A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Chapter 382 The Elegance of a Recluse

"I didn't!" Dou Rongshan still refused to admit defeat.

But when Gu Xixi turned around and looked at her, her voice trembled, "I...I just...I just..."

Her eyes darted around, and she stammered, unable to give a coherent answer.

He Jinglan burst into laughter.

Gu Xixi frowned in confusion, "Is Miss Dou afraid of me?"

Dou Rongshan quickly waved her hand, forcing a smile, "No, no."

Gu Xixi sighed softly, "Sigh, in your opinion, am I scarier than those robbers?"

Before Dou Rongshan could answer, Gu Xixi lowered her head and said to herself:

“I’m not a professional murderer or robber, nor am I heartless.”

Gu Xixi's eyes dimmed, "If it weren't for a matter of life and death, I wouldn't..."

She looked up at Dou Rongshan and said earnestly, "But I'm still sorry, I scared you."

With each word Gu Xixi spoke, Dou Rongshan felt a growing sense of self-reproach and shame.

In the end, she met Gu Xixi's gaze, and only one thought remained in her mind:

I'm such a terrible person! How could I be afraid of my savior! I've caused her so much heartache!

Dou Rongshan was overwhelmed with emotion and grabbed Gu Xixi's hand, "Sister Xixi, it's not your fault!"

"I'm the one who should apologize!"

Gu Xixi was stunned.

Although she performs anywhere, big or small, she simply doesn't want to be seen as a monster.

But isn't Little Sheep's reaction a bit too much?

He Jinglan also found it hard to believe. Not long ago, she had been cursing someone as a vixen, so how could she suddenly be calling someone "sister"?

Could this girl have some unknown fetish?

Dou Rongshan didn't notice the subtle expressions on the other two people's faces and said excitedly, "In the woods of Xianguo Village, I was drugged by their sleeping potion and fell unconscious. You didn't have time to take me away, and you couldn't bear to see me fall into the tiger's den, so you could only pretend to be unconscious."

"Later, in front of the kidnappers, it was thanks to your acting that you were able to stall for time and distract them."

“I didn’t understand your good intentions at the time, and I even argued with you.”

"If it weren't for your ability to keep trying to find a way to deal with it, I might not have been able to save myself in the end."

"Actually, I know all this. I've wanted to thank you for a long time, but I..."

Dou Rongshan struggled for a moment before finally telling the truth, "This is the first time I've seen so many dead people, and they died in such a horrible way. I never imagined there would be a girl like you."

“I’ve insulted you like that before, so I… I’m still a little afraid of you.”

She looked at Gu Xixi earnestly, "But I swear, I don't hate you."

Gu Xixi felt a little sorry for him. "You heard it too, their target was originally me."

Dou Rongshan said, "I know."

"But if I hadn't fainted first, you would have had a perfect chance to escape."

He Jinglan gleaned the key point: "You were dizzy at the time, so how did you know all this?"

Dou Rongshan made no attempt to hide anything, saying, "It's my cousin."

“I didn’t return home all night. On the morning I returned home, the Prince’s Mansion sent someone to explain to my grandmother.”

"She also said that Sister Xixi stayed with me all night, and with the two girls by my side, nothing happened."

“Those bandits have been dealt with by the Prince’s Palace, and the news of my kidnapping will never be spread.”

He Jinglan and Gu Xixi exchanged a glance.

It's him?

Not only did he take full responsibility for the deaths of the kidnappers, but he also helped Gu Xixi do the Dou family a great favor.

Dou Rongshan said with a smile, "My grandmother has always valued the Dou family's reputation."

"I originally prepared two gifts, one for my cousin and one for my sister Xixi."

“But my cousin even anticipated this.”

"His men said that Miss Gu does good deeds but does not want others to know, and since this matter concerns the reputation of both young ladies, it is better for few people to know, so the congratulatory gift is unnecessary."

Gu Xixi was stunned. Mu Nanzhao's arrangement was more comprehensive than she had imagined.

But he never mentioned it to her.

Dou Rongshan looked Gu Xixi up and down and said knowingly, "Sister Xixi, after this experience, I have really given up."

Gu Xixi was still immersed in emotion when she heard her say righteously:

"Don't worry! I won't try to take your cousin away from you again!"

Gu Xixi slowly raised her head. "Well, I've never been worried about that."

Dou Rongshan was so moved by her own words that she couldn't hear anything Gu Xixi was saying.

"Sister Xixi, I understand, I understand everything. You are a good person, you don't need to feel bad for me."

Gu Xixi felt suffocated and tried to communicate clearly, "I mean, this whole thing about stealing a man is unnecessary, really unnecessary."

“I never intended to compete with you, nor did I consider you an enemy because of this.”

Dou Rongshan nodded, "I've figured it out. My cousin doesn't care about me, so no matter how good he is, it's useless."

"The world is half women and half men, so I don't need to hang myself on one tree."

Gu Xixi was somewhat relieved, "That's true."

But did this girl actually understand what she meant?

When it comes to feelings, it's the same for both men and women; the only person you need to fight for is the one you truly love.

If a man lets girls fight tooth and nail for him, it means he is not a good man.

Even if we manage to steal it, what good will it do?

Dou Rongshan smiled, "Sister Xixi, I don't think I'm so afraid of you anymore."

At this moment, Gu Xixi looked at Dou Rongshan's fair and tender round face and smiled through gritted teeth.

I really want to pinch it hard.

An Qinghe was already waiting in the front yard.

“Brother Jiang lives in the room opposite mine. When the doctor came, I went with him to take a look.”

"Fortunately, Brother Jiang is alright. The doctor said he is young and strong, and a bowl of ginger tea will dispel the cold."

As he spoke, he led the girls into the guest rooms.

Jiang Mingyuan sat on a low couch by the window.

He had just taken a bath, and half of his long black hair was loosely tied up with a hairband, while the other half was draped over his back. His bamboo-green cross-collared, wide-sleeved shirt was loosely draped over his body.

Jiang Mingyuan leaned against the windowsill, reading a book with one hand.

It seemed that no matter the circumstances, nothing could stop him from immersing himself in books.

Looking at his profile, Gu Xixi was reminded of the elegant and refined scholars of the Wei and Jin dynasties.

Dou Rongshan whispered, "Judging from this, the top scholar is no worse than my cousin."

"No wonder so many people have been watching us since early on; I know of at least eight or nine."

He Jinglan chuckled and said, "With your limited social circle, where would you get so many rumors?"

Dou Rongshan said, "I already said there are many, you can grab a handful. I know eight or nine families, what's so special about that?"

Gu Xixi and An Qinghe walked at the front.

As they entered, An Qinghe knocked on the doorframe, saying, "Brother Jiang, we've come to see you."

When Jiang Mingyuan looked up, a gentle smile had already appeared on his face.

"coming."

His gaze swept across everyone equally, except for a moment when it lingered on Gu Xixi's face.

Seeing that he was about to get down, An Qinghe quickly went over and said, "Hey, hey, you've just recovered, don't move around."

Gu Xixi smiled and said, "We're all acquaintances, Brother Zichu, just relax and rest. There's no need for such formalities."

Jiang Mingyuan smiled, but still insisted on getting up.

He faced Gu Xixi, clasped his hands in a deep bow, and said, "I should thank Xixi for saving my life."