Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 95 Victory and Defeat [Thanks to Alliance Leader "Ignore and Indifference"]

Looking into her expectant eyes, Lin Xuan almost couldn't help but nod for a moment.

After spending so much time together, it's impossible to say that she doesn't hold a place in my heart.

But Lin Xuan couldn't stay for her sake, just as she wouldn't leave with him.

He will eventually have to give up this identity.

Staying in Sizhou and being with her meant he could never escape Mandala.

Besides, that woman wouldn't allow him to stay in Sizhou and live a peaceful life like an ordinary person.

Tian Qingluan lowered her head, and the light in her eyes gradually dimmed.

Although Lin Xuan did not speak, she already knew the answer.

As if remembering something, she spoke again, asking, "You're gone, what about A'Luo?"

Lin Xuan said, "She came with me."

Tian Qingluan fell silent, knowing that she hadn't lost unjustly.

He was going to leave, and A-Luo would go with him, but she only hoped that he would stay.

That girl's eyes were only for her Brother Lin; she would do anything for him.

But she can't.

Behind her is an entire family.

The Tian family has hundreds of members, and the business has thousands of mouths to feed; they all depend on her.

She couldn't be like A'Luo, rushing headlong into love regardless of everything, nor would she do that.

Even now, she herself is not clear about what kind of feelings she has for Lin Xuan.

This may include feelings of liking and admiration for him, but it is also mixed with considerations of family interests.

Her affection was far less pure than Aro's.

Although she was filled with deep disappointment, she still cheered herself up and said with a smile, "A-Luo is a good girl. She likes you very much. You must not let her down."

Just a wall away, A Luo's lips curled into a smile.

What good is money? In the end, you're the one who's laughing last.

Tian Qingluan smiled at Lin Xuan and asked, "I have a question for you, and I hope you will answer me sincerely."

Lin Xuan nodded.

Tian Qingluan looked into his eyes and asked, "Between me and A'Luo, which one do you prefer?"

Many people have asked him this question.

Mandala, Zhang Hu, Chen Bao, Wenren Yue...

But this is the first time I've been questioned by the person involved in person.

What Lin Xuan liked most about her was precisely her straightforwardness.

When Mandala first asked him this question, his answer was undoubtedly Ara.

But when she asked the question, Lin Xuan asked herself honestly, and realized that there was no answer to it.

Lin Xuan shook his head and said, "I can't answer that question."

A smile bloomed on Tian Qingluan's face.

She already knew the answer.

At least she understood that she had lost to herself, not to Aro.

She looked at Lin Xuan and asked again, "Will you come back to Sizhou in the future?"

Lin Xuan thought for a moment and said softly, "Perhaps."

Tian Qingluan took a deep breath, a stubborn smile curving her lips, and slowly said, "I don't know when we'll meet again. Before I leave, let's leave a memento..."

After saying that, she stood on tiptoe, tilted her head back, and kissed him.

This time, she didn't kiss Lin Xuan's face.

After a clumsy yet passionate and lingering kiss, she slowly lowered her tiptoes, looked up at Lin Xuan, and asked, "Have you kissed other women before?"

Lin Xuan shook her head: "No."

A satisfied smile appeared on Tian Qingluan's pretty face as she whispered, "At least, I'm the first woman you've ever kissed. Remember not to tell A'Luo, she gets jealous all the time..."

A moment later, watching Lin Xuan's departing figure, she stood there stunned for a long time.

Unexpectedly, her first time liking someone ended like this.

Besides feeling disappointed, I felt a deep sense of melancholy that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

Lin Xuan walked into his own courtyard, feeling equally lost and dejected.

He almost changed his mind when Qingluan kissed him just now.

But the thought that the woman might come back at any time, and that accepting her could potentially harm her, made him suppress that thought.

A Luo is different from Qing Luan.

She had no prominent background, her parents died early, and she was all alone with no family ties.

Lin Xuan is confident and capable of taking good care of her.

Once the Gu worms are dealt with, he can take A'Luo to a place in Nanzhao where they can't be found, live in seclusion, and start a new life. But this is something that can't happen to Qingluan.

