If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

Looking at Yu's utterly hypocritical face, Xi Lingxian felt a wave of nausea.

"Yes, yes, yes, then why is my mother, who used to be so gentle, now unable to bear seeing me do well? When Xi Yao was saying hurtful things to me just now, why didn't you say anything, Madam?"

"Yao'er is young and outspoken. She was just trying to be helpful by reminding you. Don't slander her," Zhao Heng said hastily.

It's truly a loyal and protective dog.

Her face showed disdain. "Young Master Zhao, it seems this has nothing to do with you. You keep calling Yao'er so affectionately. May I ask what your intentions are, and what your relationship is with Xi Yao?"

"To be blinded by a leaf is utterly foolish!"

Zhao Heng stepped forward angrily and raised his hand to pull him away.

Suddenly, a swift shadow flew in from the diagonal front.

Zhao Heng subconsciously turned his head to the side and noticed that something seemed to have brushed past his ear.

Although I couldn't see it clearly, I could still vaguely make out the sound of a sharp weapon cutting through the air.

Zhao Heng's face was deathly pale, and his legs felt weak.

Everyone stared intently and saw a throwing knife embedded squarely in the tree trunk beside Zhao Heng.

A yellow tassel was tied to the end of the throwing knife. Anyone with a sharp eye would immediately recognize it as Wang Jue's favorite hidden weapon: the willow leaf throwing knife.

"Spreading rumors and causing trouble in my Wang family's inner courtyard, making false accusations and deceiving people, clearly shows that you don't take me, Wang, seriously!"

Wang Jue stood with his hands behind his back in front of the crabapple blossoms in the corridor, dressed in blue with black hair, his posture upright, like a traditional Chinese ink painting.

Ling Xian was startled. Looking past the crowd in the garden, their eyes met from afar.

It was just a fleeting moment.

Lingxian lowered her eyes, her fingertips icy cold.

Wang Jue was the eldest son of the Wang family. At a young age, he held an important position. He was shrewd, capable, and exceptionally talented, making him stand out among the scions of prominent families.

As soon as he appeared, no one dared to say a word.

Wang Jue stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "The Wang and Xi families were once bound by a marriage alliance, leaving behind a beautiful story of a son-in-law. Today, you are bullying the daughter of Lord Xi, which shows that you have never taken my Langya Wang family seriously."

Everyone held their breath and fell silent, while the faces of the Yu mother and daughter alternated between pale and flushed.

What does Wang Jue mean by that? Does it mean that neither of them are members of the Xi family?

Empress Yu could do nothing to Wang Jue, and the Crown Prince could do even less to him.

We had no choice but to give up.

Xie Wanyi and Princess Nankang stood on either side of Wang Jue, taking in the entire scene.

Xi Lingxian felt two deep, piercing gazes behind her that seemed to be staring a hole through her, and she remained silent, her mind in turmoil.

What's wrong with Wang Jue? Why is he speaking up for her?

Is it because Xie Wanyi and Princess Nankang are too good to her?

She looked up and saw that the person had already turned around and disappeared at the end of the bamboo forest.

Shen Qingdai and Ji Ruchuan carried her away, one on each side, to a waterside pavilion.

With no one around, they spoke even more freely.

Shen Qingdai: "What's going on? That guy surnamed Wang is actually helping you?"

"Did you manage to win him over too?"

Xi Lingxian ignored such nonsense and instead sincerely asked for advice: "If someone suddenly appeared and claimed to like you, followed you tirelessly for months, but then suddenly disappeared one day and avoided you like the plague when you saw them again, what would you think?"

Ji Ruchuan blurted out: "A feigned retreat to advance? A strategy of playing hard to get?"

Ling Xian rubbed her forehead.

If even a fool like Ji Ruchuan thinks this way, then do Wang Jue and the others think the same way?

Everyone thinks her recent coldness is intentional?

Shen Qingdai pondered for a moment and said, "Not necessarily, unless..."

Lingxian's eyes lit up. "Unless what?"

"Unless you've brought someone new into your life, this could be interpreted as you've changed your mind and are falling in love with every new person you meet."

"..."

Xi Lingxian suddenly realized she had made a mistake.

