DTBCF Chapter 27

Bai Xiangxiu wasn’t too concerned about what he might have seen, but she was still scared!

She hadn’t had much interaction with the male lead. Every time she saw him, he left with a cold expression. So why was he suddenly here now? Surely he wasn’t here to check on her injury, right?

However according to the book, after the female lead went missing, the male lead reacted strongly and immediately sent people to search for her.

Even though he didn’t go himself, his subordinates were competent. They quickly found the female lead, and he personally met her.

Maybe he had already sent someone after her, and she just didn’t know. Regardless, when the person entered, she quickly knelt.

“Get up. You’re injured and outside, so there’s no need for formalities.” He moved to help her, but Xiao Shi beat him to it.

As Xiao Shi helped Madam Xiu up, she felt a chill all over. She glanced at the prince, and immediately felt like she was going to faint from fear!

Bai Xiangxiu noticed Xiao Shi trembling and thought to herself that the girl was finally afraid of this “god of death” in front of them. She had warned her before, but she didn’t believe it.

Well, she believes it now—and she’s terrified. Bai Xiangxiu patted Xiao Shi’s hand and subtly moved to shield her behind her.

That was just how she was. Even though she was timid, she had a soft spot for those who were weaker than her. Xiao Shi was younger than her in both this life and her previous one, so it was natural for her to protect her.

Long Heng noticed the small gesture and felt both admiration and a strange ache in his heart. She was trying to protect someone else with such a frail body when he could take her life with just one finger.

But the sight of the maid bothered him, so he waved her away. “You, leave.”

Xiao Shi trembled and looked at her mistress with teary eyes.

Bai Xiangxiu felt the pressure too. Standing next to the male lead who, in the book, would eventually kill her, was nerve-wracking. But he had already spoken—was she going to test his patience and get herself killed early?

So, she pushed Xiao Shi gently and said, “Go on, go make some tea. Bring it back later and see if your mistress is still alive.”

Xiao Shi had no choice but to leave, feeling like she and her mistress were parting for the last time. To Long Heng, the two girls looked like they were saying their final goodbyes.

He couldn’t help but twitch his lips. He wasn’t a wild beast—was there a need to be this scared? He had already forgotten how moments ago, he was glaring at Xiao Shi with killing intent.

Now, with just the two of them in the room, Bai Xiangxiu was extremely nervous. She didn’t dare to look up and politely gestured for him to sit.

A large shadow passed in front of her as he sat down, but Bai Xiangxiu still didn’t dare to sit herself. She stood quietly by the side, wondering why he had suddenly come here.

“How did you get hurt? Was it the Lin family?” He hadn’t heard any servants mention it, and logically, her mother wouldn’t have punished her, especially in front of outsiders.

“No, it was an accident. I hurt myself, it has nothing to do with anyone else.”

The male lead would find out about the female lead’s escape sooner or later—maybe he already knew. She didn’t want to stir up trouble and give him a reason to think badly of her, which could lead to an early death.

“You fell?” His voice was cold with suspicion, making her tense up. Still, she nodded. “Yes, Your Highness.”

How could she fall and get hurt like that? Was she really that careless?

“Someone, go call the doctor.” Seeing her trembling as she stood, he added, “Sit down.”

Bai Xiangxiu was in real pain, so she obeyed and sat down. But as soon as she did, the pain in her chest and head made her gasp.

Long Heng paused, ready to help her, but she had already sat down. She clutched her chest, wincing in pain.

“Lie down.” He hadn’t realized how badly she was injured until she sat down. Even her forehead was bruised.

How did she end up like this? Could the Lin girl have caused it? A wave of discomfort washed over him as he frowned.

Bai Xiangxiu thought the prince wanted to do something to her. Why else would he have her lie down so early in the morning? But his aura was too overwhelming. If he wanted to do something today, she had no choice but to endure it.

“I-I’m not tired.” She was a modern woman. Even if she had no other options, she still wanted to at least protect her dignity!

“Lie down,” Long Heng commanded in the authoritative tone he used with his soldiers. He had led thousands of troops, but dealing with this small girl seemed impossible.

She was already pale with pain but still stubbornly sitting. His anger flared up, and he snapped at her.

When she flinched, he realized just how scared she was. He had never seen a woman this weak.

Bai Xiangxiu trembled again, realizing there was no escaping this. She couldn’t help but picture the girl from the book who was beaten to death and shakily lay down on the hard bed.

Oh no, is this the moment I lose my innocence? She felt tears welling up as she lay there, closing her eyes in fear. But after a long moment, nothing happened.

She hesitated, opening her eyes to find Long Heng sitting there righteously, not even looking at her. She was stunned. What did that mean?

A while later, Xiao Shi brought in the tea, followed by a young doctor. As soon as Long Heng saw the doctor, his expression soured.

“Cover his eyes,” he ordered quietly. Xiao Shi quickly took out a cloth and covered the doctor’s eyes, feeling a sense of relief. It seemed the prince cared about her mistress after all; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been this cautious.

Though the doctor was young, he was still over forty. Plus, he was a lay disciple at the temple. Being this cautious felt like overkill.

It wasn’t until then that Bai Xiangxiu realized he had her lie down because she was injured. He had even called a doctor—perhaps he wasn’t as heartless as she thought. But what had caused this sudden change in him?

She remembered he had always ignored the women in his household because he found them tiresome.

Yet now everything seemed different. At least the male lead’s behavior was completely off-course.

Where had she gone wrong? Aside from giving him that gift, she hadn’t done much of anything.

The doctor checked her pulse, his voice trembling slightly as he said, “Your Highness, this lady has suffered internal injuries. She needs to rest for a while and avoid strenuous activities or overexertion.”

“Prescribe medicine.” Long Heng hadn’t realized her injuries were this serious. As a general, he knew these weren’t from a simple fall—something had hit her chest to cause such damage.

After the doctor left, Long Heng asked again, “Tell me, how did you get hurt?”

He couldn’t understand how someone could get this injured in a temple.

“It was an accident,” she insisted.

“You…” Why wouldn’t she tell him the truth? Frustrated, Long Heng paced the room, his temper rising. Bai Xiangxiu broke into a cold sweat as she watched him seethe in silence before he turned and left without a word.

Xiao Shi hurried over, avoiding Long Heng as she asked in a trembling voice, “Madam, what on earth happened?”

Bai Xiangxiu was sure the prince had figured something out. Otherwise, why would he press her so hard about her injuries? Was it because of the female lead?

Maybe he thought her injury was connected to the female lead’s disappearance and was hoping to get information from her about where the Lin girl had gone.

She nodded to herself, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.