest a bit too.”
Feeling the atmosphere turn awkward, Xu Ping’an stood to leave, but suddenly heard Li Yuer speak from behind:
“Mister, since we are… husband and wife now, if you leave this room to sleep elsewhere, I’m afraid Old Mister Qian won’t buy it…”
Huh?
What does she mean?
Xu Ping’an’s eyes widened.
Li Yuer looked at Xu Ping’an seriously.
“Mister, tonight… just stay here.”
My goodness, this cannot be said so casually!
Suddenly realizing she might have said something inappropriate, Li Yuer blushed deeply.
“Ah! M-Mister, that’s not what I meant~ I meant… you… you can rest on the couch. This room is big enough, so you don’t need to go to another room. Also, Xiao Jing can take care of both you and me tonight. I-I didn’t mean that—I meant…”
Li Yuer, usually sharp and composed, was completely flustered.
What had she just said?
Inviting a grown man to stay in the same room!?
In her whole life, she never thought she’d say such words.
But in that instant, she really had the urge to hold Xu Ping’an close.
“All right, all right, I get it, calm down. You can’t have too strong an emotional reaction for your health. I’ll stay, I’ll stay, okay?”
“No, Mister… that’s not what I meant~” “Ah, it’s fine, I understand. I’ll stay, I’ll stay…”
Their conversation became more and more awkward until finally, they just stared at each other, silent.
For a moment, the room was filled with a faintly romantic atmosphere.
The young man and woman both lowered their heads but occasionally met each other’s eyes.
Meanwhile, in Qian Zhongyi’s room, a dramatic scene was unfolding.
“Good son! Truly the pride of Old Master Qian! Are you crazy? Are you trying to drag the Qian Family down to the eighteenth level of hell with no hope of salvation?!”
Qian Guoshun was kneeling on the ground, his face full of panic but still unable to stop arguing:
“But Father, the Qi Nation should be united under one ruler. The problem of the feudal lords has lasted for a thousand years, leaving the people in misery. If we don’t change now, Qi Nation might suffer the same fate as those before!”
“Nonsense! You bastard! Yes, you’re right that the problem of the feudal lords is a thousand-year-old disease in Qi Nation. Every emperor has wanted to eliminate it, but why has no one ever shaken this rule in a thousand years? Do you know how vast Qi Nation is? If it’s united under one ruler, do you know how chaotic this world will be?!”
Qian Zhongyi trembled with anger. The only movable right hand raised his cane, pointing at Qian Guoshun.
“Qian Guoshun, I tell you, today, if that person dies here… no! Even if she disappears somewhere in Liuhe County, dead or alive unknown, the entire Qian Family—hundreds of us—will die with you!”
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