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Chapter 6: The Man I Had Almost Secured Got Away
Looking at Chen Zhong's expression, Xiang Wu was delighted.
At last, she didn't have to worry anymore.
This man was much more reliable than A-Fu. At a glance, it was obvious that he had feelings for her.
Her heart fluttered.
Hurry, hurry!
She couldn't bear to wait around slowly and patiently.
Why not make the decision first and explain afterward?
Perhaps she could start by holding his hand, making their relationship official. Then she could give him an embroidered handkerchief, take something of his as a token, and afterward go straight to the young lady, kneel before her, and beg her to approve the marriage.
With that thought, she bit her lip and added another little push.
“Brother Chen Zhong… you don't like me, do you?”
To Chen Zhong, those words were sweeter and more refreshing than eating a chilled watermelon brought up from a well on the hottest day of summer.
His heart softened.
He looked at the girl before him and saw her lowering her eyes slightly, her fair skin smooth and radiant.
The sight made his heart tremble.
He really did like this little girl.
He had liked her for quite some time.
At first, he hadn't paid much attention to her. He was already a grown man. How could he possibly spend all his time watching some young maid?
But once, he noticed that the little girl had been secretly glancing at him.
After that, he began paying attention to her too.
And once he did, he discovered that she was actually quite interesting.
A young girl would normally be embarrassed about secretly watching a man.
But she was different.
Whenever she looked at him, she did so openly and without the slightest hint of guilt. She would tilt her head and stare at him with an innocent, slightly bewildered expression, as though she were standing in the street watching a lantern show.
Chen Zhong was the same age as the Marquis. He had grown up alongside the Marquis and had even followed him to fight on the frontier.
Naturally, he had seen plenty of the world and encountered all kinds of women.
But he had never met a little maid quite like her.
Women were generally either innocent and naive, with little experience of the world, or charming and worldly, knowing exactly how to tease and flirt.
But this little maid was different.
Her face still retained a youthful innocence, yet there was an inexplicable allure about her that seemed to come from within.
She could catch a man's attention with a single glance and leave him unable to stop thinking about her.
Of course, Chen Zhong also knew that whenever the little maid occasionally came by the stables, the unmarried men there would secretly watch her.
At night, when they were lying around with nothing to do and chatting, they would inevitably bring her up.
And whenever they did, their words would become rather crude.
He didn't know how many of them secretly harbored fantasies about her.
Gradually, whenever the others spoke about her that way, Chen Zhong found himself becoming displeased.
Every time, he would pull a stern face and tell them,
“Enough. Don't talk about her.” At first, everyone simply didn't know.
Later, however, they gradually caught on. The way they looked at him changed, carrying a teasing edge.
Although he had made a mistake and been sent to work at the stables, he had once served under the Marquis. The stewards of the estate still treated him differently from the others, and even the servants at the stables were wary of him.
Once they realized how he felt, they naturally no longer dared to make crude remarks about Xiang Wu. Instead, they began talking about other women.
Recently, Chen Zhong had also been thinking about it.
He wasn't young anymore. If the little girl really did have feelings for him, shouldn't he make things clear?
It wouldn't be appropriate to keep delaying things like this.
He was only afraid that the little girl might think he was too old. He might be the only one getting his hopes up, while she didn't want him at all.
He never expected that today, the little girl would look at him like this.
Chen Zhong clenched his fists, then released them.
He clenched them again.
Finally, he worked up the courage and said hoarsely, “Miss Xiang Wu, if you need a horse, you only have to say so. I, Chen Zhong, I, Chen Zhong…”
He paused slightly at that point and licked his dry lips.
Hearing this, Xiang Wu liked him even more.
She finally felt relieved.
Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful!
At last, there was a man who understood what she meant and was willing to give her a definite answer.
This man was certainly quick on the uptake!
Xiang Wu looked at the man before her.
His eyes were burning with emotion, his face was bright red, and without his outer robe, his muscular body looked especially strong and sturdy.
She pressed her lips together and gazed at him, waiting for him to continue.
Chen Zhong took a deep breath and, sure enough, continued in a hoarse voice.
“Miss Xiang Wu, as long as you say the word, I, Chen Zhong, will…”
But before he could finish, a cough came from nearby.
“Cough.”
The sound wasn't loud, but it was enough to make Chen Zhong, whose blood was already running hot, instantly stiffen.
The words that had been about to leave his mouth froze there.
He stood rigidly in place, unable to move for a long while.
Xiang Wu had already been secretly delighted by what Chen Zhong said.
She had thought her wish was finally coming true.
She had finally found a man who genuinely wanted her!
But suddenly, the man stopped talking.
Why wasn't he saying anything?
Xiang Wu blinked and asked in a tiny voice, “Brother Chen Zhong, you… you were just saying that you would… what?”
Chen Zhong was having trouble breathing as he looked at the Marquis standing slightly behind Xiang Wu.
And he saw that the Marquis was looking at him with a faintly mocking gaze.
Chen Zhong was mortified.
He wanted nothing more than to disappear into the ground.
His face had practically turned the color of pig liver.
Back then, he had accumulated enough merit that he could have been appointed as a military officer. The Marquis had even planned to arrange such a position for him.
Who could have known that, at the crucial moment, he would let himself down and make a mistake, allowing someone else to take advantage of the situation?
