six months ago.
Xia Xun arrived in the capital after traveling in a carriage for twenty days.
Qi Yan's bodyguards took him on a fast pace, traveling day and night, not daring to delay for a moment.
After entering Qi Yan's mansion, the servants led him to the main house and then retreated.
He waited all afternoon without seeing anyone.
It was getting dark, and he couldn't bear the tiredness, so he fell on the table and fell into a deep sleep.
Dimly, he heard footsteps outside the house, opened his eyes, and sat up.
The visitor was very quiet, he hesitated outside the door for a moment, then opened the door and entered.
— It's Qi Yan.
He walked around the pillar, and the candlelight went up from his feet, gradually illuminating his legs, waist and shoulders.
Finally, his handsome face escaped from the darkness and appeared in the soft candlelight.
After seven years, he still has picturesque features, making people unforgettable.
Xia Xun's gaze shifted to his waist. He was wearing a brocade woven gold belt, and his clothes were much more gorgeous than before.
He also had a food box in his hand.
"Have you been waiting for a long time? Sorry, there have been too many things recently. I heard that you arrived, so I wanted to hurry back, but I really couldn't get away..."
His tone was familiar, and his manner of talking to him was the same as before, as if nothing had happened between them.
Xia Xun hid her hands in her sleeves, clenched her fists secretly, and forced herself not to move.
Qi Yan put the food box on the table.
"Are you hungry? This is pagoda leaves parfait. I remember you liked it very much in the past."
Xia Xun turned a blind eye, stood up slowly, and saluted him respectfully.
He hasn't been in the capital for a long time, so he doesn't know what kind of etiquette the nobles in Beijing are doing now, their movements are quite unfamiliar.
He thought his actions must be wrong, because Qi Yan's face immediately became ugly.
Xia Xun laughed at herself, put down her hands, and said to him:
"My elder brother is married and has a daughter who is not yet a year old."
When Xia Xun opened her mouth, Qi Yan was a little more surprised.
He lived in Douzhou, the place of exile in Lingnan for many years, where the climate is hot and humid and the water quality is rough.
Xia Xun is a native of the capital city, and was not acclimatized to the environment. She fell seriously ill as soon as she arrived there.
After recovering from the illness, his throat became broken, and his voice became extremely hoarse, which even he himself found unpleasant.
Qi Yan spoke sourly: "You—how could...?"
Xia Xun didn't answer, and continued:
"For the sake of his underage daughter, I beg you—Master Zhongshu, please don't embarrass him. If you still have any resentment, I can bear it for him."
Qi Yan's expression froze, the excitement and disbelief of reuniting with Xia Xun retreated in an instant.
His eyes were dazed, and he stood where he was, speechless for a long time.
Xia Xun lowered her eyes, quietly waiting for his answer.
They were so close that Xia Xun could smell the incense on Qi Yan's clothes.
He is very familiar with this smell, it is the scent that Qi Yan has always had.
Qi Yan looked at him for a while, then suddenly said: "...you have grown up."
There is also a trace of comfort in the words.
"In the past, you only reached my chin, but now... you have reached the tip of my nose."
He was in a trance, answering irrelevant questions.
Xia Xun followed closely:
"Master Zhongshu should have heard what I said, I don't know what you think—"
Qi Yan interrupted him suddenly, pretending to be relaxed and saying:
"Don't talk about this, come and taste it, if you don't eat it, it will be cold."
He sat down, opened the lid of the box, Huang Chengcheng's dim sum was still steaming.
He picked up a piece and handed it to Xia Xun.
Xia Xun paused, slowly sat down at the table, took it from his hand, bit off a piece, and chewed expressionlessly.
Qi Yan watched him closely, the heat in his eyes could almost burn him through.
Xia Xun felt uneasy, he couldn't figure out what Qi Yan would do to him and his elder brother.
The pastry is sweet and delicate, with a strong aroma of locust leaves, but it is a pity that he can't taste it.
Just as he was thinking wildly, Qi Yan suddenly moved.
He suddenly leaned over and hugged Xia Xun.
Xia Xun's whole body trembled, her hands trembled, and the remaining half of the snack fell on Qi Yan's shoulder, and hit the ground again, breaking into pieces.
Qi Yan's arm was getting tighter and tighter, but Xia Xun let him hold her without saying a word.
The room was silent, except for the crackling of the cotton wicks of the candles.
Xia Xun's whole body was stiff, even breathing carefully.
Qi Yan felt it, and asked in a low voice:
"...you obviously don't want to, why...don't you push me away?"
Xia Xun pretended to be calm:
"As I said, as long as Master Zhongshu is willing to let my brother go, I can do anything."
Qi Yan was silent for a moment, then said: "Okay..."
He tugged hard, and Xia Xun fell into his arms, Qi Yan wrapped his arms around his waist, and buried his head in the hollow of his shoulder.
The side of his face was pressed against Xia Xun's thin neck, and his hand was caressing the back of his waist.
The aura that belonged exclusively to Qi Yan enveloped Xia Xun layer by layer, and the little memories of the past created huge waves in his heart.
He closed his eyes tightly, gritted his teeth, and clenched his fists tightly.
Qi Yan didn't stop, his hand gradually moved up, and he was about to touch Xia Xun's shoulder blade.
Xia Xun couldn't take it anymore.
He pushed his shoulders hard, refused his approach, and tried to escape from this forced embrace.
Qi Yan did not let go, and held him tightly in his arms.
