The footsteps faded away, and in the swaying lanterns, everything gradually became quiet.
After the son of Jingling waved off the crowd, he didn't leave, but sat quietly on the couch, his left hand supporting his chin, and his head tilted in thought. His handsome face at this angle was half bright and half dark, as if it were an ancient sculpture.
Wei Luo looked at him and lowered her head, retreating backwards with the three guests.
She had just retreated five or six steps when suddenly, Jingling Gongzi's low and magnetic voice came over, "Wei Luo?"
Wei Luo was taken aback. She looked up and blinked at Jing Ling Gongzi, not understanding why he had called out to her. However, he didn't turn his head back, so Wei Luo's gaze was met with nothing but air.
She nodded and replied softly: "Yes."
As she responded, she took small steps closer to the silent Jingling Gongzi.
She walked to the side of Jingling Gongzi, carefully glanced at him, and saw that Jingling Gongzi did not speak or make any gestures. Wei Luo puckered her mouth, feeling a bit at a loss.
At this moment, Jingling Gongzi said in a low voice: "Kneel down."
Huh?
Wei Luo was shocked.
She stared with wide eyes, foolishly looking at the Duke of Jingling. Of course, from her angle, she could only see half of his profile, which was still in the dark, and couldn't make out any expression.
Wei Luo hesitated for a moment, then slowly knelt down on both knees, lowering her head and sticking her buttocks up high, once again kneeling like a pig. Wei Luo's eyes stared at the fine cracks on the bluestone floor, thinking resentfully: I hate kneeling! I hate this posture!
At this time, her head felt a warm and cozy sensation.
However, it was Jingling Gongzi who reached out and stroked her hair.
Wei Luo is crazy, really crazy.
She stared blankly at the ground, not daring to move. From the top of her head, she felt the warmth and strength of his hand, and Wei Luo really wanted to tilt her head up to verify whether she was mistaken: why would Prince Jingling put his hand on her head? Heaven, he didn't just place it there, he was also stroking it.
Yes, the hands of Jingling Gongzi were gently stroking, the action was warm and natural, as if stroking a dog's fur. Wei Luo gritted her teeth, feeling helpless that she had transformed from a pig to a dog.
Jingling Gongzi stroked her hair, speaking in a low and deep voice, "You have great talent. However, Wei Luo, who are you?"
Wei Luo's small body stiffened.
Why did he ask this question again?
Panic and suspicion and unease surged in like a tide. Wei Luo's lips trembled, and suddenly the surroundings became extremely quiet!
She paled, her mind racing as she blurted out in a clear voice, "I am a humble person from Yue, with no brothers and my father having passed away early. My family has a collection of 10,000 volumes of books, which I inherited from my mother's teachings. My mother once said that our ancestors came to Yue during the time of Wei Wuzi. A year and a half ago, my mother passed away. I followed a merchant group out of Yue, but unexpectedly encountered bandits, losing all my property and nearly becoming a slave. Fortunately, I was clever and managed to escape. Later, I met the eyebrowed lady's carriage team and begged to join them at midnight, and was taken in..."
These words were exactly what she had said in the carriage, not a single word different. Because Wei Luo deliberately memorized this speech several times. She was prepared to answer like this if someone asked her again, so that she could guarantee it matched what she told Prince Jing.
Wei Luo spoke fluently, very fluently, but as she spoke, her voice became lower and lower. Because she clearly felt that there was a gaze pressing down on the top of her head, staring at her intensely! That gaze made the air start to stagnate, made her back feel cold sweat, made her heart feel guilty and fearful.
However, Wei Luo was still Wei Luo, and she managed to recite the entire passage without missing a single word, even though her voice grew softer and softer.
After she finished, her arched body leaned heavily on the floor, as if a thousand pounds of invisible pressure was weighing down on her, making it hard for her to bear.
Silence.
Quiet!
The hall remained silent.
It wasn't long before a slender white hand reached out, and then the middle finger of that hand stretched out and hooked under her chin.
Her slender fingers touched her skin, and immediately, Wei Luo shuddered. She wasn't cold; she just felt a little uneasy for some reason. No, it was more than that - she felt very uneasy. Her small face was gradually heating up, and her heart began to beat erratically again.
Wei Luo blinked her eyes, wanting to speak out in protest. However, she didn't dare to.
At this moment, she had a feeling, an extremely subtle feeling. As if with the arrival of these fingers, the entire air, breathing, began to diffuse again with the breath of its owner. Just like last night!
Thinking of this, Wei Luo's face turned even redder, fortunately the disguise on her face was applied thickly, as long as it didn't reach the tip of her ears, no outsider would be able to see it.
At this time, the finger hooked under her chin exerted a slight force, forcing her to lift her head up.
Wei Luo raised her head, dazedly staring into the dark, starry eyes of Prince Jing Ling. When their eyes met, she curled up the corners of her mouth and smiled slyly.
Jingling Gongzi stared at her quietly, his eyes fixed on hers without blinking, until her smile froze on her face. Only when cold sweat began to trickle down her back did he slightly open his thin lips and say calmly: "You're getting bolder by the day?"
How should this sentence be translated?
Weiluo hadn't yet reacted when the Prince of Jingling stretched out his hand. He reached out and gently patted Weiluo's small face, his movements extremely gentle and natural. As he patted her small black face, the Prince of Jingling said quietly, "Follow me."
Having said that, he turned around and left.
Wei Luo hastily scrambled to her feet and followed closely behind him. As they walked out of the grand hall and into the darkness of the square, Wei Luo's small face finally scrunched up in distress: Why was he acting so strangely? Did he really suspect me?! What should I do now, should I immediately escape from the mansion?!
Escaping the manor wasn't a good idea, not only because she couldn't survive on her own outside, but also because she had never sensed any murderous intent from the Duke of Jingling. Even though he had suspicions about himself, there was no malice in his heart. This feeling had taken hold of her mind firmly since she woke up from that one dream. Unbeknownst to herself, Weiluo was no longer as afraid of the Duke of Jingling as before. If anything, what she feared was her own intense and uncontrollable heartbeat.
Wei Luo walked behind him, the moon in the sky shining brightly, and unexpectedly, without realizing it, overlapped the two figures of different heights and builds together, completely overlapping, as if they were originally one person. Looking at the overlapping silhouettes, Wei Luo found that his heart was beating a little faster.
The spring breeze swept through the trees, causing the leaves to rustle. For some reason, the cool spring breeze felt dry on her skin, making her heart feel hot as well.
Unconsciously, Wei Luo licked her lips. She lowered her eyelids and took a few steps forward until her shadow no longer overlapped with his before she stopped in her tracks.
A leaf floated down gently and landed on Wei Luo's ankle. She kicked it away with her small foot. As soon as she did this, the person in front turned his head to look at her. He gazed deeply into her eyes, his dark pupils seeming like a deep ocean.
He stared at Wei Luo for a long time without saying anything, then turned his head and continued on his way.
Wei Luo followed closely behind him, and as the sleeping quarters of the Duke of Jing came into view, her heart skipped a beat: If he calls me to undress again tonight, what kind of excuse can I use to refuse?