He knows this very well.

A Luo walked out of Lin Xuan's room with a broom, ignoring the lipstick residue on his lips.

Tian Qingluan is already out of the game. I'm not a petty person, and at this point, I naturally won't hold it against her.

She put down the broom and asked happily, "Brother Lin, when are we leaving?"

Lin Xuan said, "Three days later."

After thinking for a moment, A Luo said, "Then let's invite Brother Zhang and Brother Chen over for dinner these next couple of days. After leaving, we might not see them for a long time..."

Lin Xuan nodded: "Okay."

What appears to be a long separation is in fact a final farewell.

Tian Qingluan was just joking when she told them to go mining. Zhang Hu and Chen Bao were eventually assigned to shops in Sizhou City, which were very close to their respective homes.

After finishing his duties at the yamen today, Lin Xuan told Wenren Yue to go home first, while he went to Zhang Hu's and Chen Bao's houses separately to invite them to dinner at his home tomorrow.

By dinner time, Tian Qingluan had returned to normal and was chatting and laughing with Wenren Yue.

Today's meal consisted entirely of dishes that Tian Qingluan liked, and A'luo didn't mind at all. In fact, she even unusually put food on Tian Qingluan's plate, smiling and saying, "Sister Qingluan, eat more..."

Tian Qingluan wanted to eat more, after all, she probably wouldn't be able to taste his cooking again in the future.

But faced with a table full of her favorite foods, she didn't have much of an appetite.

My first, hazy, romantic relationship ended before it even began.

Her outward calm was nothing more than a facade of dignity.

……

Day two.

Within the small courtyard.

Zhang Hu picked up his wine bowl, clinked it against Lin Xuan's, and asked, "How long will you be staying in Bozhou this time?"

Lin Xuan shook his head and said, "I don't know, it depends on how long Lord Wenren stays there."

Chen Bao silently clinked his wine bowl with Lin Xuan's, knowing that after this departure, he might not return to Sizhou.

Zhang Hu, as always, was very easygoing and laughed, "You should follow Lord Wenren closely; you'll have a bright future. When you return to Sizhou as a centurion, Chen Bao and I can follow you..."

Lin Xuan smiled and said, "Then you should cultivate diligently. When I return, I'll make you all captains..."

In A-Luo's yard next door.

Tian Qingluan looked at A Luo and said softly, "You won."

With a smile, A'Luo said modestly, "I was just lucky. If Brother Lin hadn't left, Sister Qingluan might not have lost..."

Tian Qingluan shook her head slightly: "A loss is a loss. I wish you happiness..."

She didn't sleep a wink last night, but she finally felt relieved.

Whatever...

She had more important things to do than get married.

Even without his help, sooner or later she would make the Tian family the largest chieftain in the southwest...

……

After seeing Zhang Hu and Chen Bao off, Lin Xuan began packing his things.

He didn't take much with him: a few changes of clothes, silver and banknotes, and his own secret concoction of seasonings.

We'll buy the rest when we get to Bozhou.

Tian Qingluan walked in from outside, looked at Lin Xuan, and said, "I'll have someone deliver the silver you left with the Tian family tomorrow. As for the shop's profit sharing, how will you receive it from now on?"

Lin Xuan turned to look at her and said, "Keep the silver with you for now, and also keep my monthly profit share for me. I'll come back for it later."

He doesn't spend much money normally; apart from buying groceries, he doesn't spend money on anything else.

No amount of money would be of any use to him.

Carrying it around is actually inconvenient.

Even if he runs out of money in the future, he has other ways to make money.

Tian Qingluan didn't say anything more and silently turned and left.

As she reached the door, she suddenly stopped.

Then she turned around and said, "I don't know if we'll ever meet again, so let's keep this as a memento..."

After saying that, she quickly walked over and hugged Lin Xuan tightly.

Lin Xuan looked down at her, and she raised her head slightly, rising onto her tiptoes again.

In the yard, A Luo gripped the broom tightly, then quickly and helplessly let go.

Forget it……

She's already so pitiful, let's give her one more chance...