He brought her into her room, and the man smiled slightly, "Take a look and see if there’s anything missing. If you need anything, just tell the servants. Don’t be shy."
The room was beautiful, decorated in a style reminiscent of a palace. It was likely that every girl would love it.
Lin Xinlan glanced around and met his gaze. Weary, she said, "Qiao Yiyang, please let me go. Are you keeping me here really because you love me?"
Qiao Yiyang’s eyes were deep. He took her hand, and when Lin Xinlan tried to pull away, he ignored her resistance and firmly pulled her into his embrace.
"Xinlan," he said earnestly, "why do you always doubt my love for you? Are my actions, my words, still not enough to show you how I feel?"
"We have no history between us, and the time we’ve spent together is brief. Qiao Yiyang, affection doesn’t arise without reason. Do you think I would believe that you truly love me?"
The man’s lips curved in a slight, mocking smile, "So this is why you don’t believe in my feelings for you. You think this way because you feel there is nothing between us, that we can’t possibly have any feelings. But for me, I have my reasons for liking you, and I believe there is a story between us. Xinlan, you shouldn’t use your way of thinking to measure my feelings for you."
Lin Xinlan frowned slightly, puzzled. Did he truly like her?
"Don’t doubt my love for you. The moment I saw you, I felt something. As I’ve been observing you, your strength, your kindness, and your comforting presence have slowly made me fall in love with you. Now, I’m not going to let you go..."
Qiao Yiyang’s gaze was profound as he spoke deeply, "Because I want your love, your complete, heartfelt love and trust in me."
The love that she gave to Rong Shaoze was exactly the love he yearned for.
With that kind of love, he would never be alone in this life...
Lin Xinlan kind of understood what he meant.
She pursed her lips and said, "I think there must be a girl out there who will fall in love with you like that. If you are willing to accept her, you will have the kind of love you want."
"But, I only want your love..." He reached out to caress her face, his eyes deep.
Lin Xinlan turned her head to avoid his hand, "But you should know, I will not fall in love with you!"
The man’s hand stopped mid-air, his eyes darkened, and he forcefully captured her lips with his own.
After a round of unrestrained plundering, he let her go and said coldly, "Rest well, for tomorrow you might hear that Rong Shaoze has been killed."
After speaking, he walked away without looking back.
Lin Xinlan hurried to the window, looking out toward the distant lands as if standing there would let her see Rong Shaoze’s figure.
Rong Shaoze, you must survive and leave this place alive; you can’t let anything happen!
Concerned for Rong Shaoze’s safety, Lin Xinlan couldn’t rest at all that night.
Day broke, and she waited uneasily for news from Qiao Yiyang.
Someone knocked on the door. She thought it was him and felt very anxious and scared.
The person outside didn’t hear a response and knocked patiently again, but she still didn’t react.
"Miss Lin, are you up?" It wasn’t the voice of Qiao Yiyang.
Lin Xinlan finally breathed a sigh of relief and went to open the door; a maid was standing outside.
"Miss Lin, did you sleep well last night?" she asked with a smile.