Chapter 27: Jealous?

"Heh, what a close bond between brother and sister, isn’t it?" Before Fang Xu could say a word, a cold, mocking voice drifted from the wooden door behind him.

At the sound of that laughter, Fang Xu’s face instantly drained of color. He had indeed been so absorbed with Xiaoya that he'd momentarily forgotten his precarious situation. But never did he imagine that Suwen Qin would be standing right outside the door, eavesdropping!

The grand ruler of a nation, resorting to eavesdropping—who would have thought?

What Fang Xu didn’t know was that Suwen Qin hadn’t intentionally chosen to eavesdrop—the voices of Fang Xu and Xiaoya had simply been pitched perfectly, neither too loud nor too soft, so that she could hear every word clearly.

Now, after hearing Suwen Qin’s icy words, Fang Xu frantically tried to recall exactly what he and the girl in his arms had been saying. As the memory returned, a prickling discomfort seized him, as though he were sitting on pins and needles. Standing up would be awkward, but remaining seated and doing nothing felt equally impossible. He could palpably sense the chill emanating from behind the door, carrying Suwen Qin’s unmistakable displeasure.

"Brother, what’s wrong? Why are you shaking?" Xiaoya, nestled in his arms, seemed to sense something amiss and looked up at him curiously.

"Well… um… that…" Fang Xu hadn’t expected Xiaoya to notice his embarrassment. For a moment, he was at a loss for words, uncertain how to explain himself. He was trapped between two difficult sides, neither of which he wished to offend. He’d intended to clarify things with Suwen Qin, who was just one wooden door away, but now Xiaoya was asking questions, and he couldn’t very well pretend not to hear.

"Brother, I understand now!" Xiaoya suddenly broke into a bright, mischievous smile, revealing her tiny canine teeth.

"Hmm? Xiaoya, what is it that you understand?" Fang Xu looked at her in surprise, but she only grinned slyly.

Seeing this expression, Fang Xu’s heart sank with foreboding. He truly feared what mischief Xiaoya might attempt.

"Heave-ho! If I hug you now, brother, you won’t be cold anymore!" Xiaoya turned around and wrapped her small arms around Fang Xu’s waist, pressing her blushing cheek against his chest.

Fang Xu was startled by her sudden affection, yet he couldn’t deny that it soothed him, chasing away his distress for a moment. But then, a chilling snort from behind the door jolted him back to reality, making him shudder involuntarily.

"Ahem, Xiaoya, be good. Go and rest for now." He patted her gently, signaling for her to let go. At his words, Xiaoya released him and quickly scurried away, hiding behind a group of attendant girls with her face flushed, as if she couldn’t bear for Fang Xu to see her.

Fang Xu couldn’t help but laugh at her bashfulness. So the little one did know what it meant to be shy! If so, why act so boldly before? He didn’t press the matter, simply offering an apologetic glance to the attendants, who nodded and led Xiaoya out of the hall.

"Your servant takes her leave." At Fang Xu’s signal, the surrounding attendants all quietly withdrew.

Only when everyone had gone did Fang Xu rise, straighten his robes, and gently knock on the wooden door.

"My lady? Have you gone to rest already?" he asked softly, but the hall remained silent, as though empty.

"Ahem, my lady?" Realizing Suwen Qin was probably angry—and knowing he was at fault—Fang Xu called out again, apologetically.

"Hmph! Who are you calling your lady? Stop talking nonsense!" came her disgruntled murmur from beyond the door. Fang Xu scratched his head in embarrassment.

"If you’re not my lady, then are you the little miss? Or just Suwen?" he asked, scratching his head in confusion. In that moment, his emotional intelligence plummeted to new lows.

"Hmph!" All he received was a haughty, dismissive snort, which only left Fang Xu more bewildered.

"My dear lady, please don’t be angry, alright? What happened with Xiaoya was just a misunderstanding," Fang Xu pleaded pitifully, but Suwen Qin seemed unmoved.

"Xiaoya? You call her so affectionately, don’t you?" she muttered with a hint of jealousy as Fang Xu mentioned Xiaoya’s name.

"Ahem, my lady, Xiaoya’s real name is Xiaoya. There’s nothing particularly intimate about it," Fang Xu explained, but Suwen Qin was clearly unconvinced.

Left with no choice, Fang Xu recounted Xiaoya’s story to her, explaining that he intended to take Xiaoya as his sworn sister, though he wasn’t sure whether Suwen Qin would approve.

"And why should I have to approve? Some people seem rather cozy with their so-called sister already," Suwen Qin said with evident displeasure, but Fang Xu caught a different note in her words.

"My lady, could it be that you’re jealous of Xiaoya?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

At this, only silence followed; Suwen Qin made no reply from within the hall, leaving Fang Xu anxious and impatient. If the door were not locked from inside, he might have rushed in already.

"My lady, if you won’t answer, I’ll take it as your silent agreement," he said shamelessly, thinking to himself that sometimes, if you want something, you must throw caution to the winds.

When it came to being thick-skinned, Fang Xu, once a sales director in his previous life, was second to none—everyone else was an amateur by comparison!

"Who’s jealous of whom? Stop spouting nonsense! I’m going to rest now!" Suwen Qin’s voice came, flustered and defensive. Though she pretended nothing had happened, Fang Xu could hear the embarrassment in her tone.

So he’d guessed right—Suwen Qin was indeed jealous of Xiaoya. Fang Xu couldn’t help but chuckle at this realization, for, in truth, there was nothing between him and Xiaoya; he simply regarded her as a younger sister, nothing more.