Chapter 153: Do Not Mind Me

"Let me in. I won't disturb you."

Xuanyuan Juesi had been standing outside the door, but his voice sounded distinctly strained. Not wanting to cause a bigger commotion, Si Nuosang opened the door and looked at him.

Without wasting a moment, he strode into the room, bringing a rush of external chill with him. Inside, however, charcoal was burning in the hearth. The temperature was much higher and far more comfortable than outside.

Si Nuosang closed the door, and Xuanyuan Juesi walked over to the fire. He took off his cold-weather coat and sat down by the warmth.

"Can we leave this place?"

Si Nuosang also found a spot to sit down, looking at Xuanyuan Juesi across from her. She truly wanted to leave.

"I've already told you, Cang is not Wen Shuan. Can you please let go of Wen Shuan? I know what kind of position Wen Shuan holds in your heart, but Cang is Cang, and Wen Shuan is Wen Shuan. Can you find it in your heart to let Wen Shuan go?" Xuanyuan Juesi knew that all of this was simply because she couldn't let go! Whenever she saw someone who looked similar, she projected Wen Shuan onto them.

Si Nuosang loved Wen Shuan deeply, of that there was no doubt. Then what did that make him, Xuanyuan Juesi?

"What do you mean? Xuanyuan Juesi, just say it straight—what on earth do you mean?"

"Just that."

"Just that? I think it's much more than that! Yes, I admit it. Wen Shuan is in my heart, and I have no way of forgetting him. But if you think I'm projecting Cang onto him because of that, you are entirely mistaken. To be completely honest, Cang doesn't just look somewhat like Wen Shuan; he looks identical. So, to me, he is Wen Shuan. If you can't accept that, you can kill me."

Driven almost to the point of explosion by anger, Si Nuosang spoke in an aggressive and uncompromising tone.

"Don't tell me you've fallen for Cang."

Xuanyuan Juesi stood up and glared at her. She rose to her feet as well.

"I haven't fallen for Cang. I love Wen Shuan, and I hate Wen Shuan. Is there a problem with that? What relationship do we even have for you to police me like this?"

"What relationship do we have? You tell me what relationship we have!"

"None."

Watching Xuanyuan Juesi close in on her, Si Nuosang raised her hands and pushed him away with all her might to keep him from getting close.

Flames roared in the hearth, and the fury of the two people burned just as fiercely.

"Say that again."

He was exceptionally enraged by Si Nuosang's words, driven nearly to the brink of madness.

"I'll say it again if I want; I'm not afraid of you. We have no relationship, no relationship, no relationship." Not only did she say it once, she repeated it a second and third time.

Xuanyuan Juesi reached out, gripped her throat fiercely, and slammed her against the wall. A dull thud echoed through the room, and the impact must have been excruciating.

Si Nuosang felt as though her lungs were about to burst, unable to draw in a single breath. Her legs kicked out at him hard, but he seemed entirely impervious to pain.

Seeing the veins bulging on his forehead, she realized he must have been truly, deeply furious. Si Nuosang felt as though she were on the verge of death.

Her face flushed bright red, suffering from severe oxygen deprivation. Just when she thought she was going to die right there, Xuanyuan Juesi loosened his grip, and she collapsed weakly to the floor, gasping for air.

"Why, why can't I bring myself to do it? You fickle woman, why can't I bring myself to finish you?"

Xuanyuan Juesi turned his head away in anguish, looking down at the person on the floor. Endless torment filled his eyes; the brighter the fire burned, the more agonizing his heart felt.

He loved Si Nuosang so, so deeply, yet Si Nuosang loved someone else. Xuanyuan Juesi had tried to force himself to understand her perspective, but he truly couldn't. He had no way of understanding it.

If Si Nuosang could just leave the past behind, he could even accept it. But now, he discovered that she had no intention of letting go of the past whatsoever. Even a mere resemblance was enough to drive her into such a frenzy.

What on earth was he to her?

Looking at Xuanyuan Juesi's tormented expression, Si Nuosang knew that once again, she had completely broken his heart.

"Because I'm not worth your affection. Xuanyuan Juesi, you've loved the wrong person." Though Si Nuosang couldn't let go of the past, that didn't mean she didn't care for Xuanyuan Juesi. Yet even if she professed her love for him now, Xuanyuan Juesi would only find it false. How absurd it was for a woman to harbor two men in her heart, and to be utterly incapable of letting go of either of them even now.

"Even so, I will never let go. If we die, we die together, and you can forget about ever being with that Wen Shuan."

"Enough. I want to rest. I don't want to speak with you right now." Si Nuosang got up from the floor and walked past him. She lay down sideways on a nearby couch; she desperately needed to rest.

Her mind was in absolute chaos, incapable of taking in another word. Nor did she wish to hear any!

Xuanyuan Juesi kept his gaze fixed on the burning charcoal, his eyes reflecting the flames that were scorching his soul.

Si Nuosang had no idea how she had fallen asleep, but when she woke up, she found Xuanyuan Juesi sleeping beside her. She hadn't felt him climb onto the couch at all—perhaps she had simply been too exhausted. Still, she said nothing. She pulled a blanket over him, as he had fallen asleep right next to her without one, likely out of fear that she would misunderstand his intentions.

Xuanyuan Juesi must have only just fallen asleep. Knowing his habits, Si Nuosang knew he usually woke up at the slightest sound, but now, even with her relatively loud movements, he hadn't awakened. He must have drifted off only moments before.

Quietly closing the door behind her, Si Nuosang stepped outside. There was no ice here; though the temperature was low, it was nothing like the freezing cold atop the mountains or on their far side.

Watching the bustling activity around her, she estimated there were several thousand residents here. They were entirely self-sufficient, cultivating crops and farming, though she heard they also ventured out to trade for certain goods from time to time. However, most necessities were produced right here.

They raised yaks—sturdy, cold-resistant animals—so their diet largely consisted of beef and similar staples, alongside poultry and whatever else one might need.

"Miss, you're awake?"

At that moment, a woman approached her—the same woman who had arranged her lodging yesterday.

"Sister Fu, thank you."

Everything yesterday had been arranged by Sister Fu; otherwise, she wouldn't have known where to stay. Of course, she understood that this had all been orchestrated by Xuanyuan Juesi.

"It's nothing. The Prince has helped us a great deal. This is only right."

Sister Fu immediately brought up Xuanyuan Juesi. To the people here, both Xuanyuan Juesi and Cang were revered as untouchable benefactors, likely because they had done an immense amount of good for this community.

"Then please go ahead with your work, Sister Fu. I'll just wander around a bit."

Breathing in the crisp morning air, Si Nuosang felt the chill redden her cheeks, visible puffs of white mist escaping her lips with each breath.

"Your breakfast will be brought over in a couple of hours."

"Alright then, thank you so much for the trouble, Sister Fu." She still felt rather awkward having people run about taking care of her every need, but without it, she would surely have starved.