flstandardbreds Chapter 128 Don't move, I have something to say.
Chapter 128 Don't move, I have something to say.
After leaving the Prince's residence, Jiang Mian remained silent.
Xiao Hengzhi turned his head to look at her and asked, "What's wrong? Seeing Li Zhijing's indifferent look, are you regretting how you treated him back then?"
Jiang Wan paused slightly and glanced at him sideways: "Your Highness, there's no need to make small talk. Since you want me to go back with you, I will."
Her cold tone made Xiao Hengzhi very unhappy.
He didn't want to come today, but he was really worried about it.
So, no sooner had Jiang Mian left the mansion than he followed her.
I watched her go to Duming Garden and then come to the Prince's Residence.
I thought I could let her go wherever she wanted, as long as I protected her from the shadows.
But then he thought about it again and worried that if she found out, it would only make her more disgusted, so he simply took the initiative to go to the prince's residence and confess to her.
But it seems he made a mistake again.
Jiang Mian's calm and indifferent demeanor made him even more at a loss.
Neither advancing nor retreating.
After returning home, Jiang Mian remained silent and went to bed early after her meal.
But Xiao Hengzhi suddenly arrived tonight.
He was wearing his nightgown. He pushed open Jiang Man's door and, while she was half asleep, quietly lifted the covers and lay down on one side.
He did nothing, he just watched Jiang Mian.
It's like admiring a painting, or cherishing this moment of tenderness.
Jiang Mian turned over, feeling the warmth beside her, and slowly woke up.
"Did I wake you up?" he whispered.
"Your Highness?" Jiang Wan shrank back into the bed after regaining consciousness. "Why did you come here so suddenly?"
"You never give me a kind look during the day. I suppose you'll be more obedient at night."
He reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Jiang Mian tried to push him away, but he pressed down on her back.
"Don't move," Xiao Hengzhi said, breathing heavily. "I have something to say."
Jiang Wan gradually calmed down. In the darkness of the night, her senses were amplified, and she could hear Xiao Hengzhi's deep and long breathing right next to her ear.
A tingling sensation crept up her skin and into her heart, making her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Your Highness, please speak your mind. There's no need for this..."
Xiao Hengzhi loosened his grip slightly and whispered, "I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have treated you like that..."
Jiang Wan was taken aback, unsure whether he was referring to the drugging or that day in bed...
Xiao Hengzhi added, "I shouldn't have kept you locked up in the mansion, I shouldn't have forced you to do things you didn't want to do... and I shouldn't have disappointed you time and time again."
Jiang Wan spoke calmly: "Since Your Highness knows it's wrong, why do you keep repeating it?"
"Because I don't know how else to keep you besides these methods. In my past life, I couldn't keep you, and you went to the Crown Prince's side... In this life, I don't want that again..."
"But does Your Highness think we can let go of the past and act as if nothing ever happened..."
"..."
He didn't answer, because he knew it was an unsolvable predicament.
Jiang Wan said coldly, "Wouldn't it be better to let each other go?"
"..."
There was silence for a moment.
In the stillness of the night, only the sound of a heartbeat could be heard.
Jiang Wan repeated, "Let's let each other go, consider it even, it's better for everyone."
"not good."
Xiao Hengzhi then opened his mouth.
With red eyes, he answered, word by word, "Not at all... Even if you don't love me, even if you hate me, I won't let you go..."
"Jiang Wan, do you want to know what happened after you died in your previous life?"
Jiang Mian did not speak.
Xiao Hengzhi continued, "You never believe me. Between me and Ning Zhi, you always choose him... If you had chosen me just once, many things wouldn't have happened..."
His voice was choked with emotion, as if he were blaming her or blaming himself.
He was clearly a high-ranking prince, but at this moment he seemed to have suffered a great injustice.
Jiang Mian frowned slightly, a strange emotion welling up inside her.
She couldn't deny that Xiao Hengzhi's current appearance was like a dull knife, slowly cutting into her heart, causing her so much pain that she couldn't even tell whether it was more hatred or something else.
This feeling was agonizing for her, and she wanted to escape.
He is the one who created this situation, yet he is putting on a vulnerable and helpless act.
I believed his pitiful appearance back then, which led me to this predicament time and time again.
But now that he has come to back down, it is a good opportunity for her to make her move.
Jiang Wan hardened her heart and quickly put aside the slight reluctance that had welled up inside her.
She asked, "Then how does Your Highness want me to believe you?"
Seeing that her tone had softened, Xiao Hengzhi reached out and stroked her face, saying gently, "You can do whatever you want. I will obey you."
He lowered his head and placed a kiss on her lips, as if testing the waters.
After discovering that Jiang Mian did not resist, he covered her directly.
Jiang Mian's body stiffened slightly as she tilted her head back in response.
As his breathing became heavier, he quietly reached for the dagger under his pillow.
But as soon as he touched the hilt of the knife, Xiao Hengzhi's hand pressed down on it almost imperceptibly.
He whispered in her ear, "Don't move."
Then he ran his fingers through hers and intertwined his fingers with hers.
"Your heart is beating so fast... Are you nervous?"
Jiang Wan forced herself to remain calm and replied, "I'm afraid His Highness might do something else..."
"No, since I have said that I will obey you, I will not act as I have in the past... Believe me."
He stopped moving and carefully released her.
Jiang Mian's heart tightened, and she mustered her courage to say, "If Your Highness truly feels guilty, then grant me one request."
"What's the matter?"
"Promise me that no matter what, you will not hurt Ning Zhi, nor will you hurt the people around me."
Xiao Hengzhi's expression changed slightly, and a pang of sadness welled up in his heart.
He paused for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Does that include the people around me, including myself?"
Jiang Mian pursed her lips but did not answer.
Looking at her, Xiao Hengzhi sighed softly: "I promise that as long as you are by my side, I will never harm anyone."
"Alright, I trust Your Highness."
Making a promise is easy, keeping it is difficult, and it's unknown how much he can actually deliver.
But at least this can keep him calm.
Jiang Mian turned over and said, "I'm a little tired, Your Highness should go to sleep too."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of leaves rustling to the ground suddenly rang out in the courtyard.
Then Xiao Hengzhi released her and slowly stood up.
"I still have some things to do tonight, you should go to sleep first."
After saying that, he stepped out of the room.
Jiang Mian sensed something was wrong when she heard the sound of falling leaves. After he left, she tiptoed up, wrapped herself in a blanket, and followed him out.
A thin mist enveloped the courtyard.
She hid under the eaves and quietly walked to the front yard, where she saw that the study was still lit by candlelight.
By pressing his ear close, he could see through the gap that Xiao Hengzhi was talking quietly with a man.
The man was dressed in a gray cloth shirt, wore a straw hat, and carried a small wooden box in his hand.
"...The old master who made this medicine has passed away. Although his disciples are still alive, they do not know the specific method of refining it."
Xiao Hengzhi opened the wooden box: "Only one?"
"Yes, this medicine is extremely rare, and there is only one pill. Although it cannot completely cure the prince's chronic illness, it can prolong his life. The prince is in good health, so this medicine will definitely be of great benefit to him."
"..."
Jiang Mian, hiding under the eaves, heard everything clearly and was shocked.
A life-saving medicine?
Xiao Hengzhi had actually found such a miraculous medicine...
"Since this medicine is so valuable, I will keep it safe."
After he finished speaking, he suddenly looked up, as if he had noticed something, and his gaze swept towards the eaves of the window.
Jiang Mian held her breath and pressed herself against the pillar, afraid to move any further.
After a while, he ran back into the house.