Jun Ye An suddenly let out a long sigh, leaped up, and brought her down from the tree, saying, “They are from the Di Mansion.” Feeling something sticky and wet when he touched her, he frowned, “Are you injured?” She hid her hand behind her, silently shaking her head. Jun Ye An slightly curled his lips, “In that case, I’ll take my leave — the Di family people are here.” “What? You don’t want the reward anymore?” she raised her voice unconsciously.
Jun Ye An paused but heard the trembling voice of the girl behind him, “Why do you never look at my face? Is it because you don’t recognize me… or you don’t want to?” He didn’t turn around, his smile faint and indifferent, “We are strangers, miss, you must have mistaken me for someone else.”
The sound of hooves grew urgent, torches flickered chaotically, and someone dismounted, shouting, “The lady is here!” Amidst the surrounding chaos, they stood silently as if the outside world had nothing to do with them.
“A-Hui, are you alright?” Di Gongzi himself had come, grabbing the girl’s arm in haste. “I’m fine,” she reassured him with a smile, pointing at Jun Ye An, “Thanks to this hero for saving me.”
Di Yin Hai recognized him, understanding why he didn’t turn around, and simply thanked him, stepping forward to whisper, “I’ll properly thank you when we get back.” Jun Ye An still had his back to everyone, merely nodding slightly.
“Can you ride?” Di Yin Hai asked A-Hui quietly, not waiting for her answer, he lifted her onto his horse, then mounted himself, pulling her close in front of him, saying sternly, “You must not go out alone in the future.” His voice was soft, but his tone was very intimate.
She leaned forward uncomfortably, her gaze glancing sideways — he had already left, leaving only an empty expanse of wilderness, very desolate.
Chapter Thirty-Seven (Part Two)
At dawn, the sound of hooves urgently woke the still-sleeping city. The steward of the Di Mansion, waiting at the entrance of the side courtyard, hurried forward as soon as he saw the group approaching, “Young Master, did you find Miss Bai?”
Di Yin Hai dismounted without a word, about to help Bai Hui, but she nimbly jumped off the horse herself, giving him a sweet smile, “I can manage on my own.” Di Yin Hai glared at her, his face dark, flicked his sleeve, and stormed off without looking back.
Bai Hui was somewhat baffled. The steward quickly followed, saying, “The young master was almost out of his mind with worry; the whole city of Luoyang was turned upside down. Luckily, you’re safe.”
She watched Di Yin Hai’s figure disappear into the corridor, paused, then whispered, “I’ll go check on him.”
Following him into the study, she saw him sit down, his expression stern, saying to her, “Pack your things, you’re moving into the Di Mansion today.”
Bai Hui smiled faintly, “But that’s not appropriate…”
“Who dares to say it’s not appropriate!” Di Yin Hai retorted angrily, “Do you want me to go through that ordeal again?!”
Bai Hui fell silent, after a while, she said, “I’ll listen to you, I won’t go to Baima Temple alone again.”
Di Yin Hai’s expression did not soften, staring at her for a long time before giving a cold, mirthless laugh, “You still don’t want to stay by my side, do you?”
The girl did not respond, her slender fingers tapping on the armrest of the wooden chair, her lips tightly pressed together, showing a strong will.
As the first light of dawn crept through the window, the white jade inlaid in the redwood chair’s armrest revealed a faint trace of blood. Di Yin Hai quickly approached Bai Hui, flipping her hand over, and angrily said, “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”
“You didn’t give me a chance,” Bai Hui replied calmly, subtly withdrawing her hand, looking deeply into his eyes, “Yin Hai, don’t forget… our agreement.”
The ordeal of the past day and night had left the usually pampered and somewhat commanding Di Gongzi looking unwell. He snorted heavily, “I haven’t forgotten, and neither have you.”
Bai Hui smiled lightly, “A-Hui naturally remembers.”
“By the way, the one who saved you today…”
“It was him,” Bai Hui interjected, slightly turning her head, “I know.”
When she mentioned him again, her eyes lowered, her expression ambiguous, but the bloodstain on the armrest suddenly became more vivid.
Di Yin Hai looked at her with a complex gaze for several seconds before letting out a light sigh, “Alright, I believe you.” He stood up, about to leave, but turned back at the threshold, “Stay here, the doctor will be here soon.”
Shortly after, a hastily summoned doctor arrived with his medical kit. Holding a long needle, he hesitated, looking at the delicate girl, “Miss, it might hurt a bit, you’ll need to bear it. If the splinters remain in your palm, it could get worse with infection…”
“It’s fine, go ahead,” Bai Hui smiled slightly.
Ten fingers connect to the heart, and as the silver needle, heated over the candle flame, pierced into her flesh, Bai Hui did not close her eyes. She gripped the silver chain around her neck, watching the bloody scene, feeling as if the pain was endless.
