Reluctant

Little Quan snorted coldly, “Prince Ning framed you?! Prince Ning has been in this residence the whole time and knows everything that happens here! Having an official like you in the court is simply a stain on the imperial court!”

Little Quan was not only Li Yu’s eunuch but also the overall manager of Prince Ning Residence. Although he appeared lowly as a eunuch, even high-ranking officials in the court had to respectfully address him as “Quan Gonggong.” (Gonggong refers to eunuchs, males who were castrated, especially those serving in ancient Chinese imperial palaces)

His words not only represented himself but often reflected Li Yu’s attitude as well.

Upon hearing this, Wang Deshui’s heart sank like falling into an ice cellar. He repeatedly pleaded while prostrating himself, “I beg for mercy from Prince Ning!”

Li Yu didn’t respond; he just stood there quietly, playing with the jade bead in his hand.

Little Quan glanced at him, understanding his intentions. He immediately spoke coldly, “Aren’t you leaving yet? Should Prince Ning send someone to escort you out?”

“I’m leaving, I’m leaving.” Wang Deshui hurriedly stood up and left, bowing his head.

As he passed by Xie Wan, he gave her a fierce glare. It’s all because of this calamity! It’s all because of this wretched woman! She’ll pay for this!

Seeing his expression, Little Quan frowned and said, “Wait!”

Wang Deshui quickly stopped and respectfully asked, “What else does Prince Ning command?”

Little Quan glanced at Li Yu, then coldly said, “Prince Ning doesn’t want to hear any rumors about today’s events spreading outside.”

Wang Deshui was stunned and quickly replied, “Yes, I won’t leak anything.”

Satisfied with his answer, Little Quan said, “Now, get out!”

Wang Deshui left and quickly disappeared from the alley.

Little Quan looked at Xie Wan and sighed softly. He went forward to help her up and comforted her in a low voice, “It’s all right, Miss Xie, don’t be afraid.”

Xie Wan remained silent, holding tightly onto her clothes, trembling slightly.

Little Quan didn’t know how to console her either and awkwardly withdrew his hand.

At this moment, Li Yu moved.

He walked up to Xie Wan, looking down at her from above, his dark eyes devoid of any joy or anger. “Why didn’t you use it?”

Xie Wan was startled by his question but didn’t answer, biting her lip without speaking.

Seeing her reaction, Li Yu frowned slightly and asked coldly, “I’ll give you one last chance. Why didn’t you use my jade pendant?!”

Little Quan, standing beside them, was dumbfounded. Jade pendant? What jade pendant? He followed his master every day, and he could confirm that this was the first time his master had seen Miss Xie today. When did Miss Xie get his jade pendant?!

Xie Wan’s long eyelashes trembled slightly. So, he knew.

Therefore, he wasn’t as indifferent to her suffering as she had thought. Instead, when he saw her in that embarrassing situation during their first meeting, he had already tacitly allowed her to use the jade pendant to avoid the previous predicament.

Xie Wan looked up and smiled charmingly at him, whispering, “I’m reluctant.”

She was in a sorry state right now, with disheveled hair and torn clothes. Even her beautiful face showed signs of bruising from the beatings.

However, it didn’t diminish her beauty.

Reluctant.

What was she reluctant to give up?

Was it the tarnishing of his reputation or the easy use of the hard-earned jade pendant?

Because both of them knew that this jade pendant was something she had daringly stolen. Once the jade pendant was revealed, he would surely take it back and wouldn’t give her a second chance to use it.

Li Yu furrowed his brows and fell silent for a moment before saying, “As you wish.”

After saying this, he turned around to leave.

At that moment, his sleeve suddenly felt a tug.

Li Yu furrowed his brows, lowered his head, and saw a delicate jade hand gripping his sleeve.

The hand was fair and tender, with slender fingers like tender shoots and a wrist like a white lotus root. However, the bruises on the back of the hand were quite conspicuous and unpleasing to the eye.

Li Yu withdrew his gaze and glanced back. His eyes turned slightly cold as he said, “Let go.”

Xie Wan immediately released his sleeve. Her beautiful eyes shrank slightly due to the shock, and then they filled with tears.

She looked at him helplessly, her eyes on the verge of tears but not falling. “Can I... Can you please help me?”

Not as Ning Wang or as a prince, not as a courtier or a young lady, but as... you and me.

Li Yu’s eyes darkened, and he coldly uttered two words, “You can’t.”

After saying this, he didn’t linger for a moment and turned to leave.

Little Quan glanced at her, let out a sigh, and quickly followed him.

Watching his tall figure disappear at the end of the alley, Xie Wan blinked her eyes, allowing tears to flow freely.

She wasn’t crying; it’s just that the tears she had held back for so long were a bit overwhelming. They could only be shed when her eyes were wide open, and they flowed out with a gentle blink.

Xie Wan pinched the sleeve that had been hidden in the darkness and let out a sigh of relief.

She didn’t deceive him. She really couldn’t bear to use this jade pendant. If she used it once, it would be taken away, and she needed to save it to be used at a critical moment, like using it on the blade of a knife.

If she truly couldn’t resist earlier, she would have definitely used it.

But the situation just now wasn’t something she couldn’t handle.

She had grown up in a Taoist temple in both of her lives. Not to mention martial arts, she had learned various skills from her masters, such as fortune-telling, feng shui, exorcism, and various rituals and techniques. Dealing with someone like Wang Deshui, who lived a pampered life, was well within her capabilities.

The reason she didn’t make a move was because she was gambling.

She was gambling that he would come and save her.

When she left, the courtyard gate was open, but when she returned, it was closed.

As Old Madam Zhang had said, even the servants wouldn’t pass by here, so there were only two possibilities: either he had come and gone, or he was still here.

She had reached the edge of her patience just now and was prepared to take action, but he appeared.

Although he didn’t come as the heroic savior she had anticipated, to take her away, change into clean clothes, and allow them to get closer, he didn’t take back the jade pendant, did he?

In other words, he gave her an opportunity to use him.

Regardless of the reason, he had still given it.

Xie Wan raised an eyebrow. If she had wanted to do something with the jade pendant before, now she didn’t want to do anything anymore.

She wanted to keep this jade pendant with her all the time so that every time he saw her without the accessory, he would think of her.

To be unforgettable is to have an impact.

He seemed so cold, unapologetic when refusing. He truly appeared to be a heartless and indifferent man.

So, let her gamble once again and see how firm and icy his heart really was.

Xie Wan raised her head and looked toward the end of the alley. Her good grandmother hadn’t come to find her. She was probably eagerly waiting for what would happen next. In her current state, anyone could tell that something had happened as soon as she stepped out.

She was weak, helpless, and pitiful. What should she do when face with such a situation?

All she could do was squat in this alley, bewildered and at a loss for what to do.

Xie Wan withdrew her gaze, crouched down again, and curled up into a ball.