Chapter 21 — She Cried
Xue Ning pressed her lips together, not daring to meet the mocking chill in his eyes.
Su Zhan had always possessed the kind of presence that inspired fear without anger, the kind of sharp intelligence that bordered on monstrous.
How could the little tricks of a sheltered young woman possibly escape his notice?
This year, she had never planned to beg him to accompany her to Zhenguo Temple.
But Su Qing truly had wanted to ruin her.
So before leaving the capital, she had secretly avoided Nanny Hao and gone to the magistrate’s office herself. Using Su Zhan’s name, she warned them that someone intended to harm him and asked them to station guards at Zhenguo Temple in advance.
As it turned out, Su Zhan’s reputation carried exactly the kind of weight she expected.
She had successfully avoided the trap Su Qing had dug for her in her previous life and preserved her reputation.
“What exactly have you been doing behind my back?” Su Zhan asked coldly. “How did you manage to command the Black Hawk Guards?”
His voice sank lower with every question.
“Xue Ning, you’ve got quite the nerve. Seems I truly underestimated how scheming you are.”
Every sharp, cutting word overlapped with the things he had once said to her in her previous life. They crashed over her like torrential rain pouring through a broken sky, drowning her whole.
“So what if I did?”
Xue Ning curled her fingers tightly, then suddenly lifted her head. For the first time, she met his gaze head-on.
Her voice was soft, but the grievance in it weighed heavily.
“Would Brother really blame me for reporting it to the authorities in your name beforehand?”
Su Zhan froze slightly, clearly not expecting her to talk back.
“Did Brother ever think about what would’ve happened if I hadn’t prepared ahead of time?” Her eyes reddened as she stared at him. “Today, falling into the water would’ve been the least of my problems.”
“Someone drugged my water. Someone wanted to violate me. Someone took advantage of the fact that I had no one protecting me and tried to destroy me completely.” Her voice trembled. “Was I not supposed to protect myself?”
Su Zhan frowned. “Who would want to harm you? You’re overthinking things—”
“You’re far too heartless!”
She cut him off sharply, her pale face flushed red with anger.
“You always say I’m imagining things, but Cao Jin really did crawl into my meditation room! If I hadn’t seen it coming, my reputation would already be ruined by now!”
Her breathing turned ragged.
“What was I supposed to do then? Return to the capital in disgrace? Be looked down on by the old madam? Be mocked and condemned by everyone in the Su family? Be forced into marrying Cao Jin just to bury the scandal?”
Su Zhan fell silent.
“But I refuse!”
Tears surged into her eyes as she raised her voice.
“Even if no one in the entire marquis household wants to protect me, I’ll still protect myself!”
The moment the words left her mouth, tears spilled over uncontrollably. Yet even with reddened eyes, she refused to look away from him.
She didn’t want to appear weak in front of him. She even tried to force out a stubborn smile.
But she had never felt so wronged in her life.
Never this wronged.
She had already stopped hoping he would save her.
So what right did he have to accuse her of being calculating?
Biting down hard on her lip, she finally broke under the weight she had been holding in for so long.
“Would Brother really rather watch Cao Jin violate me than help me even once?”
Beside the lotus pond, a few passersby still lingered nearby.
Baochan stood off to the side as well, shoulders hunched, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Su Zhan stared at the tears shimmering in her almond-shaped eyes. Darkness churned in his gaze before slowly settling into an unreadable calm.
Xue Ning rarely lost her temper in front of him.
She was always smiling softly, small and obedient.
Even when she cried, she would wipe away her tears before him and pretend to be strong.
No matter how little he understood women, even he knew now—
he had made her cry.
“What are you crying for?” His tone softened slightly. “I never said I blamed you.”
He reached out, fingers brushing the torn cloak draped over her shoulders. A trace of distaste flickered across his eyes.
“I was only worried about you.”
He moved to remove the ragged cloak and replace it with his own.
But the girl with reddened eyes turned away, avoiding his hand.
“If Brother isn’t blaming me,” she said quietly, “then A’Ning will return first to change clothes.”
Women’s tears really did come and go quickly.
The moment she finished speaking, she had already turned and hurried toward the inner courtyard of the meditation quarters.
Su Zhan’s hand remained awkwardly suspended in midair, an indescribable feeling settling in his chest.
Seeing his master frown faintly, Mo Bai stepped forward with a grin.
“I never thought Miss Xue would have a temper too. Heir, are we still waiting to return to the manor with her?”
Su Zhan’s expression cooled as his gaze drifted toward the meditation courtyard.
“Yes. We wait.”
She had cried like that. How could he possibly leave her behind?
Besides, what happened yesterday had been his oversight. He had allowed Cao Jin to exploit the opening.
As for her claim that someone was deliberately trying to harm her—
he still didn’t quite believe it.
She was simply too beautiful. Naturally, she would attract the jealousy and malice of others.
But whoever it was should never have dared reach for someone under his protection.
Su Zhan narrowed his eyes dangerously, the last trace of patience disappearing from them.
“Mo Bai. Go personally to the Jiqing Earl Manor.”
Xue Ning rushed into the room and slammed the door shut behind her. She drew in a shaky breath, chest rising rapidly.
Even across both lifetimes, she had never spoken so loudly to Su Zhan before.
But once the grievance buried in her heart burst free, it poured out like floodwaters breaking through a dam.
So much so that she had forgotten how terrifying Su Zhan could be when angered.
Fortunately, he hadn’t become angry.
He had simply let her return to her room.
“Miss—”
Baochan knocked lightly outside.
“This servant is still out here.”
Xue Ning clutched the thin cloak tighter around herself.
“Where’s the heir?”
Baochan hurriedly answered, “The heir didn’t come over.”
Only then did Xue Ning open the door and let her inside.
Other than Baochan, the corridor outside was indeed empty.
Baochan immediately gave her a thumbs-up.
“Miss, you were incredible just now. I can’t believe you dared speak to the heir like that.”
Earlier, righteous anger had rushed through her blood, making her fearless. But now that it had passed, Xue Ning suddenly felt cold all over.
Her lips trembled slightly.
“Baochan… go help me fetch some hot water.”
Baochan was worried she had caught a chill and quickly nodded.
“Yes, Miss.”
Life at the temple was inconvenient enough already. The moment Baochan left, Xue Ning hurried to lower the window screen and changed out of her soaked clothes into something dry and warm.
But she had only just finished changing when Su Zhan’s low voice sounded from outside the door.
“When do you plan to leave?”
Xue Ning blinked in surprise.
Deep down, she had no desire to travel with him at all.
“If Brother is in a hurry, you may leave first,” she replied through the door. “Baochan and I can return this afternoon.”
Su Zhan frowned, assuming she was still upset. His tone softened slightly.
“My carriage was borrowed by a friend yesterday. Today, I can only return together with you.”
Xue Ning sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed, suddenly unsure how to respond.
In her previous life, she had exhausted every possible excuse just to get a little closer to him, yet never once got the chance.
So why was it that in this life, when she desperately wanted to stay away from him, fate kept forcing them together again and again?
Outside, the man seemed to lose patience.
“Why aren’t you speaking?”
Xue Ning sighed helplessly. Unwilling to provoke him further, she finally gave in.
“Then please wait a little longer, Brother. I’ll wash my face and come out.”
It was only sharing a carriage, after all.
And that carriage belonged to the Marquis Manor to begin with
