Chapter 369 - 125 King’s Game: Turning the Tide
Pei Qinghan’s brows knitted slightly, his expression somewhat inscrutable.
"I don’t know."
Bai Xiangxiang’s face revealed a trace of disappointment, but then she broke into a radiant smile, "It doesn’t matter, after all, we’ll have plenty of time in the future."
She grasped the measure quite well, ambiguously, blurring the boundaries, making Pei Qinghan’s already hazy memory start to clear up around her.
No matter who that person was, in the end, it had to be her alone.
Pei Qinghan furrowed his brows and remained silent.
He looked in that direction again, it was empty, nobody in sight.
Anxious that something might go wrong, Bai Xiangxiang suggested that Pei Qinghan rest in the living room. Pei Qinghan, who had a slight headache, nodded faintly and followed Bai Xiangxiang into the villa.
"The living room is messy, with servants coming in and out, you won’t be able to rest well, please go to my room upstairs instead." Bai Xiangxiang said.
Pei Qinghan was just about to decline, as it didn’t seem proper for a man to enter a young lady’s chamber.
Bai Xiangxiang sighed, "Qinghan... please allow me to call you that from now on."
Seeing the man’s eyelashes tremble but his silence persist, she knew he had tacitly agreed, the corners of her mouth curving into an imperceptible arc of triumph, but it quickly disappeared.
"You’ve taken care of me for so long, and I still don’t know how to repay you. Come with me, I have a gift for you." Her voice was so gentle that Pei Qinghan was momentarily stunned. The next moment, Bai Xiangxiang took his hand and headed upstairs.
Pei Qinghan looked at their intertwined hands, subconsciously wanting to pull away, but she held on tight, the warmth from her palm spreading through his body, stirring an unfamiliar sensation within him.
In that moment of distraction, Bai Xiangxiang had pulled him into her boudoir.
Bai Xiangxiang’s room was indeed styled like a princess’s, luxurious and romantic, every corner reflecting her girlish heart.
Bai Xiangxiang led him to sit on the sofa, then bounced over to her dresser, rummaged through a drawer and pulled out an exquisite box. Inside the box were some delicate jewelry pieces. She picked up a red sachet, flipped it over in her palm, then casually placed the jewelry box on the table, holding the sachet as she ran over to Pei Qinghan.
"I was seriously ill when I was eight, and the doctor issued a critical illness notice for me. It was my grandmother who went to Hanshan Temple on Nanming Mountain, begged three times and kowtowed nine times for this peace charm for me. Strangely, after that, my illness gradually got better. Grandma said this peace charm was blessed by a high monk, it had absorbed my spiritual energy, and from then on, it would protect me, ensuring my safety and health, free of worries and disasters. I’ve worn it for many years, and now, I’m giving it to you. When I’m not by your side, let it protect you in my stead."
Bai Xiangxiang’s voice was moving, evoking empathy.
Bai Xiangxiang stuffed the sachet into his hand, held his fingers, and clasped the sachet tightly, looking up at him with a smile.
"Qinghan, you don’t know, you are more important to me than my own life."
Pei Qinghan looked at the item in his hand, a ’peace charm’ that was actually a sachet resembling a lucky bag, with crimson satin embroidered with scriptures and symbols, and a red cord with a neatly tied Chinese knot in the center, ending with two small Buddhist beads hanging from it. Although it seemed simple at a glance, it was quite exquisitely beautiful upon closer inspection, and the faint scent of sandalwood emanating from it calmed the soul.
Bai Xiangxiang gave a smile, "I’ll go make you a cup of hot tea." She turned and left.
After Bai Xiangxiang left, Pei Qinghan held the peace charm in his hand, gripping it tighter and tighter.
His expression was stern, his eyes icy, lost in thought.
Then, a dazzling light caught his attention; lifting his gaze, it seemed as though the light came from the jewelry box.
Compelled, he stood up and walked over.
A delicate and beautiful butterfly hairpin rested silently in the jewelry box, the colorful beads on its wings reflecting a brilliant and blinding light under the lamp, forcing Pei Qinghan to squint subconsciously.
He picked up the butterfly hairpin and held it in his palm, examining it closely.
His lips pressed tighter, and the whirlpool in his eyes grew deeper, coalescing into an abyss that was deep and unfathomable...
At that moment, Bai Xiangxiang came back with a cup of tea. Seeing Pei Qinghan holding the butterfly hairpin, she unconsciously furrowed her brows and approached him without a sound.
"What’s the matter? Are you interested in a girl’s jewelry?" She observed Pei Qinghan’s face from the corner of her eye, unable to guess his thoughts.