Chapter 323

Two people stood face to face, the distance no more than half a palm.

When their eyes met, they could clearly feel each other's breath.

Gu Xixi was the first to regain her senses, she twisted her arm hard, afraid of being seen but not daring to shout, "Let go!"

The girl's water-cut eyes, tightly pursed lips, and the reddened ear roots at the side of her face were all deeply seen by Mu Nan Zhao.

Seeing her glare at him again with such angry annoyance, he actually felt as if they were worlds apart.

"I'll let go, aren't you still going to run?"

Gu Xixi was speechless, instead she lifted her chin to look at him, provokingly saying, "Don't forget this place is after all not your palace; now that you are the Regent Prince, being seen late at night tangled with a lowly country girl would not look good."

"If it gets out, it won't do any good to your lofty reputation."

Isn't Mu Nan Zhao the one who cares most about power and fame?

Moreover, it was something he had barely regained after nine deaths and one life.

Gu Xixi made up her mind, certain her words would work, and she even looked forward to Mu Nan Zhao's reaction.

However...

Mu Nan Zhao not only didn't loosen his grip, but leaned in, lowering his head to get close to Gu Xixi's face.

Gu Xixi's pupils trembled, "If you dare to take liberties, I'll shout rape!"

The distance was very close; all she saw was Mu Nan Zhao's handsome thin lips curl up, and he actually smiled.

"It's been a long time since we last met; I originally thought that, on this journey, you had left me behind with your many admirers."

"I didn't expect that you, who don't care about your own reputation, would first worry about me."

He looked at Gu Xixi with a smile, his eyes shining like stars, "I am very happy."

Gu Xixi furrowed her brow, wearing an expression that said, "Are you okay?"

But after thinking again, she realized something, "You've been watching me?!"

Mu Nan Zhao frowned, "Shouldn't you first clarify that you're not surrounded by admirers?"

Gu Xixi said sternly, "That's not important; you tell me first, when did it start?"

Mu Nan Zhao sighed, "When else could it be? It was just yesterday when you entered the city; at night I learned that the old man from the Fan household was looking for someone like you and that surnamed An."

"Naturally I had to confirm whether it was you."

He paused, "At first I really didn't know you had come to the capital; if I had known earlier, I wouldn't have stood by and watched you bring this trouble upon yourself."

Gu Xixi looked at Mu Nan Zhao, her expression unconsciously softening considerably, "Thank you."

"I've troubled you again."

Mu Nan Zhao was taken aback, somewhat awkwardly averting his gaze, "We've been through several life-and-death situations; what's there to be polite about?"

Don't look at him speaking so lightly now.

The previous night, the entire Regent Prince's mansion was on high alert as if facing a great enemy.

To confirm Gu Xixi's whereabouts as quickly as possible, Mu Nan Zhao disregarded the curfew and risked sending out secret agents.

He even used the hidden plants that had been painstakingly placed around the Fan Grand Secretary by the mansion.

With such a heavy investment, the results naturally showed.

Within less than an hour, the confirmed information lay on the study desk.

First, the group consisted of two men and two women; the Fan household intended to target one of the women.

Second, three of them had already stayed at an inn; one woman's whereabouts were unknown, and the other woman, after confirmation, was the person the Regent Prince was seeking.

At this point it was already dawn.

Having found Gu Xixi, Mu Nan Zhao finally truly calmed down and ordered someone to send a message to He Jinghui.

Thus came He Jinglan's early-morning direct charge into the inn.

Now, Mu Nan Zhao saw that Gu Xixi was not as distant and resistant as before, so he decided to call it a day.

"I'll go back first."

"The He household is very safe; you can treat this place as your own home."

"Get a good rest, don't always push yourself so hard."

Every time he was about to step away, he couldn't help adding another sentence, as if something were pulling him back.

Gu Xixi exclaimed in surprise, "Long time no see, how have you become as naggy as Zhang Shen?"

Mu Nan Zhao felt helpless, truly not knowing what to do with her.

"It's not like you just arrived in the capital and started running around everywhere."

He finally suppressed his reluctance; when he walked into the courtyard, he turned back and pointed at the distant high wall.

"Don't climb the wall at night."

From that direction, the continuous high wall on the other side is the Regent Prince's mansion.

Gu Xixi watched that tall figure disappear into the night's bamboo shadows, choked for a moment before finding her voice again.

"What kind of double entendre are you playing?!"

Mu Nan Zhao left the Jade Bamboo Courtyard, didn't let the servants guide him, and simply took a lantern and walked on.

As he was about to reach the second gate, he saw He Jinglan standing by the lamppost, obviously waiting for him.

Mu Nan Zhao looked around, "Didn't He Jinghui forbid us from meeting alone?"

He Jinglan smiled, unlike her usual liveliness; now she looked very serious.

"My brother's guarded person is no longer you."

Mu Nan Zhao spoke concisely, "If you have something to say, say it to me."

He Jinglan said, "We've grown up in this circle since childhood, seeing many marriages formed for profit and status. Even when we were young, you and I thought we wouldn't be an exception, did we not?"

Mu Nan Zhao: "But you don't actually want to marry me now."

He Jinglan: "You also didn't think of marrying me."

The two exchanged a glance and both laughed.

He Jinglan said, "It's not a suitable match; we've seen how many women who marry into high families end badly."

"Xixi is the most formidable girl I know; if we disregard status, you are the one who has married up to her."

"But now you are second only to one, above ten thousand; your marriage is watched by many, and many are waiting to use it as a pretext to attack."

"After all, Xixi is just an ordinary farm girl; against ordinary people she can rely on her wit to protect herself, but against those high-and-mighty wolves and tigers, I fear she'll be devoured down to nothing."

"You're wrong." Mu Nan Zhao's voice was soft, yet firm.

"Don't you see? She has been steadily moving upward, climbing higher."

"Her vision is probably greater than what any of us imagine."

"Just like the crops she planted, they grow silently, then one day suddenly startle everyone."

He looked at the horizon, a smile in his eyes, as if that person were right before him.

"I have a feeling that perhaps in the future she could sit at the same table and converse with those people you mentioned."

"Before then, I will protect her; without me saying, Miss He Jinglan, this good sister of hers, will surely give her her all."

"Of course." He Jinglan said proudly, "I've long told Xixi that I'll stick with her for life. But we two support each other; there's no notion of one protecting the other."

"In fact, she sought out Mu Nan Zhao to say these things: one, it's factual; two, to test him."

"Even if Mu Nan Zhao's answer is disappointing, Xixi still has He Jinglan."

"Some things are enough to say up to this point."

He Jinglan yawned, "I'm going back to sleep."

"Wait." Mu Nan Zhao hesitated a moment, then said, "You know her; you said she didn't want to see me when she came to the capital, yet today upon seeing me she is so aloof, talking about Regent Prince and commoner girl."

"Could it be because of this damned position of mine that puts pressure on her, making her feel inferior?"

He Jinglan chuckled, "Inferior? What a joke, you, bought for a single cash, feeling inferior—Xixi would never feel inferior!"

Her expression turned serious, "She merely wants to remind you that having left Huachi Du Village, you are no longer Chen Fang. Bridges belong to bridges, roads to roads; different paths do not plot together."