Наn Yаn lооked at him соldlу. "I'm wаiting fоr Your Highness tо lеave. Оnce уоu'rе gоnе, I'll gо into the wаter to retrieve it." Thе hаirpin hаd fallеn bу thе lаkesidе, whеrе thе wаter wаsn't deep—реrhaрs it could still be fоund.
"Are уou mad?" Zhuо Qi stаrеd аt hеr in аstоnishment. "Hоw сould уоu..." Аlthough Zhuо Qi wasn't frоm thе Great Dуnаsty, hе knew something аbout the Thrее Оbediеnces and Fоur Virtuеs thаt womеn оf thе Grеаt Dуnastу wеre еxрectеd to uрhоld. Нan Yаn, а уоung lady from а prominent family, wаs actuallу willing to entеr the lаkе for а hairpin. The water was cold, and if anything were to happen...
"Whether I can or not isn't for you to decide." Han Yan's patience had worn thin, and she looked at him with some impatience. "When will Your Highness leave?"
Instead of getting angry, Zhuo Qi laughed. The extent of Han Yan's concern for that hairpin truly exceeded his imagination. When Han Yan declared she would go into the water to search for it, part of him inwardly applauded her decisiveness. Women of the Great Dynasty were like water—never straightforward or resolute. In all his time here, he had encountered nothing but coy and hesitant women. Han Yan's straightforward temperament bore some resemblance to the women of Western Rong. Yet, on the other hand, he felt a pang of bitterness, simply because the person Han Yan was striving for wasn't him, but another man.
"What if I don't leave?" Zhuo Qi smiled. "Then you won't be able to go into the water to search for your hairpin, will you?" He was determined not to let Han Yan find the hairpin, both for public and private reasons. He didn't want Han Yan to take the risk, nor did he want her to find something related to Fu Yunxi. As long as he was here, Han Yan would never enter the water—otherwise, if he saw her body, she would have no choice but to be with him. That would indeed be wonderful, but Zhuo Qi knew deep down that Han Yan would never enter the water while he was present. She went to great lengths to avoid any connection with him.
Han Yan turned her head to look at him. "If Your Highness wishes to enjoy the scenery here, that's perfectly fine. But I can wait. Your Highness will leave eventually, and once you're gone, I'll go in."
Zhuo Qi hadn't expected her to say that, and his tone shifted. "Are you really that determined?"
Han Yan smiled faintly. "It's worth it."
Time passed minute by minute. Although the hairpin wouldn't move on its own, the water current would. The flowing water could wash the hairpin away—who knew if it might drift toward the center of the lake? Zhuo Qi watched Han Yan thoughtfully, hoping to see a trace of fear or hesitation on her face, but he was disappointed. Han Yan simply stared calmly at the bottom of the lake, her expression utterly serene. It was precisely this calmness that made her seem so resolute.
This woman was truly extraordinary.
Suddenly, Zhuo Qi laughed heartily, stood up in large strides, and made as if to walk into the lake. Han Yan was taken aback and called out to him, "What are you doing?"
Zhuo Qi turned back to look at her. "This prince is in a good mood today, so I'll help you find your hairpin." With that, he leaped into the air and plunged entirely into the icy lake water. Han Yan stood up in shock, but the surface of the lake remained as calm as a mirror, with nothing to be seen.Although Zhuo Qi was truly detestable and had an arrogant younger sister, making it impossible for Han Yan to feel any goodwill toward him, the lake surface remained empty, and Han Yan began to feel somewhat panicked. Considering his status as a prince of the Western Rong, he was no ordinary person. If something really happened to him, the Western Rong might take some action, which would be extremely unfavorable for the Great Dynasty. Moreover, his current status was not that of an enemy to the Great Dynasty—at least he had a sister sent for marriage alliance, so on the surface, relations were amicable. In war, envoys are not to be harmed, and if an envoy encountered any trouble, it could lead to major consequences.
