Chapter 195: What to Do

Chapter 195: What to Do

"The stakes are high; the less you're involved, the better."

He turned his gaze away, and Su Youyue could no longer read his expression.

But even just a side profile of him sitting there conveyed an aura of steadfastness, as if he would remain immovable even if Mount Tai crumbled before him. It was a sight that instilled a sense of peace in anyone who looked at him.

It felt like he would hold up the sky if it were to fall.

A mix of indescribable emotions welled up within Su Youyue.

Since her rebirth, this man had helped her countless times. His actions and attitude were far removed from the Xie Yuan she remembered from her past life.

"Xie Yuan, do you like me...?"

The girl mustered up her courage, finally ready to discuss their marriage. But just as she spoke, the silent night was suddenly interrupted by a loud boom. A massive firework bloomed in the night sky, drowning out her voice completely.

This was followed by countless more fireworks and the intermittent sounds of firecrackers.

The servants outside the courtyard cheered, "Happy New Year!"

Su Youyue had spoken softly, and with the sound of the fireworks, she couldn't even hear herself. This, however, brought her some relief.

Asking such a question so abruptly was too forward.

If he truly liked her, how would she respond?

Fortunately, Xie Yuan hadn't heard her either.

After a long while, the fireworks finally ended, and the continuous sounds of firecrackers dwindled down to sporadic pops.

Seeing that Xie Yuan's expression hadn't changed and that he was still calmly looking at the night sky, Su Youyue knew he hadn't heard her. She felt reassured.

"Happy New Year, Nuan Nuan."

The man finally turned back to look at her. His eyes reflected only her image, and he extended a hand towards her, holding something.

Su Youyue hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it.

In her palm lay a small brocade box.

Inside, on a deep blue silk cushion, sat a pair of gemstone earrings that shimmered with radiant colors.

The multicolored gems were cut into exquisitely small pieces, each one identical in size, strung together to form a shape reminiscent of a cascading firework.

Despite the dim light, the gems sparkled brilliantly, capturing a moment when the night sky was filled with fireworks, shining even brighter than the real thing.

Mesmerized, Su Youyue couldn’t tear her eyes away. After a long moment, she finally looked up. "These are..."

"A New Year’s gift," the man replied, his eyes fixed on hers.

Su Youyue instinctively tried to refuse. "They're too valuable."

She wore jewelry often and knew that such earrings could only be crafted by a master artisan with access to a large quantity of gems.

Their value likely approached several hundred taels of gold.

"I kept your earring for so long; I owe this to you." Seeing her reluctance, Xie Yuan stood up. "It's late; you should sleep."

With that, he gave her one last glance before walking away.

"..."

Holding the earrings, Su Youyue found herself at a loss. She had merely been being polite, thinking that she should give him a valuable New Year’s gift in return.

Was he in such a hurry because he feared she might reject his gift?

Chun Ya and the others, who had been chatting outside, quickly composed themselves upon seeing Xie Yuan emerge. "Sir Xie."

The man acknowledged them with a faint nod and instructed, "It's late. Go and help your young miss get some rest."

The maids hurriedly agreed.

Once the man left, Chu Xiaozhi let out a sigh of relief. "Mother, the future husband of our eldest miss is truly terrifying."

She genuinely feared men like him. Whenever she saw him, she recalled the blood-soaked figure mercilessly taking lives.

Although Miss Su had also killed in front of her, her methods weren't as gruesome.

Chun Ya and Jin Er told her not to speak like that, fearing punishment if their mistress overheard, then quickly went inside to attend to Su Youyue.

When they entered, they found Su Youyue lost in thought, staring at the earrings.

"Miss, these earrings are stunning! Did Sir Xie give them to you?" Jin Er exclaimed in amazement.

The miss had many beautiful pieces of jewelry, but few were as unique and eye-catching as these. Jin Er couldn't take her eyes off them.

Su Youyue nodded and placed them in Jin Er's hand. "Put them away for now."

"Miss, aren't you going to wear them to the palace banquet tomorrow?" Jin Er asked, puzzled.

Tomorrow was a rare opportunity for the miss to attend the palace banquet. Jin Er planned to dress her up beautifully so that she would outshine all the other girls and silence those who criticized her.

Su Youyue shook her head. "For the palace banquet tomorrow, keep the outfit simple. The less flashy, the better."

She had no intention of vying for attention with those people—the fewer eyes on her, the better; it suited her just fine.

"Okay..." Jiner was a little disappointed.

Just as she was about to close the brocade box, she noticed that there seemed to be a hidden compartment in the lid and subconsciously fiddled with it, only to find that there really was one.

"Miss, there's a hidden compartment in this box's lid."

Chunya also took a curious glance. "Let me see."

As they spoke, they had already opened the compartment.

Inside, a row of small characters was clearly written:

For my dearest love.

Chunya and Jiner blushed instantly upon seeing it and hurriedly passed it to Su Youyue. "Miss, take a look."

Su Youyue's cheeks flushed the moment she read the words.

This...

This was truly Xie Yan's handwriting!

Panicked, Su Youyue closed the box and held it tightly in her hand. After a while, she managed to compose herself and said, "Let's go inside first."

Chunya and Jiner exchanged a glance and secretly smiled.

Noticing their smirks, Su Youyue felt her cheeks burning even more.

How could this man pull such a stunt without her knowing? Now Chunya and Jiner had seen it and would tease her about it.

How was she supposed to maintain her authority as their mistress now?

After tidying up a bit inside the house, Su Youyue sent Chunya and Jiner away.

Once they were gone, she gritted her teeth and opened the compartment again for another look.

Four small characters—no more, no less—but they carried significant weight, stirring the calm waters of her heart.

So, her question earlier had been unnecessary.

Although Xie Yan hadn't heard it, he had answered it here.

Learning his feelings, Su Youyue was momentarily at a loss.

Since her rebirth, everything else had been within her calculations except for Xie Yan's feelings.

Could it be that in her previous life, he had truly harbored feelings for her?

Su Youyue tried hard to recall any hints from her past interactions with Xie Yan, but no matter how she looked, she couldn't discern any signs of his feelings for her from those minute details.

He had always been so composed and reserved, steady and restrained, making it impossible for anyone to fathom his thoughts.

"Xie Yan..."

Su Youyue murmured softly, then let out a faint sigh.

"What am I to do with you?"