Chapter 109 [VIP] Shadow Guard (23)

Chapter 109 [VIP] Shadow Guard (23)

Ye Qiuchen gazed fixedly at Zhao Shiqi as he departed, noting how he didn't hesitate for an instant before drawing Nan Yan even closer into his embrace. The weeping woman in his arms, perhaps exhausted from her tears, stared blankly in the direction where the man had vanished, momentarily forgetting to struggle free.

The events of tonight had been too unexpected, and Ye Qiu Chen no longer had the heart to proceed further. Especially when he saw the pitiable state of the person in his arms, he immediately scooped them up horizontally, planning to discuss it further back home.

It was only later that he overheard others discussing how the man who resembled Shadow Seventeen was actually the heir of the Pingnan Prince's Estate. Due to illness, he had been living in the Great Buddha Temple for many years and had only recently been brought back to the estate. He seldom ventured out, so it was understandable that few people recognized him...

Ye Qiuchen inwardly sneered, his eyes faintly lowering. In truth, regardless of his identity – whether he was genuinely Shadow Seventeen or the most esteemed heir of Pingnan Palace – as long as he didn't surface before them, didn't disrupt their tranquil life, and certainly didn't vie for Nan Yan's affections, Ye Qiuchen could overlook everything.

Ye Qiu Chen carried Nan Yan back to the small courtyard they had always inhabited. Once an empty space, it had now transformed into a cozy and lively abode. He had planted a few of her favorite orchids in the yard, right in front of her window. When in bloom, their fragrance would waft through the cracks and fill her room. Beside them, he had cultivated a row of white cabbage on the vacant land.

Once upon a time, she had teased him for his lack of taste, planting cabbage next to orchids? How unappealing! But he found it pleasing to the eye, felt that they matched well. Wasn't her delicate and precious orchid perfectly paired with his worthless white cabbage? Clearly, it was she who lacked a sense of romance.

Ye Qiu Chen placed Nanyan on a stool, she seemed to have lost her spirit ever since returning home. Silent tears flowed down her cheeks, her eyes already slightly swollen from crying. Ye Qiu Chen couldn't bear to see her like this, so he quickly fetched a basin of cold water and soaked a cotton cloth. He then gently wiped away the traces of tears at the corners of her eyes.

"Stop crying..."

His voice was soft, filled with heartache yet helplessness. His movements slowed even more, fearing that the slightest pressure might shatter her. He sighed softly, "Do you know what you look like right now?"

Nanyan's eyes reddened further, and her nose tingled as she heard his words. Only then did she show a slight response, her gaze slowly landing on him, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

It's good that there was a response, at least they didn't ignore him.

Yue Qiu's lips curled slightly. He gently pressed a damp cloth against the tear stains on the sides of her cheeks and continued, "It's hideous! Your eyes are swollen like two walnuts, absolutely ugly."

Nan Yan: "..."

"Well, now, others will only think you're even less worthy of my handsome and wise little husband. Especially that charming and amorous widow next door; she might very well try to intercept me again, offering herself in your place. What should we do about this?"

South Yan was initially immersing herself in a sorrowful mood; upon hearing this, she nearly lost control of her expression. If she were to burst into laughter, it would completely dismantle her character portrayal.

She pinched her fingertips hard to regain composure; her eyelashes fluttered gently, and a tear followed suit, rolling down her cheek.

She understood that he was deliberately using such words to divert her attention, trying to cheer her up.

But at that moment, she genuinely couldn't find joy. Her lips forced a smile, creating a more sorrowful expression than a cry.

Leaning in, Ye Qiu Chen sighed softly and pressed her head against his chest, soothing her patiently, "Stop smiling, it looks worse than crying. Are you trying to give me nightmares tonight?"

Ye Qiu Chen continued talking to her for a while, gradually easing the tension in the air.

Nanyan's expression eased considerably. However, upon realizing the intimate proximity between them, her body tensed up again. Reaching out, she gently pushed him away before softly uttering, "Heavenly Seventeen... He didn't die. He's back."

