Chapter 70: An Unexpected Interruption

Su Qinghan pushed her wheelchair, finding a corner bathed in gentle sunlight in the courtyard. She stopped there, closed her eyes, and savored the rare warmth.

Xiao Li’s energized figure, rushing out with a newfound zeal, still imprinted itself upon her vision.

“Tsk.”

In her mind, Jiu Li’s lazy voice resounded, carrying a hint of mischief, as if watching a fascinating play unfold.

“Did that foolish boy truly believe your nonsense?”

“Do you honestly think he’ll succeed?”

Su Qinghan didn’t even lift an eyelid, merely responding faintly in her mind, ‘He won’t succeed.’

“Ah?” Jiu Li was taken aback. “You’re sending him off even though he won’t succeed? Isn’t that just setting him up for failure? Judging by his enthusiasm, he’ll be heartbroken if he’s rejected, won’t he?”

A faint, almost imperceptible curve touched Su Qinghan’s lips.

“In this era, social standing is paramount. He is a guard, she is a young lady. Their stations are as different as clouds and mud; it’s simply impossible.”

“Then you…”

“But he will have tried, won’t he?” Su Qinghan’s voice remained calm and unwavering. “To strive for something and not attain it is a common thread in life. However, to lack even the courage to try – that is the true regret.”

She paused, then continued, “At the very least, he made an attempt. When he awakens in the middle of the night years from now, he can tell himself that he fought for it, even if fate was not on his side. That is far better than doing nothing and allowing that lingering resentment to fester within him for a lifetime.”

Jiu Li fell silent.

She wanted to argue, yet she found that the words spoken by this ‘foolish antique,’ while sounding detached, held a peculiar, undeniable truth.

****

The sun began its descent in the west, and the lingering glow of dusk painted Master Qian’s residence in a warm, orange hue.

Maidservants began lighting lanterns in the courtyard as night quietly descended.

A familiar jingle of jade pendants and the cheerful laughter of young women drifted in from beyond the mansion gates.

Qian Xiaoxiao and her personal maid had returned from their shopping excursion, their hands laden with bags of snacks and various novelties.

Xiao Li, who had been standing guard in a corner of the courtyard like a stone sculpture, suddenly jolted. His entire being instantly sprang to life.

Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fists, as if having made a profound decision, and strode purposefully to meet them.

Not far off, Su Qinghan, who had been preparing to return to her room, halted her wheelchair.

Silently, she turned her wheelchair, gliding noiselessly behind a dense patch of greenery, perfectly concealing herself in the shadows.

‘To properly ‘eat melon’ – a good vantage point was essential.’

“Hey, hey, hey!” Jiu Li’s voice exploded in her mind. “What are you doing? This is a confession, and you’re peeking? That’s utterly immoral!”

Su Qinghan reached into her sleeve, her fingertips plucking a pale yellow talisman.

‘This is called observing, not peeking.’

She held her sword-fingers before her chest, and the talisman flared, transforming into an almost imperceptible streak of light that vanished into her ear.

‘A ‘Clairaudience’ Talisman.’

‘I am merely evaluating the progress of the person I advised, you silly fox.’

The hushed conversation in the courtyard instantly became crystal clear.

“Young Lady…” Xiao Li’s voice was tight, betraying obvious nervousness.

Qian Xiaoxiao, who had been merrily showing off her newly bought hairpins to her maidservant, turned her head at his words, looking at him with a hint of bewilderment. “Xiao Li? Is something the matter?”

“I… I wanted to ask…” Xiao Li’s face flushed crimson, his gaze flickering nervously, unable to meet Qian Xiaoxiao’s eyes. “In Young Lady’s heart, what… what is our relationship?”

“Relationship?” Qian Xiaoxiao paused, then burst into a giggle, naturally placing her hands on her hips.

“Why, it’s obviously the relationship between an employer and their servant! You receive wages from my family and ensure our safety. Is that even a question?”

Xiao Li’s shoulders visibly slumped, his entire demeanor deflating.

Yet, Su Qinghan’s words echoed in his ears once more.

Gritting his teeth, he mustered his courage and pressed on, “Then… then is there anything else? Anything more?”

“More?” Qian Xiaoxiao tilted her head, considering seriously, then clapped her hands. “Oh! You’re quite an interesting person, not as stiff as the other guards. Hmm… I suppose, we can be friends!”

‘Friends!’

Those two words acted like a potent stimulant, causing Xiao Li’s heart, which had been plummeting to the depths, to surge upwards once more!

His cheeks grew even redder with excitement, and his words stumbled out.

“But… but I don’t want to just be friends!”

“I hope… our relationship can… can change!”

