CHAPTER 135: CHAPTER 135: EVERY WORD AND SENTENCE TEMPTS HER

"What did Pei Xuan invite you to do at Jingsi Hall?" Li Mu asked coldly.

He was with Miss Tang every day, but he didn’t know when she started having interactions with Pei Xuan?

"Senior Brother Pei said I have potential and wants to give me a private lecture!" Tang Xiaobai said with a smile.

Li Mu’s gaze darkened as he said, "What kind of book? I can also teach it!"

"Senior Brother Pei’s knowledge is praised by all the professors. When they teach, he may or may not listen. You’re different; you still need to study!" Tang Xiaobai smiled at him, "It’s a great opportunity that Senior Brother Pei is willing to teach me, something others can’t even beg to get!"

He pressed his lips and looked at her for a while, then said, "I heard the Pei Family has a vast collection of books. Senior Brother Pei must have studied diligently since childhood, with single-minded dedication. My knowledge indeed can’t compare to his."

Tang Xiaobai was slightly stunned.

She had seen his intense hostility toward Pei Xuan earlier, with an air of jealousy, which made her a bit wary.

So she deliberately praised Pei Xuan to let him know she wasn’t interested in him.

But hearing what he said, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

If the Qin Family hadn’t suffered misfortune, he would have grown up in a wealthy, scholarly household, able to study diligently since childhood, singularly focused.

With his abilities, he definitely wouldn’t be inferior to Pei Xuan...

Despite feeling sorry, Tang Xiaobai still didn’t want to give him space to overthink, so she added, "Actually, academic knowledge is secondary. Mainly, Senior Brother Pei is charming and handsome. Which girl in the Capital City doesn’t want to look at him a few more times?" Saying this, she looked dreamily in the direction Pei Xuan had left.

Li Mu’s expression changed, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Didn’t Second Miss once say Ah Xiao was the best-looking...?"

Tang Xiaobai glanced at him.

The young man’s lips were red, teeth white, his features exquisite like carved jade, eyes as dark as ink, light fragmented within them, fragile yet stunningly beautiful.

Tang Xiaobai couldn’t help but feel guilty, avoiding his gaze, awkwardly saying, "Ah Xiao is, of course, good-looking... but now I’ve grown up, and I prefer someone like Senior Brother Pei, a young man in his prime. You’re still young... it’s just different..."

That’s the truth.

No matter how beautiful the little ancestor was, he was just a child in her eyes.

Even if she wanted to have a romance, she’d be interested in someone Pei Xuan’s age.

After saying this, Tang Xiaobai didn’t hear a response for a long time, which made her a little anxious. Pretending to look around, she said, "Is it time for class? Let’s go back!"

With that, she walked past him.

There was no obstruction.

She passed by smoothly.

No one called out to her.

It wasn’t until she returned to the classroom and sat down that she saw him walk in behind her.

He passed by her seat and sat behind her.

He didn’t speak, nor did he stare at her like usual.

"What did Pei Jiu call you out to say?" Wei Sui leaned over and whispered.

"Nothing, nothing!" Tang Xiaobai shook her head immediately.

The person behind her still didn’t stir.

She quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps because she anticipated he might say something further, she felt a bit empty inside when he didn’t...

...

On the way home from school, Li Mu still didn’t speak.

Tang Xiaobai sat in the carriage, watching his profile through the gaps revealed by occasional jolts, and sighed quietly.

This isn’t a solution...

Are they to continue not speaking? The thought alone felt suffocating.

Yet, if they act as if nothing happened and continue as before, it felt a bit like teasing knowingly...

So what should be done?

While tangled up in her thoughts, she heard the call from the Duke Yan Mansion gatekeeper.

She was home.

Once the carriage stopped, Tang Xiaobai got out and saw him standing in front of the carriage as usual, waiting to help her down.

Their eyes met, his gaze dark and unreadable, while Tang Xiaobai guiltily shifted her gaze away.

After thinking for a moment, she calmly took his hand as she disembarked.

After releasing her hand, she instinctively hid it behind her and nodded at him, "Go about your duties!"

With that said, she walked past him and headed inside.

Once she avoided his gaze, her brow furrowed.

Too difficult!

They went to school and came home together daily, constantly seeing each other, making things awkward.

It would be great if there was an opportunity for them to separate for a while.

The little ancestor was still a child, naturally prone to new and shiny things. After some time apart, he wouldn’t remain so attached to her...

"Second Miss—"

A voice called from behind.

Tang Xiaobai turned so quickly it was almost embarrassing, as if in her subconscious she’d been waiting for him to call out.

"Ah... what’s the matter?" Tang Xiaobai covered it with a smile.

He approached her.

Tang Xiaobai frowned slightly, just about to step back when he stopped.

"Tomorrow, I’m going to Hedong with the eldest young master; does Second Miss want to join?" he asked.

Tang Xiaobai was taken aback and asked, "What are you going to do in Hedong?" Such a sudden trip? Her brother hadn’t mentioned anything.

"Prince Jin is investigating concealed disaster reports and the empty granaries of Changping in Hedong. The scope is broad, and some have risked hiring assassins to kill the prince—"

"Ah!" Tang Xiaobai exclaimed and quickly asked, "Did he die?" Her tone carried an unrecognized hope.

"No," Li Mu noticed her slight disappointment and couldn’t help a small smile, "but he was injured."

Tang Xiaobai, not particularly interested, nodded.

If they weren’t dead on the spot, they typically wouldn’t die.

"So, Your Majesty is sending my brother to support Prince Jin?" Tang Xiaobai asked.

Li Mu nodded and asked again, "I’m the eldest young master’s attendant, so of course, I’ll go with him," after a pause, "Does Second Miss want to come along?"

"No!" Tang Xiaobai replied righteously, "Hedong is in chaos. My brother is on official business, what would I do there? Cause trouble?"

Just a moment ago she was thinking it best to separate from the little ancestor for a bit, and the opportunity arose!

She would be foolish to follow along!

Li Mu frowned and watched her for a while, then lowered his voice and asked, "Who do you think would dare to assassinate Prince Jin?"

Tang Xiaobai abruptly widened her eyes at him.

His gaze didn’t waver, essentially confirming it.

Tang Xiaobai quickly pulled him aside from others, whispering, "What are you going to do?"

Li Mu looked at her, with a coaxing tone, "If Second Miss comes, you’ll find out."

Tang Xiaobai locked eyes with him for a moment, then shook off his hand: "No! I have to go to school!" She was firm.

"Two or three months’ leave won’t matter, I’ll help you catch up with your studies..." His voice was soft, each word enticing her.

"No!" Tang Xiaobai remained unmoved, "Hedong is in turmoil. Going there would not only complicate things for my brother but also be unsafe for me. My brother wouldn’t agree to me going!"

Li Mu, frustrated by her refusal, gently said, "This is my first time confronting Li Shu, planning for half a year to seize an opportunity from him, don’t you want to see it with your own eyes?"

Tang Xiaobai was silent for a while, then shook her head, "I can wait for news here, it’s the same.

He looked at her with eyes softening into a plea, "Sister, but I want you to witness it."