364, Clarifying Things (1 more)
Xuan Mu quickly stepped forward.
When Xie Zhinuan saw him, she hastily put away the pearl and restrained her smile, “Young Master Xuan!”
“Miss Xie!” Xuan Mu softly called out.
There was an indescribable affection and love in his eyes, which he tried to voice several times only to swallow it back silently.
In the end, all that emerged was a sentence, “I, I’ve come to return the book!”
He handed over the book with both hands.
His eyes fixed firmly on Xie Zhinuan.
Seeing her was actually not easy for him.
Xie Zhinuan was very busy, always coming and going. Whenever he arrived, she had already left, and by the time she returned, he would have to depart.
It was not easy to encounter her even once, and he also had a feeling that Xie Zhinuan was avoiding him, especially Xie Rong, who seemed to be targeting him as well.
Fortunately, Xie Rong had been sent away.
“Hmm, have you read it through?” Xie Zhinuan took the book and asked casually.
“I have, and I even made a copy. Miss Xie, rest assured, I won’t just lend it out to anyone!”
“It’s alright, if someone asks to borrow it from you, just lend it. Books are written to be read by later generations. If anyone asks, you just don’t have to mention that the original is with me!” Xie Zhinuan said gently as she stored the book.
“…”
Xuan Mu wanted to say something.
But seeing how Xie Zhinuan was so detached, without any intention of having a detailed conversation or listening to his story, he couldn’t muster a single word.
He was well aware.
The gentle and kind Nuannuan and the competent, clever, and strong-willed Xie Zhinuan before him were the same person, yet not the same person.
“Miss Xie, I actually…”
Xie Zhinuan looked at Xuan Mu.
If it had been before, she might have turned and walked away, or she might have directly interrupted Xuan Mu not letting him speak.
But having come to understand some things, Xie Zhinuan felt that she should listen to what Xuan Mu really wanted to say, and that she and Xuan Mu should also make things clear today.
She was not Xie Nuan, not Nuannuan; she could not respond to any of Xuan Mu’s love, just as she could not respond to Xie Rong’s familial affection.
She was a cold person, and selfish too.
“Go ahead!” Xie Zhinuan said softly.
Xuan Mu was taken aback, a little surprised and also a bit astonished, “I, I actually, I actually know you!”
Sigh.
At last, he’d spoken.
“Continue!” Xie Zhinuan’s voice was very calm.
“I heard from Brother Wang that you had been seriously injured before, hit your head, and forgot all your past. I’ve been thinking whether or not to tell you. Every day I’m conflicted, hesitating. I feel I should tell you, but then I’m afraid to. I’m sorry, Nuannuan, I failed to protect you!” Xuan Mu’s voice grew choked as he spoke.
“…”
Xie Zhinuan remained very calm.
Her emotions did not change, only her hand that dangled at her side gently twisted the fabric of her attire.
Guessing is one thing, but hearing it from someone else and getting confirmation is still different.
“You originally lived next door to my home, which is to say, the Liang Family’s. You were a maid there. We knew each other…” Xuan Mu’s voice was very soft, very faint.
Towards the end, his eyes reddened as he looked up at Xie Zhinuan.
Seeing her expression still so serene.
“…” His breath seemed to be stuck in his throat.
“I’m sorry, Young Master Xuan, but your confessions, to me, really seem like listening to a stranger telling a story, a tragic love story. I cannot respond to you with anything, just like when I guessed why Xie Rong appeared here. I played deaf, pretended to know nothing, and then happily sent him off back to the capital!”
On hearing this, Xuan Mu’s eyes widened.
“You, you, you…”
How could it be?
That Xie Rong…
“No wonder, no wonder I felt he bore some resemblance to you!” Xuan Mu suddenly cried out.
Chapter 366