Rebirth of the Duke's Daughter and the Little Imperial Uncle

Chapter 59 Autumn Leaves and Blue Maple

Cheng Ying said proudly, "Of course! Which year haven't I gone?"

Qin Yaoyao pouted and said somewhat unhappily, "I wasn't talking about you."

At this moment, the Fifth Prince He Mingfeng suddenly spoke up: "Alright, I will definitely go."

Hearing his words, Qin Yaoyao smiled with satisfaction. Then, He Yanxi smiled and said to Qin Yaoyao, "Let me show you around the Prince's Mansion!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Yaoyao nodded excitedly and said happily, "Great! I've been here so many times, but this palace is just too big. I haven't been to the whole place yet! This time, I'll definitely explore all the places I haven't been to before."

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Qiu Ye, and she winked at He Yanxi, looking playful and adorable. He Yanxi couldn't help but laugh, gently patting Qin Yaoyao's head and saying affectionately, "Alright, then let Lan Feng take her around!"

Lan Feng quickly and respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Highness." However, Qiu Ye shook her head, firmly stating that she did not need to trouble Guard Lan, because she wanted to stay with her young lady and prevent any further accidents from happening.

Seeing Qiu Ye's stubborn expression, Qin Yaoyao said helplessly, "Are you stupid? This is the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion. Who would dare to trespass here!"

After listening, Qiuye thought about it thoughtfully and felt that it seemed to be true, so she nodded in agreement.

Seeing that Qiu Ye still wanted to say something, Qin Yaoyao said, "Don't bother me and Brother Yanxi, go play somewhere else." After saying that, she pulled He Yanxi away, not giving Qiu Ye a chance to speak. Qiu Ye watched his young mistress's departing figure, not knowing what to do, and then turned to look at Cheng Ying.

If Cheng Ying still couldn't see from what had just happened that Qin Yaoyao was trying to matchmake Qiu Ye and Lan Feng, then she would be a complete fool. So before Qiu Ye could speak, she quickly said to He Mingfeng, "Show me around too." He Mingfeng smiled and said, "Okay." After saying that, the two of them left, leaving Qiu Ye and Lan Feng bewildered in the wind.

Qiu Ye stared blankly at Lan Feng, who was also looking at her. They wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start. Their eyes met unexpectedly, and in that instant, their hearts raced and their faces turned red.

An ambiguous atmosphere filled the air, as if time had stood still. They gazed at each other, their eyes revealing unspoken emotions. Qiu Ye's eyes were filled with confusion and shyness, while Lan Feng's were tinged with surprise and bewilderment.

After a long while, Qiu Ye finally came to her senses, lowered her head, and gently bit her lip, trying to hide her embarrassment. Lan Feng also quickly looked away, pretending to be nonchalant. The atmosphere between the two became subtle and tense, and neither knew what to say to break the silence.

Lan Feng assumed Qiu Ye was averse to him and didn't want to interact with him, so he said, "Um, why don't you wait here for a moment? I'll go find Lan Yu and have him accompany you." As soon as he finished speaking, Qiu Ye suddenly looked up, staring at Lan Feng in disbelief. Qiu Ye thought to herself, "Does he really hate me that much? He doesn't even want to stay with me and wants someone else to accompany me around the courtyard." Qiu Ye thought Lan Feng disliked her and didn't want to accompany her, but she was afraid the prince would blame him, so she wanted someone else to accompany her. Why bother him? She wasn't without legs; even if she didn't go anywhere and just waited here for her mistress, what would happen? Thinking of this, Qiu Ye felt a little wronged, and tears began to well up in her eyes. But she didn't want Lan Feng to see her in such a disheveled state, so she forced back her tears and pretended to be strong, saying to Lan Feng, "No need for that trouble, I'll just stroll around by myself. Guard Lan, you can go about your business!" With that, Qiu Ye turned and quickly left. Her steps quickened, as if she wanted to escape this place and get away from the harm that Lan Feng had brought her.

Qin Yaoyao and He Yanxi didn't go far after leaving. Instead, they found a secluded spot where they could see the entire courtyard and hide there to watch the show.

After seeing Cheng Ying and He Mingfeng leave, Qin Yaoyao said with a smile, "I thought Sister Ying was too oblivious to notice! I was worried for nothing."

He Yanxi replied, "People are often blinded by their own involvement in such matters, but they can see things very clearly when they see others doing the same thing."

