Chapter 61 Peek Escort her back to the capital.

Chapter 61: Peeking, Bringing Her Back to the Capital.

If Zhong Yao were repaying a favor, anything her benefactor wanted that she had, she'd hand over with both hands.

Xie Chi had done that too, to some extent.

But on top of that, Zhong Yao would treat her benefactor with total respect, unlike Xie Chi, who'd just blurt out "Shut up," glare at her with disdain, or pin her down and mess with her.

Is this supposed to be love?

Shouldn't loving someone mean spoiling them, being at their beck and call?

Zhong Yao's close friend and her husband were like that—before they married, whenever Zhong Yao went out with her friend and they ran into the fiancé, one look from her friend would send him rushing over.

Xie Chi... alas, when Zhong Yao merely crooked her finger at him, he'd pin her down and bully her. How could he ever listen to her?

But if he didn't like her, why would Xie Chi, a guy so hung up on his reputation, be okay sharing a room with her, and keep carrying her on his back or lifting her onto a horse?

If he'd insisted on having his guards do it... for safety's sake, Zhong Yao could've accepted that.

"Little bro, do you really think Heir Xie likes me?"

Zhong Yao had been thinking for too long, and Zhong Shu, who hadn't slept soundly in months, was now drowsy, the weight off his heart.

He yawned and said, "Not necessarily. Besides you, me, and big bro, we've got our parents too. Even if they're a bit older, they're both good-looking. Who knows, maybe Heir Xie's got a thing for one of them?"

Zhong Yao giggled, thinking if they were home, her second brother would get a beating.

After laughing a bit, she pulled her knees up and sat sideways on the bed, leaning on Zhong Shu. "Little bro, I'm serious. Tell me for real."

Zhong Shu had to rally his energy to explain to his little sister. "I'm not the sharpest, but my gut's never wrong. Otherwise, how do you think Xu Su and I survived half a year hopping between two thief dens? Let me put it this way—I'm sure Heir Xie's heart is already yours."

Zhong Yao laughed again, shy this time, her cheeks flushing red like she'd put on rouge.

She pressed the backs of her hands to her hot cheeks, soaking in her embarrassment for a bit, then whispered, "But what does he even like about me?"

It was more a question to herself than to him.

Hearing her tone and seeing her face, Zhong Shu knew she was smitten, starting to overthink all sorts of silly stuff.

He didn't answer.

Zhong Yao didn't push it either; she was lost in thought.

Her looks and figure? She definitely had those—she judged guys by that too...

But those probably weren't the main reasons, or Xie Chi wouldn't have been so cold to her at first.

Was it her kindness? That didn't fit either—there were plenty of kind people, and Xie Chi didn't like every one of them.

Could it be like in those novels, where saving someone's life means you marry them?

That was even more off—if so, Xie Chi should've been crying and begging to marry her back in that cave.

...

Zhong Yao racked her brain but couldn't figure out what about her Xie Chi could like. If there was anything different about her compared to other girls, it was that she knew how to piss him off.

Could it be that Xie Chi was so dizzy from her teasing that he mistook anger for attraction?

...Or maybe he had some weird fetish, like liking being mistreated or liking bad smells...

He'd once called her a stinky little woman while yanking her into his arms and messing with her.

If he really hated it, shouldn't he keep his distance?

"Little bro, I remember you once said some people are born to enjoy being hit and yelled at—the harder they're hit, the more excited they get. Do you think Heir Xie is like that?"

Zhong Shu had already dozed off, his eyelids barely open as he mumbled, "Just hit him tomorrow morning and see."

"I'm not gonna hit him." Zhong Yao's eyes crinkled into a smile as she said sweetly, "Good girls don't just hit people."

Besides, if she dared to hit him, Xie Chi would definitely get back at her... he'd pinch her face again.

He was so strong, he always left her cheeks red.

Thinking about this, Zhong Yao got unsure again. "If he really likes me, shouldn't he do whatever I say? But Heir Xie always argues with me, and when he can't win, he gets physical... Little bro, would you ever get physical with a girl you like?"

Zhong Shu's drowsiness was jolted away by the word "physical." He shook his head, sat up straighter, and asked, "How does he get physical with you?"

Zhong Yao wanted to say Xie Chi pinched her cheeks, but pinching and stroking were somewhat similar, and she felt it wasn't appropriate to say.

So she said, "He tickles me, like a kitten or a puppy."

"That kind of physical?" Zhong Shu slumped back down. "I wouldn't get physical with a girl I like, but she'd definitely not hesitate to hit me. Little sister, you have to admit, sometimes we both really deserve a beating."

