Chapter 53 Punishment

The person who came was Xie Xiuyi.

Xie Xiuyi stood at the door. His gaze swept over me and landed on Xie Yan. He lowered his eyes and said in an unfriendly tone, "Leader, the elders said they want to see you."

After Xie Xiuyi's words fell, I looked at Xie Yan.

Xie Yan sat on the chair in a casual posture and showed no sign of getting up at all.

Those so-called elders were looking for Xie Yan, and he didn't seem to want to go?

I looked at Xie Yan. Xie Yan slightly raised his chin and slowly said, "Xie Xiuyi, I will handle the matters here well. I don't need you to interfere."

"Is that so?" Xie Xiuyi smiled faintly. His sinister eyes slowly swept over me and said, "Do you not need my interference, or do you just not want to leave?"

Xie Yan didn't want to leave?

I was a bit surprised by the meaning in Xie Xiuyi's words. So, Xie Yan's not leaving wasn't because Xie Xiuyi was meddling, but because Xie Yan himself didn't want to leave?

Why?

A faint thought emerged in the depths of my heart. Before I could grasp it, I just felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

Just then, Xie Xiuyi suddenly smiled at me and said gently, "Gu Mian, come here."

I was taken aback. Before I could react, Xie Yan stood up and suddenly grabbed my wrist, pulling me behind him to protect me. He coldly ordered Xie Xiuyi, "Xie Xiuyi, are you trying to snatch her openly?"

"Snatch?" Xie Xiuyi repeated with a smile. He laughed freely, as if he had heard a ridiculous joke.

After Xie Xiuyi finished laughing, he walked straight up to me.

"Then let Mianmian choose for herself," Xie Xiuyi said. His eyes looked at me deeply. Just that one glance made me feel cold all over. I suddenly realized that this wasn't an inquiry.

It was a threat.

If you want your parents to be safe, you have to be obedient.

Xie Xiuyi's words rang in my ears again. I gritted my teeth in frustration and broke free from Xie Yan's grip on my wrist. With extremely heavy steps, I walked towards Xie Xiuyi.

My cold fingertips landed in Xie Xiuyi's palm, and I shivered from the cold.

"So good," Xie Xiuyi said happily as he held my hand. He pulled me firmly into his arms with his palm. I was so stiff that I didn't know how to respond.

A face in front of me was getting closer and closer. The cold air exhaled from the thin lips was like the biting wind in the cold winter. I was so scared that my whole body trembled.

The moment Xie Xiuyi kissed me, a gust of cold wind passed by my eardrum. I suddenly widened my eyes and looked over, only to see Xie Yan clench his fist and punch Xie Xiuyi right in the face.

With a bang, Xie Xiuyi was knocked to the ground.

I was startled by this sudden change. I didn't even know when many people had gathered around. When I came to my senses, Xie Xiuyi had already been forced to kneel in front of Xie Yan.

An old man wearing a black cloak stood in front of Xie Yan. The hat of the cloak covered the old man's face. He was still speaking at this moment, "Leader, the crime of offense is unforgivable. I just saw everything in Mr. Xie's eyes. The cause of all this is this human."

The moment the old man finished speaking, his finger pointed directly at me.

I frowned and shook my head in disbelief. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The old man lowered his head and didn't look at me. He just stated calmly, "There are only these two left in Mr. Xie's clan. In thousands of years, such a thing has never happened within the clan. Everything today was caused by you, and you should be responsible."

"Why should I be responsible?" I shook my head and defended myself. "I was just as surprised when they started fighting."

As I said this, I glanced at Xie Xiuyi. There were no marks on Xie Xiuyi's fair face anymore, but his hair was a bit messy because of the fall.

I originally wanted to say that Xie Xiuyi was fine, and at most, Xie Yan could just apologize.

But the moment I was about to speak, I saw the pride in Xie Xiuyi's eyes. Why was Xie Xiuyi still so happy after being punched?

I didn't understand what was wrong with Xie Xiuyi, so I had to swallow the words that were on the tip of my tongue.

"Leader, with the clan members here, it's unreasonable not to impose a punishment," the old man said in a more solemn voice than before, and his tone was even more unyielding.

When I heard this, I suddenly wasn't afraid anymore. It seemed that today's matter had to be blamed on me. I quietly looked at Xie Yan, waiting for the order of my punishment.

Xie Yan stood in the center of everyone. After a long time, Xie Yan said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Lock her up. Don't send anything in for three days."

"But..." The old man said with some dissatisfaction.

"This is an order," Xie Yan said coldly, interrupting the old man.

The cold and merciless order came down, and the old man didn't say anything more. I looked at Xie Yan in disbelief, wanting to defend myself, but soon someone came over and tied me up.

"Xie Yan," I called out Xie Yan's name in fear the moment I was tied up, but Xie Yan didn't show any reaction at all until I was locked in a cold, small room.

The room was pitch-black, with only a ventilation opening the size of a palm. I squatted in the dark corner and cried silently. It clearly wasn't my fault. What on earth had I done wrong?

I didn't know how long I had been in the dark. In the silence, there was a faint sound of footsteps.

Then came the sound of the door opening, and then Xie Xiuyi's voice, "Gu Mian."

It was Xie Xiuyi.

I raised my face in surprise in the dark and looked in the direction of Xie Xiuyi. In the dim light, I could only see the general outline of Xie Xiuyi.

It was already good.

As long as there was someone by my side to keep me from being afraid alone in the dark, I was already extremely happy.

I got up and quickly walked to Xie Xiuyi's side. The long-term fear made me lose my rationality for a moment. I suddenly hugged Xie Xiuyi, and tears kept falling.

Xie Xiuyi's body stiffened. I felt as if a lot of things suddenly came into my mind, and my head hurt as if it was about to explode.

"Ah!" I cried out in pain, covering my head with both hands and fainting.

The howling wind sounded in my ears. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a dark path. There seemed to be a light shining in the distance. I slowly walked towards the light.

This road seemed to have no end. Suddenly, a voice flashed in my ears.

"Mianmian, I'm sorry."

It was Xie Yan's voice.

I suddenly turned around and looked around, but I couldn't see Xie Yan's figure.

"I'm sorry," Xie Yan's voice sounded again. I stood there and listened quietly to Xie Yan's voice. His voice was filled with guilt and tenderness.

"I didn't mean to. Don't sleep, okay? I'll take you away. Let's leave this place."

Was I still sleeping?

I looked down at my body. My body was almost transparent, and even the lines on my palm were blurred. Was I dreaming?

Why did I dream of Xie Yan?

At this thought, countless images suddenly flashed through my mind.

In the image, I was hiding under the quilt with a red face, and Xie Yan was snuggling beside me. He coaxed me dotingly, kissed me, and we hugged each other.