He Yanxi said, "Then let's go too!"

Qin Yaoyao said coquettishly, "Oh, Brother Xi, we've already looked at it, let's just look a little longer! Isn't Lan Feng's usual dullness going to drive our Qiu Ye crazy?"

He Yanxi then said, "No way! He can't be that stupid."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lan Feng said to Qiu Ye, "Qiu Ye, how about I call Lan Yu over to keep you company?"

Qin Yaoyao turned her head and looked at He Yanxi provocatively, her expression saying, "See? I told you so!"

He Yanxi awkwardly touched his nose, unsure how to respond to Qin Yaoyao.

Then Qin Yaoyao frowned and looked at He Yanxi, asking in confusion, "Doesn't Lan Feng like Qiu Ye? Then why did he give Qiu Ye to Lan Yu?" He Yanxi shook his head helplessly, indicating that he didn't know the reason either. Qin Yaoyao said with some worry, "Let's watch a little longer. If something really happens, I don't want to see our Qiu Ye sad and upset." Although He Yanxi found it boring, he could only nod in agreement, secretly making a mental note of this, preparing to find an opportunity to punish Lan Feng to vent his anger. So the two of them continued to sit down and watch the show.

At that moment, Lan Feng watched Qiu Ye turn and leave, a strange feeling suddenly welling up inside him—if he let her go like this, perhaps they would never see each other again. Instinctively, he quickly reached out and grabbed Qiu Ye's arm. Qiu Ye was startled; she turned around, staring at Lan Feng in astonishment. Clearly, she hadn't expected him to do such a thing. However, Lan Feng himself was also taken aback. He didn't think much of it; he simply didn't want her to leave. When he came to his senses, he realized he had actually grabbed her. Just as he was trying to figure out how to explain this, he unexpectedly noticed glistening tears in Qiu Ye's eyes. Immediately, he panicked, assuming she was unwell, and anxiously asked, "Why are you crying? Are you feeling unwell?"

As Qiu Ye listened to Lan Feng's words, tears streamed down her face. She secretly regretted her weakness, realizing that she had tried to appear strong but couldn't help crying.

Lan Feng panicked when he saw Qiu Ye crying, not knowing what to do. He hurriedly asked, "Where does it hurt?"

However, Qiuye did not answer him, but just cried silently, tears streaming down her face.

She thought to herself, "Don't cry, it will only make him hate you more." But she couldn't control herself; her emotions were like a flood bursting its banks, uncontrollable.

And so, Qiuye kept crying, as if she wanted to vent all her grievances and sorrows.

Seeing this, Lan Feng became even more anxious and looked helplessly at Qiu Ye, not knowing how to comfort her.

Finally, Lan Feng decided to take action and said to Qiu Ye, "Wait here for me for a while, I'll go find a doctor for you." After saying that, he turned to leave.

Upon hearing that a doctor was needed, Qiu Ye finally snapped out of her daze, quickly grabbed Lan Feng's sleeve, shook her head, and indicated that she did not need to see a doctor.

She didn't say anything, but cried even harder, like a child who had suffered a great injustice.

Lan Feng was at a loss, thinking that perhaps he had said something wrong that made Qiu Ye so sad. So, he said anxiously, "I'm not good with words. If I said anything wrong, I apologize. Please don't cry."

However, Qiuye did not stop crying; instead, she cried even harder.

Lan Feng sighed helplessly and said, "Why do you cry more and more the more I talk about it..."

Seeing Qiu Ye crying, Lan Feng felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if something was gripping him tightly. He involuntarily reached out and hugged her tightly, gently patting her back, hoping to give her some comfort and warmth.

Time passed slowly, and Qiuye's sobs gradually subsided until she finally stopped crying. Only then did she realize that she was nestled in Lanfeng's arms, and a blush immediately rose on her face. She quickly stood up.

"I'm sorry..." Qiu Ye lowered her head shyly, noticing that Lan Feng's shirt was soaked with tears, and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry for getting your clothes dirty."

Lan Feng didn't pay attention to any of that. He just looked at her with concern and asked softly, "Are you feeling better now? Do you really not need to see a doctor?"

Qiuye shook her head, her voice still slightly hoarse: "No need, I'm not feeling unwell."

Lan Feng frowned slightly, his eyes full of doubt: "Then why were you crying just now?"

Qiu Ye's eyes flickered, and after hesitating for a moment, she replied, "I'm really fine, you don't need to worry. You go ahead and do your thing! I'll wait here for our young lady to return. There's no need to trouble Guard Lan Yu."