Ye Qiu instinctively retorted, "That wasn't Shadow Seventeen."

Upon hearing this, Nanyan's eyes instantly brimmed with tears, and her voice trembled with anxiety. She repeated several times, "No, he's Number Seventeen, I know it. I can sense it. He is definitely Seventeen; I wouldn't mistake anyone for him..."

Ye Qiuchen took a deep breath, feeling a sudden sense of helplessness. He reached out to turn her shoulders gently, looking intently into her eyes as he said, "Yan Yan, listen to me carefully. He is not Seventeen. He's merely someone who bears a striking resemblance to him. He's the heir of Pingnan Wangfu, a prince of the highest nobility. Do you understand what that means? He holds a lofty status, revered and exalted. He is absolutely not the obedient Shadow Guard Seventeen by your side, who caters to your every whim. Please, face the reality, won't you?"

"You're lying to me again! You're lying!" The mention of this sent Nan Yan's emotions spiraling out of control once more. Her body trembled as she struggled, forcefully slapping away his hand while she sobbed loudly at him, "I won't believe you, you liar! You deceitful liar! He is Seventeen, my Seventeen. Don't touch me, and don't even think about deceiving me anymore."

"Alright, alright, I won't touch you. Calm down first, will you? Let me finish what I have to say," Ye Qiu Chen released his grip instinctively upon sensing Nan Yan's trembling body, fearing that her agitation might harm her. He softened his tone and continued soothing her, "Listen to me. If he truly is seventeen, why hasn't he come looking for you? If he is indeed seventeen, how could he stand idly by while watching me take you away?"

"Don't you remember? That time in the dilapidated temple, when I accidentally brushed against your waist, he chased after me for half the night, ready to kill. He cared so deeply for you, it's impossible for him to ignore you or push you away casually. Have you forgotten all of that?"

Ye Qiu Chen recounted the past events, unraveling the most evident truths. If that person was genuinely seventeen, he wouldn't have harmed her.

Tears finally streamed down Nan Yan's cheeks.

She didn't know how to explain this, especially recalling the scene on the street. He had shown such tender care for another girl right before her eyes, even mentioning his intention to marry her. How could she possibly accept that?

But... how could she give up now?

She had waited for him with such perseverance.

Nan Yan wiped away her tears forcefully. Her mind was still in disarray, her gaze wandering as she struggled to find plausible explanations and excuses for his unusual behavior,

"Perhaps... it's because of his injuries, yes, that must be it."

Her words were somewhat incoherent, even she didn't fully believe this reasoning, "You know, that cliff is so high. It's only natural for anyone to sustain injuries after falling from there, right?"

"He must have been severely injured to forget me momentarily. As long as I stay by his side and recount our past, he'll surely recall everything. He was so deeply in love with me..."

She nodded vigorously, trying to convince herself. Then, as if remembering something, she reached into her bosom and took out the jade pendant that he had worn since childhood – a token of their affection. With that, he would certainly regain his memory.

This time, she truly couldn't give up.

As Nanyan spoke, she held the pendant tightly in her palm, pressing it against her heart. Tears rolling down her cheeks, she clenched her fingers, as if grasping the most vital part of her life.

Looking at her, Ye Qiuchen suddenly whispered, "And what about me?"

Upon hearing this, Nan Yan's body stiffened slightly.

Her eyelashes trembled as her gaze fell upon Ye Qiu Chen, who stood before her with a complicated expression, tinged with distress and pleading. His eyes never left hers.

"You promised me that you'd give me a chance. Now, are you going to abandon me again? Yan Yan, please don't do this. Can't we just go back to how it was before, the two of us living our ordinary lives together? I'll take care of you for a lifetime. Can't you forget about him?"

Without her noticing, he had stepped closer and seized her shoulders, his grip gradually tightening.

Nan Yan fell silent for a moment. After a long while, her lips finally moved, softly uttering, "I'm sorry. The person I've always liked has been Qi Sheng all along."

"Is it impossible for anyone else but him?"

