Chapter 28 Parrot Humble woman is endlessly grateful.

Chapter 28: Parroting

I am deeply grateful.

Though young, Xue Fang had spent several years in the military camp with Xie Chi and had seen much of the world. Facing the Fourth Prince, he wasn't fazed by his looks, gave a proper salute, and turned to Zhong Yao. "What took you so long?"

Zhong Yao had never arranged to meet him and knew he was there to rescue her. Keeping her head down, she replied, "Something delayed me."

Xue Fang just said, "Oh," and asked, "Can we leave now?"

Zhong Yao glanced at the Fourth Prince, who said, "I still need to pick out some medicinal ointments. You two may go."

Relieved by his words, Zhong Yao grabbed Xue Fang's sleeve, linking arms like close sisters, and walked out of the clinic.

But Xue Fang disliked this gesture, finding it too girlish. He wanted to shake Zhong Yao off but didn’t want to be noticed by the Fourth Prince’s men. His eyes darted, and he silently mouthed the word "woof" at Zhong Yao.

Zhong Yao was all too familiar with this. Even without a sound, she was terrified.

Having just escaped the tiger’s jaws, her heart still unsettled, the sudden fright made her shudder and release Xue Fang’s sleeve.

Yet with wolves ahead and tigers behind, no matter how frightened she was, she had to keep following Xue Fang out, her face full of misery.

This scene was witnessed and reported to the Fourth Prince.

Unaware, Zhong Yao followed Xue Fang into the carriage. As usual, they sat on opposite sides, ignoring each other. After about half an hour, Zhong Yao spotted the familiar painted boat. Soon after, the boat swayed slightly, and Xie Chi stepped inside.

Xie Chi’s appearance was entirely unexpected.

He had intended to avoid further entanglement with Zhong Yao, but after thinking it over all night, he remained uncertain whether she had been injured in yesterday’s collision. The thought lingered, and to stop worrying about it, he sent a guard to check on Zhong Yao’s condition.

If she was unharmed, he could put the matter to rest.

But he hadn't expected Zhong Yao to be at the clinic, or that the Fourth Prince would be there too—let alone that they'd meet.

Now she had been brought out, sitting dejectedly in the painted boat, looking both dazed and pitiful.

Xie Chi frowned. "Did he give you a hard time?"

Zhong Yao kept her head down, muttering, "He said I’m interesting."

"You’re interesting?"

Xie Chi’s tone seemed either surprised or mocking. Zhong Yao didn’t look up, so she couldn’t tell.

But either way, it made little difference.

She continued in a muffled voice, "He told me to seduce you."

Xie Chi fell silent.

Still looking down, regardless of whether he was shocked or disgusted, Zhong Yao wiped her eyes and went on, "He said once you’re bewitched by me, I should marry into your household, anger your grandmother, beat your sister, and then hand you over to him for torment."

Xie Chi remained silent, but Xue Fang, after a moment of stunned silence, jumped up and shouted, "Who dares hit me!"

His voice was so loud that Zhong Yao flinched backward, a sharp ache shooting through the bruise on her side, which matched the pain in her heart.

She held back, forcing her voice to remain steady as she continued.

"He said if it doesn’t work out, he’ll take me as a concubine so you’ll leave me alone."

When the Fourth Prince had said this, Zhong Yao found him strange and frightening. But now, repeating it to Xie Chi, she felt more humiliation than fear.

Still, Xie Chi said nothing. Zhong Yao bit her lip and said, "Young Master Xie came to my rescue, and I am deeply grateful. Now that I’ve said what needed to be said, please take me ashore."

Xie Chi finally spoke, his voice low. "You’re thanking me?"

"It’s only proper," Zhong Yao replied. "I’ll send a token of gratitude another day."

This gentle voice, firm yet polite, was something Xie Chi had never heard from her before. He fell silent for a moment before saying, "Very well," and added, "I’ll take you back to your residence now."

"Not to my residence. I need to find my elder brother to discuss countermeasures," Zhong Yao still kept her head down, her tone unfamiliar.

Zhong Lan had returned, so it was only natural for her to consult her elder brother about such matters.

This was how things should be, and it was what Xie Chi had expected.

But when it actually happened, Xie Chi felt deeply displeased.

He was unaccustomed to this obedient, measured Zhong Yao before him—it felt as though she had become a different person.

Perhaps he would grow used to it in time.

Xie Chi remained silent for a long while before ordering in a low voice to row the boat ashore.

The painted boat had only just entered the river and soon reached the bank. Zhong Yao stood up immediately, not even waiting for the boat to steady.

As a result, the boat—rocked by the current—bumped against the shore's rocks. As if pushed, it suddenly drifted backward. Zhong Yao lost her balance, staggering sideways before tumbling down.

She fell toward Xue Fang, who was idly kicking his legs. Sensing danger, Xue Fang leaped forward, nimbly darting out from under Zhong Yao’s outstretched arms.

He wouldn’t even help steady her.

Her heart ached. Sadly, she closed her eyes, not daring to witness her own impending humiliation.

Today had been too miserable—so miserable she wanted to cry.

The next moment, the anticipated pain arrived, but it wasn't physical; it came from her forehead.

