Han Xin paid no attention to Xiaobai. His handsome face remained as cold as ever, a flash of disappointment passing through the depths of his eyes. "Since when did you become so unreasonable?" he said.
Wang Zhaojun let out a cold laugh. The sharp pain in her wrist was nothing compared to the agony in her heart. Instead of frowning, she calmly replied, "Unreasonable? Isn't all of this your doing?"
"Call it my doing, then. In any case, you are not to harm the Little Fox. If—"
Before Han Xin could finish, Wang Zhaojun cut him off. "And if I do, what will you do? Kill me?"
Meeting her sharp gaze, Han Xin remained silent for a long moment before slowly letting out a single sentence, "No matter what the Little Fox has done, she has already been punished."
With those words, Han Xin supported Daji and made to leave.
"You think I'll let her off that easily?" Wang Zhaojun turned her head slightly, her eyes holding an indifferent gleam.
"Then what do you want?" Han Xin supported the Little Fox, who was curled up in his arms, and soothingly stroked her head.
"It's simple. I want her to apologize." Wang Zhaojun's gaze fixed straight upon the graceful young woman in Han Xin's arms.
"The Little Fox is already like this, and still you refuse to spare her?" Han Xin's freezing eyes swept coldly over Wang Zhaojun, the chill in his gaze enough to make one's blood run cold.
"And what about my Xiaobai? Does anyone care about him?" Wang Zhaojun pulled Xiaobai forward. His fair little face was beaten and swollen, bearing shocking scratch marks across his cheek and neck.
"You hurt the Little Fox too, so we'll call it even." Han Xin didn't even spare Wang Zhaojun another glance, simply tidying Daji's disheveled hair with a calm touch.
"Call it even?"
Wang Zhaojun gave a cold chuckle. "The injuries might be even, but it was your fox who bullied my Xiaobai first. Shouldn't she apologize?"
"The Little Fox is pure by nature. How could she possibly bully an idiot like your Xiaobai?" Han Xin frowned.
"Pure by nature?"
Wang Zhaojun laughed again. "What a fine 'pure by nature'. The Young Lord's judgment really leaves much to be desired."
"Even if the Little Fox was in the wrong first, she is young. Why can't you forgive her?" Han Xin's brow furrowed deeper.
"Han Xin, oh Han Xin, I truly never thought that one day you would become so devoid of reason."
Wang Zhaojun's heart plummeted to the lowest depths. He always argued with her over Daji, and now he was shielding Daji without any regard for right or wrong.
"You protect your fox, and I'll protect my Xiaobai. I will never yield to you." Wang Zhaojun suddenly raised her head, her bright, pool-like eyes shimmering with ripples of light.
Han Xin did not answer, offering only an ironic smile.
"First 'your Xiaobai' and then 'your Xiaobai' again. You really don't place me, your betrothed, in your eyes at all."
At this, Wang Zhaojun found it utterly ridiculous.
"You still remember that you're my betrothed? You spend your days inseparable from her, when have you ever regarded me as your fiancee?"
Wang Zhaojun's gaze narrowed slightly. After a long moment, her lips parted slightly as she spoke, "A forced melon is not sweet. Since the Young Lord is unwilling, it will do no harm to call off this engagement."
Only she knew how much resolve it had taken to utter those words, and how much pain was in her heart. She was truly tired; she had been entangled with Han Xin for several hundred years.
Han Xin's eyes suddenly deepened, as if brewing the eve of a storm. His voice was biting and sharp, "You want to break the engagement? I refuse to let you have your way."
His heart felt as though it had been violently yanked, aching sharply.
"Since you have no feelings for me, why tie yourself to me?" Wang Zhaojun closed her eyes and tilted her head back. She was beginning to feel that her affection for Han Xin was utterly forced—she was always the one chasing after him, and she was tired.
"I have no romantic feelings for you, but I will not let you leave either." The hand within Han Xin's sleeve clenched slightly.
