Chapter 77: Permission To Kiss
Although the blindfold concealed his eyes, Wang Gege could still tell that Xie Rong’s expression was unusually solemn.
"Unfortunately..." His voice remained calm, though noticeably heavier than before. "We found no evidence connecting the poisoning to the Shen family."
The room fell into silence.
Wang Gege slowly lowered the chopsticks in her hand.
"So..." She looked at Xie Rong, "Chuntao was telling the truth?"
Xie Rong gently shook his head, "Not necessarily. Her confession only proves that she was instructed to monitor you. As for whether she truly knew nothing about the poisoning... There is still no way to confirm it."
Wang Gege quietly nodded.
That was true. A confession could be genuine. It could also be carefully prepared. Neither could be accepted blindly.
She rested one hand beneath her chin, her brows unconsciously drawing together.
"If Chuntao really had nothing to do with the poison... then the real culprit deliberately allowed everyone to suspect her."
Xie Rong remained silent.
Wang Gege continued organizing her thoughts aloud.
"She is my maid. Once something happened at the Shen Residence, everyone’s attention would naturally fall upon her first."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "It would’ve been the perfect way to hide the real mastermind."
The room gradually fell silent once more.
After what seemed like an eternity, Xie Rong finally broke the silence.
"Father and I have decided... to close the case."
The words landed heavily upon Wang Gege. Her brows immediately knitted together.
"What did Husband just say? Close the case?" She stared at him in disbelief.
"No." She shook her head without hesitation, "I don’t agree."
Xie Rong remained silent.
Wang Gege placed the chopsticks in her hand onto the table.
"Husband almost lost his life." Her voice was no longer as lighthearted as before, "Even now, Husband’s complexion has yet to recover completely."
She looked at him intently, "The culprit is still out there. If we close the case now... wouldn’t that be giving the real mastermind exactly what they wanted?"
Xie Rong leaned slightly closer to Wang Gege. "But if we continue pursuing this matter... the Shen family will inevitably become involved."
His voice remained steady, "And Furen... is still the Shen family’s daughter. No matter whether you had any involvement or not... Others will not think so."
He turned his face slightly toward her.
"They will only remember that the poison originated from the Shen Residence. And in their eyes... that alone will be enough to cast suspicion upon Furen."
As the words fell, Xie Rong gently reached for the hand resting at the edge of the table.
His fingers were cool against the back of her hand, "I do not wish to see Furen bear that burden."
The room became strangely quiet.
For a brief moment, Wang Gege could only stare at the hand covering hers.
Thump.
Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Without thinking, she gently withdrew her hand from beneath his. The warmth lingering against her skin seemed to disappear almost immediately.
She instinctively lifted her gaze.
Her eyes settled upon the familiar black blindfold that had concealed his eyes ever since the day they first met.
For what reason... She found herself unable to look away. Her heartbeat, which had finally begun to calm, inexplicably quickened once more.
’What’s wrong with me?’
Was it because he had held her hand?
Or...
Was it because every word he had spoken just now had been for her?
Wang Gege quietly pursed her lips, pretending to straighten the sleeve of her robe as she lowered her head.
"I..." She lightly cleared her throat. "I’ll think of another way."
Xie Rong’s brows gradually drew together, "Furen."
Wang Gege instinctively looked up.
Although the black blindfold concealed his eyes, she could clearly sense his attention was fixed entirely on her.
"What’s wrong?" He tilted his head ever so slightly, "Your cheeks... seem rather warm."
Before Wang Gege could react, Xie Rong slowly raised the back of his hand and gently rested it against her cheek.
The coolness of his skin sent a slight shiver through her.
Xie Rong frowned even more, "You’re burning."
His voice carried an unmistakable trace of concern.
"Did you remain too close to the fire for too long while inspecting the burned blossom tree earlier?"
Wang Gege’s eyes widened. "N-No..."
Startled, she instinctively leaned backward, causing the edge of her sleeve to brush against the bowl before her.
The porcelain bowl tilted precariously.
"Be careful."
Almost instinctively, Xie Rong reached out and caught her wrist. Before Wang Gege could regain her balance, he gently pulled her toward him.
"Ah—"
The sudden force caught her completely off guard. Instead of steadying herself, her body lurched forward.
Thud.
Her forehead lightly bumped against his chest as she stumbled into his embrace.
Everything became still and Wang Gege froze.
One of Xie Rong’s arms had instinctively circled around her waist to keep her from falling, while his other hand still held her wrist.
His heartbeat was strong and steady.
It echoed so clearly through the quiet room that Wang Gege momentarily forgot how to breathe.
Her own heartbeat, however, was anything but calm.
She slowly lifted her head.
The familiar black blindfold remained tied neatly across Xie Rong’s eyes, yet she could almost feel his attention resting entirely upon her.
"Furen..." His voice was unusually low, "Are you hurt?"
Snapping out of her daze, Wang Gege immediately pushed herself away from him.
"Ah..." She awkwardly touched her forehead, "I’m alright. It just... bumped a little."
In truth, it didn’t hurt at all. The only thing throbbing was the frantic beating of her own heart.
The room fell silent once more.
Xie Rong remained seated, seemingly relieved after hearing that she was unharmed.
Meanwhile, Wang Gege quietly lowered her head. The warmth lingering upon her cheeks refused to fade.
After hesitating for quite some time, she finally gathered the courage to speak. "Husband..."
"Hm?"
She unconsciously wetted her dry lips, "Since our marriage began because of an arrangement... And although Husband has already explained why you agreed to it..."
She paused, her fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of her sleeve.
For some reason, saying the next sentence suddenly felt more difficult than facing Madam Liu.
She took a quiet breath before asking in an unusually small voice, "If I wanted to kiss Husband right now... would I need to ask for your permission first?"