A hint of guilt flickered in Nan Yan's eyes. She bit her lip and eventually nodded. "I'm sorry, but Seventeen is Seventeen; no one can replace him. No one else can do it except him."

Her tone was resolute.

Ye Qiu loosened his grip and suddenly stepped back.

Upon hearing her definitive answer, he felt a chill run through his entire body as if he had been drenched in icy water from head to toe, leaving his heart utterly cold.

He was at a loss for words to convey the emotions he was feeling in that moment.

A heavy sensation congested his chest, causing a dull ache that was utterly uncomfortable. It felt as if someone was relentlessly pressing on his heart, and with every deep breath, he experienced a stinging pain as if countless needles were piercing his flesh, spreading a dense ache throughout his ribcage.

How could this be?

Why had things turned out like this?

Ye Qiu really felt helpless and powerless.

Surely... He had worked so hard for so long, accomplishing so much, accompanying her through a year of joyous moments. They had countless beautiful memories together. He believed... that she must have felt some affection for him.

But why? Why did Shadow Seventeen's mere appearance, just that one time, make her reconsider and retreat without hesitation, nullifying all his previous efforts? Why couldn't he gain even a fraction of her attention despite his best endeavors?

Was it truly impossible for her to feel any spark towards him?

Ye Qiu felt a sudden sting in his eyes. Instinctively, he turned away, not wanting her to see the emotions on his face. But catching a glimpse of her lingering gaze, he was at a loss on how to react.

Now, his chest felt hollow, as if something had been excavated from it, leaving a prickling pain that slowly spread throughout his body, clouding his mind with agony.

He truly hadn't anticipated that despite his utmost efforts to care for her, in her eyes, he still fell short of Shadow Seventeen; he could never replace him.

Ye Qiu instinctively stepped back a few paces.

His steps faltered, and he seemed almost unable to bear it any longer, turning around and walking out.

The only thought in his mind at this moment was to leave this place, to get as far away as possible and never return, fearing that if he stayed any longer, he might really do something regrettable.

Ye Qiu's complexion turned pale; he clenched his fingers, almost fleeing from the yard in a disheveled manner.

Watching his departing figure, Nan Yan's eyes revealed a sense of guilt. She opened her mouth as if to say something but ultimately didn’t utter any words of retention, nor did she pursue him.

Her entire attention was now focused on Seventeen, leaving no room to consider what others might think. She was preoccupied with how to make Seventeen remember her.

Nan Yan tried hard to recall. She remembered the days they lived in seclusion in the village and the day before they were to be married, when that silly and endearing man held her tightly, his face flushed as he earnestly spoke into her ear about having a child, and his desire to eat the locust flower cakes she made. Unfortunately, he never got to taste them, and she never finished making them...

They shared so many memories; he obviously loved her so much. He had just temporarily forgotten, and she was sure that once she told him, he would remember everything.

Nan Yan gently wiped away her tears, quickly regaining her composure. Thinking of the past brought some comfort; now she could finally make those cakes for him.

……

Early the next morning, Nan Yan got up. Ye Qiu hadn’t returned all night, and she had no idea where he had gone. Anyway, she really didn't have the energy to worry about him now.

She busied herself all morning and finally got everything ready, then went straight to the Pingnan Prince's Mansion.

She had heard from a servant beside him and later inquired further: Seventeen was no longer the naive shadow guard of before; he was now Zhao Shiqi, the heir to the Pingnan Prince's Mansion. But in her eyes, whether he was a shadow guard or a prince, what mattered to her was only him as a person.

Nan Yan walked a long way before finally finding the mansion of the Pingnan Prince, a grand estate with towering gates and two majestic stone lions at the entrance, surrounded by strict security. Just as Nan Yan approached the gate, she was stopped by two guards.

"Who is this wild girl? Do you know where you are? How dare you barge into the Prince's Mansion? Do you have a death wish?"

Nan Yan stumbled backwards, pushed by the guards, and quickly explained, "I’m not trespassing; I’m here to see your heir. Could you please inform him... just say that a girl named Yanyan is looking for him for an urgent matter?"

