Jiang Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Murong Ying had truly taken her leave.
Thank goodness he had a knack for improvisation; otherwise, he’d probably be over there apologizing while mimicking her favorite poses, turning into her personal human statue.
Honestly, if Murong Ying had refused to let go of him any longer, Jiang Xuan might have made the same mistake that every hot-blooded young man is prone to—getting way too heated in the moment.
With Murong Ying gone, Jiang Xuan turned his thoughts to how he was going to get Xia Xiao Yu to vacate the premises.
The problem was, Xia Xiao Yu seemed to have gotten smarter lately and was no longer the easy target she used to be.
This was a tough pill to swallow for Jiang Xuan—what should have been an easy win had suddenly ramped up to expert level!
A little while later, Jiang Xuan returned to the room in the courtyard.
As soon as he pushed the door open, Xia Xiao Yu’s voice drifted over.
“Oh? Brother Xuan actually remembers to come back? I thought you’d forgotten all about me!”
“Uh… Xiao Yu… you’re still not resting? Is it the soft couch you’re not used to? How about… you go back to the Xia family for a bit?”
No sooner had Jiang Xuan finished speaking than Xia Xiao Yu appeared by his side.
Suddenly, her gaze grew icy.
“Brother Xuan, are you trying to kick me out? Plus, you need to explain why your neck looks like that! Who did this to you?”
“I’m fine… really, telling you won’t help… Alright, Xiao Yu, just rest up. Remember to leave in the morning or my explanations won’t hold water.”
Seeing Jiang Xuan completely unwilling to explain, Xia Xiao Yu immediately got furious.
Without a word, she pulled Jiang Xuan onto the soft couch and pinned his hands down.
“If you won’t come clean, then I guess I’ll have to interrogate your body personally.
Oh, and I’ll use the Recording Stone to preserve Brother Xuan’s glorious moments!”
Jiang Xuan: “?????”
As he looked at Xia Xiao Yu’s mischievous little devil grin, Jiang Xuan’s inner monologue screamed:
“Is this what a holy maiden of a righteous sect does? This is it—I’ve lost my innocent childhood friend to the dark forces!”
“Now it all makes sense; the more I resist, the more excited she gets.
Fine, if that’s how you want to play, let’s see if you dare to keep it up!”
Putting on a sullen face, Jiang Xuan said, “Xiao Yu, do you think I’m that easy to bully?
And seriously, using a Recording Stone while bullying me? Are you planning to show off?”
“So, this is the real you…”
As he said this, Jiang Xuan’s eyes dulled, and he started to rip off his shirt, exposing his shoulder in a dramatic fashion.
It seemed the fabric could barely contain his upper body anymore!
At this sight, Xia Xiao Yu gasped, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, but of course, she couldn’t resist peeking through the gaps of her fingers, absorbing everything.
Meanwhile, she stammered, “Brother Xuan, what are you doing? At least give me a warning; I can’t handle this all at once!”
“What? Isn’t this exactly what you wanted, Xia Xiao Yu? I’m just making the first move, hoping you’ll be a bit gentler later.”
Xia Xiao Yu: “!!!!!!!!”
Snapping back to reality, the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.
Noticing Jiang Xuan’s dimly lit eyes, she uttered in concern, “Brother Xuan, you’re misunderstanding! We’re childhood friends; I would never do anything to pressure you.
You came back looking all wrong—did somebody bully you?
Don’t worry; you just need to tell me, and I’ll make it right!”
“Xia Xiao Yu, don’t act all sweet; just say what you want to do. No need to threaten me with that Recording Stone—you and that person are just two peas in a pod!”
Xia Xiao Yu: “!!!!!!!”
From Jiang Xuan’s words, Xia Xiao Yu picked up on a crucial piece of information.
She hurriedly asked, “Brother Xuan, is someone threatening you? That bruise on your neck—did you get that resisting?
Who is it? I swear on my life I’ll get revenge for you!”
“No need for that. I don’t trust you and your little theatrics. Just get on with it, whatever you want to do, I’ll take it all!”
Hearing Jiang Xuan say this in such a detached tone sent Xia Xiao Yu into a tailspin.
She genuinely wanted Jiang Xuan but never thought about using harm to get to him.
That threat was just a moment of panic that spiraled out of control—who knew he’d react this way?
Realizing her blunder, Xia Xiao Yu quickly switched to an apologetic tone, “Brother Xuan, I’m so sorry. What I said earlier was just a slip of the tongue.
I would never hurt you! By the way, didn’t you say you wanted that Recording Stone as a gift? Here, it’s yours!
I hope you treasure those precious moments in it. I just didn’t want to see you get bullied!”
After Xia Xiao Yu said this, Jiang Xuan’s eyes regained a glimmer of light.
Casually pocketing the Recording Stone, he flashed a smile.
“Great! Who knew Xiao Yu was so different from those bad women? I totally misjudged you.”
“I… After leaving the room, I went to the main hall to meet Mother, but I bumped into one of Mother’s subordinates halfway.
They saw me and suddenly, well, let’s just say they weren’t too shy about making threats to get a piece of me.
I obviously refused, and they grabbed my neck. Luckily, Mother and the Jiang family guards saved me before anything serious happened.
As for that bad woman… well, let’s just say Mother took care of her.
I didn’t want to tell you, fearing you’d misunderstand, but wow…”
Before he could finish, Xia Xiao Yu rushed forward to hug Jiang Xuan, tears streaming down her face.
“Boo hoo, I’m so sorry, Brother Xuan! I had no idea you’d gone through such trauma! I thought you were pushing me away!
And I accidentally made things worse—everything’s my fault, what have I done?”
At this moment, Jiang Xuan thought,
Sigh, guess I overestimated her; this is what you get for giving a fool an opportunity!
Just spouting nonsense and she buys it hook, line, and sinker!
This is the Xia Xiao Yu I know, now we’re back in business!
However, little did Jiang Xuan know, a voice within Xia Xiao Yu was whispering softly.
Sigh, you really did drop the ball on this golden opportunity, huh?
But hey, can’t blame you too much. You’ve put in effort; let me take the wheel from here.
As the voice faded, Xia Xiao Yu’s golden eyes slowly turned a vibrant red.
In the next moment, a voice laced with allure echoed in Jiang Xuan’s ear.
“Brother Xuan, I really liked how you ripped off your shirt just now.”
Jiang Xuan: “!!!!!!!!”