The Marquis had been furious at the time and had nearly taken his life.
In the end, however, remembering that they had grown up together, he had spared Chen Zhong's life and allowed him to work at the stables to atone for his mistakes.
As far as Chen Zhong was concerned, this so-called atonement meant working honestly, tending the horses diligently, and keeping his head down.
He had assumed that was exactly what the Marquis had intended as well.
Who could have imagined that the Marquis would catch him flirting with a young girl?
It was so humiliating that Chen Zhong wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.
And yet, at this very moment, Xiang Wu still hadn't realized what was happening.
She gazed at Chen Zhong with an expectant look.
This was the man she had chosen as her future husband.
The very man who, moments ago, had been filled with such longing for her that he had seemed ready to embrace her right there.
So why had he suddenly gone silent?
Helpless, she continued softly.
“Brother Chen Zhong…”
Her voice was gentle and captivating, carrying such a pitiful note that anyone hearing it would want to hurry over and comfort her.
But to Chen Zhong, that voice felt as though he were being roasted over a fire.
Especially with the Marquis standing right in front of him, looking at him with an expression that was almost a smile.
Miss Xiang Wu, please stop.
Please, please stop!
At that moment, Chen Zhong practically wanted to call her his little ancestor and beg for mercy.
But his little ancestor, Xiang Wu, was completely innocent and utterly helpless.
She didn't understand what was happening at all.
Feeling aggrieved, she lowered her head.
“Good brother, are you not going to pay attention to Xiang Wu anymore?”
The moment those words came out, Chen Zhong felt as though his brain were about to explode.
Just then, the Dingyuan Marquis, Huo Junqing, finally spoke.
“Chen Zhong, when did you acquire a younger sister like this?”
His voice was light and casual, as though he were merely asking about the weather.
But to Xiang Wu, those words were terrifying.
Her legs immediately went weak, and her knees began to tremble.
Her little face turned deathly pale in an instant.
She shakily turned around and looked behind her as though she had seen a ghost.
Sure enough, there stood the Marquis in his purple robe and golden crown.
It was the very Marquis she had seen earlier that day.
He stood there with an air of restrained composure and indifference.
There was even a faint smile at the corner of his lips.
He was clearly smiling.
It was clearly the third month of spring, with the warm sunshine of early spring all around them.
And yet, that smile sent a chill down Xiang Wu's back.
She was terrified.
Her legs gave way, and this time she really did collapse straight onto the ground.
There was freshly chopped dried grass beneath her. It carried the smell of horse manure and warm sunlight.
Yet Xiang Wu's little face was deathly pale with cold.
What should I do? What should I do?
She had no idea how the Marquis would deal with her.
He had actually caught her flirting with a man!
When she remembered all the shameless things she had just racked her brain and exhausted every ounce of her cleverness to say to Chen Zhong, she was so mortified that she wanted to disappear.
She might as well faint and never wake up again!
Chen Zhong looked at the little maid lying pitifully in the hay.
His heart ached for her.
But he didn't dare let himself feel sorry for her.
All he could do was grit his teeth and pretend he hadn't seen her.
At last, the Marquis spoke.
“Wasn't it you who was supposed to prepare my horse today?”
Chen Zhong froze.
Then it suddenly hit him.
Right.
The Marquis needed a horse today.
He had originally planned to prepare one for the Marquis after he finished chopping the grass.
How had he actually forgotten? Even more embarrassed, Chen Zhong hurriedly acknowledged the Marquis's order before running off to fetch the horse.
Xiang Wu watched as the strong man ran toward the stables without even looking back. In just a few moments, he had disappeared from sight.
Her heart shattered at the sight.
Running away and leaving her behind at the crucial moment, what kind of man was that?
Was he really going to leave her alone to face the Marquis's wrath?
Heh.
Xiang Wu gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand.
It seemed Chen Zhong wasn't reliable either.
In the end, she still had to rely on herself!
Lowering her head, she respectfully saluted the Marquis.
“This servant pays her respects to the Marquis.”
After saying this, she could feel the Marquis examining her.
A wave of embarrassment washed over her.
Thinking about it, both times she had tried to get close to a man, the Marquis had happened to witness it.
What would he think of her?
Would he think she wasn't a proper young maid and have her sold off?
At the thought of this, Xiang Wu nearly wanted to cry.
She stammered softly, “Marquis, this servant knows she was wrong.”
“Oh?”
The man before her merely replied in an even voice.
“Wrong again?”
Again, again, again, again, again…
Hearing that single word, Xiang Wu practically wanted to disappear from the face of the earth.
Her entire body went limp.
“Yes. This servant was wrong…”
“How were you wrong?”
“This servant… this servant shouldn't have… shouldn't have…”
“Shouldn't have what?”
The Marquis's voice sounded almost casual at first.
But Xiang Wu felt that if she gave even one wrong answer, he might grab her and stuff her into a dog hole to be fed to wild dogs!
She took a deep breath and summoned every ounce of courage she had.
“This servant shouldn't have been thinking about men.”
The moment the words left her mouth, her face felt unbearably hot.
What on earth was she doing?
What on earth was she saying?
She had embarrassed herself beyond belief.
She might as well die right here.
“Is that so? You've been thinking about men?”
His voice was low and husky, drifting over her like the spring breeze passing through the stables, making her heart feel strangely uneasy.
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