Yi Xin as a concubine

Chapter 179 Memories

At first he thought she was not eating enough, but after a long time, he learned from the maid who came to look for her that it was because her aunt knew that she was greedy and restricted her food, so she always hid food secretly.

He went to the library almost every two or three days, and he would meet her two out of three times.

At first she ate secretly, then she was in a daze. When she grew up a little, she probably started to read and learn to read. She built a small nest for herself in a corner of the library. After entering the room, she would pick up a book and stay there quietly for an hour or two.

He went there for ten years, from the age of eleven to twenty-one. He read the books in that library over and over again, and also witnessed the girl grow from a chubby little ball into a slender and beautiful young girl.

Their interaction was silent, or he was just a humble peeping Tom. Due to his deliberate avoidance for more than ten years, they had never met.

He had seen too many of her expressions: joy, tranquility, gentleness, sadness, anger, unwillingness, loneliness, loss...

He seldom heard her speak, but after watching her for so long, he could read the emotions in her eyes at a glance.

He knew that she was not as timid as the servants in the mansion said. She hid all her emotions except for that one outward expression in the library. No one could see them, and she even deceived herself.

However, after more than ten years of silent companionship, this girl caught his eyes but not his heart. It had nothing to do with anything else, but only because he thought he was a heartless person.

He was not in the library on the day it caught fire. In fact, he rarely went there since his brother left. He had too many things to do and too many people pushed him forward, so he had less and less time for himself.

When the flames shot up into the sky, he was still in the cramped study, listening to reports from his subordinates and dealing with endless matters, with a cold dinner on a small table beside him.

He felt panicky for no reason at that moment, and when he looked up, he saw half the sky burning red. It seemed like he had been tied to it for more than ten years, and he almost subconsciously flew towards the fire.

Fortunately, he arrived in time and saved her before the library collapsed completely and before the servants from the mansion arrived.

This was the first time he truly met her eyes, and it was that glance that gave him a sense of absurdity.

How to put it, it was as if the pain of being burned by flames and the despair of being on the verge of death could only make her body produce the survival behavior on the outside, while those beautiful eyes were filled with deathly silence and boundlessness.

He felt a moment of suffocation in his chest, but there was no time for him to explore. The servants of the Xin Mansion had already arrived, so they had to put the man down in an open area and leave. He touched his chest, and the feeling was gone. He shook his head, shaking off the strange thought that flashed through his mind, and just thought that he had inhaled too much smoke while saving the man.

The library was gone, and he thought they would never meet again. However, things change, and they were brought together again by fate.

When his cousin told him that the Xin family asked him to save someone, he was surprised. The little girl he had seen grow up was not a child of the Xin family, but a person from the previous dynasty like him. He had to help her both for public and private reasons.

During that time, news about her kept arriving on his desk. The girl who had caught his eye but whom he had never had any contact with became increasingly clear and real in his mind. Every little bit about her, like a key to unlock some mysterious power, slowly seeped into his heart.

In fact, he found it a little unbelievable. After more than ten years of being together, the girl only caught his eye and he never thought of taking the relationship further.

But within just one month two years later, he could not help but feel worried just because of a few small notes with only one or two sentences on them.

Could it be that I’ve reached that age?

"Second Master, Second Master, Chu Xingchen?" Just as he was lost in thought, a familiar soft voice came into his ears and brought him back to reality.

"What are you thinking about?" Xin Baoer asked with a smile.

Chu Xingchen smiled but didn't answer. After thinking for a while, he asked, "Bao'er, do you remember the day you first came?"

"Ah?" The topic suddenly changed. Xin Baoer didn't react for a moment and pronounced it subconsciously.

Although Chu Xingchen asked a question, he didn't really expect her to answer, and continued, "It was a nice day, with a bright moon and sparse stars. There were five girls together, but I recognized you at first sight. It was a strange feeling."

Xin Baoer didn't quite understand what he wanted to express. She looked at him with her big round, watery eyes, which contained inquiry, as well as a little doubt and confusion.

Chu Xingchen couldn't tell that she really didn't understand what he said, so she pretended not to understand. But seeing her looking at him in a daze, his heart softened. After all, the future was still unclear, so he decided not to force her.

I was somewhat disappointed with the girl's attitude of allowing him to have whatever he wanted but not opening his heart.

"Are you going to go to the farm more often from now on?" Not wanting the little girl to notice anything unusual, he asked in a normal tone.

Xin Baoer secretly let out a sigh of relief. The man's fiery gaze almost made her want to run away. It's not that she couldn't feel his feelings, but how long could this feeling last?

In this inconspicuous courtyard, she believed that they could be together forever, but what about after they leave? For a powerful person, whether it is to win over the powerful or to win over subordinates, the simplest way is marriage, but it is just the difference between active and passive.

If a relationship is destined to fall apart in the end, it is better not to start it in the first place. As long as you keep your heart, you can live freely anyway.

She didn't ask for much in this life, just to live peacefully. So she couldn't respond, nor did she want to respond, so she could only play dumb.

"At least you have to go there often in the early stages. This is the first time for us to do this job, and I'll feel uneasy if I don't keep an eye on it!" When talking about work, Xin Baoer relaxed a lot.

"But what about back home? The bumper grain harvest in the North has caused quite a stir. Among the recent news sent back from the entertainment city, seven or eight out of ten are about the North. There is strength in numbers. How long can you keep your identity secret?" Xin Baoer could not hide her worry in her tone.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen. The basic political framework over there has been set up, and people have been arranged to pretend to be from the north. Most of the areas in Zhending, Taiyuan, and Qingzhou are under control. In the next period of time, we will focus on attacking Daming Prefecture. As long as we take Daming Prefecture, we can go straight to Shengjing City."

"Back then, old thief Ning sent all the remaining old people from the previous dynasty to the north. One reason was because the north was bitterly cold, and the other was that he thought the north was closest to Shengjing. If something really happened, we could respond in time. Now it's a good thing for us." Chu Xingchen explained to Xin Baoer patiently and gently.

After all, he is a young man in his early twenties. When he talks about the expansion of the power behind him, he seems more heroic and complacent than usual.

Having dodged so many times in his previous life, even if he were to live again, he would inevitably be too cautious. He couldn't help but pour cold water on him, saying, "What you have done will always leave traces. Although someone is helping you to divert the attention of the major forces, there is still a loophole. You still can't be careless. After all, the orders all come from you."

Chu Xingchen could understand what the little girl meant. He seemed to be telling her that he was not a person who took things lightly. It was just that in front of the person he liked, he always wanted to perform better, hoping to get the other person's praise or even admiration.

But I could only think about this in my heart, but I couldn't say it in front of my loved one, so I had to admit my mistake reluctantly.

"I got carried away. I need to be more careful next time. Baoer needs to supervise me more."

Chu Xingchen's words were half true and half false, and his tone was deliberately ambiguous. Although they were normal words, Xin Baoer blushed slightly, her eyes avoided, and she unconsciously felt a little uneasy.

Chu Xingchen knew when to stop. After all, the girl was still young and timid, so he couldn't push her too hard, otherwise it would backfire.

"I'll make the arrangements for the trip, and I'll accompany you. After all, I contributed half to this plan. I have to witness the whole process from nothing to something."

"That's great. There's strength in numbers. Let's work together to make the new crops bloom and bear fruit as soon as possible." Xin Baoer replied with a smile.

As they talked and laughed, the atmosphere between them became relaxed again, as if the previous temptations and ambiguity were just illusions.