He had finally uttered the crucial words, feeling utterly drained, and now he nervously awaited his judgment.

The atmosphere in the courtyard, at that moment, became subtly charged.

Even the maidservant beside Qian Xiaoxiao sensed the shift, covering her mouth and darting her eyes between the two.

The smile on Qian Xiaoxiao’s face slowly vanished.

She furrowed her delicate brows, scrutinizing the bewildered guard before her.

‘Change their relationship?’

‘Didn’t want to be friends?’

‘Then…’

The young lady’s train of thought, at this juncture, veered off in a remarkably peculiar direction.

She abruptly took a step back, planting her hands on her hips, adopting the stance of a formidable female martial artist, her almond-shaped eyes wide.

“What?”

“You don’t want to be friends with me…”

“Are you trying to make an enemy of me?!”

Xiao Li: “Huh?”

Qian Xiaoxiao completely disregarded his stunned expression, continuing her own logical deduction, growing angrier with each passing thought.

“You scoundrel, Xiao Li! I considered you a friend, yet you dare to oppose me!”

“My Master Qian’s residence has harbored an ingrate like you!”

As she spoke, she lunged forward, her hand shooting out to grab Xiao Li’s ear!

“Tell me! Were you bribed by that rival, Master Wang, to infiltrate my Master Qian’s residence as a spy?!”

“Ow! Ow, ow, ow! Young Lady! It’s not like that!”

“Still trying to argue?!”

Behind the greenery.

‘Pfft…’

Su Qinghan clamped her hand over her mouth, barely suppressing her laughter.

Yet, her entire body was shaking uncontrollably, her slender shoulders trembling like a sieve.

‘I can’t take it anymore…’

‘I can’t hold it in…’

‘Qian Xiaoxiao, what an utterly unique and priceless gem of a person with such an eccentric mind!’

Just as she was on the verge of choking from laughter, a figure appeared silently behind her.

A faint scent of blood and travel-worn dust wafted into her nostrils.

A voice, tinged with fatigue and a hint of confusion, spoke above her head.

“What are you doing?”

Su Qinghan’s laughter instantly caught in her throat.

‘It was Lu Hongzhuang!’

‘She’s back!’

Su Qinghan spun around abruptly, meeting Lu Hongzhuang’s scrutinizing gaze.

She couldn’t utter a single word; one laugh, and her carefully contained composure would shatter.

In her desperation, she could only point towards the courtyard, then to herself, before frantically gesturing to Lu Hongzhuang: ‘Push me away!’ ‘Quick, push me away!’

‘Quick!’

‘If I don’t leave now, I’ll burst out laughing on the spot!’

Lu Hongzhuang had just concluded a fierce battle, and both her body and mind were utterly exhausted.

She observed Su Qinghan’s flushed face, her intensely anxious gestures, and then followed the direction of her pointing finger.

In the courtyard, Qian Xiaoxiao was still yanking Xiao Li’s ear, looking as if she were conducting a ‘torturous interrogation.’

A flash of realization instantly sparked in Lu Hongzhuang’s mind.

‘Oh!’

‘She understood!’

‘Miss Su couldn’t bear to watch any longer!’

‘She wanted me to push her over there to rescue that poor guard!’

‘As expected of Su Qinghan, so kind-hearted!’

Lu Hongzhuang gave an expression of clear understanding, a silent ‘I know what you mean,’ and nodded emphatically.

She extended both hands, firmly gripping the handles of the wheelchair.

‘A surge of joy filled Su Qinghan’s heart.’

‘Saved!’

Then, she felt the wheelchair beneath her propelled forward with a powerful shove!

‘The direction… seemed wrong?’

‘Wait!’

‘Not that way!’

Su Qinghan’s eyes snapped open wide.

In her vision, the ‘bickering couple,’ who were still pulling and tugging at each other, were rapidly approaching!

‘Lu Hongzhuang, you simpleton!’

‘She pushed me *out*!’

“Whoosh—”

The brand-new Mohist School wheelchair glided silently and smoothly.

Su Qinghan’s face, her hand clamped over her mouth as she desperately suppressed her laughter, her shoulders still trembling, thus appeared abruptly and seamlessly before Qian Xiaoxiao and Xiao Li.

The air, at that instant, seemed to have been put on pause.

Qian Xiaoxiao’s hand, still gripping Xiao Li’s ear, froze.

Xiao Li’s face, a mixture of pain and embarrassment, also became rigid.

The two of them, a total of six eyes, stared intently at Su Qinghan, who had made such a sudden and ‘brilliant entrance.’

And behind her stood the red-clad martial artist, wearing an expression that clearly said, ‘You’re welcome,’ as if expecting praise.

The entire courtyard fell silent in an instant.

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