Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 177 Teasing

Chapter 177: Chapter 177 Teasing

Xie Xun galloped over, his gaze sweeping across Fengyu’s face. Seeing that she wasn’t startled, Xie Xun tightened the reins with one hand, looking down from his elevated position at Dugu Jing. "Dugu Jing, this is the Capital City of Yanyang, not the Beiman Royal Court. If you dare act recklessly again, I’ll turn you into a pincushion."

Dugu Jing gripped his curved blade tightly, the sharp edge gleamed—enmity flared between old adversaries meeting face-to-face.

Lin Cheng leisurely watched the spectacle unfold. If the envoys for peace negotiations were to brawl in the streets, an even bigger drama would ensue. The Crown Prince had always wanted to replace Xie Xun as the lead negotiator—this could be his chance.

"Xie Xun, this is a personal grudge between me and this woman. It has nothing to do with you!" Dugu Jing growled in anger.

"The grudge between you and me runs deeper." Xie Xun brazenly crooked his finger. "Come at me. Picking on a delicate woman—what kind of hero does that make you?"

Dugu Jing exploded in fury but was dragged back by Slate. Slate, the Think Tank, was a tall and refined man in his early thirties. "Tensions during negotiations are inevitable, Your Highness. Marquis, I suggest you don’t take it personally. We’ll return to the envoy accommodations immediately."

Xie Xun sneered coldly. Negotiations not progressing? He was far more restless. Watching Dugu Jing idly roam about the Capital City every day drove him mad. Following Slate’s intervention, Dugu Jing left with the Think Tank and Princess in tow.

Qiuxiang nervously clutched Fengyu’s arm. "Miss, that man is so fierce!"

Lin Cheng rode over, chuckling as he greeted Xie Xun. Then, turning his horse around, he followed after Dugu Jing, leaving Xie Xun to coldly watch Lin Cheng’s departing silhouette. Dugu Jing causing a scene in public—was the Forbidden Army just going to stand by and watch?

Fengyu willingly pulled Xie Xun toward the riverside. Willows swayed gracefully, their soft green tendrils fluttering in the spring breeze like delicate veils, stirring hearts.

Xie Xun indulged Fengyu’s boldness. Her jade-like fingers clutched his wrist guard, occasionally brushing his skin, each touch sending a ripple of sensation even more stirring than the spring breeze.

She wasn’t avoiding him anymore—she was actively drawing closer.

Since the day she confessed her feelings at the outskirts of the city and was rejected, the Third Miss had been avoiding him. A shy maiden determined to evade someone could stay secluded indoors, and unless he stooped to being a shameless roof-climbing thief, he couldn’t see Fengyu at all.

Fengyu said, "Dugu Jing seems rather strange."

Xie Xun flipped his hand to grasp her wrist. His fingers, hardened by years of drawing bows and nocking arrows, had thick calluses that gently rubbed against her pale skin. Xie Xun’s ears turned slightly red, yet he remained composed as he asked, "Strange how?"

He felt as though he were ill—unable to see Fengyu left him restless, but seeing her made him want to laugh. When she was close, he wanted to touch her. His hands—he just couldn’t control them, always itching to reach for her.

Fengyu felt her wrist tickle under his touch and tried to pull away, but he held her firmly. She glared at him, only to meet eyes blooming with the hints of spring and peach blossoms. Flustered and annoyed, she said, "Let go of me first."

Xie Xun’s Adam’s apple bobbed subtly. Afraid of offending her, he regretfully released her wrist. The spot he had rubbed turned red, and Fengyu, embarrassed, tucked it into her wide sleeve. "Dugu Jing clearly knows the situation inside Yanyang’s borders—he understands how desperate we are to end the war. So he dares to swagger around while negotiating. He’s Beiman’s General, risking himself by coming here, but why? If... don’t be angry, I’m hypothesizing—if Yanyang were to lose, and the Beiman Royal Court didn’t specify who must negotiate, would Marquis be willing to go to Beiman? Absolutely not."

"You’re making an excellent point!" Xie Xun leaned against the willow tree, smiling like a spring breeze. His beloved was clever beyond compare—a quality he both admired and was vexed by. He loved her wit, yet it frustrated him... clever women were hard to deceive.

