Transmigrated Genius: Fragile Heiress Reigns Supreme-Chapter 432 - 434: Heart-to-Heart Talk (Part 2)

Fourth Master Xiao threw the letter on the table, stood up with his hands behind his back in front of the window sill, and said in a deep voice, "Let Xiao Quan continue to follow, and if there is news, report back immediately." Xiao Yanting listened and nodded slightly, looked at Fourth Master Xiao with worried eyes, and sighed, "You should let it go too."

Fourth Master Xiao said nothing, turned around and took a deep look at Xiao Yanyi, and walked out in big steps.

Xiao Yanyi watched his back, his eyebrows furrowing tightly.

In the evening, they still went to the Grand Dowager’s place for dinner, and when they returned at night, before Fourth Master Xiao entered the washroom, Xiqiu stopped him with a smile and asked, "Fourth Master, we will return home tomorrow, I’ve asked Tianyi to arrange the carriage, Fourth Master..." Would you have time?

After speaking, Xiqiu looked steadily at Fourth Master Xiao, her eyes carrying a hint of inquiry.

Fourth Master Xiao looked at Xiqiu’s smiling face, his eyes flashed slightly, and he nodded, "Of course, we should go together." After saying this, he had no more words. Xiqiu, feeling relieved, tried to continue the conversation, "I have prepared clothes for Min, Fourth Master, please help me see if they fit."

Speaking, she smiled and went to the cabinet in front of the bed to find the small red jacket with gold edges she prepared for Min, a pair of cotton shoes embroidered with plump ingots, and a collar with a gold lock hanging on it, then turned back to talk to Fourth Master Xiao with a smile, "Fourth Master, what do you think of Min wearing this tomorrow?"

Fourth Master Xiao’s gaze was indifferent, he gave a quick glance at the clothes in her hands, slightly nodded, "Not bad!" After finishing, he turned and entered the washroom.

Leaving behind a somewhat cold back, exuding distance everywhere.

Xiqiu’s face fell as she put down the clothes in her hands. Indeed, Fourth Master Xiao was angry. If earlier she thought he was just slightly upset, now she could be certain he was angry with her...

She carefully recalled all she had done from yesterday until now, she hadn’t done anything wrong.

Why was he angry? What was the reason?

When Fourth Master Xiao came out of the washroom, he saw Xiqiu holding a towel and smiling as she approached, "Fourth Master, dry your hair before sleeping." After saying this, she took the towel to wring Fourth Master Xiao’s hair. Fourth Master Xiao’s footsteps paused, his expression was a little strange, yet he still sat down following her lead. Xiqiu moved the brazier aside and stood behind Fourth Master Xiao to dry his hair.

Fourth Master Xiao’s hair was very long, and as Xiqiu slowly dried it, she smiled and said, "Today I went to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, and guess who I saw, Fourth Master." She initiated a conversation with him about what she did today.

"Hmm?" Fourth Master Xiao responded faintly.

Xiqiu continued, "I met Madam Shen, she seemed in good spirits. She introduced Madam Han to me, Madam Han is quite thin, and seems very kind when smiling, but if she stops smiling, she appears very stern..." She slowly recounted everything that happened in the palace today, and then seemingly without purpose transitioned to Second Madam, and then spoke of the silver tree, "Last night’s fireworks were truly beautiful, complementing the colorful silver tree, dazzling... unforgettable."

The room was very quiet, for a moment only Xiqiu’s gentle voice could be heard, and the sound of Fourth Master Xiao holding and flipping the pages of a book...

"Fourth Master, when I was at home before, I often didn’t know why, but a few words with Third Sister would lead to disagreements. She always targeted me, and we never spoke much. But I had a good relationship with Fourth Sister. I remember once, when I went to play in Fourth Sister’s room, Fourth Sister went to Mother’s room to pay respects, and what surprised me was that Third Sister was in Fourth Sister’s room. When I entered, Third Sister was hurriedly coming out, looking a bit flustered. I didn’t think much of it and went in. I sat in the living room for a while, and when Fourth Sister returned, we went into the study, only to find a new dress of Fourth Sister’s had been torn apart. At that time, I was the only one in the room..."

Fourth Master Xiao paused in flipping the book, recalling the scene back then when Xiqiu hit Tong Xiyang at Taohuawu in the Marquis Mansion...

Xiqiu continued with a smile, "Fourth Sister was very angry, and I comforted her by her side. I didn’t think much of it, assuming Fourth Sister thought like I did and that it must have been Third Sister. I even cursed Third Sister in anger, but Fourth Sister... she turned around with reddened eyes and asked me if I did it." Xiqiu paused, carefully spread out his hair behind Fourth Master Xiao, and used the heat from the brazier to dry it.

"She suspected you?" Unexpectedly, Fourth Master Xiao asked faintly, with a hint of coldness in his voice.

Xiqiu’s lips curled up, a gleam flashed in her eyes, and she nodded with a smile, "We were very young then, Fourth Sister was only eight years old..." She paused, and Fourth Master Xiao heard a crisp laugh from behind, "Fourth Sister really liked that dress, so of course, she was upset when it was ruined, and since I was the only one in the room, who else could it be?"

Listening to this, Fourth Master Xiao’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Xiqiu continued to smile, "Fourth Sister and I faced each other, confronted our suspicions, later the matter was cleared up, and after asking the servants in the yard, it was confirmed that Third Sister had indeed been there, and the misunderstanding was resolved. After this incident, Fourth Sister and I became even closer."

A logically inconsistent metaphor, unlike her usual talk and actions, caused Fourth Master Xiao to raise his eyebrows slightly while listening...

It seemed Xiqiu’s seemingly aimless chatter was telling him, regardless of who has any misunderstandings, everyone should be honest with each other, which is for the best for both parties.

He paused his gaze but set aside the book in his hand and stood up, looking at Xiqiu, "It’s getting late, you have to return to the Tong Mansion tomorrow morning, you should rest early." After speaking, he slowly walked to the bed, lifted the quilt, and lay down.

Feeling a bit deflated, Xiqiu sat down on the chair!

She suddenly thought of him and the Grand Dowager, as if there was some issue between them, where mother and son had been estranged for years. Even now, living in the same courtyard, they were neither warm nor cold to each other, and the knots between them remained unresolved.

This is how Fourth Master Xiao is, used to hiding things in his heart even when something is wrong, facing it all alone.

Are they to be like this in the future too, keeping things to themselves, waiting for time to slowly dilute and forget... then digesting them?

It seems to untie the knot in his heart, one can only find the root cause, but how is she to know what it is if he won’t say.

Xiqiu rubbed her forehead, quietly sitting at the table, watching Fourth Master Xiao lying on the bed, his back turned to her, absent of their usual humor and light-hearted banter, appearing cold and distant...

She turned and left the bedroom, lit a lamp in the Warm Pavilion, sat on the kang, and found an embroidery hoop. Sitting cross-legged on the kang to embroider alone, unlike usual, her needle and thread moved slowly, landing aimlessly.

Feeling wronged, she lowered her face and a tear fell onto the embroidery hoop, on it the vivid red azalea immediately blended into a faint red halo.

In the room, Fourth Master Xiao frowned and sat up, looking at the tightly closed door, falling into unprecedented confusion.