Chapter 173: Refusing the Golden Hairpins

A wave of bitterness instantly flooded Xie Yingying's heart. She could not comprehend what Bai Shengyun possibly saw in Ning Qingqing.

Since he had taken a fancy to her, why did he still put on such a strong act of detesting Ning Qingqing?

Was it to... protect her in front of everyone else?

Then why was he treating her so well?

"Bai Shengyun, your hairpin is very pretty. I like it."

Hearing this, Bai Shengyun smiled triumphantly, assuming she was about to accept it. But he never expected her next words to follow immediately: "However, thank you for your kindness. I am not accustomed to wearing such things. You should keep it for yourself, or give it away to someone else."

Give it to the Ning Qingqing he favored.

Bai Shengyun instantly flew into a rage, forcibly reigning in his temper. "Didn't you just say it was very pretty and that you liked it? Why are you refusing it?"

Even if she didn't wear it, she could choose to keep it and treasure it. Besides, didn't all women love wearing hairpins like this? How could Xie Yingying be an exception?

"I already said, I don't wear things like this. Giving it to me would just be a waste. You can choose to give it to another woman," Xie Yingying said calmly.

This was the second time she had suggested giving it to another woman. She was his own woman; would it make any sense for him not to give it to her and instead present it to someone else?

Did she really enjoy watching him treat other women well so much?

A nameless fire flared up in Bai Shengyun's chest. He pulled Xie Yingying directly into his arms, catching her completely off guard. "Ah," she let out a startled shriek.

"Bai Shengyun, what on earth are you doing?"

At that moment, as she struggled slightly in his embrace, she caught the familiar scent of him.

"Xie Yingying, you are this lord's woman. Is it a crime for this lord to hold you?" Bai Shengyun pinched her chin, itching to give her a sound thrashing right then and there.

Xie Yingying wanted to blurt out: "The Xueyin Sword has already been found. According to our agreement, we no longer have any connection to each other." Yet when the words reached her lips, not a single one came out. Instead, she just said calmly, "No, it's just that you hugged me so suddenly, you startled me."

Hearing this, Bai Shengyun's expression softened slightly. He released Xie Yingying and, without the slightest hesitation, placed the golden hairpin from his hand right into her hair. This particular hairpin was extremely demanding of one's complexion and even more so of the person wearing it. Yet, when placed in Xie Yingying's hair, it suited her to perfection and looked breathtakingly lovely. Bai Shengyun nodded in satisfaction.

"Since I want to give it to you, it belongs to you. Spare me those excuses, hmm?" Bai Shengyun's tone was full of overbearing authority. Without waiting for Xie Yingying's reply, he turned around and walked back to his room.

Xie Yingying stood frozen, taking a long time to regain her senses. She reached up and touched the hairpin in her hair. She hadn't lied to Bai Shengyun; she truly disliked such trinkets, and this was actually the very first time she had ever worn a hairpin.

This was the second gift Bai Shengyun had ever given her. The first had been the purple-gold bell that he had won himself.

However, thinking of that purple-gold bell right now filled her with a sense of dread.

Was this golden hairpin really just an ordinary one? Surely it didn't possess any formidable properties as well, did it?

Xie Yingying stood in her spot for a long time, ultimately deciding against wearing it—taking it off was the better choice.

Furthermore, she had never worn such items before; suddenly wearing a hairpin like this felt deeply uncomfortable.

So, how should she deal with this hairpin?

If she returned it, given Bai Shengyun's temperament, he would certainly not agree. Since he had forced her to accept it, sending it back would likely mean it was gone for good...

Xie Yingying finally decided to keep the hairpin safely hidden away. She hurried back to her room, opened a jade box, removed the hairpin from her hair, and carefully placed it inside the box.

She always treasured the things she loved in this manner.

The next day, since Bai Shengyun and Xie Yingying were staying in the same quarters, they naturally had to share their meals together. During breakfast, Bai Shengyun noticed that the hairpin he had put in Xie Yingying's hair yesterday was nowhere to be seen!

Where had she put it?

When he had given it to her, she had been reluctant to wear it and had rejected him. Had she thrown it away?

At this thought, Bai Shengyun's tone turned icy cold: "Xie Yingying, where is the golden hairpin this lord gave you yesterday? Where did you put it?"

He only ever referred to himself as "this lord" in her presence when he was furious.

If she had truly thrown it away, he'd strangle this stubborn woman to death!

Hearing the chill in his voice, Xie Yingying quickly explained, "I'm not used to wearing hairpins, so I took it off and put it in my jade box for safekeeping."

Hearing this, Bai Shengyun's expression finally improved. "Don't you dare lose it."

Xie Yingying gave a start, then nodded.

After that, neither of them had anything to say, and the atmosphere instantly became thoroughly awkward.

Fortunately, it was breakfast time, and Xie Yingying could keep eating to ease the tension; otherwise, she would have had to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Yet, she suddenly noticed that instead of eating, Bai Shengyun was just staring intently right at her.

This only made her feel even more unsettled.

To make matters worse, she couldn't very well stop Bai Shengyun from looking at her. She couldn't just blurt out, "Could you stop staring at me?"

That would be far too direct, and knowing Bai Shengyun's temperament, he would undoubtedly accuse her of being self-absorbed or something similar.

Just then, a familiar voice drifted over from not far away: "Senior Sister, let's go out and play!"

Yin Ling grabbed Bomeng and trotted all the way over to Xie Yingying, completely ignoring Bai Shengyun as if he were thin air.

Bai Shengyun wasn't angry either. He knew this crowd disliked him, and coincidentally, he didn't care for them much either.

The arrival of Yin Ling and Bomeng at this exact moment was nothing short of a godsend for Xie Yingying!

She had been fretting over finding an excuse to leave, and right on cue, the two of them had arrived!

Bomeng chimed in as well: "That's right, Senior Sister Xie. It's not easy for our sisters to finally get together. If we don't go out and enjoy ourselves, wouldn't we be wasting such a wonderful opportunity?"

Bomeng was quite thoughtful, however. Sensing the awkward atmosphere between Xie Yingying and Bai Shengyun, she added, "You have plenty of time to spend with him, but the rest of us rarely get to gather together."

That made sense. Bai Shengyun said indifferently, "Go ahead once you've finished eating."

Xie Yingying was quite surprised by his attitude. When had he ever been this reasonable?

Still, for her, this was simply wishing for the impossible! If she stayed here any longer, she really wouldn't know what to do...

She quickly spoke up: "Bai Shengyun, I've finished eating. Take your time. We can talk about anything else when I get back."

Without waiting for him to reply, as if afraid he might change his mind, she eagerly grabbed Bomeng and Yin Ling and bolted out of her courtyard.

The moment Xie Yingying stepped away, Bai Shengyun turned around, staring at her receding figure with a profound gaze, as if deep in thought.

He always felt that Xie Yingying's attitude and reactions toward him over the past few days had been rather strange.

Although she had provided an explanation, he didn't believe it.

He could clearly tell she was reluctant to accept anything from him.

Oh well... He lowered his gaze slightly.