"Zhuo Qi!" Han Yan ran to the lakeside and shouted loudly, "Zhuo Qi!"
The lake remained calm. Han Yan grew anxious. When Zhuo Qi had entered the water, she didn’t know whether he could swim or not—could he have drowned? The thought made it impossible for her to stay calm. Only the two of them were here; she had no idea where Ji Lan and Shu Hong were. What could she do to help?
"Zhuo Qi, if you’re trying to scare me, I’ll never pay attention to you again. I’ll just treat you as a prince of an empire," she said softly, hoping to catch a glimpse of Zhuo Qi. But the water’s surface still showed no change. Even someone skilled in swimming would be in danger if they stayed underwater for so long without surfacing. At this thought, Han Yan cried out anxiously, "Zhuo Qi!" Gritting her teeth, she prepared to go into the water herself to check. Just then, a figure suddenly burst out of the water—Zhuo Qi, his face dripping wet, grinned mischievously. "You were worried about me!"
Han Yan was stunned, feeling a wave of relief, but immediately afterward, she became furious. "You tricked me!"
Zhuo Qi shook his head, flinging the water droplets from his hair, and slowly swam toward Han Yan without saying a word, merely smiling. His gaze made Han Yan somewhat uncomfortable. Finally, when he reached the shore, Han Yan helped pull him up while coldly remarking, "Childish."
Zhuo Qi seemed to enjoy Han Yan’s scolding. Looking at her, he suddenly felt a pang of guilt and said, "I’m sorry, I couldn’t find the hairpin."
"If you couldn’t find it, then you couldn’t find it," Han Yan replied. "It wasn’t your responsibility in the first place." Yet the disappointment in her tone was unmistakable. Zhuo Qi frowned, then suddenly extended the hand he had been hiding behind, revealing the bright blue Lantian fish-tail hairpin held perfectly in his palm. At the sight, Han Yan was overjoyed and took the hairpin from Zhuo Qi’s hand. Watching her delighted expression, Zhuo Qi felt a slight pang in his heart, but he immediately curved his lips into a smile. "I helped you find this hairpin. How will you thank me?"
Although Han Yan didn’t like Zhuo Qi, she was genuinely happy that he had helped her find the hairpin. This person wasn’t as annoying as Irina, she thought inwardly. Still, she put on a stern face and said, "This hairpin fell into the lake because of you in the first place, so naturally, it was your duty to retrieve it. I’m being generous by not holding it against you. How can you ask me to thank you?"
Zhuo Qi stared at Han Yan in astonishment. In front of him, Han Yan had always been calm and composed, occasionally showing a bit of cleverness, but this was the first time he had seen her act so shamelessly. Strangely, he didn’t find it wrong at all; on the contrary, he thought this side of Han Yan was quite adorable. He burst into laughter, but after a few chuckles, his expression suddenly changed, his face instantly turning pale.Han Yan noticed his expression and was taken aback at first. Suddenly, she saw a conspicuous red patch beneath Zhuo Qi’s drenched clothes—clearly a trace of fresh blood, now seeping outward. What was going on? Could it be that this Western Rong prince was already injured, and while diving into the water earlier to retrieve Han Yan’s hairpin, he accidentally tore open his wound? That would explain why he was struggling so much now.
“What’s wrong with you?” Han Yan asked. She hadn’t expected to encounter so many unexpected situations when she came out today, and now Zhuo Qi was in such a state. Could it be that she wouldn’t be able to avoid getting involved herself?
Seeing Han Yan’s anxious expression, Zhuo Qi seemed rather pleased, speaking slowly, “You’re worried about me.” His tone had changed, becoming strained and labored, as if he were struggling to endure the pain. Han Yan looked down and saw that Zhuo Qi’s wound was at his waist, seemingly a serious injury. The blood from the wound was increasing, mixing with the lake water and almost dyeing his entire robe red. Such a blood-soaked figure would frighten anyone who saw it. Han Yan sighed, “How are you really doing?”
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