Reborn as a concubine's daughter and entering a noble family: Xie Lang, don't be too seduc

"Sang Hua, watch out!—"

Xie Lin shouted and pounced over like lightning, pulling Huo Sanghua behind him as a shield, while vigilantly guarding their surroundings.

That person...

Missing? !

For a moment, he even wondered if he was seeing things...

Xie Lin clearly saw the man rip off a lock of Sang Hua's hair, and then... Xie Lin assumed he was going to harm Sang Hua, which was why he rushed to her rescue. "Where did he go?"

When Xie Lin asked this, Huo Sanghua had no idea.

She shook her head. She had turned around as soon as she heard Xie Lin's voice, so she naturally didn't see how "Chu Qi" disappeared.

It all felt like a dream, only...

She looked down and saw that a section of her hair was missing, confirming that what she had just experienced was real.

Is this person really capable of appearing and disappearing without a trace?

"It's alright, let's go back first." Xie Lin carefully protected her, intending to leave this place first. He had gone through a lot of trouble searching for her, especially finding this place...

He knew Shengjing all too well, but here...

It felt like the first time I'd ever been here.

I had never been here before, and I would never have dared to barge in so recklessly if I weren't looking for Sang Hua.

Only when he saw Hawthorne standing unharmed before him did he breathe a sigh of relief, tightly grasp her hand, and lead her away. "I told you so! Don't wander off! How did you end up here? Who was that person? How do you know such a strange person? Did he do anything to you?... ..."

But Hawthorne, who was following behind, did not utter a word.

Xie Lin stopped and turned to look at her, wondering what had happened. "What's wrong? Did he bully you?"

"No." Huo Sanghua was lost in thought, pondering what "Chu Qi" had said. She increasingly felt that "Chu Qi" was targeting her, but what was "Chu Qi's" motive? She truly didn't seem to have ever seen this person before. "What did you just ask me?"

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't hear what Xie Lin asked her.

"Never mind." Xie Lin was too lazy to repeat himself. It was best that she was alright.

The moment he learned that Hawthorne was missing, he felt an inexplicable panic. In that brief instant, he considered every worst possible outcome. He didn't believe Hawthorne would simply disappear for no reason; it could only be...

They were kidnapped, or even murdered.

He also knew that Hawthorne had originally intended to leave, so would he take this opportunity to leave...?

When he couldn't find her, he even considered all the possibilities.

He was afraid that every possibility would come true...

Until the moment I saw Hawthorne in person, I felt a surge of joy at having found her again, a sense of relief that she was alright...

Xie Lin suddenly hugged her tightly.

This reaction startled Hawthorne, who was already somewhat nervous. "You... what's wrong with you?"

Why would Xie Lin suddenly hug her out of the blue?

"I thought something had happened to you." Xie Lin was the one who was more afraid.

Since they talked things out, he has become even more afraid of losing her.

If I can't see her for even a moment and I'm not sure where she is, I can't help but wonder if something has happened to her.

"I'm fine." Huo Sanghua felt Xie Lin gradually tighten his grip, making it hard for her to breathe. But this incident also gradually confirmed the true feelings Xie Lin had been carefully hiding...

It turns out he had already fallen for her long ago.

This was truly an unexpected bonus...

Hawthorne was both pleasantly surprised and somewhat disappointed.

Xie Lin suddenly realized his actions had been somewhat rash. Holding Sang Hua tightly, he gradually understood his undisguised feelings and closed his eyes, holding her even closer. Unconsciously, he had become more serious and devoted to Huo Sang Hua. He couldn't pinpoint exactly when it happened, but Huo Sang Hua had quietly entered his heart, making him increasingly afraid, increasingly...

Even if it's just for this moment, he accepts it.

He liked her, liked her madly.

"...Xie Lin, you like me, right?" Huo Sanghua was afraid that she had misunderstood again, so she was extra careful to confirm Xie Lin's feelings.

This is his love for her, not her misunderstanding, right?

Xie Lin didn't say anything, but instead pulled her even tighter into his arms.

"I think I like you, but whenever I have that thought, I feel like you're deliberately pushing me away, as if it's all a misunderstanding on my part. I can't see you clearly, I don't know if you really like me..." she said helplessly, mustering her courage.

In her view, Xie Lin would always inadvertently reveal these strange reactions.

Just like...

is love.

It seemed to be his love, proof that he had fallen in love with her.

But Huo Sanghua wasn't sure exactly when Xie Lin started to have different feelings for her.

Despite many instances where he involuntarily tried to get close to her, he would always push her away, making her mistakenly believe that it was all just wishful thinking on her part.

Why would he do this again...?

"...I'll die," Xie Lin whispered desperately in her ear. "I don't want to involve you, and I don't want to..."

"Are you afraid I'll be a burden to you, preventing you from seeking revenge? Or are you afraid I'll hold you back, becoming a hindrance and preventing you from accomplishing what you originally wanted to do?" Huo Sanghua knew Xie Lin's secret; he had been preparing in Shengjing for so many years, he must have been planning a grand conspiracy.

There are other people behind him, who seem to be in cahoots with him, but they are not people he can control.

Those people even went so far as to assassinate his elder brother against his will.

Who knows, once she and Xie Lin get together, will those people also see her as a threat and try to get rid of her like they did with Xie Shu?

No... no...

Reason and the growing love clashed in his mind, neither able to completely prevail. He only knew that at this moment, his heart was filled with the strongest desire because he was afraid of losing Sang Hua, and he wished he could abandon everything and keep her by his side.

"...If the ending is already predetermined, and we are all going to die, why won't you face your own feelings?" Hawthorne said in disappointment.

Each disappointment made her doubt Xie Lin's motives.

She knew a lot about Xie Lin, yet it seemed far from enough.

Gradually, she lost the courage to continue this relationship. Xie Lin's repeated retreats made her begin to doubt whether, from the very beginning...

It was a mistake for her to gradually develop feelings for Xie Lin.

"Forget it," Hawthorne said, tears welling in her eyes. "I should have realized this sooner... We weren't meant to be in a relationship. Even if I could do it all over again, my fate wouldn't change. You have your own path to walk, and you've never considered me a fellow traveler. Maybe I was just... lonely for too long, went through too much, and that's why I mistook your protection for love..."

Was it ultimately wrong?

Did I choose the wrong one again?