Chapter 413: Chapter 389, First Try_1
Daohua leaned on the window, staring blankly at the distant river waters, not even noticing Wang Manman approaching.
Seeing her lady lost in thought again, Wang Manman, with helplessness and bewilderment on her face, hesitated before speaking, “My lady, what has been troubling you these days?”
Daohua glanced at her but remained silent.
After a moment’s thought, Wang Manman continued, “Is my lady angry with the Little Prince? If I may say so, the Little Prince sometimes behaves inappropriately. If my lady does not like something about him, it would be best to speak with him directly. Why avoid him completely? By doing so, you might hurt the bond you’ve shared for so many years.”
Daohua furrowed her brows, “I am just pondering some issues, and I do not wish to see him right now.”
Wang Manman asked, puzzled, “What is it that my lady is thinking about?”
No sooner had the words left her mouth, than a knocking sound came from the door. Wang Manman quickly went out, only to return shortly after, looking joyously at Daohua.
Daohua asked, “What happened?”
Wang Manman smiled and said, “My lady, the Little Prince has followed us here.”
“What?!”
Daohua swiftly stood up, then leaned out of the window to look back and truly saw a boat rapidly pursuing them, with Xiao Yeyang standing prominently on the deck at the front.
Startled, Wang Manman hastily pulled her back inside, “My lady, be careful not to fall into the water.”
Daohua sat back down, her hands fidgeting with her handkerchief in agitation.
Outside, Xiaoliu saw Xiao Yeyang catching up and had no choice but to slow the boat down.
Soon, the two boats drew near each other.
“Pull the boat to shore!”
Xiao Yeyang directly commanded Xiaoliu.
Xiaoliu looked toward the cabin, hesitating.
Seeing him delay, De Fu urged him, “What are you dawdling for? Pull the boat to shore.”
Seeing Xiao Yeyang’s stern face, Xiaoliu glanced at the cabin again, noticed that Daohua and Wang Manman had not come out, and reluctantly edged the boat to the shore.
The moment the boat reached the shore, Xiao Yeyang jumped from his boat onto the one where Daohua was, and then walked straight into the cabin.
Inside the cabin, as Xiao Yeyang strode in, fury etched on his face, Daohua’s gaze shifted uneasily, turning to look out the window, avoiding eye contact with him.
Xiao Yeyang’s gaze was fixed on Daohua, he said sternly, “Get out!”
Wang Manman was momentarily stunned before realizing the command was for her, and though not wanting to leave, she shrank back when the Little Prince shot her a piercing look.
“My lady…”
Daohua gestured with her hand, “You go ahead and leave first.”
Wang Manman looked worriedly at her lady, feeling uneasy. Only when the Little Prince gave her a second, sharper glance, did she reluctantly start moving toward the door, “My lady, I’ll be right outside the door. Just call for me if you need anything!”
Standing by the door, De Fu, anxious about the situation, had to step inside the room and pull Wang Manman out, then carefully closed the door behind them.
For a time, only Daohua and Xiao Yeyang remained in the room.
Daohua, with her head bowed, fiddled with her handkerchief. She intended to wait for Xiao Yeyang to speak first, but after a considerable silence, she had to look up, only to see him gazing at her with furrowed brows.
“What are you doing?”
Xiao Yeyang took several deep breaths, but this did not quell the fire inside him. Irritated, he said, “I should be the one asking you that. Yan Yiyi, what exactly are you up to?”
Daohua turned her head away, “I’m not up to anything.”
Xiao Yeyang stepped forward until he was in front of Daohua and challenged her, “You’re not up to anything? Then why, when everything was fine, are you avoiding me?”
Daohua paused, defiantly retorting, “I’m not avoiding you.”
Xiao Yeyang laughed out of frustration, “You still deny it? I visited your home four times. The first three times you avoided me, fine, but this time you went all the way to Taohua Village. And as if that wasn’t enough, when you knew I was coming, you took off by another route. Do you still claim you’re not avoiding me?”
Daohua was at a loss for how to continue the conversation.