To back up his point, he gave an example.

"Back when I was dealing with Dou Wu, even though he suspected I was Xu Su, I annoyed him so much he wanted to kill me countless times... Heir Xie just tickles you a few times... Ah, little sister, I feel for you, but honestly, you can't blame Heir Xie entirely."

Zhong Yao felt she was sometimes even more annoying than Xue Fang, but she couldn't admit it, or others would use that excuse to bully her!

She said, "Little bro, you've changed. Before, no matter what happened, you'd blindly side with mother in cursing the marquis's household. Now you're defending Heir Xie."

"That was just to make mother happy," Zhong Shu said.

Being pestered by Zhong Yao, his sleepiness was almost gone.

Zhong Shu found it strange—he had only met Xie Chi once and immediately noticed his special treatment of Zhong Yao. How could Zhong Yao, traveling with him all this time, not have sensed his feelings?

He asked her directly.

In truth, Zhong Yao had more or less noticed the shift in Xie Chi's attitude—though he still used his hands, his tolerance for her was growing.

She had always thought it was because Xie Chi was soft-hearted beneath his tough exterior, pitying her for being far from her family.

She had never considered romantic feelings, all because from their first meeting, Xie Chi had made no secret of his dislike for her personality.

But she couldn't tell her second brother that—it would mean bringing up the family crisis, her grudge with Xie Chi, her big brother, the Fourth Prince, and so on. Too troublesome.

Though the secret couldn't be kept any longer, Zhong Yao wanted to save her breath and explain everything at home to her parents, big brother, and second brother at once.

She gave another reason: "These past few months, worrying about you and big brother's mess, I haven't had a single good night's sleep. How could I have the energy to think about anything else?"

"..."

Zhong Shu had no comeback. After a moment of silence, he wailed and hugged Zhong Yao, crying.

"Little sister, my poor little Yao! It's all big brother's fault—he's too much of a scoundrel!"

Zhong Yao saw her second brother start crying, hesitated for a moment, and figured she could think about Xie Chi’s matters tomorrow anyway. To avoid seeming too cold-hearted, she put aside thoughts of romance for now and joined Zhong Shu in a tearful embrace, crying together.

"Little bro, you and big bro are such jerks. You've gotten me into so much trouble..."

The familiar, over-the-top sobbing was obviously fake, and it carried over to Xie Chi in the next room.

His wrist paused, leaving an ink blot at the end of his brushstroke.

Xie Chi frowned, thinking how late it was for Zhong Yao to still be in the same room as Zhong Shu. It wasn’t like they were in a dangerous situation now.

She really was a cold-hearted woman—once she had her second brother, she hadn't even looked his way, no longer hanging on his arm babbling nonsense or asking Shu Feng to stay with her at night.

She didn't even think about how Zhong Shu's right arm was hurt—who would protect her if danger struck?

She'd probably end up crying and yelling for him out of fear again.

...

If he'd known she'd be this cold, he never should have given in bit by bit.

Xie Chi felt used and tossed aside, picked up the document to check it, saw the ink blot wasn't too noticeable, and set it aside, asking, "How's it going on General Qin's side?"

The guard, just back from the mountains with a report, said, "In the last few days, we've only caught three bandits. We also found a cave and pulled out thirteen women. General Qin has ordered them checked and logged one by one, and once their identities are cleared, they'll be taken back to the city to be settled."

That's all they found... It wasn't a great result, but the mountains were the bandits' territory, so it wasn't General Qin's fault.

Luckily, he still had Jiang Xia on his side.

Xie Chi asked further, "Has Xue Fang been causing trouble?"

"The young master went with the guards to search the mountains during the day, and at night he came back to the stronghold to help General Qin question the kids. He hasn't caused any trouble, but..."

The guard hesitated, glancing at Xie Chi, then went on, "But whenever he sees those kids, he goes crazy and won't listen to reason. If the kids don't tell the truth, they get hit; if they do tell the truth, they still get hit..."

Xie Chi had purposely left Xue Fang with General Qin a few days ago to keep the general from being too soft on the kids. But without Xie Chi holding him back, Xue Fang had been beating the kids way too enthusiastically.

Wasn't there anyone by his side he could count on?

Xie Chi was really frustrated.

After sending the guard off to rest, he saw the ink on the document was dry, closed it, called in another guard, gave a few orders, and rubbed his forehead while closing the door.

The over-the-top sobbing from next door had stopped, replaced by faint, muffled whispers.

Xie Chi couldn't make out what they were saying and didn't care to eavesdrop on the dumb siblings' late-night talk. Seeing the sky outside start to lighten, he figured the time and his plans, then fell asleep to the rustling from the next room.

