Chapter 131: That Definitely Won’t Do

"I know."

Xuanyuan Juesi nodded to himself. He had been far too shocked at the time, and the things Si Xueyi had said were simply terrifying.

He felt a genuine, deep-seated fear.

Meanwhile, Si Xueyi had indeed escaped, though not entirely without incident.

"Young lady, why did you come out from under the carriage?"

Just as Si Xueyi crawled out from beneath the carriage and began to walk away, a man blocked her path.

"Is there a problem? I happen to like staying under carriages."

Si Xueyi didn't even bother to look at him. Right now, her only goal was to reach the capital and head to Sangju. The reason she hadn't fled earlier was simply to extract some useful information from Yuan Qianlv's mouth.

"You have a remarkably sharp tongue, young lady."

"Not as sharp as your smile hiding a dagger." She turned her head to face him directly.

His handsome face did indeed wear a smile that concealed a blade. He was the picture of a classic, handsome hero from historical dramas—not the delicate, feminine kind of beauty, but rather a striking, upright appearance. His features looked as though they had been chiseled by a blade, making it impossible to look away for even a second. However, Si Xueyi was someone who had seen plenty of handsome men in her time.

She wasn't about to be swayed by mere looks, especially since he was currently causing her trouble.

"You misunderstand, young lady. This humble one was merely curious!"

"Stop calling me 'young lady'. It's irritating."

Si Xueyi was not a person of ancient times, and hearing herself addressed as "young lady" felt rather bizarre to her ears.

"Then how should I address you?"

"Look, I've already made it abundantly clear that I don't want to talk to you. Can't you tell?"

"I can tell, but this humble one very much wishes to get to know you."

"I told you not to call me 'young lady', are you deaf? Do you need me to have your ears checked? Annoying. I'm not in the mood to talk to you right now, I need to get to the capital."

Si Xueyi had to figure out a way to reach the capital, and she had the silver she had lifted from Yuan Qianlv tucked away safely. Along the way, she had already gathered all the information she needed from her brief encounter with him, so she had to hurry.

"Then what should I call you?"

Instead of being discouraged, the man looked at her with an unbroken smile.

"I know I'm pretty, but you don't have to stare at me like that!"

"You are indeed very pretty."

"Thank you, but I'm not interested in you."

***

Si Xueyi walked forward, and the man followed closely behind her.

"My name is Xiuyan."

After revealing his name, he continued to trail behind her. Si Xueyi suddenly stopped and turned to glare at him.

Xiuyan stopped instantly as well, looking at her with a gentle smile.

"I have no interest in knowing your name. Honestly, your skin must be made of iron. I know I'm pretty and have a great figure—it's completely normal for a man to find me attractive. But I have zero feelings for you. Did you hear me clearly? So stop following me right now, or I'll lose my temper, get mad, and start beating people."

Si Xueyi forced herself to maintain a smile, desperately wanting to avoid any trouble at this critical juncture.

"You want to go to the capital, don't you?"

Xiuyan's single sentence made Si Xueyi look at him with sudden seriousness. She carefully sized him up from head to toe.

Tilting her head, she gave him a long, appraising look before reaching out and gracefully tapping him on the chest.

"Deal."

Since someone was offering to take her to the capital, she wouldn't have to waste her time taking detours.

Xiuyan, however, was momentarily stunned, simply blinking at her. It seemed this tactic had worked remarkably well.

"My name is Si Xueyi. Call me Miss Si, Si Xueyi, or just Xueyi. Now, I need you to take me to the capital."

"Aren't you worried that I might be a bad person, Xueyi?" Xiuyan asked, deliberately choosing the most intimate form of address.

"A bad person? Do you think I'm a good person?"

Si Xueyi offered a mischievous, wicked little smile. Xiuyan nodded thoughtfully, indicating that he believed she was a good person.

"I'm actually very bad, so go order a carriage for me right this instant. I don't want to walk, and I don't want to ride a horse. Understand?"

"Understood, Xueyi."

Xiuyan's use of her given name made Si Xueyi's entire body tingle with discomfort. They were practically strangers, yet he addressed her so familiarly and affectionately. Didn't he find that the slightest bit bizarre?

Before long, Xiuyan procured a carriage and even hired a driver, showing a level of thoughtfulness that was quite impressive.

Without standing on ceremony, Si Xueyi climbed into the carriage, and she and Xiuyan set off for the capital together.

As they traveled, Si Xueyi cast a suspicious glance up and down at the man beside her.

"What is your ultimate motive?"

Si Xueyi began to interrogate him; she simply had to figure out what Xiuyan was up to.

"Just as Xueyi said earlier, I simply took a fancy to you."

"Oh, wow," Si Xueyi exclaimed with exaggerated astonishment.

***

She covered her gaping mouth with both hands, putting on a performance so overly dramatic and flamboyant that it clearly screamed disbelief.

"It's true."

"I didn't say it was false, did I? What's the matter, feeling guilty? Let me tell you, aside from a pretty face, I have absolutely nothing."

Si Xueyi widened her eyes, feigning a look of innocent benevolence. Since Xiuyan wanted to play games, she would gladly play along.

"Actually, Xueyi, I know you must suspect that I have ulterior motives, but I just want to say—the very first moment I laid eyes on you, I fell in love with you."

"Is that so? I'm so thrilled! But I don't love you."

Her delivery was wildly exaggerated at first, followed by an instantly chilling, deadpan conclusion.

"I know, and you must surely doubt my intentions. But I swear to you, I will never hurt you or do anything bad."

"Alright then. In that case, I'll believe you."

Having worked as a lawyer for so long, Si Xueyi considered herself a fairly good judge of character. The man before her did not appear to be lying. However, if he *was* lying, then this Xiuyan was undoubtedly a terrifyingly accomplished actor.

*I truly hope it's the truth,* Si Xueyi thought to herself.

Xiuyan kept trying to strike up a conversation, eventually even sharing his personal background.

Through their chat, Si Xueyi learned that he was the scion of a wealthy family—a rich heir from somewhere in Jiangnan who spent his days wandering the rivers and mountains for leisure.

His personality turned out to be quite pleasant; rather than being introverted, he leaned towards the extroverted side. Moreover, he spoke with an articulate and refined eloquence, so Si Xueyi couldn't even be bothered to shut him up, lazily entertaining his remarks with casual, half-hearted replies.

Before long, the motion of the carriage lulled Si Xueyi to sleep, and her head naturally drifted down to rest against Xiuyan's lap.

Seeing this, Xiuyan fell silent. He simply sat quietly, watching the sleeping woman, his large hand gently stroking her lustrous hair.

"I've finally waited for you, Baimeng."

A single tear slipped from Xiuyan's eye. But Si Xueyi missed these words, just as she missed that falling tear. Had she seen them, she would have understood that this man had mistaken her for someone else.

When Si Xueyi finally woke up, the sky outside had already turned pitch black. She wiped a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth and looked awkwardly down at his clothes.

"I'm so sorry, I tend to drool when I sleep."

Si Xueyi was deeply mortified. How on earth had she ended up sleeping on his lap? Perhaps she had simply been too exhausted.

"It's fine. Let's rest in this small town for the night. We'll set off again tomorrow; it's much too dark to travel now."

"Alright." She looked outside, where the moonlight was dim and obscured. The carriage driver had also been swapped out, apparently operating on a relay system. After all, a single driver could never have managed such a long journey on his own.