Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"We only exchanged a few simple words, nowhere near as much as you talk with others," Ye Shuang mumbled under her breath.

Xiao Lin furrowed his brow. "What did you say?"

Ye Shuang looked up at Xiao Lin, her gaze meeting eyes as deep as a fathomless pool. Her heart skipped a beat, her cheeks flushed, and she quickly turned her head away.

"Nothing."

Hearing her response, Xiao Lin fell silent for a moment, as if pondering something. After a while, he said, "That's good then."

It sounded as if he were speaking to her, yet also as if he were talking to himself.

Ye Shuang quietly observed Xiao Lin, sensing he was somewhat different from his usual self.

Noticing Xiao Lin’s distracted state, Ye Shuang tentatively asked, "Could it be that you’re jealous?"

Xiao Lin’s gaze sharpened slightly, and he immediately denied it. "How could that be!"

Ye Shuang lowered her head. "Then why are you asking all this?"

Xiao Lin cleared his throat and resumed his usual demeanor, as if everything that had just happened was merely Ye Shuang’s imagination.

"This Marquis merely wishes to remind you that, in name, you are still the Marchioness of Yongding. You must be cautious in your actions and avoid doing anything that could damage my reputation."

Ye Shuang said nothing and walked away. It was the same arrogant and domineering Xiao Lin as always.

After walking some distance, she noticed Xiao Lin hadn’t caught up yet. Just as she was muttering to herself, a dull thud suddenly came from behind.

Ye Shuang hurriedly turned around and saw a figure in a dark magenta robe sprawled on the ground.

She was immediately flustered and rushed back in a few quick steps.

"Is this… from drinking too much or another assassination attempt?" She didn’t dare act rashly.

The figure on the ground stirred, and Xiao Lin’s muffled voice came through. "Can you ever wish me well?"

Only then did Ye Shuang breathe a sigh of relief. "You scared me. I thought you were—"

"Don’t worry, I won’t make you a widow at such a young age."

Ye Shuang chuckled, feeling a fleeting illusion that the drunken Xiao Lin resembled his former self in some ways.

She kept the thought to herself and simply continued observing him quietly.

Seeing Xiao Lin trying to push himself up by his shoulders, Ye Shuang asked, "Do you need me to help you?"

Xiao Lin struggled to speak a few words. "No need! This Marquis can manage."

His palms pressed against the smooth silk fabric, making it difficult to gain leverage. As soon as he finished speaking, his hand slipped, and he fell flat on the ground again.

Ye Shuang sighed and stepped forward to help. Drunk people are exceptionally heavy, and Xiao Lin refused to stay still and let her assist him. It took her all her strength to finally help him up.

She hadn’t expected Xiao Lin to be so heavy and so much taller than her. Supporting his arm, she struggled forward with difficulty.

The surroundings were unusually quiet, prompting Ye Shuang to start talking. "You, if you can’t hold your liquor, don’t drink. And when you’re drunk, it doesn’t even show."

She looked up and saw Xiao Lin’s chiseled profile, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes half-open, with lashes dark as crow feathers casting shadows beneath them. The usual sharpness in his deep, pool-like eyes was now softened.

Xiao Lin’s gaze remained vaguely fixed ahead, drifting. Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he waved his sleeve restlessly and suddenly cursed. "Who was the audacious fool who dared to ambush this Marquis?"

Ye Shuang replied helplessly, "Yes, yes, what insolent stone dared to trip the Marquis? First thing tomorrow, I’ll send someone to sweep it outside the city walls."

Xiao Lin nodded in satisfaction and abruptly began discussing how to deal with the stone. Ye Shuang patiently responded.

To move faster, Ye Shuang had to lift Xiao Lin’s arm and place it over her shoulder, using her entire body to support him. After a moment’s hesitation, she wrapped her other arm around him to steady him.

His wide sleeve fell, draped over her, and she found herself almost entirely immersed in Xiao Lin’s distinct scent.

The sudden weight overwhelmed her, and she staggered, her back colliding with a firm, warm chest. She tightened her grip on Xiao Lin to prevent both of them from falling.

She couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but it felt as though Xiao Lin was pressing against her as well.

Her head rested just over his heart, and she wondered if the arrow wound from before had fully healed or if it had left any scars.

Ye Shuang’s mind drifted. At some point, Xiao Lin had grown quiet. She briefly wondered if he had fallen asleep, but his footsteps never stopped, so he must still have been somewhat aware.

The main street was especially quiet late at night. Moonlight, like a silken veil, spilled over them, casting long shadows.

If only she and Xiao Lin could continue supporting each other like this, moving forward together, how wonderful that would be.