Chen Jue took advantage of the fact that Li Xiao raised her head to look at him and hurriedly pulled her away.
This was not a big deal,
He took another step back,
Then he was relieved.
He was a little flustered and exasperated.
The moonlight shone on the two of them, forming their outlines,
Adding a touch of dark golden hazy halo.
Chen Jue looked around,
After confirming that A Liu in the small room in the distance had not been woken up and that the surroundings were still quiet, he was relieved.
No one would notice the changes in his body at this moment, and no one would know how ashamed he was and how much he wanted to pour cold water on his head.
He was relieved a little,
He clutched his chest.
Inside, there was a thumping sound.
Making it difficult for him to concentrate on the situation at this moment.
Did he really drink too much at night?
Not only did he feel dizzy,
He was even a little excited.
His body was exceptionally hot,
He also seemed to be more sensitive to Li Xiao's temperature and her breathing in front of him,
He could clearly sense it.
He frowned,
He stretched out his finger and poked Li Xiao's forehead,
He said in a low voice, "Why are you running around in the middle of the night?
Your mother didn't teach you... "
He met Li Xiao's innocent and naive big eyes,
He suddenly stopped talking.
It was as if whatever he said now would make the little girl's naive world,
Contaminated by the complexity of the adult.
He sighed in annoyance and powerlessness and waved his hand,
"Go back to sleep,
We'll talk about it tomorrow. "
After saying that,
He turned around and prepared to enter the door. However, perhaps he was drunk, after turning around, he actually staggered slightly.
Li Xiao hurriedly took a step forward and held Chen Jue's arm.
"Sir, let me help you." Her voice was soft, and there was a hint of worry in her tone.
This worry was not fake at all. On such a lonely night, it made Chen Jue's heart feel some warmth. The depression that had accumulated during the drinking also dissipated a little.
He did not refuse or push the little girl away. Instead, he followed her support and pushed open the door of his room.
Following her movements, the two of them entered Chen Jue's most private,
A secret domain.
Under the moonlight, she helped Chen Jue sit down on a soft chair by the table. Li Xiao was about to light the oil lamp.
Chen Jue reached out to hold her wrist and whispered, "Don't light it."
He didn't want his current appearance and emotions to be exposed under the light.
The little girl in front of him might not understand, but he was still embarrassed and wanted to hide something.
Li Xiao withdrew his hand and rubbed his sleeves. He stood beside Chen Jue, looking somewhat reserved.
"Ahem, have a seat," Chen Jue said softly after clearing his throat.
His tone was slow and tired.
Li Xiao quickly sat down, as if he was worried that Lord Chen would regret his decision.
"Sir, are you thirsty?" She looked at the kettle on the table and thought: I wonder if there's any water in it.
His Excellency seems to have drunk a little too much. Should I make some hangover soup?
But at this time, the Cookmaid was already asleep.
She didn't know how to do it …
Annoyed.
"Yes."
Chen Jue responded, but before the little girl reached out her hand, he took the kettle and poured himself a glass of water. He gulped it down, not complaining that the water was cold.
On the contrary, the cold water made him sober up a little.
He sighed and leaned back in his chair. After a moment of silence, he looked at the little girl again.
"Do you know that you were wrong?"
Chen Jue felt that the heat in his ears had subsided slightly, and some parts of his body had begun to soften. Only then did he open his mouth to question her.
His voice was deep, like an old father preparing to punish his child.
"Xiao Xiao knows that she was wrong …" Li Xiao lowered her head.
As she said this, there was a strange feeling in her heart.
She twisted her butt uncomfortably. Why was this conversation so similar to the conversation she had with her mother when she admitted her mistake?
"What did you do wrong?" Chen Jue looked fiercely at the top of her head.
"I shouldn't have lied to you, Sir." Li Xiao's voice was weak and she looked very ashamed.
"When the Dali Monastery investigates a case, what they hate the most is lies.
Because of lies, how many cases have been unredressed? How many truths have been buried, allowing good people to be wronged and evil people to walk free? "Chen Jue's voice sounded like he was handling a case in court." I hate lies the most in my life, and I hate people who lie to me even more! "
His voice began to be stern.