Lan Feng frowned even more. He looked at Qiu Ye seriously and said firmly, "But His Highness asked me to accompany you to stroll in the courtyard. I cannot leave."

Qiu Ye interrupted him again, saying softly, "I know it's because of the Prince's orders, but it's really not necessary. I know you're unwilling, but never mind, Guard Lan, you can go about your business! I won't tell the Prince, don't worry!"

Lan Feng said, "It seems you really dislike me!" Then he sighed and said, "I'm sorry." After saying this, Lan Feng reverted to his previous indifferent demeanor and turned to leave.

Watching Lan Feng's departing figure, Qiu Ye felt extremely wronged, but she could only lower her head and mutter, "Why are you angry? It's clearly you who hates me!"

However, Lan Feng, being a martial artist, had excellent hearing, so he heard every word of Qiu Ye's whispered complaint. He stopped, turned around, and walked up to Qiu Ye, asking with a puzzled look in his eyes, "Why do you think I hate you?"

Qiu Ye never expected that her mutterings would be overheard, and she was immediately startled. She quickly looked up at Lan Feng in front of her and stammered, "You... why are you back again!"

Lan Feng ignored Qiu Ye's question and continued to press, "Why do you think I hate you?"

Qiu Ye blushed slightly, lowered her head, and replied shyly, "That's not important."

But Lan Feng insisted on knowing the answer, saying firmly, "This is very important."

Qiu Ye's eyes darted around as she said, "Didn't you want Guard Lan Yu to accompany me?" Lan Feng nodded and said calmly, "Yes, since you're avoiding me, then I'll..." Before she could finish, Qiu Ye interrupted her anxiously. Her face was full of grievance, her eyes slightly red, and she hurriedly explained, "When did I avoid you?"

Lan Feng frowned upon hearing this and asked in confusion, "Your Highness asked me to accompany you, but you refused. Weren't you avoiding me?" Qiu Ye realized that he had misunderstood her meaning, so she quickly explained, "So that's why you asked Guard Lan Yu to accompany me?" Lan Feng nodded silently, his gaze fixed on Qiu Ye.

Qiu Ye sighed helplessly and continued to explain, "My refusal wasn't because I was avoiding you, but because I was genuinely worried that something bad might happen to Miss again, so I..." Lan Feng pressed on, "What about this morning?" Qiu Ye asked blankly, "What?" Lan Feng seemed determined to get to the bottom of this, so he persisted, "This morning, the Prince and Princess also wanted us to go together, but you went to see the Princess instead. Isn't that avoiding me?"

Upon hearing this, Qiuye's face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple, her eyes becoming somewhat evasive, and she stammered, "That...that's because of me, I..."

Lan Feng gave a soft "hmm" in response.

Qiuye's voice became even softer, like a mosquito's buzz, as she continued, "Because I was a little nervous and didn't know what to say to you, I thought it would be better if there were more people around." By the end, her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

However, Lan Feng heard it clearly, and his doubts vanished instantly. He breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly realized something, asking, "So you were crying just now because I was going to find Lan Yu?"

Qiuye suddenly raised her head and looked at him, blurting out instinctively, "No! It's because I thought you hated me. And...and, after all, you saved me."

Lan Feng looked at her seriously and asked earnestly, "So, you're only with me now because I saved you?" He sighed inwardly, thinking: So that's how it is. It seems I was overthinking everything.

Looking at the dejected Lan Feng, Qiu Ye shook her head and said to him, "It's not like that. I saw you through the crack and felt that you would definitely come to save me, so I threw out a distress signal. As for repaying the debt, if you need anything, as long as it is within my power or something I possess, I will give it to you without hesitation."

Lan Feng cautiously whispered, "Can I have it too?" Qiu Ye didn't hear clearly and asked in confusion, "What?" Qin Yaoyao didn't hear either and looked at He Yanxi in confusion. He Yanxi then said mysteriously, "I'll tell you when we get back to the room." The two of them quietly slipped away. Lan Feng then said, "I don't want anything, you don't need to bother." Then, with a smile, Lan Feng continued, "Do you want me to stay with you now?" Qiu Ye looked at Lan Feng, shy like a startled rabbit, turned around and left, stubbornly saying, "I didn't say anything." Seeing the shy Qiu Ye, Lan Feng smiled and followed her.