Chapter 135: Chapter 134: Confusion
Their proximity made Du Yunluo take a step closer, even closer than in the bamboo forest last time.
Du Yunluo was preoccupied with thoughts of Du Yundi, unaware that their current closeness was inappropriate. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Mu Lianxiao leaned against a pillar, unable to retreat, but when he faced those eyes gazing at him, filled with his image, he hesitated slightly and didn’t want to step back.
When Du Yunluo finished speaking and didn’t hear a response from Mu Lianxiao, she repeated her words anxiously, and only then did she notice his slightly reddened ears after hearing him cough lightly.
At this point, even Du Yunluo realized and quickly bowed her head, stepping back: "I’m looking for my fourth brother, and my second or third brother will do."
Her voice was soft and sweetly shy, her hands unconsciously twisted together in front of her, making her appear even more charming and adorable.
Mu Lianxiao turned his head and vaguely responded, then said, "You wait here, I’ll call someone to find them."
Du Yunluo quickly nodded.
Du Yunluo waited under the veranda, while Mu Lianxiao went to the front yard to summon a eunuch, and after about a cup of tea’s time, she saw Mu Lianxiao bringing Du Yunlan over.
"Fifth sister, you’re looking for me?" Du Yunlan glanced back and forth between Du Yunluo and Mu Lianxiao, though suspicious, he didn’t express it openly.
Knowing they needed to talk, Mu Lianxiao stood not far away.
"Why are you wearing fourth sister’s cloak here?" Du Yunlan’s voice was neither loud nor soft.
Mu Lianxiao, with good hearing, glanced at Du Yunluo’s bright red cloak, then slowly looked away.
Du Yunluo pulled Du Yunlan, signaling him to bend down, and then whispered everything into his ear: "Shi Lian’er is scheming, my fourth sister and I discussed it and came out. You must tell my fourth brother to be cautious and not fall into her trap. There are many nobles today; if anything goes wrong, everyone will see it, and who could deny it?"
Du Yunlan widened his eyes: "It can’t be."
Seeing Du Yunlan’s disbelief, Du Yunluo stomped her foot and said: "Better safe than sorry."
Du Yunlan’s face darkened.
As Du Yunluo said, there were many nobles today, even if Shi Lian’er had any peculiar thoughts, she, as an ordinary girl who had never seen high-ranking officials, wouldn’t dare act recklessly.
As for Shi Lian’er plotting against Du Yundi, Du Yunlan believed the two sisters were overthinking.
A proper young lady, why develop such malicious intents and ruin her life for nothing?
But given Du Yunluo’s temperament, if he were to oppose her, he wouldn’t persuade her anytime soon.
In that case, it’s better to go along with it.
Du Yunlan said gravely, "Better safe than sorry. I’ll tell our fourth brother to stay with us; with the brothers around, he won’t suffer any losses."
Du Yunluo wanted just that statement from him; whether Du Yunlan believed her didn’t matter.
Du Yunluo urged Du Yunlan to convey the message.
"You..." Du Yunlan originally wanted her to return quickly to the girls, but seeing Mu Lianxiao still standing there, he could only glare at Du Yunluo helplessly, "I won’t bother arguing with you. There’re not many people in this garden, but don’t be careless; being seen would unnecessarily provoke gossip."
Du Yunluo pouted.
She and Mu Lianxiao were engaged; unless they were disheveled or caught hugging as before, speaking a few words together didn’t matter much.
Du Yunlan spoke of gossip as if suggesting they had improper actions planned.
Du Yunluo huffed: "Am I the confused one, or is the Princely Heir confused?"
By such a retort, Du Yunlan rubbed his nose, not daring to offend either and remained silent.
When Du Yunlan left, Mu Lianxiao finally asked Du Yunluo, "Is that red cloak your fourth sister’s? Not yours?"
"Mine was purplish-red; I didn’t have time to fetch it, so I took my fourth sister’s instead," Du Yunluo replied.
Mu Lianxiao appeared thoughtful.
Du Yunluo watched him, knowing she couldn’t foolishly go over to reveal Mu Lianhui’s misleading actions. Doing so wouldn’t make Mu Lianxiao guard against Mu Lianhui but rather make herself appear cunning.
She didn’t speak, and Mu Lianxiao might think it over carefully. However, given the relationship between these siblings, Mu Lianxiao wouldn’t speculate maliciously about Mu Lianhui.
These matters weren’t urgent.
They stood quietly for a while, with Mu Lianxiao coming back to his senses first, smiling with bent eyes: "Yunluo, do you know the way back?"
Du Yunluo was startled by the term "Yunluo" and took a moment to shake her head: "I can’t find the way back."
Her voice was sweet and shy, tinged with frustration and bashfulness, making Mu Lianxiao unable to suppress his amusement.
The girl before him was wrapped in the bright red cloak, head lowered, hat covering half her face, making her look even smaller and dainty.
Recalling how she had stood in front of him earlier, her bright almond eyes filled with his image, his smile deepened: "I’ll take you there."
One behind the other, Mu Lianxiao purposely chose a discreet path to avoid passing by the lake and being seen from the opposite side. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, not difficult to walk on, crunched softly underfoot.
Mu Lianxiao thought, last time in the bamboo forest, it was the same; she walked on fallen leaves, coming and going, footsteps soft, walking slowly, occasionally turning back to glance at him, full of reluctance.
Recalling the image of her crying disheveled and tearful, he paused in his tracks.
Du Yunluo was following him closely, almost bumping into him when he stopped, but Mu Lianxiao steadied her with his hand.
His hand was on her shoulder and didn’t release her after she regained her balance.
Du Yunluo looked up in surprise, seeing his eyes deep and bright, suddenly recalling her words to Du Yunlan earlier.
Could it be...
Could it be Mu Lianxiao was truly confused?
Du Yunluo’s ears, hidden in her hat, suddenly burned.
When Mu Lianxiao let go, Du Yunluo’s heart sank; although being confused wasn’t good, yet...
As Du Yunluo was caught in her thoughts, Mu Lianxiao grasped her hand; Du Yunluo widened her eyes in shock, looking up at him, Mu Lianxiao avoided her gaze, but soon returned it, looking straight at her.
"Holding onto you, so you won’t fall again."
Her heart skipped a beat, and then Du Yunluo heard her increasingly rapid heartbeat, feeling like Mu Lianxiao was not holding her hand but her heart.
She couldn’t help but smile, glancing at their joined hands and nodding emphatically.
In the plum garden, Mu Lianhui looked up to see the purplish-red and bright red figures still standing under the tree.
As she retracted her gaze, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind, turning to glance towards the Flower Hall.
The Flower Hall was far away, only the eaves visible, Mu Lianhui took a deep breath, softly saying to Jiang Yunuan: "The County Princess alone in the Flower Hall must be bored, Anuan, please invite her once more."