Chapter 1345 Doubt
Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing's grand wedding did not include an invitation for every Guardian from the Underworld Office. Although they all held the title of Guardian, their allegiances varied, serving different Great Emperors, leading to minimal interaction and, consequently, no deep bonds. Naturally, Yang Haoran couldn't possibly invite them all.
However, Yang Haoran did extend invitations to all nine Guardians under Luo Yao, and Huo Laoban was no exception.
According to Xu Meijing, there was no need to invite Huo Laoban; seeing him would only make her uncomfortable. After all, the animosity between them had deepened significantly over the years, a fact that was no secret within the Jingling Continent Underworld Office. It was precisely for this reason that Xu Meijing wished to avoid Huo Laoban, so as not to spoil her wedding day.
Yang Haoran likewise had no desire to see Huo Laoban's face, which he found exceedingly irritating. Yet, he did not heed Xu Meijing's advice and still invited Huo Laoban to their wedding. This wasn't an attempt to curry favor with Huo Laoban, but rather because, as fellow Guardians under Luo Yao, certain courtesies had to be observed. Even if everyone knew of the discord between him, Xu Meijing, and Huo Laoban, invitations were still obligatory for important public occasions. Otherwise, Luo Yao, as their Great Emperor, would lose considerable face, and he and Xu Meijing would likely become targets of gossip, providing others with an excuse to criticize them.
As for whether Huo Laoban would attend after being invited, that was Huo Laoban's concern, entirely unrelated to Yang Haoran. It would be best if he didn't come, but if he did, Yang Haoran would simply ignore him. Regardless of his attendance, at least Yang Haoran wouldn't give anyone cause for gossip on this matter.
Currently, not only had Luo Yao failed to appear, but Huo Laoban hadn't arrived either. However, Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing's only concern was Luo Yao, their direct superior. They paid no mind to Huo Laoban's absence; neither of them even bothered to mention his name.
"When the time comes for the wedding, if the Great Emperor still hasn't appeared, we'll proceed as planned. We can't let his absence prevent the wedding from going forward normally."
Yang Haoran took a drag from his cigarette, then spoke softly, a hint of weariness creeping into his voice.
"Even if he hasn't arrived, you don't need to react so strongly, looking so exhausted."
Xu Meijing inquired. Yang Haoran simply chuckled faintly at her words, saying nothing more. This reaction, falling into Xu Meijing's gaze, caused her already slightly furrowed brows to involuntarily knit together even tighter.
"When you came to pick me up today, I already felt that something was amiss with you. Now, seeing your exhausted expression, it only confirms that my intuition was correct."
At this point, Xu Meijing's voice suddenly trailed off. Then, fixing her gaze directly on Yang Haoran's eyes, she continued,
"Are you hiding something from me? Or is it that you don't want to marry me, and your heart is filled with helplessness and weariness? If that's the case, you can just say it directly. There's no need to bottle it up and torment yourself."
Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran's face twisted into a wry smile. He could tell Xu Meijing was displeased and had developed some misunderstandings about him, so he quickly began to explain.
"What could I possibly be hiding from you? How dare I hide anything from you? As for whether I don't want to marry you, that's even more impossible. For me, Yang Haoran, to be able to marry you in this life, it's as if my ancestors' graves are spewing green smoke! The fact that something I never even dared to dream of has come true. . . you probably can't imagine how happy I am in my heart. I've just been busy running around lately, which is why I'm a little tired."
Yang Haoran explained with a smile, his tone and word choice laced with a desire to please. However, his words were half-truths. The lie was about not hiding anything; the truth was his deep affection and doting love for Xu Meijing.
The reason he was still hiding things from Xu Meijing was that he felt it wasn't the optimal time to tell her the truth. Therefore, even if it meant lying to her, he had to keep it secret for now.
Xu Meijing's expression didn't improve much after hearing Yang Haoran's explanation; her brows remained tightly furrowed. Because she understood Yang Haoran so well, she could still sense things, no matter how skillfully he concealed them.
How deep Yang Haoran's feelings for her ran, she naturally understood better than anyone. To suggest that Yang Haoran didn't want to marry her was simply words spoken in anger. Thus, when Yang Haoran stated he had no such intention, she didn't doubt him in the slightest.
However, as for Yang Haoran having nothing to hide from her, she absolutely did not believe that. Yet, Yang Haoran showed no inclination to explain himself clearly, which made her feel very uncomfortable. This was why her tightly furrowed brows did not relax in response to his explanation.
Xu Meijing was a clever woman. She knew that the more Yang Haoran hesitated to speak, the bigger the issue was, perhaps even far grander than she could imagine. Therefore, she grew even more eager to get to the bottom of the matter.
However, before Xu Meijing could open her mouth to inquire further, at that very moment, the space not far in front of them suddenly rippled violently. A spatial rift then formed, and a figure, belated and flustered, burst out of it, coming to a halt before Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing.
The newcomer was a young girl. Petite in stature with a delicate face, she appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen, exuding an impish, adorable charm. Both her age and her exquisite, lovely features were not far from Zhong Siyu's, the only significant difference being the lack of overwhelming malevolence emanating from her.
Seeing the girl, Yang Haoran was slightly taken aback. Clearly, he hadn't anticipated her presence here, and a hint of surprise registered in his heart.
Xu Meijing's reaction was markedly different from Yang Haoran's. Upon seeing the girl, she glanced at Yang Haoran beside her. Noticing his surprised stupor, her already less-than-pleased expression instantly darkened further.
Although Yang Haoran was somewhat surprised by the girl's sudden appearance, he quickly composed himself, a faint smile returning to his face—though it was noticeably awkward.
"Soul-Sower Yun, long time no see."
Yang Haoran offered a smiling greeting. The girl was none other than the long-unseen Yun Yao.
Yang Haoran's slightly awkward smile fell into Xu Meijing's eyes, and a surge of anger flared within her. She wished she could bite him fiercely on the shoulder, just to vent her inner dissatisfaction.
Conversely, Yun Yao couldn't help but let out a giggle when she saw Yang Haoran's awkward smile.
"Hehehehe, what's wrong, honest man? Judging by that surprised look, you probably didn't expect me to come, did you?"
Yun Yao temporarily averted her gaze from Xu Meijing beside Yang Haoran, asking him with a mischievous grin.
"Heh, well. . . I really didn't expect that."
"Hmph, you're quite ungrateful, you know? After all the trouble I went to give you that gift last time. Oh well, never mind. I'm a magnanimous person and won't hold it against you."
Yun Yao let out a soft hmph, her tone laced with displeasure. But by the end of her sentence, the dissatisfaction vanished, replaced by a mischievous playfulness. As her voice trailed off, a beautifully wrapped gift box appeared in her hand.
The gift box was roughly the size of an adult's head, resting on Yun Yao's delicate, jade-like hand as if it weighed nothing at all. Since the box was tightly enveloped in a layer of exquisite wrapping paper, it was impossible to discern its contents.
Only after producing the gift box did Yun Yao turn her gaze towards Xu Meijing. Xu Meijing's slightly gloomy face naturally entered her line of sight. Instead of being angered by it, Yun Yao's smile grew even wider.
"Congratulations to both Guardians on your happy union! I was busy with something important, so I arrived late. This is a gift I meticulously prepared for the two of you. I hope you won't dislike it."
As Yun Yao spoke with a smile, she gracefully extended her right hand forward, presenting the gift directly to Yang Haoran.
Comments