Xiao Yeyang stretched out his hand to adjust Daohua’s position, looking at her directly, “What is actually going on with you? Ever since the Mid-Autumn Festival, you’ve been acting off. If there’s something troubling you, you can tell me. No matter what, I will make sure it gets taken care of. Can you stop ignoring people on a whim, is that okay?”
Daohua struggled free from Xiao Yeyang’s arms, stood up, and walked over to the window. After a moment of silence, she suddenly turned her head toward Xiao Yeyang, “Xiao Yeyang, I want to ask you, it’s hardly been more than half a month since the Mid-Autumn Festival, why are you in such a hurry to see me?”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yeyang froze in place.
What did this have to do with her ignoring him?
Seeing his reaction, Daohua pursed her lips, knowing full well that he hadn’t truly considered the deeper reasons behind his actions. To her, his feelings were at most a bit more favorable than towards others, far from what could be considered deep affection.
“Xiao Yeyang, when you’ve seriously figured out the answer to this question, then come see me. You can go now,” she said.
Xiao Yeyang did not expect to be dismissed so abruptly and stared wide-eyed. He moved his lips hesitantly for a moment before awkwardly saying, “I…I just wanted to see you.”
Daohua looked at him, “Why?”
Xiao Yeyang was stunned, “…I just wanted to see you. Does that need a reason?”
Upon hearing this, Daohua fell silent for a moment, “Xiao Yeyang, maybe because we used to have so much fun together, and now I suddenly don’t want to play with you anymore, you’re just not used to it. Maybe after some time, you’ll be fine.”
Xiao Yeyang’s brow furrowed in confusion, “What are you talking about? The current issue is you avoiding and not seeing me. You need to assure me that it won’t happen again in the future.”
Daohua was somewhat speechless, “Assure what? You can’t guarantee anything, yet you want me to assure you?”
Xiao Yeyang understood her point and looked at her earnestly, “What do you want me to guarantee?”
Daohua was exasperated, “It’s not about what I want you to assure me of, but about what you need to do yourself… Never mind, I can’t make it clear, you figure it out.”
Xiao Yeyang became silent, looking at Daohua and feeling he might have grasped her meaning, yet with no clear concept of how to articulate it.
Outside the cabin, De Fu and Wang Manman looked worriedly at the tightly closed door.
De Fu, “There’s no noise now; they must have made up.”
Wang Manman, “…It’s also possible they are silently holding a grudge.”
De Fu looked at Wang Manman speechlessly, “Miss Manman, can’t you hope for something better for our masters?”
Wang Manman, “I’d like to, but then you should advise the Little Prince more, to not annoy my mistress.”
De Fu was even more speechless, “I swear, the master has never been as accommodating and patient with anyone else as he is with Miss Yan. With others, the master is always doing as he pleases, but only for Miss Yan does he humble himself.”
“Miss Manman, ask yourself, since we’ve known each other, whenever there’s been a conflict, hasn’t my master always been the first to apologize?”
Wang Manman recalled for a moment and nodded, “The Little Prince does apologize well, but he’s also really good at annoying people.”
Annoying?
Who’s annoying whom?
De Fu really wanted to argue with Wang Manman, but then thought better of it. She was Miss Yan’s senior maid; what if she took offense and badmouthed him to Miss Yan? Better to endure!
Endure it, then!
In the room, Daohua sat by the window, leaning against the windowsill, silently staring at the scene outside.
Xiao Yeyang stood beside her, wanting to speak but stopping himself, and after a long while, plucked up the courage to sit down next to her. He nudged her arm and asked, “Don’t you want to see me at all?”
As soon as he said it, his heart raced, afraid to look at Daohua and yet anxious not to miss her response, he could only glance up at her from time to time.
As for Daohua, upon hearing Xiao Yeyang’s question, her expression stiffened and she turned to look at him, her gaze fleeting away from his as soon as it met his eyes.
Did she want to see him?
Daohua’s face was filled with confusion. She had been delighted when she heard Xiao Yeyang was coming after her, so yes, she must have wanted to see him.
Watching Daohua in her distracted and silly state, Xiao Yeyang’s mood inexplicably brightened. He reached out and took her hand, softly saying, “From now on, you’re not allowed to ignore me like this, got it?”