pillow bird spring

Cui Lingyi had already stood up and was walking towards Xiao Yin with small, quick steps.

Even Cui Lingyi's eyes held a hint of worry, which she made no attempt to conceal.

Her slender, pale hand rested on Xiao Yin's arm as she looked up at him quietly.

They made no attempt to conceal their intimacy in front of Shen Yinshuang.

"Brother Yin, you've arrived." Cui Lingyi said with a sigh, "The Empress Dowager has agreed to let Miss Shen out, but—"

He seemed hesitant to speak.

Xiao Yin's brows furrowed instantly: "But what?"

"The Empress Dowager wants Miss Shen to leave the palace. But I know you'll be worried if she leaves like this. So I'll use making wedding clothes as an excuse to keep Miss Shen here." Cui Lingyi finished speaking, "So, I just hope Brother Yin won't make things difficult for me in the end."

These words carried a hint of reminder, but more so a sense of grievance.

She wanted Xiao Yin to hold her hand at all times.

The deeper the guilt, the greater the trust.

"Thank you," Xiao Yin said in a low voice.

Cui Lingyi's eyes were slightly red as she looked at Xiao Yin, biting her lip slightly.

"Brother Yin, you don't need to thank me." Cui Lingyi's voice was very soft. "I just want to have a place in Brother Yin's heart. I can make things difficult for myself, but I don't want to make things difficult for Brother Yin."

After saying that, she gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

When she looked up at Xiao Yin again, she appeared much more composed.

This side of Cui Lingyi made Xiao Yin quiet down.

His large hand landed on her skin, and his calloused fingertips gently wiped away the tears from the corners of Cui Lingyi's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Lingyi," Xiao Yin apologized.

Cui Lingyi shook her head: "Brother Yin, as long as you don't let me down, that's enough."

"I definitely won't," Xiao Yin said earnestly, word by word.

"Okay." Cui Lingyi nodded.

Then she really let go of Xiao Yin.

Even Cui Lingyi didn't say a word.

Only Shen Yinshuang, who was lying on the ground, saw the meaningful look in Cui Lingyi's eyes before she left.

It is both shrewdness and ruthlessness.

But in a moment of confusion, you realize you're hallucinating.

Shen Yinshuang gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, biting her lip, already tasting the blood.

She tried to get up by supporting herself on the ground, but found that she had no strength at all.

While Shen Yinshuang was struggling, Xiao Yin had already stepped forward.

"Let's leave here first," Xiao Yin said in a low voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yin swept Shen Yinshuang up in his arms.

Shen Yinshuang frowned slightly.

Before she could even react, Xiao Yin had already carried her out.

When I came to my senses, I saw the sky outside the dungeon.

A surge of tension and fear instantly welled up: "Put me down..."

Xiao Yin simply glanced down at it and said nothing.

But their steps did not stop.

Shen Yinshuang's brows furrowed even more tightly.

She was afraid something bad would happen.

But she quickly calmed down, because she realized that this was not the direction to the palace.

Instead, it's heading in the direction of the temple.

She looked up and subconsciously glanced at Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin did not explain immediately, until he led Shen Yinshuang to the innermost part of the temple, to an extremely quiet room.

It was a place that Shen Yinshuang hadn't noticed before.

The location is excellent, offering a commanding view.

Yet it is a quiet oasis amidst the hustle and bustle, seemingly completely isolated from the incense offerings of the temple, yet still offering a panoramic view of Kaiyuan Temple.

"Xiao Yin..." Shen Yinshuang came back to her senses and passively called out to Xiao Yin.

"Don't worry, it's safe here," Xiao Yin said calmly.

His eyes held a complex expression as he quietly looked at Shen Yinshuang.

Shen Yinshuang frowned, but hadn't had a chance to speak again.

Xiao Yin's voice came again: "I know what you're worried about, Lingyi, right?"

These words made Shen Yinshuang swallow back what she was about to say.

The unease that had been weighing on my mind became increasingly apparent.

"Lingyi knows about our affair," Xiao Yin suddenly said.

Shen Yinshuang's brows furrowed even more.

Of course she knew about this; Pei Shou'an had mentioned it a long time ago.

But Shen Yinshuang thought Xiao Yin didn't know.

Xiao Yin's sudden words caught Shen Yinshuang off guard for a while.

If Cui Lingyi knew, wouldn't she make a huge scene?

Given the Cui family's current status, Xiao Yin had no choice.

Besides, Xiao Yin was the one who was wrong in this matter.

The more Shen Yinshuang thought about it, the more flustered she felt.

Her fists were clenched tightly.

But soon, her hands were pried open by Xiao Yin's strong hands.

The fingers with distinct knuckles slipped between Shen Yinshuang's fingers and hooked together with a backhand.

Shen Yinshuang instinctively resisted.

However, it couldn't withstand Xiao Yin's strength.

She still frowned.

Xiao Yin's other hand gently stroked Shen Yinshuang's brow.

His voice was low and tinged with a hint of helplessness: "Don't frown."

"I..." Shen Yinshuang's dry lips moved slightly.

Xiao Yin had already released Shen Yinshuang and turned around to pour her a glass of water.

She didn't refuse, and lowered her head to sip the drink.

In the dungeon, her mouth was parched.

Even though the humidity is high, it still makes people feel uncomfortably dry.

As Shen Yinshuang's dry mouth and throat eased, Xiao Yin's voice continued to come calmly.

"Lingyi is a gentle and kind person, so relax. She won't do anything. The fact that she can be so honest with me means she knows what she's doing."

"Pei Shou'an knows about what happened between us, so how could he not tell Lingyi? As long as Lingyi doesn't take any action, Pei Shou'an can't do anything about it."

"You just rest here and get better. Don't worry about anything else, I'll handle it." Xiao Yin's voice was firm and direct.

But this attitude did not appease Shen Yinshuang.

Instead, the fear in her eyes deepened.

It was because of Xiao Yin's words.

There was also the unconditional trust that Xiao Yin had in Cui Lingyi.

Even more so, the insidious words Cui Lingyi had spoken to him in the dungeon earlier.

That was to suppress her, with no intention of letting her have an easy time.

But in front of Xiao Yin, Shen Yinshuang had to show just the right amount of generosity and gentleness.

Cui Lingyi is so easy to like.

It's too easy for people to let their guard down.

This was also what terrified Shen Yinshuang.

"Xiao Yin, she is not..." Shen Yinshuang looked up, wanting to explain things to Xiao Yin.

But Shen Yinshuang hadn't said anything yet.

Xiao Yin looked at Shen Yingshuang, simply assuming that she was somewhat frightened by being imprisoned in the dungeon.

"She is the daughter of the Prime Minister, but she is also very well-educated and reasonable. It's not what you think. She never takes advantage of her favored status; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to stand up to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor."

Xiao Yin spoke highly of Cui Lingyi in every word: "Besides, if she really wanted to hold a grudge, she wouldn't have needed to plead with the Empress Dowager to release you from the dungeon. Leaving you in the dungeon would have only hastened your death, wouldn't it? You wouldn't last three days there, which is why the Empress Dowager set a three-day limit."

In reality, it was all about taking things one step at a time, everything was carefully planned.

"So, don't overthink it," Xiao Yin said in a deep voice.