"Sir, I was wrong …" Li Xiao lowered her head again, feeling wronged.
"What about in the future?
What will you do in the future? "Chen Jue tapped the table.
"I will never lie to you again." Li Xiao quietly looked up at him and said obediently.
Chen Jue looked at her and rubbed the top of her head. It was a reward for her sincere attitude of admitting her mistake.
Li Xiao's eyes suddenly felt a little sore when her head was rubbed.
She recalled how fierce Sir was during the day, as if he would never pay attention to her, trust her, or treat her well in this lifetime.
Now his forgiveness and gentleness seemed so precious and touching.
She pursed her lips.
However, before she could brew up her sadness, Chen Jue's voice sounded again.
"Then, think about it again. Is there anything else you want to lie to me about?"
Chen Jue withdrew his hand. His voice was stern, but there was some other meaning.
Li Xiao raised her head and looked at Sir.
Chen Jue also looked back at her. There was no anger in his eyes, nor was it fierce.
But it was different from before. It was especially, especially serious.
There was a trace of worry and some expectation in his eyes.
He said, "This is the chance I'm giving you, and it's also the last chance. If you still lie to me …"
"…" Li Xiao's eyes widened. She stared at his following words, but her heart began to beat wildly.
"I won't do anything to you, but … I probably won't trust you anymore, and I won't treat you like before.
Do you understand what I mean? "His voice was faint, mellow, and revealed a little fatigue.
Or perhaps, there was a little sadness.
He didn't seem to be expecting anything.
Li Xiao listened to his voice and felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
She somewhat understood, but also somewhat did not understand.
But she felt that if she did not tell the truth, it might … be even more uncomfortable than losing Lord Chen.
She thought of the way Lord Chen looked at people outside the Dali Monastery. It was indifferent, distant, and impatient … real impatient.
It was not the kind of "impatience" he showed to Big Brother Wang, Lord Zhang, and the others to hide his emotions.
Outsiders.
Strangers.
She suddenly realized that that kind of distant feeling might not be something she could accept.
Chen Jue looked at her with her head lowered, and his heart slowly sank.
That's right. The suffering she had experienced made it difficult for her to trust others so easily.
And even though he had been very good to her these days, he was still an outsider after all.
Yes, what right did he have to ask her to treat him as someone close and trustworthy?
They had only known each other for a short time.
Maybe … he was too impatient.
Chen Jue sighed in his heart and wanted to change the topic.
He was probably afraid, afraid that she would still lie to him.
He was also afraid that he would be too harsh with his words, and it would not end well for him …
Pursing his lips, Chen Jue realized his sloppy and unusual attitude, but he was still a little uncomfortable and did not want to think too much about it.
Li Xiao Wei kept his head down and looked at his hands. His mind was in a mess with all kinds of thoughts.
She thought of many things.
Many, many things …
There was fear, the fear of exposing herself in front of others. You will never know how the other party will use you when you trust someone and give them your truest self.
There was sadness. She did not want Lord Chen to alienate her. But when she thought of that scene, she felt extremely uncomfortable and was about to become a little crybaby again.
There was also a kind of anticipation and excitement. For some reason, she wanted to tell Lord Chen everything about herself. It was a strong and strong desire to confide in him …
All kinds of emotions swirled in her little head, and it was a mess.
She had never thought about these things in the past.
Chen Jue stretched out his hand. His fingers were slender and strong, and they looked very beautiful under the moonlight.
He patted the little girl's head. "It's late. Go back and sleep. Don't run to other people's courtyards at night in the future, okay?"
He deliberately sounded relaxed, but he could not hide his disappointment.
Li Xiao raised her head and looked at him. Her big eyes were shining with a hazy light. It was the reflection of the moonlight in her eyes.
Those beautiful eyes seemed to be filled with moonlight.
When she looked at Chen Jue, her eyes were clear, quiet, and pure. Even though the phoenix tail at the end of her eyes and her curly eyelashes made the corners of her eyes turn up slightly, which made her look a little seductive, her eyes were clean and innocent.
Chen Jue felt suffocated, and his chest began to heat up again.
"Sir … I … I met a lot of bad people on my way to the Capital."
Li Xiao suddenly spoke. She did not leave after hearing Chen Jue's words. Instead, she began to pour out her heart's content.
