Chapter 6: Awakening from Hibernation (Part 1)

  "Look, I told you he had forgotten about you long ago! You still don't believe it, this time, finally gave up, right!" Seeing Wang Xuan's gaze turn towards the two of them, the maid Xiaoping immediately pouted and fired off a string of rapid-fire questions.

  After all, it was his own negligence that he hadn't written to her in months. Wang Xuan felt a pang of guilt in his heart and looked back at the entrance of the military camp, making sure no one was watching him make a fool of himself. He took a few steps forward and asked softly, "Sister, how did you end up here? On such a cold day, you're wearing so little, aren't you afraid of freezing?"

  "I, I..." Bai Wei Ci opened her mouth, and tears immediately rolled down her face. "Except for here, where else can I find you? I, a woman of the wind and dust, not even your family's door..."

  The conversation had only reached halfway when she was already sobbing uncontrollably. The maid, Xiao Ping, immediately took over the conversation again, indignantly accusing, "You didn't even say goodbye and just disappeared! You got White Sister worried day and night. When we went to your house to ask about you, those servants were all like vicious dogs, not allowing us to get close. If I hadn't coincidentally seen Ma Fang on the street yesterday afternoon, Sister would still be worrying about you until who knows when!"

  "Never mind!" Bai Wei Ci wiped away her tears, gently tugged at the little maid's sleeve, and stopped her. "It's my own fault, I shouldn't blame others!"

  Having said that, he again wiped away tears with his hand, speechless and choked with emotion.

  Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan's sense of guilt grew even heavier. He had long been aware of Yun Niang's attitude towards Bai Hui Ci. The little servant girl Zi Luo was usually gentle and weak in front of him, but when she turned to face Bai Hui Ci, she would stop at nothing. Furthermore, the foolish Xiao Ping had become arrogant and reckless in Jin Hua Lou, relying on her mistress's power, and did not understand the true attitude of wealthy families towards courtesans. The master and servant had rashly entered the territory of Chong Ren Fang, and would likely fall from the clouds to the bottom of the valley in an instant.

  Thinking of this, he couldn't help but shake his head slightly. Looking around and seeing that there was no one else except himself and Wang Xiang, who had come to take him home, he took a few steps forward, bowed slightly with his hands clasped together, "Indeed it's my fault, sister please forgive me."

  This sentence is really too insincere, Bai Wei looked at him and shook her head lightly. "I don't dare blame you, I can only blame myself for being stupid, always..."

  Before the words had fallen, tears flowed again. Seeing Bai Hua's dejected appearance, Wang Xuan felt a deep sense of pity in his heart. With a gentle intention, he immediately pulled her into his arms and comforted her softly, but endured the armor on his body, not daring to be laughed at by others. For a moment, he couldn't think of any suitable comforting words, standing there awkwardly with stiff hands and feet.

  I didn't expect that when I cried, Wang You wouldn't even say a softening word. Bai Xiangxi suddenly felt a little disappointed, and her heart suddenly became empty, as if something had flown away, no matter how hard she tried to grasp it.

  At this moment, the three points of grievance that had been pretended to be true became real. Tears gushed out more and more, and it was impossible to stop them. Unexpectedly, something even more disappointing happened next. Wang Xuan, who was usually clever, stood beside her, crying helplessly, thinking for a long time before finally squeezing out a sentence: "Sister, don't cry! It's windy here, let's go back to the city first. Whatever it is, we'll talk about it slowly later!"

  Bai Wei Zhi slowly opened her tearful eyes, silently looked at him, shook her head, and silently turned around to walk towards the carriage. Wang Xuan chuckled and followed up with big strides, stretching out his hand to pull Bai Wei Zhi's arm "Sister slow down, it snowed a few days ago, be careful of the slippery road!"

  Bai Wei Zi shook off his hand with force and scolded in a low voice, "Stop pulling and tugging, I'm going to die from the fall, what's it got to do with you?"

  If it were a few months ago, Wang Xuan would have stuck to her like a piece of chewing gum, spouting out a bunch of sweet nothings and making the other person laugh with tears in their eyes. But today, those familiar tricks suddenly felt awkward, he just awkwardly let go of his hand, accompanied by a smile, saying: "What does it have to do with me? Sister came all the way here, isn't it just to see me?"

  Bai Wei's heart was filled with disappointment, which grew thicker and thicker, slowly turning into despair. Everything had changed, Wang Xuan was no longer the same person he used to be, and she couldn't help but laugh at herself for still wanting to cling to him like a vine. Thinking of this, Bai Wei stopped in her tracks, biting her lower lip until it turned red. "I came here today to see you! I've seen you, and I know you're doing well. So I should leave now. Wang Xiao Hou Ye, please don't follow me! Don't let a woman like me, who has been tainted by the world, hinder your future."

