novelraw Chapter 693 - 673: Attractive
Chapter 693 - 673: Attractive
Xie Jue was slightly intoxicated, but not so drunk as to be unconscious. When he sensed someone approaching, it was too late to retreat. The alcohol had dulled his senses, and a cool kiss with the faint scent of strong liquor brushed against his lips.
"Impudent!" Furious at being taken advantage of, Xie Jue raised his hand and slapped Lan Ningzhen sharply across the face. The blow made her head tilt to one side, but in the bitter cold that numbed hands and feet, the force was rather feeble. It didn’t hurt her at all. She touched her cheek where the slap had landed and smiled serenely at him.
Xie Jue froze. Lan Ningzhen stood beneath the tree, bending slightly and gazing at him. Her fox-like eyes reflected the falling snow and his angry expression. Yet, she showed no shame, embarrassment, or anger from being caught. Instead, it was as though hidden emotions, suppressed to their limit deep within her heart, had finally broken free, blossoming right before him.
Her eyes—they reminded him of someone!
Xie Jue often had this illusion, but how could Anning come to Beiman? Lan Ningzhen was clearly a woman. Even dressed in riding attire, her slender waist was pronounced. Her voice was somewhat androgynous yet soft, her head adorned with jewels, radiant as fire.
"A slap for a kiss—seems like a fair trade to me." Lan Ningzhen smiled, her tone brimming with amusement. "Lord Helian, this humble girl fell for you at first sight and couldn’t help wanting to steal a kiss. If this offends you, then kiss me back—you have my word that I won’t slap you in return."
Her voice was soft and pleasant, each word like a gentle tug at one’s heartstrings. But Xie Jue, heart as calm as still water, only thought the woman before him was far too impertinent.
"I am not acquainted with Miss Lan. Please show restraint!" Xie Jue stood up, his drunkenness mostly gone, and his mind much clearer.
Xie Jue strode ahead, while Lan Ningzhen trailed after him, stepping into the footprints he left. Her demeanor was playful, yet she couldn’t fully hide her concern. "Lord Helian, winters in Fox City are bitterly cold. After drinking, you shouldn’t remain out in the snow. If you want to sober up, a cup of sobering soup will suffice."
"None of your concern!" Xie Jue said coldly. The two had reached the corridor, and when Xie Jue noticed Lan Ningzhen silently following him, irritation flared within. Turning back to scold her, he saw her stepping carefully into his footprints. When she spotted his gaze, she offered a radiant smile, her face like a blooming flower.
She hopped lightly onto the corridor, and it was then that Xie Jue realized—this Beiman woman was actually taller than him.
Regardless of Xie Jue’s hostility, Lan Ningzhen’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him. Xie Jue knew he hadn’t been a likable child growing up. His elders admired him for his brilliance and quick comprehension, but he never managed to win over his peers.
If not for Fang Chuning, the young men in the Imperial College wouldn’t have befriended him. He lacked the approachable nature of his older brother and the generous spirit of Fang Chuning. His cold demeanor made him blind to Fang Chuning’s persistence—the way he sought friendship without rhyme or reason, never leaving his side no matter how indifferent he acted.
Lan Ningzhen was the same!
Even during their first meeting, he hadn’t spared her so much as a glance and treated her with utmost indifference, yet here she claimed it was love at first sight. Truly absurd.
"Does Lord Helian have someone in his heart?"
"Never!" Xie Jue replied curtly, quickening his pace to avoid further entanglement. Lan Ningzhen, however, moved ahead of him, blocking his path with a wide smile. Extending her arms, she asked, "Then, what do you think of me?"
"What?"
"I like you!" Lan Ningzhen confessed boldly. Beiman women had such candid temperaments. "I want to marry you!"
"Preposterous!" Xie Jue felt his scalp tingle. He was here in Beiman as a spy, not to become a live-in son-in-law, nor to entangle himself in romantic escapades.
"How is it preposterous?" Lan Ningzhen argued sweetly. "You don’t have someone in your heart, but I do—it’s you! If I try hard enough, maybe someday your someone will turn out to be me."
"Impossible!" Xie Jue said flatly. "Thank you, Miss Lan, for your misplaced affection, but I must ask you not to waste your feelings on me."
"Why not?" Lan Ningzhen seemed genuinely puzzled by his rejection but remained undeterred. Optimistically, she proposed, "Though we’re not close now, I’ll come to Prince Lai Mansion often in the future. We can go skating and admire the falling snow together. Eventually, we’ll be familiar, and you’ll certainly grow to like me."
"I am already engaged," Xie Jue lied without hesitation. He had no experience dealing with a persistent young lady like this. It was the first time in his life.
If this were the Capital City, a girl confessing her feelings to him would have run off in tears the moment he turned a cold face, without him needing to utter a single word. None had endured like Lan Ningzhen—unyielding, optimistic, as though she hadn’t heard his rejection. Xie Jue figured it must be the cultural differences between Beiman and Yanyang; she simply didn’t understand his refusal.
"Engaged?" Lan Ningzhen’s face showed a fleeting moment of surprise before she laughed again, exuding generosity. "That’s fine. Beiman men can marry many wives, and everyone coexists peacefully."
Xie Jue, "..."
Right—he had forgotten. Beiman lacked distinctions between wives and concubines. No matter how many women one had in their household, their status was equal, without differentiation between the legitimate and the illegitimate. To Beiman women, a husband taking multiple wives was perfectly ordinary.
Lan Ningzhen bit her lip, her seductive eyes brimming as she leaned closer to him. Her fingers brushed lightly across his face. "Lord Helian, is the woman you’re engaged to more beautiful, or perhaps... Anning?"
Xie Jue, "..."