Chapter 71
Ever since she was a child, Lu Dieqing had never thought of herself as a clever girl.
Her mother often said that she was easily deceived, too naive, and couldn’t see through people’s hearts.
But her mother also said that a fool has a fool’s luck, and that keeping a pure heart would bring good fortune.
Lu Dieqing still remembered the helpless, half-doting look in her mother’s eyes when she said this.
It was as if no matter what she became, she would always be the treasure in her mother’s heart.
Her father had also looked at her and said that sincerity was the easiest thing to exchange for sincerity, and that sincerity was often the rarest thing in this world. People often forgot to maintain their feelings in their pursuit of fame and fortune.
It was clear that as long as one person was firm and insisted on their feelings remaining unchanged, others would also be infected, right?
For example, her and Xinxin.
The little girl had rebuilt a set of theories in her mind. The longing in her heart disappeared, and her gaze became clear and bright.
“Xinxin, I’ve figured it out.”
When she smiled, the inside of the sedan chair seemed to brighten.
Zheng Xuening was a little dazzled by the girl’s smile and sighed.
“Figured what out?”
So jumpy, like a little oriole.
Weren’t you very sad just now?
So easy to coax.
Makes one want to bully her a little more.
Lu Dieqing’s watery pupils had distinct lashes. When she blinked, her skin was smooth and fair, without a single pore, and her smile revealed neat pearly teeth.
She held her little doll and said seriously, word by word, “I think that for the relationship between people to remain unchanged, it needs to be maintained with sincerity.”
Zheng Xuening watched her cute way of speaking and wanted to pinch her cheeks. Unfortunately, she was now a doll, out of reach, without hands to do this freely.
She began to miss the feeling of being Zheng Xuening, standing before the girl.
Fortunately, tonight was the night the girl would go to Yunxi Hall to be with her.
She would have plenty of opportunities to pinch her cheeks while teaching her how to improve her carving skills at night.
Lu Dieqing remained completely unaware that her little doll was plotting cheek-pinching schemes. She was earnestly trying to share her newly realized wisdom.
“I didn’t understand what A’Sang was thinking, just that I was sad that she had changed and seemed to be distancing herself from me. Since I care about her as a friend, I have to take the initiative to clear up any possible misunderstandings!”
“I have to take the initiative to care for A’Sang and have a good talk with her. She was bullied today, and her emotions are already not good. I shouldn’t be secretly guessing here, thinking that she’s distancing herself from me. If I keep guessing, the relationship between people will easily grow distant.”
As she spoke, Lu Dieqing’s exquisite face grew even brighter.
“Before I met the Crown Princess, it was very difficult to enter the Library Pavilion. If not for A’Sang helping me without asking for anything in return, I wouldn’t have been able to see those puppetry manuals.”
“A person can’t forget their roots. A drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring. What’s more…”
Lu Dieqing held the little doll and lowered her head to kiss it. “What’s more, what A’Sang gave me was not just a drop of kindness. She helped me have you, my most precious Xinxin. Your arrival completely lit up my life. I should thank her even more.”
The latter half of the sentence made Zheng Xuening’s heart feel as if it had been struck by something. It was a little soft, and a little sweet.
When the girl spoke of these principles, her entire person looked spirited, as if she were glowing.
Zheng Xuening couldn’t take her eyes off her. She felt that this girl seemed to be getting more and more beautiful. Her mind trembled, and she had a feeling of her heart fluttering.
She couldn’t say what was different, just that her mind was swaying along.
Perhaps at this moment, what she was attracted to was not just the girl’s stunning beauty, but also her soul.
That soul was glowing.
Anyone who saw such a soul would be attracted.
“So, it’s decided. I’ll go find A’Sang during the lunch break today. At night, I have to learn carving from the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess has also helped me a lot. I don’t know how to thank her. The heir of a nation must be very busy on a daily basis. I must learn carving well from her and cherish the time she has taken out.”
The girl lowered her head, planning how she should arrange her time.
Her slightly puffed-out cheeks looked soft and tender, her bright almond eyes like grapes. Her entire person exuded a harmless but fresh cuteness.
Zheng Xuening held it in and forced herself to look away.
She was so cute that her heart ached a little.
It was the kind of feeling that, because the person in front of you is so beautiful to the extreme, a destructive impulse arises.
The more she came into contact with Lu Dieqing, whether as the Crown Princess or as the doll Xinxin, the more she could discover the beauty in the other’s soul.
The light on the girl’s body shone on her like a creature of darkness standing in a corner.
Her soul could not withstand such a close look. She had many schemes, much cunning, and much coldness.
For a moment, she made up her mind.
Never let the girl know that the Crown Princess who could manipulate the winds and clouds and scheme against people, and her little doll Xinxin, were the same person.
In this way, she would at least always have the identity of a doll that was completely trusted and cared for.
…
After lunch today, Lu Dieqing hurried out of the academy to the Library Pavilion.
The Zuo sisters and Gu Shuyuan, seeing her in such a hurry, wanted to ask something, but before they could open their mouths, Lu Dieqing had already run far away.
“What’s wrong with her?” Gu Shuyuan craned his head.
These past two days, he had seen it clearly. In the small circle of people centered on Lu Dieqing in the Caiyun Academy, he was always on the outermost layer.
The Zuo sisters often stood on either side of Lu Dieqing, not even leaving a spot for him to walk side by side.
Zuo Manzhi recalled how Lu Dieqing had eaten in a hurry just now, without even saying a few words, and the pastries she had specially packed and taken away from the academy, and calmly came to a conclusion.
“She’s going to see someone.”
Zuo Xiaoya was confused. “See who?”
She was curious about everything about Lu Dieqing.
In the past, Zuo Xiaoya had felt that everything in the academy was a bit too boring and dull, and she often had to be dragged by her sister to get up on time.
But now, she could pat her chest with a clear conscience and guarantee it!
She was the earliest to get up in the Zuo family!
She looked forward to coming to the academy so she could see Miss Lu early, hehehe.
Being with a beautiful person, even if you can’t have them, just a few more glances or a few more words can make every day in the academy bright and colorful.
Seeing her sister about to get to the bottom of Lu Dieqing’s whereabouts, Zuo Manzhi kicked her with her foot.
“Mind your own business.”
Zuo Xiaoya could only pout, a little wronged.
Can’t I even show a little concern?
…
Lu Dieqing had run to the Library Pavilion on her own two feet.
She protected the food box in her arms and trotted all the way to her destination, almost out of breath.
“A’Sang!” Seeing the little palace maid at the entrance of the Library Pavilion from afar, the girl called out crisply.
The Library Pavilion was rarely visited and often had an overly quiet feel.
The swelling on A’Sang’s face had not yet subsided. She was standing guard at the building with her head bowed, her eyes vacant, lost in thought.
In the midst of her desolation, she heard a familiar voice.
She looked up and saw Lu Dieqing running towards her with a flower-like smile.
“Qingqing…” She subconsciously took a few steps forward, her heart pounding fiercely.
Lu Dieqing ran up to her and stood still, handing her the food box in her hand.
“A’Sang, hurry up and eat. It’s still warm.”
The girl was so friendly and enthusiastic that it was as if no barrier had ever existed between them.
She was still that lonely and humble little palace maid guarding the Library Pavilion, and Lu Dieqing was still that neglected and bullied hostage from a neighboring country.
A’Sang’s nose tingled. She held it in, but her tears fell from her eyes, and she burst into tears.
“Sob, sob, sob, I thought you didn’t want a friend like me anymore!”