As Zhong Yao fell, a figure flashed from the side. Instinctively, she clung to it, and her forehead struck something hard, making her cry out in pain.

"You’re the one crying out?" Xie Chi said irritably. "Wasn’t I the one who got hit?"

The painted boat was low, and Xie Chi had to bend over to catch Zhong Yao.

He managed to catch her in time, but her forehead slammed hard into his chin.

Xie Chi felt utterly helpless. Out of habit, he snapped before remembering that Zhong Yao wanted to draw a clear line between them. By rights, he should have been more polite and not spoken to her in such a tone—but it was too late.

Hearing this familiar tone, Zhong Yao’s tears instantly streamed down, followed by sobs. "But it huuurts..."

Here we go again.

That infuriating, sniffling crying gave Xie Chi both a headache and a sense of relief—as if what was bound to happen had finally arrived.

He pressed his palm against Zhong Yao’s forehead. "Enough, be quiet. It’ll stop hurting soon."

"Not my head..." Zhong Yao said in a thick, tearful voice, pressing hard on Xie Chi’s arm.

Only then did Xie Chi realize his hand was still resting on Zhong Yao’s waist. The sensation beneath his palm made his fingertips tremble slightly.

He let go quickly, holding Zhong Yao's arm to help her sit back, saying, "I didn't use much force, did I?"

Zhong Yao sobbed, "You clearly used a lot of force, so rough, it's already bruised."

Because she was crying, her mouth pouted as she spoke, a sight both pitiful and amusing.

Xie Chi was a bit disdainful and momentarily distracted; it took him a moment to realize Zhong Yao was referring to the pain in her waist—she had been hit there the day before.

Xie Chi's frown deepened, his gaze returning to Zhong Yao's waist. After noticing the curve there, he looked away and said, "Miss Zhong, please think carefully: are you sure what happened yesterday was my fault?"

At this challenge, Zhong Yao's crying paused briefly before quickly resuming, wailing loudly, "You're bullying me too! You're all ganging up on me! I hate all of you!"

Xie Chi's headache flared up again. After enduring it for a moment, he said, "There's news about your second brother."

The concise statement did not immediately stop the crying in the boat.

Zhong Yao continued to cry, but her mournful sobs gradually softened, turning into sniffles.

As her crying subsided, Zhong Yao, without a word, rolled up her sleeve and carefully wiped the tear stains from her face. Once her faint sniffles had also ceased, she poured a cup of tea and gently placed it beside Xie Chi's hand. Only then did she look up, gazing at Xie Chi with clear, watery eyes.

Xie Chi smiled—a cold smile this time—and said, "You've thanked me already and vented your grievances. The boat has docked, and aren't you supposed to go find your eldest brother? Why aren't you going?"

Zhong Yao lowered her head and pushed the teacup closer to Xie Chi, mumbling, "Heir Xie..."

Xie Chi watched her coldly. After a moment, he finished the tea and asked, "Was it really that bad yesterday? Do you need to see a doctor?"

"No, I went to the clinic because the scar on my back is too scary. I wanted to buy some scar-removing ointment to make it fade..."

After answering truthfully, Zhong Yao glanced at Xie Chi and whined, "But the impact was also quite severe—it hurts to walk. My maid said massaging the bruise would help it heal faster, but I was afraid of the pain, so I didn't let her..."

Xie Chi was truly at a loss for words. Annoyed, he poured another cup of tea and drank it.

After setting down the cup, he saw Zhong Yao leaning even closer. Her damp, tear-stained lashes fluttered with each blink, the expectation and hopefulness in her eyes almost tangible.

This demeanor was completely different from her earlier stance of drawing a clear line with Xie Chi, which frustrated him even more.

The more he looked, the angrier he became. Lowering his gaze to Zhong Yao, he asked, "Want to know about your second brother?"

"Yes," Zhong Yao nodded eagerly, saying, "Heir Xie, you're the best."

Xie Chi said, "I can tell you, but you must promise me one thing. If you can do it, I'll tell you."

"Okay!" Zhong Yao agreed without hesitation.

She could do anything—it was just one thing, and given Xie Chi's character, it surely wouldn't be too much to ask.

For her second brother, no matter what it was, Zhong Yao could accept it and would strive to do it.

Xie Chi nodded, set down his teacup, and said, "From now on, you are not allowed to use 'I' when speaking. Instead, you must use 'humble woman.' Your tone must be gentle and polite, and your wording must be courteous and thoughtful."

After speaking, he looked at Zhong Yao and said, "Come on, first say 'This humble woman is endlessly grateful' for me to hear."

"This humble..." Zhong Yao opened her mouth to speak but suddenly remembered she had said something similar earlier. Recalling the recent situation, she instantly understood Xie Chi's intention.

"I... I..." she stammered, struggling to get the words out.

"This humble woman is endlessly grateful~"

Just as she was feeling awkward, an exaggerated, parrot-like imitation came from beside her. She turned her head and saw Xue Fang grinning and wriggling, clearly mimicking her.

Zhong Yao blushed.

Turning back, she saw Xie Chi leaning closer, his head lowered but his eyebrows raised, waiting leisurely for her to speak.