Chapter 107 Want a Hug?

Chapter 107: Want a Hug?

When A Chan and Bai Xiuming emerged from the Prince of Xiling’s rear courtyard, Shen Zhuo was still in the front, conversing with his subordinates.

Catching sight of Bai Xiuming, Shen Zhuo’s scalp prickled, his body instinctively tensing, every hair standing on end.

*He looks ready to kill. Hasn't Miss Ji noticed anything amiss?*

"Are you... going out?" Shen Zhuo looked at A Chan, though his gaze kept darting to Bai Xiuming standing beside her.

A Chan’s voice was light. "Yes, we’re off to eat. Your Excellency Shen, have you eaten yet?"

Waiting for Shen Zhuo had taken quite some time, and it was now nearing noon. A Chan had skipped breakfast, only having two pastries before leaving to tide her over. Now, she was truly famished.

Shen Zhuo quickly shook his head, offering a perfectly practiced fake smile. "I won’t join you. Please, take your time."

Inwardly, he mused, *Miss Ji’s influence is truly remarkable. At a time like this, she can still get Bai Xiuming to go out and dine with her.*

*After leaving Xiling this time, perhaps I should start preparing a congratulatory gift?*

A Chan had no idea what fanciful notions were swirling in the mind of the seemingly proper man before her. Seeing Shen Zhuo decline, she didn’t press. "Alright then, Your Excellency Shen, please make yourself comfortable."

"Take care."

As the two passed him, Shen Zhuo had barely begun to relax when Bai Xiuming suddenly halted.

"Shen Zhuo."

A chill ran down Shen Zhuo’s neck. "Is there something else?"

Bai Xiuming was silent for a moment before speaking. "Send a few trustworthy men to the underground palace to retrieve my mother’s remains."

Shen Zhuo blinked, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

*Had Bai Xiuming not managed to gather all of his mother’s bones after an entire night?*

But then he quickly understood—it wasn’t that he couldn’t find them, but that he didn’t dare.

To others, they were mere bones. To him, they were a nightmare-like past.

His expression grew much more serious, and he said earnestly, "Rest assured. I’ll personally oversee it. I’ll ensure every single bone of your esteemed mother is recovered."

"Thank you."

"Don’t mention it." Shen Zhuo instinctively reached out to pat Bai Xiuming’s shoulder in comfort, but halfway there, he pulled his hand back.

The two left the Prince of Xiling’s residence, with Bai Xiuming simply following A Chan without asking their destination.

A Chan hadn’t really planned anything either. It was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision to take Bai Xiuming away from that place.

Facing pain directly was courageous, but there was no shame in avoiding it either.

She glanced back at Bai Xiuming, noticing his clothes were still soiled. After a moment’s thought, she led him to a bustling tailor shop.

The shopkeeper, seeing them enter, immediately rushed forward with enthusiasm—bypassing Bai Xiuming entirely and heading straight for A Chan.

"Miss, are you here to look at dresses? We’ve just received many new styles, some even favored by the capital’s nobility!"

A Chan smiled. "In that case, I’ll trouble you to select a few men’s garments in the styles preferred by capital nobles."

The shopkeeper paused, glancing at A Chan’s unbound hair before sneaking a look at Bai Xiuming.

*These two are clearly not married, nor do they look like siblings. How can this man openly spend a woman’s money?*

*Tsk tsk, what a pity—such a handsome face, yet so utterly shameless.*

In mere moments, the shopkeeper had concocted a vivid drama in his mind, though his expression remained perfectly polite. "Please wait a moment, miss."

He retreated to the back and soon returned with a shop assistant, bringing six or seven outfits. The colors ranged from light to dark, the fabric was of superior quality, and each piece bore exquisite embroidery. It was clear the shopkeeper wasn’t exaggerating.

Though they might not truly be capital styles, they were certainly fit for nobility.

"Which one do you like?" A Chan asked Bai Xiuming.

"You choose."

So A Chan selected a cross-collar, narrow-sleeved robe in the same color as what he was wearing. Though the robe was black, its collar and cuffs were embroidered with dark red cloud motifs, paired with a matching belt. It would surely look good on him.

Once she had made her choice, Bai Xiuming followed the assistant to try on the clothes.

Soon, he emerged in the clean new robe. A Chan surveyed him from head to toe, quite pleased with her selection.

The clothes were beautiful—and not cheap. A single set cost twenty silver taels. Fortunately, A Chan had brought enough money with her.

