Chapter 146: Denying His Own Heart
Xie Rong stood there, still unable to understand the expression on Wang Gege’s face. She looked calm, yet there was an unusual firmness when she repeated those words.
"Go...tta go?" He repeated before blinking beneath the blindfold as realization suddenly struck him.
’Did I use that slang earlier?’
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
Before he could decide whether to explain or pretend nothing had happened, Wang Gege suddenly smiled.
"I heard Husband use those words earlier," she said. "They sounded rather interesting."
"Did... I?" He secretly swallowed before asking as naturally as he could, "What exactly did Furen hear?"
Wang Gege looked at him with an innocent smile.
"’Gotta... go.’" She repeated the words slowly, as though carefully savoring each syllable, "This wife has never heard such an expression before."
Xie Rong gave a faint cough. "Perhaps... This husband truly spoke too quickly." He paused for a moment before continuing, "There are times when words become slurred together without one noticing."
Wang Gege nodded thoughtfully. "Really?"
"Mm." He answered without the slightest hesitation. "When one has not rested properly for several days... it is not unusual."
Wang Gege blinked.
"I see..." She lowered her head as though she had accepted his explanation.
Only then did Xie Rong quietly let out a breath of relief. But before that relief could last for more than a heartbeat, Wang Gege looked straight at him again.
"This wife heard it quite clearly though."
His breathing halted.
She blinked up at him innocently.
"’Gotta go.’" She repeated it once again. "Not ’gotta...’" She shook her head. "Not ’go...’" Then she slowly enunciated every syllable. "’Gotta go.’"
Xie Rong silently stared at her. "Perhaps..." He cleared his throat once more, "this husband has been reading too many regional records recently. Some phrases may have... unconsciously slipped into my speech."
Wang Gege blinked. "Really?"
"Mm." He hummed weakly.
"Then Husband must have read quite interesting regional records." Her smile widened.
Xie Rong gave a slight nod. "Perhaps."
Wang Gege stared at him for another moment before the corners of her lips slowly lifted. "All right. This wife believes Husband."
She then turned around, almost bursting into laughter at the sight of Xie Rong trying so hard to explain himself.
"Come, Husband. Let us eat first." She lightly clasped her hands behind her back. "A meal will only delay Husband for a moment, but falling ill may keep Husband in bed for days."
Xie Rong quietly watched her walking a few steps ahead of him. For a few moments, he found himself standing there without moving.
"Husband?" Wang Gege turned around when she noticed he had yet to follow. She blinked in confusion. "What are you standing there for? The food will get cold."
Only then did Xie Rong slowly return to his senses.
"Coming." He walked toward her, his pace as steady as ever.
Wang Gege smiled with satisfaction before turning around once more.
The moment Xie Rong caught up with her, she turned slightly and asked, "Husband... about the blossom tree that was burned in our courtyard..." She lowered her gaze for a brief moment. "Can we do something about it?"
Xie Rong looked at her quietly. "Does Furen still wish to keep it?"
She nodded without hesitation. "Mm... I know it is already dead..." She smiled faintly, "But this wife somehow feels reluctant to have it removed. It bloomed so beautifully when this wife first arrived. And..."
She let out a small sigh, "It did nothing wrong. It was merely caught up in someone else’s scheme."
For a brief moment, Xie Rong remained silent. His gaze unconsciously drifted toward the direction of their courtyard.
"The trunk has indeed died." He spoke calmly. "But... If the roots remain alive... There is still a chance."
Wang Gege’s eyes immediately brightened. "Really?"
Xie Rong gave a slight nod. "This husband will ask someone experienced with such matters to examine it. If it can still be saved... We shall save it."
Wang Gege’s smile unconsciously widened.
"Thank you, Husband."
Before she even realized what she was doing, she skipped a step forward and lightly wrapped her arms around him.
The sudden embrace caused Xie Rong to freeze. His body stiffened. It was not as though they had never been this close before.
But the conversation he had with Gemi only moments ago suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
’Is that what people call... cheating?’
The thought struck him like a bucket of cold water. Almost instinctively, he took half a step back, gently but hurriedly releasing himself from her embrace.
Only after doing so did he realize what he had done.
Wang Gege stood there, blinking at him in surprise. The smile that had been on her face gradually stiffened.
"Did this wife smell bad?" Her voice carried an awkward laugh as she instinctively lowered her head to sniff her sleeves.
"Ah..." Xie Rong’s expression changed almost imperceptibly. "No." He answered almost immediately. "It is not that."
He subconsciously reached out, wanting to explain himself. Yet his hand stopped midway.
He did not know how to explain something he himself could not understand.
Wang Gege stared at him for a few moments before the corners of her lips slowly lifted once again.
"Then..." She chuckled awkwardly, "This wife must have startled Husband."
She waved her hand dismissively, as though it had never mattered in the first place. "It is all right, this wife understands."
Without waiting for his response, she turned around and continued walking toward their courtyard. Her pace remained the same as before, neither too fast nor too slow.
From behind, she looked no different. She even hummed softly to herself, pretending to admire the flowers lining the stone pathway.
Only she knew, the warmth that had filled her heart just moments ago had quietly disappeared.
Xie Rong remained standing where he was. His outstretched hand slowly fell back to his side.
He watched her slender figure walk farther and farther away, the guilt inside his chest growing heavier with every step she took.
"What am I doing?" He muttered beneath his breath.
A familiar blue screen quietly appeared before his eyes.
[Host is denying his own heart.]