She felt that maybe … she could say something to Lord Chen.
No matter what, she wanted to talk to Lord Chen.
"Mm." Chen Jue nodded and listened carefully.
"Sometimes, I didn't meet a single person after walking for a day and a night. I could only secretly take the official road, but I was afraid that I would encounter robbers … Sometimes, I could only eat some fruits for a few days. It was bitter … Sometimes, I met some caravans. I gave them some small things, and they would take me for a while. I didn't dare to let them know that I had a lot of money on me … Later, I met some kind people who took me for a long time. But by accident, I accidentally let them see my face …" Li Xiao pursed her lips and lowered her head. "They all changed. Men and women changed."
Chen Jue's heart tightened. An unknown emotion gripped his heart.
Instinctively, he reached out and patted her back.
He did not know how to control his strength, and the pat caused Li Xiao's upper body to jerk forward.
"…" Chen Jue withdrew his hand awkwardly.
Li Xiao raised her head and smiled at him obediently.
Instead, she seemed to be comforting him.
This made Chen Jue's heart soften no matter how hard it was.
"Later, I was about to escape, but I was saved by an official." Her voice was like a gentle stream, gurgling as she continued.
"Mm." Chen Jue nodded.
"That official seemed to be a high-ranking official. I … I thought I was saved." Li Xiao was a little sad. She still felt scared when she recalled those times.
"But, that person … he locked me in a cage. I was scared to death. Fortunately …" Fortunately, she had an ability that others could not predict. Because others looked down on her, she was lucky enough to escape.
During the days when she was separated from her brother, she felt like she was going to die every day.
"Sir, I really didn't mean to lie to you. I was really scared …" She clenched her fists and then released them. She was a little nervous. "There are many things that I don't dare to say. I'm so scared of death. I'm so scared that I don't know when other people will suddenly become evil.
I also don't know … "
She was a little at a loss. She clearly didn't do anything, nor was she disobedient, but she was always treated like an object …
"Okay, okay."
Chen Jue was a little irritated and hurriedly stopped her. He suddenly didn't want to continue talking and didn't want to force her to tell the truth.
Just now, he thought he was right. Originally, he just wanted her to be more honest with him. But after listening to her pitiful recollection and confession, he suddenly realized that he was like an evil person tearing at her scars, tearing at her weak protective shield.
He was like those people who hurt her before. He didn't care about her weakness and beauty. He only thought that she was a beautiful thing and wanted to plunder and bully her.
His heart felt weak. He stood up. His body swayed, but he still supported himself on the table and said, "Let's go. I'll send you to Xiao Su Garden. It's so late, you should sleep."
Li Xiao raised her head, stood up, and took a step towards him. She blinked her eyes and stuttered, "But, Sir, I … I … didn't mean to lie to you."
She didn't want to be alienated by Sir. She didn't want to, didn't want to, didn't want to.
So pitiful.
"I know." Chen Jue sighed. As Li Xiao anxiously and worriedly explained, he stretched out his arms.
Then … Chen Jue didn't know what happened. He also didn't know what happened. He also didn't remember what he did.
The next moment, when he regained consciousness, Li Xiao seemed to already be in his arms?
He gently hugged the little girl. One hand was comfortingly holding the back of the little girl's head, patting it again and again.
With one hand supporting the little girl's back, he patted her back with the same rhythm as the hand patting her head.
Chen Jue was a little stiff. The current him was very unlike himself!
Then, this heartless little girl obediently leaned into his arms. She was so soft and small.
She was so relaxed that it was as if she was leaning in her biological father's arms.
"…" Chen Jue.
He wasn't her father, so why was she so relaxed?
Did she really think that he was her elder?
She didn't think that he was like her father, right?
Was he that old?
So old that he gave girls a sense of security that confused their gender?
Thinking of those groups of girls from noble families who would be shy and timid when they saw him … How long ago was that?
Could it be that he had already passed the age where he could make girls feel moved and shy?
Or … the little girl in front of him was too young. She completely lacked the basic awareness of the boundaries between men and women.
Or, was she too heartless???
He turned his head and saw the courtyard outside the window, sprinkled with moonlight.