Chapter 382: The Graceful Demeanor of Distinguished Scholars

"I'm not!" Dou Rongshan still refused to admit defeat verbally.

Yet when Gu Xixi turned to look, her voice faltered, "I... I am... just..."

Her eyes darted about, she hemmed and hawed, unable to say why.

He Jinglan laughed heartily.

Gu Xixi frowned in confusion, "Could it be that Miss Dou is afraid of me?"

Dou Rongshan quickly waved her hands, forcing a smile, "No, no."

Gu Xixi sighed softly, "Ah, in your eyes, am I scarier than those bandits?"

Without waiting for Dou Rongshan to answer, Gu Xixi lowered her head and muttered to herself:

"I'm not a professional killer and robber, nor am I cold-hearted."

Gu Xixi's eyes dimmed, "If it weren't a matter of life and death, I wouldn't..."

She lifted her eyes to Dou Rongshan and earnestly said, "But I'm still sorry for frightening you."

With each sentence Gu Xixi spoke, Dou Rongshan's inner guilt and shame grew a bit.

In the end, she and Gu Xixi locked eyes, her mind holding only one thought:

"I really am not a person! How could I fear my own lifesaver? It's made her so sad!"

Dou Rongshan's emotions surged, she grabbed Gu Xixi's hand, "Sister Xixi, this isn't your fault!"

"It's I who should say sorry!"

Gu Xixi stared blankly.

Although she made a scene, she merely didn't want to be seen as a flood and ferocious beast.

But the little fat sheep's reaction—is it too much of an overreaction?

He Jinglan also found it hard to believe; not long ago she was calling people a vixen, yet suddenly she's calling her sister.

Could this girl have some hidden peculiarity?

Dou Rongshan didn't notice the other two's subtle expressions, she exclaimed excitedly, "In the forest of Immortal Fruit Village, I was overcome by their bewitching incense and collapsed unconscious; you didn't have time to take me to flee, and you couldn't bear to see me fall into the tiger's den, so you could only pretend to faint alongside me."

"Later, facing the bandits, thanks to your acting and stalling them, you bought time."

"Back then I didn't understand your good intentions and even argued with you."

"If it weren't for your capability, your persistence in finding solutions, I might not have been saved."

"Actually I know all this; I've long wanted to thank you, but I..."

Dou Rongshan struggled a moment, then finally spoke the truth, "Seeing so many corpses for the first time, with such a frightening appearance, I never imagined there would be a young lady like you."

"I had scolded you like that before, so I... I still have a bit of fear toward you."

She earnestly looked at Gu Xixi, "But I swear, I don't dislike you at all."

Gu Xixi felt somewhat reluctant, "You also heard, their target was originally me."

Dou Rongshan said, "I know."

"But if I hadn't fainted first, you would have had a chance to escape."

He Jinglan caught the key point from the middle, "You fainted then; how did you know all this?"

Dou Rongshan had no intention of hiding anything, "It was my older male cousin."

"I didn't return all night; the next morning when I got home, the prince's mansion sent people to explain to my grandmother."

"They also said that Sister Xixi spent the whole night with me, the two young ladies keeping each other company, nothing happened."

"Those bandits have already been cleaned up by the prince's mansion; the fact that I was kidnapped will not be leaked."

He Jinglan and Gu Xixi exchanged a glance.

Is it him?

Not only did he single-handedly take responsibility for the bandits' deaths, he also helped Gu Xixi gain a great favor from the Dou family.

Dou Rongshan said with a smile, "My grandmother has always valued the Dou family's reputation."

"Originally we prepared two gifts, one for my cousin, one for Sister Xixi."

"But my cousin anticipated even that."

"His emissaries said, Miss Gu does good deeds without seeking recognition, and this matter concerns the two young ladies' reputations; it's better few know, so the gifts are waived."

Gu Xixi was stunned; the arrangement made by Mu Nan Zhao was more thorough than she herself had imagined.

Yet he had never mentioned it in her presence.

Dou Rongshan sized up Gu Xixi, then said clearly, "Sister Xixi, after this I have truly given up."

Gu Xixi was still immersed in the emotion when she heard her speak righteously:

"Rest assured! I won't compete with you for my cousin anymore!"

Gu Xixi slowly lifted her head, "Well, in this regard I've never been uneasy."

Dou Rongshan was so moved by her own words that she couldn't hear what Gu Xixi said.

"Sister Xixi, I understand, I understand completely, you're a good person, you don't need to feel sorry toward me."

Gu Xixi choked, trying to communicate clearly, "I mean, competing over a man is unnecessary, truly unnecessary."

"I never intended to contend with you, nor did I treat you as an enemy because of this."

Dou Rongshan nodded, "I've figured it out; my cousin doesn't have me in his heart, no matter how good he is, it's useless."

"Half the world is women, half is men; I don't need to hang myself on a single tree."

Gu Xixi felt somewhat relieved, "That statement isn't wrong."

But does this girl actually understand her meaning?

In matters of the heart, it's the same for men and women; what needs to be pursued is only the one person one's heart favors.

If a man lets girls fight over him until they break their heads, it shows he's not a good man either.

Even if snatched away, what good would it do?

Dou Rongshan laughed, "Sister Gu Xixi, I seem not to be so afraid of you anymore."

At this moment Gu Xixi stared at Dou Rongshan's soft, white, chubby little round face, gritted her teeth and smiled.

I really want to pinch it hard.

An Qinghe was already waiting in the front courtyard.

"Jiang Mingyuan lives in the room opposite mine; when the doctor came, I followed and took a look."

"Fortunately, Jiang Mingyuan is unharmed; the doctor said he is young and strong, just need a bowl of ginger tea to dispel the cold."

While speaking, she led the young ladies into the guest room.

Jiang Mingyuan sat on the low couch by the window.

He had just bathed; his black hair was half loosely tied with a hairband, half hanging behind him, and his blue-green cross-collared wide-sleeved robe hung loosely over his body.

Jiang Mingyuan leaned against the windowsill, reading a scroll with one hand.

It seemed as if no circumstance could disturb his immersion in the sea of books.

Gazing at his profile, Gu Xixi actually thought of the elegant bearing of Wei-Jin scholars.

Dou Rongshan whispered, "Looking at the Top Scholar like this, he's no worse than my cousin."

"No wonder he's been watched by so many people since early on; just from what I know, there are eight or nine."

"He Jinglan laughed and said, 'With your little social circle, where do you get all these rumors?'"

"Dou Rongshan said, 'They say there are many; a handful, I know what's so special about those eight or nine.'"

Gu Xixi and An Qinghe walked in the front.

"Upon entering, An Qinghe specially knocked on the doorframe, 'Jiang Mingyuan, we've come to see you.'"

When Jiang Mingyuan lifted his head, he already had a gentle smile.

"Coming."

His gaze swept over everyone equally, only pausing a moment on Gu Xixi's face.

"Seeing he was about to get up, An Qinghe hurried over, 'Hey hey hey, you've just recovered, don't move around.'"

"Gu Xixi also smiled and said, 'We're all acquaintances now, Brother Zi Chu, just rest easy; why bother with those formalities?'"

Jiang Mingyuan smiled, yet still insisted on getting up.

"He faced Gu Xixi, clasped his hands and bowed to the ground, 'I should thank Gu Xixi for saving my life.'"