Her sudden change of attitude, her indifference and lack of engagement, seemed like a completely wrong approach.

Because Wang Jue likes this kind of thing.

In their past life, they constantly argued, mainly because she was too clingy, petty, and controlling, and would cry and throw tantrums at the slightest dissatisfaction.

He detested this kind of resentful, widowed behavior.

So in the end of his previous life, he abandoned her like trash, and even when she was critically ill, she couldn't persuade him to come.

That's just how he is; he loves someone so much he wants them to live, and hates someone so much he wants them to die.

Once you dislike someone, you'll never look back.

That's how it was in her past life, but after being reborn, her personality suddenly changed drastically, and she suddenly kept her distance from him, which seemed to arouse his curiosity and competitiveness.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why he stopped her in the bamboo forest and stood up for her in front of others.

Wrong, wrong, completely wrong.

Xi Lingxian was filled with regret.

But what's done is done, and she couldn't go back and keep chasing after him.

Then she would truly become a madwoman in Jiankang City!

……

After leaving Wuyi Lane, the carriage stopped in front of the Xi residence, and it was nearly late afternoon.

As Xi Lingxian stepped out of the carriage and entered the gate, she saw Old Zhang, the gatekeeper, greet her with a broad smile: "Young Miss! The Master and the Eldest Young Master have returned. They just arrived home and are resting in the main hall!"

She paused, somewhat stunned by the sudden good news.

Have Father and my eldest brother returned?

"Young lady?" Old Zhang asked cautiously, noticing her lost in thought, "What's wrong?"

Xi Lingxian snapped out of her daze, both surprised and delighted: "I'll be right there."

As soon as Madam Yu and Xi Yao stepped off the carriage, their expressions froze upon hearing the news.

The return of the head of the family was naturally a joyous occasion; however, thinking of Xi Jian's boundless favoritism and doting on Xi Lingxian, the mother and daughter were more worried than happy.

……

The door to the main hall was ajar, and dim light shone from inside.

Xi Lingxian walked to the door and heard her father's voice coming from inside. She stood outside the door, holding onto the door frame, and suddenly hesitated to go in.

She was afraid that she would burst into tears as soon as she went in.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

In the hall, Xi Jian was sitting in a grand chair, holding a cup of tea in his hand.

Hearing the door open, he looked up, saw it was her, and a smile immediately spread across his face:

"Fanfan is back?"

That smile was exactly the same as I remembered.

Xi Lingxian stood there, looking at her father.

He was younger than I remembered; his hair was still black, and his refined and handsome face was not yet covered with wrinkles.

Suddenly, her eyes welled up with tears. "Father..."

She cried out, her voice trembling.

Xi Jian put down his teacup, stood up, and frowned slightly: "What's wrong? Did you suffer any injustice at the Wang family today?"

These words were like a key, unlocking the tightly closed gate in Xi Lingxian's heart.

She rushed over, buried her face in her father's arms, and burst into tears.

She cried her heart out, as if she wanted to cry out all the grievances and hatred from her past life.

Xi Jian was startled by his daughter. "Fanfan, who bullied you? Tell Daddy, and Daddy will skin him alive!"

Lingxian didn't speak, she just cried, her whole body trembling, her tears soaking a large patch of Xi Jian's clothes.

Xi Jian was extremely anxious, but couldn't get any information out of her. He could only pat her shoulder gently over and over again, saying, "Alright, alright, don't cry, Father is back."

"From now on, Father will stay in Jiankang often, so no one will be able to bully my precious daughter."

Yu Shi and Xi Yao followed them in and their expressions changed when they saw this scene.

Xi Yao called out softly, "Father."

Xi Jian glanced at the mother and daughter, his gaze indifferent, and asked, "What happened at the Wang family today? Why is Fanfan crying like this?"

With a smile on her face, Madam Yu said, "Nothing happened. It was just a little quarrel between young ladies. It's nothing serious."

"The young lady is crying because she is happy to see the head of the family."

"You guys go back first, I have something to say to Fanfan alone."

Yu opened her mouth, but seeing Xi Jian's indifferent expression, she swallowed her words back.

He and Xi Yao quietly withdrew.