"Xia Xun..."
His burning palms pressed against his back and kept stroking, and he murmured his name.
"... Are you really not dead? Really alive...? Really... back to me?"
Xia Xun held back her anger:
"Why are you still talking about these things now! Didn't Master Zhongshu forcefully bring me back?"
Qi Yan was silent.
He buried Xia Xun's neck and breathed heavily, absorbing his scent, and his lips briefly brushed behind his ear.
Xia Xun's body reacted faster than his heart, and before his consciousness reacted, his hands and feet were already struggling violently.
He desperately wants to leave him, at least to hide in a place where he can't see him, so that he feels safe.
He obviously used a lot of strength to push, but Qi Yan didn't move at all.
He wanted to hold down Qi Yan's hand, but he grabbed his wrist with his backhand. He wanted to stand up, but he pulled him to his leg again.
With a hoarse voice, he said angrily:
"You can't find someone! Why do you have to find me?! You brought me to the capital just to do this kind of thing??"
Qi Yan said to him:
"You misunderstood, I can't do anything right for you! I just want you to listen to me, the past is not what you think, I can slowly explain—"
Xia Xun shook off his hand and said sarcastically:
"Do you believe it yourself when you say this? Is this your revenge? Even if my father is sorry for you, he is already dead! His head was cut off by your own hands, you will not forget it?!"
Qi Yan grabbed Xia Xun's shoulder and forced him to look at him.
"I never wanted revenge on you, I just beg you—"
"enough!"
Xia Xun couldn't listen anymore, she pushed down the food box on the table, and the porcelain plate containing the locust leaf parfait fell on the table, making a clear shattering sound.
The servants heard the sound and wanted to come in to check.
Qi Yan snorted at them:
"Back off, no one is allowed in."
Soon the house was empty.
Panting heavily, Xia Xun jumped up from his arms, flames shot out from his eyes:
"If you want to fight or kill, it's up to you, don't try to lie to me with such words!"
Qi Yan looked at him with a complicated expression, looking straight at him with affectionate and melancholy eyes.
He was silent for a moment, then exerted his strength suddenly, grabbed Xia Xun and pressed him on the table, kissing his face.
Xia Xun couldn't dodge in time, and in desperation, he grabbed the broken porcelain beside the table and swung it vigorously.
—The dazzling blood flashed by with his movements, and Qi Yan's right hand was scratched by him.
Qi Yan felt the pain and let him go.
Xia Xun got up in a panic, took a few steps back, held the tile in her hand, stared at him vigilantly, and kept a distance from him.
The edge of the tile was sharp and sharp, cutting a deep wound on Qi Yan's palm, and red blood dripped down.
Qi Yan turned a blind eye to the wound and quickly approached Xia Xun.
Xia Xun couldn't dodge in time, and he grabbed his wrist.
"What are you doing?!"
He was startled and angry.
With bloody hands, Qi Yan took off the porcelain piece in his hand and threw it far away.
"This thing is too sharp, don't get scratched by it!"
Xia Xun couldn't help but laugh.
Qi Yan didn't care about his injuries, but worried about whether he would be hurt
Is he showing weakness to him like this, is he thinking of a new way to lie to him again
Xia Xun hid her hands behind her back: "Don't worry about it!"
Qi Yan closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all his emotions were absorbed into his calm black pupils.
His expression regained his composure.
During the time when Xia Xun first met him, this was his most common expression.
Calm and unhurried, calm and calm, no likes and dislikes can be seen.
Xia Xun thought to herself, he was never Qi Yan's opponent, not only couldn't see what he was thinking, but also wrote all his emotions on his face, so he deserved to be deceived by him.
When he was in a daze, Qi Yan suddenly raised his hand, and put the back of his hand against his face, and the blood with his body temperature rubbed against Xia Xun's chin.
He wiped the blood away with his fingers, and the blood drops turned into blood stains, which remained on Xia Xun's skin.
He did it on purpose, he did it on purpose to smear his blood on his face.
Xia Xun looked at him in disbelief.
Qi Yan smiled, it was a very small smile, fleeting.
"Don't be afraid, I won't do anything to you. This main house is specially cleaned out for you to live in. After a long journey, you must be tired. Let's rest."
After speaking, he stopped looking at Xia Xun, turned around and walked out of the house.
When he came, his steps were eager, but when he went, he lost his steps.
Before he got to the door, he suddenly remembered something and said to Xia Xun:
"Don't eat those pagoda leaf parfaits, I'll buy them for you tomorrow."
As soon as the door opened and closed, his figure disappeared.
After that, no one came in except for the servants who came in to clean up the broken porcelain pieces.
Xia Xun was still in shock and dared not relax.
When Xu time passed and there was still no movement outside the house, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
From Douzhou all the way here, he was already exhausted, he staggered to the bed, and he fell down heavily.
His body was extremely tired, but his tense spirit could not relax.
He opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling.
After a long time, he realized that the layout of this room was not the same as it was seven years ago.
Did Qi Yan do it on purpose
What is his intention to act like this
Xia Xun couldn't turn her head around.
He raised his hand in front of him and spread it out. There was a note in it, which he just ate out of the parfait.
Just now he pretended to be sullen and knocked over the food box, just to distract Qi Yan's attention and hide the note.
There is only one sentence on the thin paper:
—Knowing your predicament, let me come to Guangning Tower for a talk.
He looked at it in silence for a while, then put it on a candle and burned it.