My best friends both transmigrated into a book and married powerful officials; she left me and I lef

Suddenly, Qi Ran stopped in his tracks, turned to the side, pointed at Mu Xiang, and said through gritted teeth, "Since you like kneeling so much, then you can stay kneeling here. You are not allowed to get up until I arrive."

After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.

Mu Xiang sighed softly; she still hadn't been able to keep the Crown Princess's secret.

She silently straightened her back.

Cang Hei, standing to the side, craned his neck to look at Yunyan Pavilion, then squatted down and gently poked Mu Xiang's arm. "Hey, the contents of that letter, it shouldn't be from your family, right?"

Mu Xiang pursed her lips, glared fiercely at Cang Hei, and then turned her head away.

The dark figure moved in sync with her movements.

In a fit of anger, Mu Xiang changed the direction in which she knelt.

Cang Hei continued to stare intently at her face, saying seriously, "Don't be angry. I was just following orders."

Mu Xiang's voice was devoid of emotion, "How could I dare to be angry? I'm just a servant girl, not like Lord Cang Hei, who is a favorite of the young master!"

She emphasized the words "celebrity" even more.

"Don't call me that, it makes me feel uncomfortable." Cang Hei touched his nose guiltily. "This is really not my fault. I heard it from some maid in the manor a couple of days ago. She said that she would see you leaving the manor every day at 5 pm. So the young master took it to heart."

Mu Xiang responded with an "oh".

His back remained ramrod straight.

Cang Hei reached out and gently poked Mu Xiang's arm, tilting his head, "Don't worry too much, it should be fine. The young master is just cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He just spoke carelessly for a moment. He's the kind of person who suffers for the sake of saving face. You can get up first and kneel down later. Don't worry, I will definitely not say a word more."

He thought for a moment, then added, "As long as it doesn't involve the Grand Secretary, it's fine."

Mu Xiang, who had been keeping her head down, finally turned around slowly and looked up at him with a complicated expression.

Seeing the other party's expression, Cang Hei's previously indifferent expression gradually froze on his face.

He asked tentatively, "Could it be...?"

Mu Xiang remained silent.

In a fit of anger, Cang Hei slapped his own mouth, saying, "Look at my jinxed mouth."

He looked up at the sky, which was gradually darkening.

Suddenly, a cold wind swept in from all around, and in the next instant, a dense drizzle began to fall from the sky.

Cang Hei reached out and grabbed Mu Xiang's arm, lifting her up a bit. "Quick, it's raining, get up quickly."

Mu Xiang remained motionless. "The young master said that we cannot get up until he gives the order."

Cang Hei: "I won't stop you if you want to kneel, but at least find a drier place, otherwise you'll be soaked and easily catch a cold."

Mu Xiang flung her dark hand away and wiped her face. "Your Highness is right. Make me kneel here."

Seeing that he couldn't pull it at all, Cang Hei could only sigh.

He straightened up, put his hands on his hips, and looked around.

After looking around for a while, he realized that only his outer robe could offer some protection from the wind and rain for those around him.

The light drizzle, which had been falling in a short time, suddenly intensified.

Without hesitation, Cang Hei took off his outer robe and draped it over his body.

The next moment, he moved closer to Mu Xiang, grabbed the wide outer robe with one hand, and then slightly raised his hand, completely covering Mu Xiang with the robe.

The outer robe is made of a special material that is not only waterproof but also provides some protection against damage.

Rainwater fell from the outer robe, turned a corner, and slid straight down from below.

Therefore, the ground around Canghei and Muxiang was very damp.

Only the area beneath the fragrant wood was dry.

Mu Xiang glanced at it briefly before quickly looking away.

She stared intently ahead, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, inside the Yunyan Pavilion.

Qi Ran, holding the papers in her hand, stormed into the main house.

He slammed the paper onto the table.

Upon his arrival, Meng Youning placed the freshly poured teacup steadily in front of Qi Ran, saying, "This is a new tea that I've been trying recently. Your Highness's arrival is just in time; you may have a taste."

Qi Ran was originally full of anger, but when he met the other person's innocent little face, the anger in his eyes dissipated a little.

He cleared his throat and pointed to the papers on the table. "Aren't you going to explain what's going on here?"

Meng Youning only glanced at it, but she understood everything in her heart.

She slowly sipped her tea, her tone indifferent, "It's just a letter from a young lady. What does the young master want to know from such a letter?"

"I won't beat around the bush with you anymore. I'll just ask you one question." Qi Ran unfolded the paper and placed it in front of Meng Youning, pointing to the handwriting on the paper, "You and Sang Luan are nothing like what we saw before. Why did you pretend to be at odds?"

He stared intently at Meng Youning, seemingly waiting for an answer.

Meng Youning paused in her movements, sighed softly, and silently turned her head to the side.

"And then there's your maid I ran into earlier. I asked her what this was, and she actually said it was a letter from home." Qi Ran said angrily, "If it's just letter paper from a woman's family, why are you afraid to show it to anyone? It's outrageous!"

Qi Ran took a deep breath and asked patiently, "Tell me honestly, when did your relationship with this Sang Luan become so good? You've never had any interaction with her before!"

Meng Youning narrowed her eyes slightly, "What do you mean by that, Your Highness?"

"Don't you understand what I mean?" Qi Ran blurted out without thinking, "Sang Luan grew up in Shengjing and is the daughter of a high-ranking official, while you only arrived in Shengjing in the last two years. There's absolutely no way you two would have any interaction, unless..."

He paused, then leaned closer to Meng Youning. "Unless you knew each other a long time ago, all your previous actions were just an act for the world to see."

As he spoke, his fists clenched tightly together, his face showing great restraint.

“Your Highness has been speaking for so long, and I understand now.” Meng Youning’s expression turned cold instantly as she took back the teacup in front of Qi Ran.

She stood up, her eyelids slightly lowered, and said, "Your Highness can rest assured that I have not done anything to wrong you. However, if you do not trust me, then you are free to stop coming to Yunyan Pavilion from now on."

Qi Ran's brows furrowed suddenly, and a sharp pain shot through his heart.

After a moment of silence, Meng Youning spoke again, "Please, Your Highness."

Qi Ran felt a lump in his throat, unable to swallow it down, and felt extremely distressed.

“You’ve not only deceived the world, but you’ve deceived me too.” He gritted his teeth. “I want you to tell me how you and Sang Luan met, and how you became such close friends?”