The next day, everyone but Xie Chi slept until noon.

The Zhong siblings had been talking until dawn, Jiang Xia had been too worked up to sleep all night, and Xu Su was still out of it.

Xie Chi took care of some city business and came back to the hall to find Zhong Yao carefully feeding Zhong Shu.

It was one thing to take care of Zhong Shu with his hurt arm, but when Xu Su, drinking his bitter medicine nearby, made a face, she immediately grabbed a piece of pastry and handed it to him, saying sweetly, "Third brother, this place is too poor for candied fruit, but the pastries are decent. Have a bite; it’ll chase away the bitterness soon."

Xie Chi strode in, with Jiang Xia following behind. The sound of footsteps startled the others in the hall. Xu and Zhong saw him and stood up to bow respectfully.

Only Zhong Yao didn’t move.

She glanced at Xie Chi and quickly looked away.

Xie Chi couldn’t be bothered to argue with this cold-hearted woman. He sat down directly, adjusting his robes, and asked, "What third brother?"

Xu Su, well-rested from a good night’s sleep, replied openly, "Zhong Second Brother and I long ago swore brotherhood. From now on, little sister is also my sister, so she calls me third brother."

Xie Chi thought to himself, would Zhong Yao still call Zhong Shu "little brother" from now on?

It was too childish to say out loud, so instead he asked if they knew anything about the bandits’ hideouts.

Having spent so long in the bandits’ lair, the two knew a fair bit. Seizing the chance for revenge, they eagerly shared whatever useful information they had.

"There’s a cave under the meeting hall, used for holding people before..."

"Across the river north of the dog pen, there’s a cavern. The third-in-command often goes there..."

As they spoke, Xie Chi noticed someone sneaking glances at him.

He lifted his eyelids and met Zhong Yao’s bright, watery eyes. The next moment, she blushed and quickly looked away like a thief caught in the act.

Xie Chi: "?"

He pretended not to notice and turned back to listen to Zhong and Xu.

As they continued, that furtive gaze returned.

Xie Chi looked sharply again, and Zhong Yao was startled into looking away once more.

...How strange.

After three times, no matter how much Zhong Yao stared, Xie Chi didn’t respond.

It wasn’t until a guard came in and whispered something in his ear that he reacted.

This time when he looked over, Zhong Yao didn’t flinch. She met his gaze calmly for a moment, then her lips twitched, and she couldn’t help but smile at Xie Chi, her eyes curving.

The smile was light, like a breeze weaving through blossoms in April.

It was also captivating—charming, lively, and delicate.

With a hint of shyness.

Very beautiful, but very unusual.

Xie Chi’s brows furrowed slightly as he shot her a questioning look.

Zhong Yao’s smile only grew brighter. She even let out a soft giggle, drawing the attention of everyone around.

"Little sister, what’s wrong?" Xu Su, now her newly acknowledged third brother, asked with concern.

If he hadn’t asked, it might have been fine, but his question sent a blush spreading across Zhong Yao’s face like a sunset. Her eyes glistened, cheeks flushed, as she looked around, laughing and covering her face with both hands in embarrassment.

"She’s happy," Zhong Shu coughed and said. "Little sister and I are closest. The thought of family reuniting has her laughing uncontrollably."

Xie Chi felt something was off.

Zhong Yao’s odd behavior must have something to do with him.

But her wooden-headedness was beyond ordinary understanding, and he couldn’t figure out what was going on.

He didn’t want to waste time guessing the thoughts of this fickle woman.

Now that Zhong Shu had been safely found, her family's troubles were resolved, leaving her with nothing left to worry about...

She clearly wasn't here for anything serious.

Maybe she'd come up with some nonsense again just to annoy him.

Besides, with two good elder brothers around, why would Heir Xie need to butt in?

Xie Chi rapped the table and said, "Then let me make you even happier."

As his words fell, hurried footsteps sounded from outside the hall.

Every time Zhong Yao saw Xie Chi now, she wanted to laugh, yet she was too shy to hold his gaze.

She also wondered how Xie Chi could make her happier, so she secretly parted her fingers and peeked through the cracks.

As the hurried footsteps grew closer, several figures appeared at the hall's entrance.

Zhong Yao first spotted a haggard old man in fancy clothes—she didn't recognize him. Her gaze swept further and landed on a travel-worn middle-aged man beside him.

Zhong Yao paused slightly, lowered her hands from her face, and exclaimed, "Father!"

Eleven days after Xie Chi told Zhong Yao he'd written to her dad, her father finally arrived to take her and her second brother back to the capital.