Chapter 195: Chilling Coldness

Nan Xun sighed. He never expected himself to become such a different person. If his soldiers could see him now, they would think that he had lost his senses. It was said that even the most stoic man would soften when faced with the person he loved. Perhaps those ancient texts had been telling the truth.

Nan Xun chuckled, lowering his head to watch Jun Huang browsing through the different trinkets. His eyes were as soft as a gentle stream.

Once the clerk had packed up their purchase, Nan Xun reached out to take the bag from him. Jun Huang caught his hands and said, “I’ll take it. You still have to push me around.”

“Alright,” said Nan Xun. “Anything else you want to buy?”

Jun Huang shook her head and closed her eyes. Without another word, Nan Xun took Jun Huang out of the store. They weren’t planning to return just yet.

Jun Huang was surprised to see the scholar Zhang Yuan. Nan Xun shared her feelings. It was only two days away from Zhang Yuan’s wedding with Wan’er. He shouldn’t be wandering on the street.

Nan Xun looked down at Jun Huang. As he expected, her smile had dropped from her face. She stared at Zhang Yuan with cold eyes and scoffed.

She told Nan Xun to take her to Zhang Yuan. Nan Xun couldn’t say no to her. He silently said a word of prayer for Zhang Yuan and pushed Jun Huang ahead.

Zhang Yuan was overwhelmed by stress. He had to personally attend to every little detail about the wedding, but he wasn’t allowed to even see Wan’er. He brooded as he thought back to how coldly Wan’er had treated him before. It didn’t help that his family and friends had come to the imperial city

What matter most now was to find a way into Jun Huang’s heart and to help her recover. Then, they would build a life together.

“Come on, we should leave this place as well,” said Jun Huang. “On our way here I saw someone selling river lanterns. Let’s check that out.”

Her tone had turned impassive. No trace of sorrow could be detected in her voice. It was as if nothing had happened. Jun Huang was still her usual self.

Nan Xun pushed aside his thoughts and nodded. When they went down to pay the bill, the cashier told them that Zhang Yuan had paid already. Neither of them commented on it. They left the tea house and started walking.

They found the stand Jun Huang was talking about. She lowered her head to look at the intricately designed lanterns. The sun added a touch of warmth to her face. Nan Xun imagined her wearing a phoenix cap and a wedding gown. His heart pounded against his ribcage. He had to stop himself from confessing to Jun Huang then and there that he wanted to spend his life with her.

Nan Xun knew that this wasn’t the right time. Jun Huang was too calm and too logical. Other women he would be able to win as long as he put his mind to it, but Jun Huang was different. She had too much on her mind and none she was able to let go of. There was no room for another person, not even a man she cared about. She would not accept him even when she shared his feelings.

She cared too much about too many to give him a promise.

While Nan Xun was lost in his thoughts, Jun Huang grimaced as sweat breaking out of her forehead. The lantern in her hand dropped onto the ground.

She held tight onto her knee. The sudden pain burrowed into her bones and joints. She could not stop trembling even by clenching her teeth. Her face grew pale and her lips lost their color.

Both the stand owner and Nan Xun were startled. Nan Xun dropped down to his knee before her, his breath hitched. “What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

“My knee starts hurting all of a sudden,” Jun Huang struggled to say. The pain made it difficult to even make a sound. The single sentence had taken all her strength to voice.