Wang Zhaojun gathered her thoughts. If she had listened to her master's advice back then and remained unattached, she never would have fallen in love with Han Xin, nor would she be trapped by sorrow today.
"Let this matter end here. Presumably, the Young Lord is also heading to the banquet? Don't miss the auspicious hour."
Wang Zhaojun no longer wished to argue. On second thought, after so many years, it was time for her to let go.
Before the echo of her voice had even faded, Han Xin had yet to recover from her sudden change in attitude, and she was already leading the child away into the distance.
To call him a child would be more accurate to call him a youth, and that young lad at a glance was clearly no ordinary person.
He furrowed his brow slightly, wondering when such a person had come to be by her side.
Was it to provoke him for bringing the Little Fox along? She seemed to care so much less about him now.
Han Xin lowered his head with a bitter smile. Wasn't this precisely the result he wanted?
Just as Wang Zhaojun was about to step into the sedan chair, she was called back by Gongsun Li, who was panting heavily. "Sister Zhaojun!" she shouted.
"A-Li? Why are you here too?" Wang Zhaojun raised her brows slightly, somewhat surprised.
"It's all because of this naughty little troublemaker! He ran off to Tianyu without a word, giving A-Li such a hard time tracking him down." Gongsun Li puffed for breath, using her hand to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead.
Xiaobai made a funny face at Gongsun Li, then hid behind Wang Zhaojun and stuck out his tongue.
Wang Zhaojun shook her head helplessly, subconsciously reaching out to tousle his messy, fluffy hair. Xiaobai was truly unbearably cute.
Gongsun Li was so angry it made her teeth itch. Suppressing the urge to strangle Xiaobai, she grievance-ladenly said to Wang Zhaojun, "Sister Zhaojun, things are already like this—you won't make us go back, will you?"
"Come along to the Empress's Hibiscus Banquet, and don't miss the hour." Wang Zhaojun flicked Gongsun Li's forehead and smiled helplessly.
"Sister Zhaojun, you're taking us with you?" Gongsun Li pointed at herself in surprise.
"If you don't want to go, I won't force you." Wang Zhaojun raised her eyes slightly, her delicate brows arching in a slight tilt.
"We're going! Of course A-Li wants to go!" Gongsun Li had never been to the Heavenly Palace before; naturally, she couldn't miss such an opportunity.
Xiaobai rested both hands on the windowsill of the carriage, looking left and right at the bustling sights outside.
Wang Zhaojun cast a calm glance at him and frowned slightly. Rummaging through the carriage, she fished out an exquisite little box, picked up a dab of ointment on her fingertip, and gently applied it to the scratches on Xiaobai's face.
"Hiss—it hurts!" Xiaobai suddenly clutched his face, his clear, bright eyes looking at Wang Zhaojun with a wronged expression.
"It hurts, so you'll just have to endure it. And you'd better not cause trouble for me again." Wang Zhaojun's tone was exceedingly flat, carrying a trace of reproach.
"I know," Xiaobai replied.
Once his wounds were treated, Xiaobai grew drowsy.He had rushed from Peach Blossom Cove to Tianyu without sleeping a single night. Leaning against the windowsill to rest for a moment, he drifted off to sleep.
As Wang Zhaojun flipped through the bamboo slips in her hands, her gaze inadvertently caught on Xiaobai's smooth, fair cheek resting against the windowsill, leaving several faint red marks.
Her brows knitted slightly. Xiaobai's skin was so delicate that she couldn't bear to watch, so she shifted his head onto her lap.
In his dreams, Xiaobai caught the scent of a refreshing, subtle fragrance. It smelled wonderful, so he nuzzled his head closer into Wang Zhaojun's embrace.
Her expression froze slightly. Her slender fingers pinched his cheek as she said in a low voice, "I kindly let you sleep more comfortably, but for someone so small, you certainly know how to take advantage."