  Having said that, he covered his face with both hands and hastened towards the horse carriage.

  "Sister, what are you talking about!" Wang Xun was stunned and asked with his mouth open. "When did I treat you like a woman of the streets! It's just that training has been busy lately..."

  Bai Wei's footsteps paused for a moment, wanting to say something more, but suddenly realized that whatever she said seemed useless. The old Wang Xuan would have rushed forward without hesitation when he saw her tears, using all his might to coax her. But today, it seemed like he had forgotten everything.

  This strange feeling made Bai Wei Ci even more terrified. Finding a suitable opportunity to marry into the Wang family, becoming his most beloved woman, and ending her wandering life had been almost all of her efforts for the past year. Now, this goal suddenly seemed unattainable. As things stand now, even if she were to marry into the Wang family, it's likely that she would still be unable to escape the fate of being cast aside and given to someone else after losing her youth. 'He is not yet grown up, you will have times when you cry later.' The words of warning from Lady Gong Sun echoed in her ears, each word like a thunderclap, striking her until she almost lost the strength to even run away.

  She saw the mistress almost running out of the carriage. The maid Xiaoping was caught off guard, this was not one of the tricks that the master and servant had discussed beforehand. She stomped her feet and picked up her skirt to chase after her. As she chased, she whispered: "Miss, miss, slow down, it's not worth being heartbroken for this kind of person. He's just a blockhead..."

  "Shut up for a moment!" Wang Xuan had been displeased with the little girl for a long time, and after hearing this, he finally couldn't bear it. "What I do with her is my business with her. What does it have to do with you, little girl? If you keep nagging, believe me or not, I'll tell Hong Gu to sell you off!"

  The maid Xiaoping turned her head, wanting to retort, but suddenly realized that Wang Yong seemed to have changed into a completely different person. She was so frightened that she stood still on the spot, not even daring to breathe.

  I used to think this little girl was cute with her straightforward and quick mouth, but after not seeing her for several months, she suddenly became very annoying with her sharp teeth and sharp mouth. She slightly furrowed her brow, and Wang Xuan continued to order: "Ride my horse and follow Wang Xiang! There's no place for you in the carriage, don't come over and cause trouble again!"

  If it were a few months ago, Xiaoping would not have listened to his arrangement. She had already raised her eyebrows and shouted like a mother hen protecting her nest. But today, she discovered a sense of majesty in Wang Xun's words and deeds that she had never seen before, blinked her eyes, lowered her head and slipped away to the side of the road.

  "You, escort Ping'er back to Jin Hua Lou, take your time on the road." Wang Xun glared at the little servant who was secretly laughing beside him and continued to make arrangements for everyone.

  Xiao Shu Wang Xiang didn't dare to disobey, and let his own mount to the maid Ping'er. He flipped over and jumped onto the big Wanliang Colt that Wang Xun usually rode. With a swing of his hips on the carved saddle, he invited Ping'er with a smile, "Let's go! From now on, don't interfere in my family's affairs and White Eaves' business!"

  "Virtue!" The maid Xiao Ping, who had just come back to her senses in shock, rolled her eyes at him and reluctantly climbed onto the mount that had been vacated for her.

  In the blink of an eye, everyone turned against her. Discovering this, Bai Wei Ci, who had already escaped into the horse carriage, felt even more weak and helpless. With both hands pounding on the carriage wall, she cried out in command, "Old Zhou, drive the carriage, go, take me away from here!"

  "Giddy up!" Old Zhou, the coachman, shook the reins vigorously, but didn't release the brake beside his buttocks. The carriage swayed and started moving with a creaking sound, its speed as slow as a turtle crawling.

  Wang Jun threw a grateful glance at Old Zhou, took three steps in two strides to the car door, grasped the handle with force, "Sister, open the door. I'll get on and talk to you slowly. This is the entrance of the military camp, it's not good to be seen by others!"

  Bai Wei Zhi pressed against the car door, using all her strength to hold down the handle inside, "Then go by yourself. Why bother chasing me? Let go, hurry up and let go. Don't let others see you, it'll ruin your future!"

  "Hey!" Wang Xuan let out a low sigh. He looked around again, making sure no one was sneaking a peek at his joke. With a sudden jerk of his shoulder, he directly dismantled the entire car door from the carriage. Bai Huiqi, who was holding onto the handle inside, didn't have time to react and tumbled out of the car.

