Chapter 132: Token of Affection

Chapter 132: Token of Affection

Eunuch Fu, an elderly man with a wealth of experience in the palace, had gone from initial indifference to shock by the end.

Watching Xie Yuan's silhouette disappear into the depths of the night, he sighed to the young eunuch beside him, "This Third Master Xie... his methods truly surpass those of the late Chancellor Xie."

The winter night was bone-chillingly cold.

The entire Yanjing City felt like an icy tomb.

Under the vast expanse of intense night sky, several lanterns cast a dim, hazy glow.

As Jin'er passed through the corridor, she bumped her head and returned to the room, rubbing her reddened forehead as she complained, "Miss, it's really dark outside tonight. This servant couldn't even see her fingers when she stretched out her hand."

As she spoke, she shivered.

Su Youyue touched her small hands, which were as cold as if they had just been pulled out of ice water. She handed her a hot water bottle. "Go back to sleep early tonight, be careful."

Feeling the concern from her own Miss, Jin'er immediately felt that her forehead didn't hurt anymore. She chuckled, and just as she was about to close the door tightly, she suddenly saw a shadow standing in the courtyard, causing her to jump in fright.

"Who's there?"

Su Youyue also became instantly alert, sitting up from her bed.

Seeing that the person remained silent, Jin'er's heart pounded. Instinctively, she grabbed the nearby copper basin, ready to call for help, but then the figure stepped into the light.

"It's Master Xie," Jin'er instantly relaxed. This Master Xie was quite frightening, coming over late at night without making a sound.

When Su Youyue heard that Xie Yuan had arrived, she was startled and put her hand, which had been about to pull back the covers, back down.

It was already late at night. If not for reviewing the account books, Su Youyue wouldn't have stayed up so late. With no one else in the courtyard, she told Jin'er, "Invite Master Xie inside."

Jin'er was used to this now; after all, her Miss had always treated Master Xie differently, and it wasn't the first time he had entered her bedroom.

"Master Xie, Miss wants you to come in."

As soon as she ran outside, the cold wind felt like it would peel off a layer of her skin. Jin'er immediately retreated back into the room.

Fortunately, although they were far apart, Xie Yuan heard her words and started walking towards the house.

As he approached, Jin'er felt the bone-chilling cold emanating from him and recoiled. "Master Xie, how long have you been outside? Stay away from Miss for a while, don't let her catch your chill."

The man paused, stopping in place, but his gaze turned towards the canopy.

Su Youyue quickly cleared her throat. "It's fine, I'm not afraid of the cold."

Then, she looked at Xie Yuan. "Xie Yuan, why did you come here tonight?"

Although she now had Little Fatty's memories and wasn't as afraid of Xie Yuan, it didn't mean she dared to provoke him casually.

Especially Jin'er, this little girl had no idea how terrifying the great demon Xie Yuan could be in private.

After saying this, she beckoned to Xie Yuan. "Come closer to talk."

Hearing her words, the man indeed took two steps forward.

But he stopped right there, not bringing any of the cold air near her.

"The case of the human traffickers has been resolved," Xie Yuan said slowly, then smiled to himself.

In all of Su Youyue's memories of him, he only used to smile often when he was a child. After the incident in his family, he rarely smiled. The few times he did smile like this were usually right after he had killed someone.

Su Youyue caught a faint scent of blood in the air. She seemed to remember something and couldn't resist looking closely at Xie Yuan, noticing a trace of blood on the knuckles of his right hand.

Had he just killed someone?

Finally, under the dim candlelight, Su Youyue looked into the man's eyes.

Beneath the calmness of those eyes lay the excitement after a bloodbath, as well as a hint of anticipation—an intense emotion that the icy chill of the winter night couldn't dispel.

Even a single glance made one feel uneasy.

What was Xie Yuan anticipating?

Su Youyue's grip on the quilt tightened slightly, trying to soothe him with her tone. "Thank you, Xie Yuan."

She didn't know if her soothing words had any effect on him. At least in her previous life, when he skinned and dismembered people in front of her, his hands dripping with blood, he would eventually rein in his demonic expression due to her terror.

Xie Yuan seemed to be waiting for something, or perhaps not. After hearing her thanks, he waited for a long time without any further response before finally speaking again. "The Second Prince and Third Prince are dead."

Su Youyue was taken aback, not expecting that in this life, the Second Prince and Third Prince would die so quickly.

But why did Xie Yuan come in the middle of the night to tell her these things?

She once thought she understood Xie Yuan, but now she felt momentarily lost.

Beside her, Jin'er exclaimed in surprise, "The Second Prince and Third Prince are dead?"

Su Youyue remembered that Jin'er was still in the room and said, "Jin'er, please step out for a moment."

No matter how naive Jin'er was, she knew that Master Xie had important matters to discuss and hurriedly withdrew.

For a moment, only Xie Yuan and Su Youyue remained in the room.

Xie Yuan checked the temperature of his hands before slowly stepping forward.

Suddenly, Su Youyue regretted sending Jin'er out.

When the man usually reined in his aura, it didn't show much. But at this moment, with no restraint, Su Youyue suddenly felt that as the man approached, the air around her became suffocating. Even her room, her bed, and her whole person seemed to shrink, leaving her nowhere to hide, no escape.

Xie Yuan was no longer the slave she could command at will. From the very beginning, she had nurtured an ambitious and vicious wolf.

She could only try her best to appear calm, consoling herself that she was now Xie Yuan's half-savior, and he couldn't do anything to her. She spoke softly, "Xie Yuan, you..."

Before she could finish, the man suddenly reached out his hand.

Su Youyue instinctively dodged, then realized he wasn't going to harm her but was offering her something.

Seeing her evasive movement, the man's eyes darkened slightly.

With his other hand, he took hers and placed something in her palm.

Su Youyue looked down in surprise, finding a small blue jade earring.

Judging by its size, it was meant for little girls who had just gotten their ears pierced, far from suitable for someone her age.

Why would he come in the middle of the night to give her someone else's earring? And why only one?

The more Su Youyue thought about it, the more perplexed she became. But soon, the more she looked at it, the more familiar it seemed, until she finally remembered that this earring was one she wore when she was young.

After she promised herself to the little fatty, the next day he asked her for it, saying he needed some sort of token.

That day, she didn't have any jade pendants or jewelry on her, so she casually gave him one of her earrings.

It wasn't... Had Xie Yuan kept this for so long??

Before she could recall more, the man slowly said, "This is what Miss gave me back then..."

He paused before continuing, "A token of our love."