By now, Chu Lian had realised that there was something wrong with He Sanlang. However, she still didn’t know how she had triggered him.
She pushed at the hand grasping her arm and pitifully complained, “Can’t you loosen up a little? You’re hurting me! What do you mean, how do I know that? No need for someone to tell me; anyone with a brain would be able to guess it! If the meal they sent to welcome me as an envoy of the Empress Dowager looks like this, then what could the normal soldiers be eating?”
He Changdi continued his one-sided, fierce staring contest, even as Chu Lian gave him a wounded look. Just as she was about to let loose a furious scolding and start struggling, he finally let go.
In his past life, that wicked woman had cast a shadow over his heart, and a tremendous amount of fear still remained within him. Now that he realised he was somehow starting to care for this wicked woman- that is, if she was truly just this lifetime’s Chu Lian- he was both afraid and uncertain. He was so very scared that the Chu Lian in front of him would disappear, only to be replaced by the tormentor of his previous life.
That was why his reaction had been so over the top.
Chu Lian was still in the dark about the reason behind He Changdi’s abrupt change. She gingerly rubbed her arm and glared at the silent lunatic next to her, full of complaints.
“It’s definitely bruised! He Sanlang, what kind of fit are you having?!”
When He Changdi finally came to his senses, the first emotion that came to his mind was regret. He didn’t know how to face Chu Lian, so he bowed his head and let his long, thick eyelashes obscure his eyes. It was only after a long moment that he managed to say, “I didn’t do that on purpose.”
Chu Lian rolled her eyes and sighed.
She called for Wenqing and Wenlan.
“Help me up.”
Wenqing carefully helped Chu Lian to her feet. When she touched Chu Lian’s arm, her mistress let out a hiss of pain. Wenqing was startled; she secretly glanced at He Changdi.
Chu Lian straightened out her skirts before turning to the dazed He Sanlang sitting opposite her. “Husband, it’s getting late. If I dally any longer, it’ll be dark by the time I return to the He Estate.”
Without giving He Changdi the chance to answer, she turned around and ordered Wenqing and Wenlan to help her into her cape. She stuffed her hands into her hand warmer before lifting the tent flap and leaving the tent.
Judging by how cold Chu Lian had suddenly become, anyone could tell that there was trouble in paradise.
When He Changdi saw that Chu Lian had left without even glancing back, his expression turned ugly. He resisted the urge to escort her out. The tent flap fell. It was only after it stopped moving that He Changdi raised his arm, preparing to shove over the small table still filled with food.
However, upon seeing the leftover wheat pancakes and salted meat, he had to hold himself back. In the end, without any other way to vent his anger and frustration, he kicked over the brazier on the side.
Bright red coals spilled all over the ground. Luckily, the floor of his tent was just bare dirt, so the coals didn’t set fire to anything.
He Sanlang stared at the rolling hot coals on the ground with a dark look in his eyes. He paced around the tent twice in anger before sitting back down on his bed.
The originally hard, damp bedding had turned into a soft and warm one. The fleece blanket laid out on top was even more comfortable than the one he had brought with him from the capital. There were also flowers embroidered on the blanket, so he could tell that it belonged to a woman.
He Sanlang brushed the surface of the bed with his long fingers before checking the insides of his mattress. The mess of dried grass within had disappeared, replaced by a soft woollen blanket.
As the image of that wicked woman gritting her teeth and replacing his bedding for him came to mind, he could no longer sit still. He slammed the bed with his fist in a last show of temper before grabbing his cloak and dashing out of the tent after Chu Lian.