The guards dismissively waved their hands, rejecting her request disdainfully, "What message? Even if we pass it on, it’s no use. The heir is not in the mansion these days; he's gone out."

Nan Yan's face paled, and she anxiously asked, "Is that true? Is Seventeen really not in the mansion? Where has he gone, and when will he be back?"

The guard, growing impatient with her persistent questioning, waved her away dismissively, "Why so many questions, woman? How dare we pry into the whereabouts of the heir? All we know is he's not in the mansion, nothing more."

After much persistence, Nan Yan finally wore down the guard, who reluctantly let slip some information. It was said that after the Lantern Festival, the heir's fiancée fell ill, and he had gone out to summon a physician. It would be at least two or three days before his return.

Knowing this, Nan Yan felt a twinge of disappointment, but there was nothing she could do. She sat waiting at the mansion's entrance, a vigil lasting three days, often making the round trip daily. On several occasions, due to the long wait, she even fell asleep in front of a stone stool.

It wasn't until the morning of the third day that she finally saw him return.

Zhao Shiqi had at last come back.

From a distance, Nan Yan saw a carriage approaching the main gate of the mansion. Especially upon seeing Seventeen alight from the carriage, she almost instinctively rushed towards him, a faint smile of joy on her face, then grasped his sleeve tightly, "Seventeen, you're finally back. I've been waiting for you for so long, waiting here at the gate every day."

Zhao Shiqi, hearing the voice, turned reflexively. When he saw who it was and noted her pale complexion, his brows furrowed unconsciously, "You again? What are you doing here? I've told you, I don’t know you."

The sight of her only brought him discomfort, reminding him of the sick Yan Yan, probably agitated that night, who fell ill upon returning to the mansion and could hardly stand. Seeing the culprit of this mischief before him, Zhao Shiqi's expression turned cold.

The butler hurried forward to greet him, "Young Master, you’re back. Doctor Zhang... um..."

Zhao Shiqi snapped back to the moment, instructing the butler, "Take Doctor Zhang inside first, see how Yan Yan is doing. I'll deal with this matter here first."

The butler, following orders, quickly ushered the doctor inside, while Nan Yan continued to clutch Zhao Shiqi's sleeve, observing his cold, distant demeanor as he gave orders, his refusal to even glance at her.

This made Nan Yan's complexion turn pale. She bit her lip, appearing somewhat uneasy, "Seventeen, I came to see you. Where have you been these past days? Why didn’t you tell me?"

Zhao Shiqi found it absurd. He didn't think he needed to report his whereabouts to a stranger, especially one who had upset Yan Yan.

Zhao Shiqi frowned, "Is this what you wanted to tell me? If so, you may leave now."

He glanced down at her, noticing the tears in her eyes, but he really wasn't in the mood to entangle with her.

After speaking, he turned to leave, but Nan Yan kept pulling on his sleeve, her face clearly anxious as she jogged along beside him for a distance, "No, no, Seventeen, wait a moment. I have something for you, please don’t go, just wait for me, okay?"

Zhao Shiqi paused upon hearing this.

He turned to look at Nan Yan, who had jogged to the steps nearby, then hurriedly fetched a neatly wrapped food box and rushed back to him, her eyes full of anticipation as she handed it to him, "I made you some delicious locust flower desserts, put a lot of effort into them. You know it’s July now, and locust flowers are long gone. These are petals I preserved from last year. Actually, I always save some in advance, just for..."

She continued to ramble, but Zhao Shiqi, finding it troublesome, interrupted her, "I don’t like sweets, and I don’t eat anything made by strangers."

A stranger? But she was no stranger.

Nan Yan's expression froze, likely not expecting to be rejected. A look of hurt flashed across her face as she turned her fingers over, revealing red and swollen fingertips, evoking pity.

"I made these with great effort, even burnt my fingers. Won't you try one? Do you really not remember at all? This is what you wanted to eat the day before our wedding; I’ve remembered it all this time..."

