Chapter 65 - Meeting Again (II)
Chapter 65 – Meeting Again (II)
Lin Xiaofei was silent for a second. Even though she was first eager to meet him and strike a conversation with him, but that was only because it was all in her thought. With his presence behind her, she knew that the man was no ordinary man and that made her feel self-conscious.
Was it right for her to meet him now?
"Why are you hesitating now?" The man behind chuckled at her, "I didn't see any hesitation from you when you made the cave explode. Was it fun seeing the emperor, that old fool flinching and getting his pants twisted?"
His words were so improper and straightforward. If people were to hear him calling the emperor, the 'old fool', Lin Xiaofei was sure that they wouldn't smile at him. No one could ever scold or say bad things to the emperor and not in front of the presence of others and yet, this man didn't even care.
She was also surprised to hear him mention the cave. The soldier who came in the hall didn't even report the matters that happened in the cave and yet, this man was able to get the information so quickly, making her wonder if he had installed several ears inside the palace.
Installing spies inside the palace was nearly impossible since the royal family was some cowards and extremely anxious people.. With only one misplaced noise heard with their ears they would scurry away and tremble like a chicken that was scared away. They would also eliminate any person who they deemed to be suspicious or someone who made a simple mistake.
Lin Xiaofei looked at her cousin's way and saw that he didn't even notice that someone was behind her despite being a young man that has trained in martial arts.
"Is it because of him?" The tone of the man behind her was sharp and she could more or less guess that his eyes were narrowed.
Qu Xing Xu was angered at the thought that this lady of his was hesitating because of that man, who was foolishly and childishly jumping around like a child that hasn't seen the outside world for his whole life. Even without facing her and only had his back on the trunk of the tree behind her, he could sense that she was staring at that man's way.
He wished he could take him away from the picture so he could get all her attention for himself.
"No." Was her short answer.
Lin Xiaofei wasn't only hesitating because Lin Shen Yu might see her with him and raise some suspicions on her way, making her plans harder for her to be realized, but because of the identity man behind her.
She didn't even know whether he was her ally or enemy that she needed to eliminate.
"Then, come to this side." She heard him saying. His voice sounded mystical and like there was magic dripping in it, it made one enchanted and follow him.
But to her ear, it felt like the Devil was inviting her to make a trip to the depths of hell.
Ridding off her hesitation, Lin Xiaofei stepped to the side and went around the tree. There, she found him standing before her while he lazily leaned his back on the trunk of the tree.
The man had pitch-black hair that was comb to perfection and leaving no stray hair flying anywhere. His broad shoulders and wide back made him look intimidating and far more manly than any man she had met.
As if her breath was taken away from her, Lin Xiaofei forgot to breathe when faced against the man's handsome face that defined ultimate perfection. She had seen different handsome faces in the past and felt like they were dull to look at because she was blinded by Yu Fangzhu's kindness. That's why Lin Xiaofei could claim that this man before was far more superior to any man.
Bending her knees to curtsy to him, Lin Xiaofei greeted, "It is my pleasure to meet Your Excellency, Duke Qu Xing Xu."
Qu Xing Xu amused and nodded at her. His smile widened as he looked at her face that was as beautiful as he had seen when he first laid his eyes on her. The way her eyes widened when they first made eye contact amazed him.
"Do not be a stranger and call me Qu Xing Xu, my lady."
"I dare not do that." She replied, refusing to erase the title that made him special, "It would be rude of me to call you without your respectable title."
Besides, calling him by name and not with his title will make it appear they weren't strangers but someone who had a deeper relationship.
Lin Xiaofei was also reluctant to use his name to avoid any confusion about their relationship. She only wanted him as an ally and not as her lover.
"But I insist." Qu Xing Xu walked to her closely, making her step back, "I would also like to call you by your name."
Lin Xiaofei's eyebrows furrowed even further. She raised her eyes to meet his and saw that he was determined to make her agree to him and call him by his name, "If that is what your grace wanted then, I will comply."
Qu Xing Xu's eyes lit up. He didn't expect her to easily agree to him. Knowing that by calling someone by their names, if they're not a part of the family or someone who was closely related to that person, people will misunderstand their relationship as lovers.
And with his noble birth and title, calling his name without a title was giving no respect to him yet, he wanted her to call him by his name anyway.
As he was thinking, Lin Xiaofei suddenly smiled and erased any fear or hesitation that was left inside her as she boldly stepped toward him, making him look at her in surprise.
"But I do not wish to call you by your name 'Qu Xing Xu'. I'd rather call you by the name that I am quite familiar with."
"And what is that?" Qu Xing Xu slightly cocked his head to the side arrogantly and raised her an eyebrow.
"I didn't think we would meet again, Manager Liu."
Qu Xing Xu fell silent and then, he suddenly reached for her hand and pulled her somewhere else. He noticed that Lin Shen Yu was about to take his attention away from the distractions and look at her way, that's why he rushed to get out of that place and have no one interrupt them.
Lin Xiaofei was startled at his movements and wanted to pull her hand away from him. The moment their skin touched, she felt the skin where his hand was under was starting to heat up.
"Cousin?" She heard Lin Shen Yu's voice calling her, his tone made her realize that Qu Xing Xu had pulled her away because of him and stopped trying to pull her hand away.
When he felt that she wasn't resisting, he smiled and started to walk faster to hide their figures away from prying eyes.
They walked a few meters away from where they were initially standing and found themselves in a smaller garden that was unkept and isolated.
There were no guests who came walking around and seems that they had no intention to come to this side seeing that there wasn't anything that much to see on this side of the palace.
As they had halted their steps, the hand of the female he was holding didn't pull back. He expected her to pull it away from him as soon as they found a place to be alone.
He turned to look at her and saw that her face was flushed. Her lips were also slightly parted as she panted.
"Are you alright?"
Glaring at him, Lin Xiaofei regulated her breathing after having walked a few distances away from the other place. She shouldn't have been gasping for air and feeling tired like this but because she wasn't inside her original body and instead, inside the body of a spoiled child, she found it hard to match his pace.
After seeing her glare at him in annoyance, Qu Xing Xu finds her unrestrained expression interesting. She would always have a cold and resting face when they met and seeing this reaction from her was new to him.
"Next time, you should go and visit my Hong Pei Lou a few more times so your legs would be used to walking a distance." He teased her and mentioned the restaurant where they met twice already.
Since Lin Xiaofei had called him 'Manager Liu', he guessed that she already knew his two identities as the Duke of Xin and the manager of Hong Pei Lou.
"Maybe you should consider going slowly as I am of the fairer gender." She muttered under her breath.
She didn't get a response from him and that made her look up to him. She saw him pretending to look stunned and speechless at her.
"What?" She snapped.
"Oh nothing," he smirked, "I just didn't know you like it slow. And here I thought you'd like me to go fast and rough. Thank you for telling me beforehand."