As she paid, she thought to herself, *Bai Xiuming is certainly not easy to provide for.*

After paying, she chatted with the shopkeeper and learned the location of Xiling City’s most renowned restaurant. Once they left the tailor shop, she led Bai Xiuming straight there.

Noon was typically the busiest time for restaurants, but with the recent upheavals in the city—news of the incident at the Prince of Xiling’s residence gradually spreading—many wealthy households had shut their doors, afraid to venture out. As a result, business at the restaurant was unusually slow today.

The normally packed restaurant now had many empty tables, which worked in A Chan’s favor. They were promptly seated by a window by a waiter.

The waiter stood by, waiting for them to order. Since she wanted to lift Bai Xiuming’s spirits, A Chan naturally let him choose the dishes he liked.

While he ordered, A Chan, through the open window, heard someone outside hawking beverages. Curious, she leaned out to look.

The drink stall was positioned right at the street corner. Across the way, a little girl of about three or four years old came running, her hair tied into two little buns, her arms and legs short and stubby—a tiny little thing. She seemed to be heading straight for the stall.

But the little girl’s steps were unsteady. After a few hurried strides, she tripped over her own feet and fell.

Even after falling, she didn’t cry. She sat on the ground in a daze for a moment until a man and woman rushed over in panic—only then did she start wailing loudly.

"Mama!" The little girl stretched her arms toward the woman, her face crumpled with misery.

The woman quickly picked her up, murmuring soothing words, while the man circled them anxiously.

Only when the little girl finally stopped crying did the parents calm down.

The three huddled together, speaking in low voices, and soon the little girl was happy again, pointing at the drink stall and declaring she wanted some.

In the end, the family approached the stall, and the little girl asked for lychee paste water.

Her appetite was small, and after a few sips, she handed the bowl to her mother. The three shared the drink before finally leaving together.

A Chan watched them for a long time, her gaze lingering even after their figures disappeared around the street corner.

It wasn’t until the waiter left that Bai Xiuming, noticing her staring blankly out the window, asked, "What are you looking at?"

"At that drink stall," A Chan replied truthfully, turning back to face him.

"Do you want some?"

A Chan shook her head. It wasn’t that she wanted a drink—she just felt a twinge of envy.

That child was so easily comforted, and her mother was so gentle. Such an ordinary experience was something she had never known.

The thought flashed through her mind briefly, but she quickly shook off the gloomy mood. Perhaps she had been influenced by Bai Xiuming today, making her unusually sensitive.

A Chan forced herself to shift her attention, turning to the quiet man sipping tea before her. She searched for something to say and asked, "What dishes did you order earlier?"

Bai Xiuming glanced up at her and replied, "The ones you like."

"Hmm?" A Chan was puzzled.

Soon, the waiter brought out plates of food.

True to Bai Xiuming’s words, they were all A Chan’s favorites. Every plate contained chicken.

A Chan picked up a tender slice of chicken and took a bite. The savory flavor filled her mouth, and suddenly, she didn’t feel so envious of others anymore. Her current life seemed quite good.

By the time they finished their meal, it wasn’t even past noon yet, but A Chan didn’t want to part ways.

After resting a little longer in the restaurant, she took Bai Xiuming out to go shopping.

Bai Xiuming didn’t refuse. First, they entered a jewelry shop. A Chan browsed through the beautiful selection of designs, but unfortunately, she hadn’t brought enough silver and could only look without buying.

Leaving the jewelry shop, they next entered a porcelain store. The styles here were unique to Xiling, including matching sets of floral-patterned dishes—quite distinctive.

A Chan thought to herself that once the Shen affair was resolved, she would have to return to the capital.

She ought to bring back gifts for her acquaintances. Nothing too extravagant, but ordinary gifts wouldn’t suffice. Perhaps something special would be best.

So, she lingered longer in the porcelain shop, even pulling Bai Xiuming over to help her choose designs.

After settling on the designs, she fretted over color choices. Bai Xiuming didn’t quite understand her indecision, watching as she compared them for ages before finally buying both sets.

What was the point of all that deliberation? He truly didn’t get it.

They continued like this, shop after shop, until A Chan’s feet ached from walking. When she turned around, she saw Bai Xiuming carrying all her shopping bags in both hands.

By now, his usual fierce demeanor had softened considerably, replaced by utter resignation.