Zhao Shiqi's gaze fell on her slender, tender fingers, slightly reddened. He uncomfortably averted his eyes and firmly refused, "I've said I don’t eat food made by strangers. Please, don’t bother me again. I really don’t remember any of the nonsensical things you're talking about."

With that, he stopped paying her any attention and turned to leave. If it wasn't for his guilt over pushing her that day, he wouldn’t have tolerated her presence at the gate for so long.

Zhao Shiqi pressed his lips together. Did he really need to go back and check on Yan Yan's condition?

Nan Yan, however, still clung to him, growing increasingly frantic, her grip tightening. "Do you really not remember anything at all?"

Zhao Shiqi was genuinely annoyed now. "I don’t remember."

"What about this?" She pulled out a jade pendant from her bosom and held it before him, her eyes filled with hope and anxiety, "Do you remember this jade pendant? You've worn it since childhood and gave it to me as a token of our engagement. You said this pendant was once your most important possession, but I would become your most important. You said it yourself; how could you forget?"

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, turning them red. She frantically searched her pockets and then produced a pearl hairpin, "And this, you were going to give me this hairpin on the day you disappeared. How could you not remember? Please think hard, I am your Yan Yan..."

Zhao Shiqi’s eyes fell on the jade pendant and pearl hairpin in her hand. He hadn’t expected her to be so well-prepared, one clue leading to another. If he had any memory of her, he might have been convinced.

Zhao Shiqi looked at her coldly, "Enough with the act. I have no recollection of what you're saying. You might not know, but that night when I returned, I had your identity investigated. You are the fourth daughter of the Qixia Mountain Villa. If you're trying to use me to avenge your father, that's impossible."

He had always wondered why she could call out his name so accurately that night. He had someone investigate her immediately, not only uncovering her identity but also learning that she had been living with the man from that night for the past year. They referred to each other as husband and wife, so how could such a person have any of the absurd connections she claimed with him?

After discovering her identity, he understood: this woman probably sought revenge through him, given that the Qixia Mountain Villa was destroyed by the Pingnan Prince’s Mansion.

Nan Yan's tears now truly could not be held back. She shook her head, crying helplessly, "It's not like that, not what you think. How can you not remember at all? This is the token of love you gave me..."

At this moment, the butler emerged again, hurrying towards Zhao Shiqi, "Oh my, Young Master, why are you still here? Miss Yan has just woken up and is eager to see you. The Princess Consort is also urging your return. Please, come with me."

Zhao Shiqi immediately acknowledged with a hum.

He easily freed himself from Nan Yan's grasp and began to walk away, but the woman behind him persisted, tearfully trying to thrust the jade pendant before him,

"Look at it carefully, you can’t possibly forget..."

Zhao Shiqi, losing patience with the constant badgering, instinctively flicked his sleeve to shake her off, not using much strength.

Perhaps she was unsteady, but she stumbled from his fling, uncontrollably falling backward.

And this time, there was no one to catch her.

Nan Yan, caught off guard, fell heavily down the steps, the jade pendant in her hand snapping in two as it hit the ground with a crack.

Her palm struck the steps, and she was unsure where exactly she was hurt, but a trickle of blood seeped through her fingers.

In that instant, Zhao Shiqi felt as if his heart had been stung, a sharp pain spreading suddenly. He instinctively reached out to catch her.

Nan Yan, however, unconsciously recoiled.

This reaction caused Zhao Shiqi’s outstretched hand to freeze in place.

Nan Yan lifted her head, tears still clinging to her cheeks, yet the light in her eyes seemed to extinguish in that instant. Her deep, dark eyes quietly gazed at him, and suddenly, he appeared utterly unfamiliar to her.

Zhao Shiqi hadn't anticipated things turning out this way. He pursed his lips, and for a moment, he truly resembled the anxious and worried Seventeen from before,

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean it this time..."

He couldn't understand why his heart felt so fluttery at this moment, an emptiness in his chest, as if he had indeed done something irreversible.