Chapter 351: Chapter 329, Autobiography_1
Daohua, with her arms crossed and leaning against the window, wore a harsh expression on her face as she gazed out onto the street, exuding a manner that kept others at bay.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Yeyang fell silent for a moment before walking over and sitting down.
As no sound had been heard for some time, Daohua slowly turned her head for a furtive glance, but as soon as she turned around, her eyes met with Xiao Yeyang’s. Caught in the act of peeping, she felt an awkward rush of embarrassment and blurted out with feigned toughness hiding her inner timidity, “What are you looking at? Haven’t seen a beauty before?”
A flicker of amusement passed through Xiao Yeyang’s eyes, and with a smile curling his lips, he teasingly said, “Indeed, I haven’t. Forgive my shortsightedness, as I have only now realized that our Miss Yiyi is quite the charming beauty.”
Daohua, not expecting such a remark from Xiao Yeyang, was momentarily stunned, then looked at him with a huff of irritability.
Was this guy flirting with her?
Had he grown too audacious?
Unwilling to show weakness, Daohua snorted coldly in return, “Then you must be blind.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yeyang nodded in agreement with a serious face, then continued to smile at Daohua, “It seems I’ve finally opened my eyes.”
Daohua’s brows furrowed once more as she looked at Xiao Yeyang with suspicion.
What kind of medicine had this guy taken?
Wasn’t he here to apologize?
At that moment, Defu walked in, bending over with his head lowered. He placed a tea tray down, kept silent, and then quietly retreated.
Xiao Yeyang rose to pour two cups of tea and extended one to Daohua, “Having watched the dragon boat race for so long, you must be thirsty. Come, have some tea!”
Daohua glanced at Xiao Yeyang, smirked, and walked over to take the teacup, then casually took a seat on the stool. She raised an eyebrow at Xiao Yeyang with an expression that said ‘If you’ve got something to say, spit it out; I’m all ears.’
Xiao Yeyang sat beside her without speaking. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, “I don’t think I’ve ever told you about my family background, have I?”
This truly surprised Daohua.
Before she could say anything, Xiao Yeyang began speaking of his own accord.
“When I was very young, my father, the Prince, and my mother separated, and the scandal made quite a stir. My father felt humiliated, and he took out his full fury on me. Since then, he didn’t want to see me anymore and didn’t care about anything related to me, instead lavishing all his affection on his concubine and their eldest illegitimate son.”
“After my mother left the Prince Residence, I lost not only my mother but also my father.”
“The servants in the Prince Residence were skilled at fawning over the mighty and trampling the weak. When I was five, I got into an argument with Xiao Yechen, and during the scuffle, he pushed me into a lake. If the Imperial Physician hadn’t arrived in time, I wouldn’t be in this world anymore.”
“Because of that incident, the Emperor, my uncle, knew I was having a hard time in the Prince Residence, and seeing that my father didn’t care for me at all, he took me into the Imperial Palace to be raised.”
“I thought that I could finally live in peace, but after arriving, I found that life in the Imperial Palace was even more difficult than in the Prince Residence.”
Daohua listened quietly, her initial annoyance fading away to be replaced by a heart full of compassion and sympathy.
A five-year-old child, amidst the complex web of power in the Imperial Palace, devoid of parental protection, how hard must his days have been?
She had heard more than once how Xiao Yeyang, when in Beijing, was known as a defiant and ill-tempered person. She previously couldn’t comprehend why that was, but now she understood.
For women in ancient times, separation from a spouse was a matter of grave social disgrace, especially within the Imperial Family.
As the child involved in such an affair, Xiao Yeyang, from a young age, must have endured many a peculiar gaze, hadn’t he?
Growing up in such an environment, it would have been strange if he hadn’t been rebellious.
Xiao Yeyang was still going on.
“Fortunately, the Empress Dowager and Uncle Emperor treated me quite well. Coupled with the fact that I was not someone to be easily provoked, I gradually made a name for myself in the Imperial Palace, and slowly, nobody dared to trouble me.”
As he said this, Daohua could clearly sense the temperature drop in Xiao Yeyang’s voice, and a cold light flickered in his eyes.
“Jiang Family is the maternal family of the Empress Dowager, and cousin Wanying, as her grandniece, often visits the Imperial Palace with Madam Jiang to see the Empress Dowager.”
“Even though I studied with the Princes, they didn’t want to play with me because of my mother’s situation,” Xiao Yeyang said, his mouth curving into a cold sneer.
Over those years, he had overheard far too many slanderous words about his mother. It was from that time that he buried hatred for her in his heart, blaming all the misfortune and suffering he experienced on her.
Looking back now, the people who slandered his mother were incredibly malicious in their intent.
Not only did they estrange him from his mother, but they also strained his relation with the Guo Family, effectively destroying him.
Known previously for retaliating sharply against anyone who dared to mention his mother in his presence, even Princes would not be spared his wrath.
For this, he had often been punished by Uncle Emperor.
If it hadn’t been for that accidental kidnapping, if he hadn’t met Daohua, he thought he would never have been able to let go of his hatred for his mother, nor would he have wanted to.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yeyang turned to look at Daohua, only to find that the fellow was looking at him with a face full of sympathy, softening his gaze.
Daohua couldn’t help wanting to comfort this child who lacked the love of a father and mother. He reached out and patted Xiao Yeyang’s hand on the table, “Xiao Yeyang, it’s all in the past. You’re so wonderful, your future will surely be bright.”
Xiao Yeyang looked at Daohua’s comforting hand and instinctively placed his other hand over it, asking, “Do you really think I’m that good?”
Seeing him like that, Daohua didn’t think much of it and assumed he was seeking validation. He immediately nodded, “Yeah, though you have quite a temper, there’s nothing else especially wrong with you. You’re quite alright.”
After saying that, he tried to withdraw his hand, but feeling Xiao Yeyang’s grip tighten, he gave up.
Alas, he’s such a pitiful child.
Xiao Yeyang held Daohua’s hand with both of his, and couldn’t help but gently rub it.
At that moment, his mind was filled with thoughts of how soft Daohua’s hand was and that he should have held it earlier; all the anger and gloom from the discussions of his childhood experiences were gone.
Seeing that Xiao Yeyang had fallen silent, Daohua couldn’t help but ask, “What happened after that?”
Xiao Yeyang was slightly startled and looked at Daohua somewhat blankly, “Hm? What happened after what?”
Daohua, “How did things end up with Jiang Wanying?” Seizing the moment of his distraction, she smoothly withdrew her hand.
Seeing Daohua retract her hand, there was a hint of regret on Xiao Yeyang’s face—he hadn’t had enough of holding it yet: “I was supposed to pick you up on the third day of May, but just then, my cousin Wanying had an asthma attack. I was busy getting her medicine and forgot about picking you up.”
The further he went, the weaker his voice became, getting lower and lower.