This was his first time accompanying a woman on a shopping trip. Though his stamina was more than enough, the mental exhaustion was real.

"Where to next?" he asked when she turned back to him.

A Chan paused to check the sky. It was probably past midafternoon now, and the sun was less intense. Standing by the roadside for a moment, she had a sudden idea. She turned to Bai Xiuming and said, "How about we go watch the sunset?"

Though he didn’t see the appeal, he still agreed. "Fine."

They first returned to A Chan’s courtyard to drop off the day’s purchases. Sitting in her room, A Chan suddenly felt like staying in bed forever and had lost interest in the sunset.

But Bai Xiuming had already agreed, and she couldn’t back out now.

So she tugged at his sleeve and held up a finger. "I’ll just rest for a little while. Don’t leave. If I sleep too deeply, wake me up."

Bai Xiuming had long since given in to her whims. "Fine."

Perhaps because she had something on her mind, A Chan didn’t sleep too soundly. When she woke, the sky outside was still bright.

Bai Xiuming was sitting at the desk, flipping through a travelogue—one of the books she had brought from the capital.

"Has the sun set yet?" A Chan’s voice was soft and slightly sleepy.

"No," Bai Xiuming set the book aside. "Still want to go watch it?"

"Yes." A Chan yawned and slowly pushed herself up. "But I don’t feel like walking."

"I’ll take you."

That was exactly what she’d been waiting for.

Bai Xiuming brought A Chan to the western gate of Xiling City. The Xiling Army was stationed nearby, and beyond lay territory beyond Great Xia’s borders.

Perhaps because this place had long been steeped in war and bloodshed, the scenery carried a bleak atmosphere.

Aside from the occasional soldier entering the city, almost no one passed through the gates.

The moment Bai Xiuming and A Chan approached the city wall, they were stopped by an alert sentry. The sentries here were all from the Xiling Army, ever-vigilant.

"Sir, without official documentation, passage here is forbidden."

Bai Xiuming patted his robes and, under the guard’s wary gaze, pulled out the identification token he had taken from Shen Zhuo that day.

After verifying the token, the guard’s expression relaxed at once. He cupped his hands respectfully and said, "I greet you, my lord. Do you wish to leave the city?"

"We’ll stay on the wall for a while. Unless it’s urgent, don’t let anyone disturb us."

"Understood."

The guard relayed the order and personally escorted them up the city wall.

The Xiling sun seemed reluctant to set today, lingering long past its time.

A Chan stood by the battlements, gazing at the scenery beyond the city. She wandered a short distance along the wall, unaware of the activity behind her.

Then, footsteps approached.

A Bright Mirror Bureau Guard, led by a sentry, ascended the wall. When he spotted Bai Xiuming, he finally let out a relieved breath.

"Lord Bai." The guard stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Bai Xiuming recognized him as a Qianhu under Shen Zhuo’s command and replied coolly, "What is it?"

"Your Excellency Shen has ordered this humble officer to inform you that we’ve recovered all of your mother’s remains."

A long silence followed before Bai Xiuming finally spoke. "...Understood. Thank Shen Zhuo for me."

"Then I’ll take my leave."

Soon, the visitor departed, leaving only A Chan and Bai Xiuming on that section of the wall.

The wind had grown stronger. A Chan pushed her hair back and turned around to see Bai Xiuming leaning against the wall, his head slightly tilted back as if watching the sunset-painted clouds—or perhaps seeing nothing in particular.

She approached him quietly.

Though no grief showed on Bai Xiuming’s face, A Chan could tell—he was in pain.

She studied him quietly for a long moment before slowly moving closer and kneeling beside him.

She had coaxed Bai Xiuming many times before, but it was always superficial, without real sincerity. Now, facing him like this, A Chan suddenly didn’t know what to do.

Suddenly, she spread her arms toward him and said softly, "Bai Xiuming, do you want a hug?"

The little girl she had seen during the day had been comforted by her mother’s embrace—maybe this would help?

Bai Xiuming turned his head to look at her. A Chan met his gaze, her eyes holding his reflection.

Seeing his prolonged silence, she thought he would refuse. Her arms had already lowered when suddenly her waist was tightly encircled by his arm, and the next thing she knew, she was pulled flush against him.

Bai Xiuming’s arms wrapped around her like iron clamps, his grip a little too tight. A Chan’s body tensed at first, then gradually relaxed.

She raised her hand and gently patted his back.