"Father said the Marquis never requested anyone specific from Beiman for negotiations—Dugu Jing came forward voluntarily. Either he genuinely intends to negotiate and will make concessions to secure a decade of peace, or he’s deliberately complicating matters by stalling negotiations and wandering the Capital City without sincerity. If the negotiations fail, would Marquis let him leave alive?"

"Certainly not!" Xie Xun chuckled. That much was clear—if the negotiations failed, Dugu Jing would die in the Capital City.

"But Dugu Jing is certain that, even if the negotiations fail, he can leave unscathed." Fengyu said. "The Beiman may be impulsive and hot-headed by nature, but as their General... how could he possibly be foolish?"

Xie Xun laughed softly. Fengyu was so focused on the negotiations, worried Xie Xun would face difficulties, that she earnestly analyzed the situation. Yet all he could do was smile. The Third Miss’s peripheral vision drifted toward the nearby lake.

It was already April. The lake water wouldn’t be cold. Should she kick him into it?

"Seems like you and my Second Brother truly have things to discuss." Xie Xun lightly tapped her forehead. "At such a young age, why are you fretting over so much? Do you think everyone in my Marquis Mansion has died and no one can figure this out?"

"Has the Second Young Master already thought of this?"

"As soon as he heard Dugu Jing was coming to negotiate, Second Brother already realized it."

"Second Young Master is truly intelligent." Fengyu exhaled in relief but quickly grew angry, covering her forehead. "Why did you flick me? It hurts."

"Does it hurt?" Xie Xun straightened his posture, pulling her hand away to inspect her forehead. Seeing it blush red, Xie Xun gently blew on it. Then, as if he thought of something, the young Marquis licked the edge of his lip, his Adam’s apple bobbing faintly, and said teasingly, "You stain far too easily."

Qiuxiang stomped her feet in exasperation, unable to endure watching any longer. She wanted to rush over and pull the young Marquis away—how improper it was to tug at her mistress in broad daylight, ruining her reputation!

"Sister Qiuxiang, take a rest. You’re making me dizzy," Nuanyang teased, crouching on the ground idly, grinning at the frantically pacing Qiuxiang.

"Don’t talk to me!" Qiuxiang snapped, hands on her hips in frustration.

The two stood far too close—Xie Xun’s warm palm pressed against Fengyu’s wrist, his breath brushing against her forehead, his presence enveloping her completely. Fengyu inexplicably felt his possessiveness. Her cheeks flushed as she struggled to push him away in panic.

Her small strength was no match for Xie Xun, yet he stepped back as though yielding to her push. His gaze lingered on the Third Miss’s flushed and embarrassed face as his lips curled into a faint smile.

"Why is Dugu Jing so assured that even if negotiations fail, he can leave alive?" Fengyu asked, puzzled. "He’s accompanied by several hundred Beiman soldiers. While he might manage to escape on horseback alone, how could all those men possibly flee?"

The smile in Xie Xun’s eyes gradually faded. He didn’t think Fengyu’s observations were unfit for a young lady—or treated her with any traces of dismissiveness. "What Dugu Jing is plotting is still unknown. Since his arrival in the Capital, every move he makes has been closely monitored, but we still haven’t uncovered his secrets."

Fengyu felt a twinge of disappointment. Matters concerning two nations’ conflicts—war, peace, politics—were far more complicated than she had hoped. A single misstep in judgment could lead to a cascade of errors, so Xie Xun and Dugu Jing’s stalemate also served to buy Xie Jue time for investigations.

Xie Xun gazed at her with a faintly teasing smile. "Why are you so concerned with the negotiations?"

Fengyu met his amused expression as if he had seen through her entirely. Her gaze was alluring as she took a deep breath and said, smiling, "Why wouldn’t Yanyang’s people care about the negotiations? It’s nothing unusual."

"The Third Miss, ever the wealth-accumulator, possesses a kind heart akin to Guanyin, yet rarely shows interest in politics." Xie Xun bit the tip of his tongue in frustration. Would saying it outright—that she cared specifically for him—be so hard?