DTBCF Chapter 9

Although intrigued, he knew better than to show it, given that the woman in question was his brother’s concubine, and he should not overstep his bounds.

His momentary lapse made him quickly regain his composure. He smiled and said, “I didn’t expect that there would be such a talented woman in Dragon Brother’s household; it’s truly your good fortune.” He then refrained from mentioning the poem or the woman again, acting as if nothing had happened.

However, Dragon Heng was inclined towards conspiracy theories and couldn’t help but feel that this incident was not a coincidence. (Dear, you are truly wise.)

After sending Song Jiaoyue away, he knocked on the table a few times, wondering why that so-called ‘mad’ woman was acting a bit restless recently.

Even though he knew she was a woman from his courtyard, he hesitated for a moment before deciding to go over alone.

The Winter Garden was indeed too secluded, and he hardly saw anyone on the way there. When he arrived, there wasn’t even a gatekeeper present.

One would think that with servants and maids dispatched everywhere, how could this place be overlooked?

In theory, his mother shouldn’t have made such a mistake. In reality, the old lady had sent someone over, but Bai Xiangxiu, fearing that their presence might interfere with her work, had sent them back, claiming she was too ill to see visitors.

Since there was no one at the gate and he was the male head of the family, there shouldn’t be any problem entering.

Dragon Heng lingered outside for a while but eventually walked in.

The state of the inside made him frown; it was incredibly messy, with papers scattered everywhere and ink stains from spilled pens making the floor dirty.

The owner of the place was sitting at the writing desk, with her hair disheveled as if deep in thought. A maid was on the floor, scrubbing away, and plaintively said, “I told you not to place the inkstone near the edge of the table, it’s made a mess everywhere…”

Wait, why were there men’s shoes here? It was so late; why would a man be here?

The maid, Xiaoshi, slowly looked up and, upon seeing the coldly handsome face, immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, “Servant pays respects to the Lord.”

“What Lord? Xiaoshi, stop joking. Even if the Emperor himself came, I would still need to finish this poem…” Just as she was about to complete her sentence, she noticed that a man was indeed standing in front of her.

She knocked her head and rubbed her eyes, then said, “Xiaoshi, call a doctor; what should I do if I’m seeing illusions again?”

Xiaoshi was frightened and nearly in tears; her master was going mad over poetry. The man was standing right there—how could it be an illusion?

Dragon Heng, on the other hand, felt speechless. Did he look like an illusion? Or was she hoping for his arrival? His heart softened slightly as he said, “Is this how you serve your master? Why is it so dirty and chaotic here?”

Regardless of whether a man is in love with a woman, he will always be pleased if she keeps him in mind.

After speaking, he continued to observe her and felt that this woman seemed to have no scheming intentions to attract his attention. However, even so, he didn’t find her repulsive.

“Lord, is it you? Ah…” Bai Xiangxiu, who was so immersed in poetry that she nearly drove herself mad, finally came to her senses. After a scream of panic, she realized she should pay respects to the Lord.

She had already learned the proper etiquette, but in her haste, she tripped over a chair as she tried to stand, falling to the ground with a thud. The pain made her break into a cold sweat, and she trembled as she said, “Greetings… Greetings, Lord?”

That was how it should be said, right? Her brain was exhausted from thinking of ways to attract the male lead and composing poems to the point of collapse.

She couldn’t help but admire those who had crossed over into different worlds; did they know they were going to cross over? Their poetry theft seemed so smooth.

But for her, even stealing poetry made her head spin. She really couldn’t understand why, despite her efforts to attract the male lead, the male protagonist was the one who showed up.

Actually, Dragon Heng had already dismissed his earlier thoughts. Upon arriving, it was clear that the woman was not particularly sane. Moreover, the mess in the room made it plausible that any random paper could have been used to wrap the cakes.

He casually picked up a piece of paper and saw that it contained the entire poem. He couldn’t help but smile wryly; was she using this poem to practice her writing? She had written so much.

He was right; Bai Xiangxiu was indeed using the poem to practice her calligraphy!

But seeing the woman kneeling on the ground, trembling from knee pain, he said, “Get up!”

Bai Xiangxiu wanted to cry but remained kneeling, glancing up at Dragon Heng before lowering her head again. Her small, pitiful look made Dragon Heng’s heart twitch. Had he done something to her to make her look so resentful?

“What’s wrong? Should I help you up?” His demeanor was cold, but he felt a sense of pity for the woman. He wasn’t sure how to react.

He had expected her to kneel and apologize, as most women would. But Bai Xiangxiu was a woman with a mind entrenched in flowers and plants.

She could be clever and pretend to be obedient, but in front of the male lead, she had become numb.

Her reaction, in polite terms, was called fear. To put it bluntly, she was terrified and crumbling.

She kept her head bowed, feeling wronged, and said, “Replying to the Lord, it’s not that I don’t want to get up, it’s just… I can’t get up; my legs seem to be numb.”

“……” Dragon Heng was once again speechless. How could this woman be so delicate? Just kneeling had made her unable to get up?

He suddenly felt a sense of helplessness and told Xiaoshi, “Help your mistress up.”

Xiaoshi hurried over and helped her mistress up, almost lifting her by the waist.

Dragon Heng’s heart softened again. This woman was so light that even a small maid could carry her.

He wondered if she was as light as a feather. As he thought about it, Xiaoshi exclaimed, “Lady Xiangxiu, Lady Xiangxiu, what’s wrong?” She shook the fainted body in her arms.

Dragon Heng was stunned and asked, “What happened?” Seeing her head resting in Xiaoshi’s arms, it seemed she had fainted.

Could it be that she was so weak that kneeling made her faint?

“Why are you still standing there? Go fetch a doctor.” Dragon Heng walked over, picked her up, and held her in his arms. He had hoped to hold her like this, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. However, she was indeed very light.

Not only light but also soft and fragrant; she seemed to have no threat at all. He could probably break her bones with a slight squeeze.

Xiaoshi was taken aback when the Lord picked up her mistress but quickly went to call for a doctor upon hearing the Lord’s orders.

Dragon Heng placed her on the bed in the inner room. The room in the Winter Garden was quite small, and he felt that the inner room was pitifully cramped; there was hardly any space when he turned around.

The bed was also small, but after she lay down, there was still a lot of space left. Was the woman’s body so small? When he lay down on her, he found he covered her completely.

His heart warmed, especially seeing her alluring face. However, being a calm person, he began to sweat coldly as the battlefield memories resurfaced and quickly sat up, frowning.

Indeed, beautiful women were trouble. He decided not to look at her anymore and left the Winter Garden alone.