  "Ah——" She let out a sharp cry, instinctively loosening her hand and closing her eyes. The expected pain did not come, the spot on her forehead was warm and soft, and her nostrils were filled with a strong masculine scent.

  "Heh heh heh!" Accompanied by a sly smile, his body suddenly became lighter. By the time Bai Huiji regained her senses, she had already been sent back to the carriage, and Wang Xun's broad physique followed closely behind, using the broken door to block the entrance of the carriage.

  "Get down, you scoundrel!" Bai Huaqi used both her hands and feet in an attempt to throw Wang Xun off the carriage.

  This bit of strength is not much different from a back massage. Wang Xun smiled broadly and gave a low command to the front, "Old Zhou, return to Jin Hua Lou. Drive carefully!"

  "Alright, let's go!" The old coachman Zhou, who had long been accustomed to the ups and downs of the social scene, smiled slightly and gently released the brake. The wheels immediately began to roll slowly, crushing the ice with a "crunching" sound that was like a gentle laugh entering people's ears.

  Bai Wei Zhi vented for a while and finally got tired from hitting. She resigned herself to her fate, hugged her own shoulders, and wept silently in the corner of the carriage.

  "Alas!" Another low sigh came from behind. With a hint of helplessness and also a bit of compromise, Bai Hui suddenly wanted to turn around and take a look at what Wang Xun had become after not seeing him for several months. Why did his usually foolproof tactics completely lose their effect today? Instead, from the moment they met, he was already at a disadvantage in terms of momentum, to the point where he almost collapsed.

  Just as she was silently restoring her confidence, the familiar voice came from behind again. Still with a bit of childishness, but unknowingly added many men's unique coarseness, "Sister don't be angry, okay? Not notifying you before entering the military camp is indeed my fault. But I didn't intentionally ignore you, at that time to save Yuwen Zidao, I was busy to the point of being flustered. Later, I was entrusted by Cloud Aunt and forcibly stuffed into the military camp to avoid disaster!"

  As she heard Wang Xuan's tone becoming softer and softer, Bai Huiji, who had already completely lost her confidence, suddenly regained a bit of composure, sniffled, and scolded in a low voice: "More than four months, more than four months, you didn't even have the time to write a single note?"

  This was indeed Wang Jun's fault. He had no reason to deny it. To be honest, it was a bit too hurtful. Hesitating for a moment, he explained with an awkward smile: "On the first day of entering the camp, I wanted to write you a letter. But before I could even pick up paper and pen, I was rushed into being a squad leader. Every day, not only did I have to work hard on my own training, but also keep an eye on more than 50 subordinates who were lazier than Yuwen Zidao. Whether it was my own negligence or their mistakes, once the superiors caught wind of it, the responsibility would all fall on me!"

  This was something that Bai Hua had never heard of before, and it immediately made her crying subside a bit. Wang Xuan saw that his trick was effective, paused for a moment, and continued to make things up: "If you get caught once, it's fifty military sticks. After being beaten until your skin splits and flesh bursts, you'll be splashed with cold water and then continue training..."

  Bai Wei was startled and immediately turned back, staring at Wang Xun with tears in her eyes, "You were beaten by the military stick, where did it hit? Does it hurt?"

  "It didn't hurt that much!" Now that he had started, Wang Xuan slowly found himself again, just like a few months ago. It was a bit awkward at first, but soon it became second nature to him. "When I'm being beaten, I think of my sister's singing voice. The more I think about it, the less it hurts!"

  Although the lie was made up on the spot, it moved Bai Wei to tears. "You've suffered!" she said, wiping away her tears with one hand while turning Wang Xuan's face towards hers with the other, "Sister wronged you, sister still thought..."

  "I should have written to you. But to be honest, I was afraid of worrying you!" As he became more and more skilled, Wang Xuan finally found another complete self. Although there was a little guilt in his heart. "After thinking about it, I still plan to get through this period first, and then let you see what changes I've made in the past few months!"

  "Second Master's change is really great!" Bai Wei turned Wang Xun's face towards the car window, carefully examining it with the sunlight filtering through the curtains. "It's almost to the point where I don't recognize him anymore!" This was a true statement, just a moment ago, she had almost thought that she had completely lost Wang Xun. Although previously she herself had also thought that the various things between her and Wang Xun were mostly because of his family background, accommodating and flattering without putting in much genuine feeling. But when she discovered that he had completely broken free from her control for a moment, her heart suddenly felt like it was shattered into pieces.

  Perhaps this is fate! She let out a soft sigh and allowed the horse carriage to take her in any direction.

  Wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, may your life be as beautiful as the full moon and flowers.