bookrandom Chapter 131 as cold as ice
Chapter 131 as cold as ice
Gao Xingchen and Nan Li rushed into Fairy Zhou's room, but saw only a mess. Tables and chairs were overturned, teacups were broken, there were mottled bloodstains on the ground, and the air was filled with a sickening fishy-sweet smell.
"Damn it!" Gao Xingchen slammed his fist on the table, and sawdust flew everywhere. "Fairy Zhou, you are so brave!"
Nan Li looked solemn, and carefully checked every corner of the room, trying to find some clues. "It seems that she was well prepared, and we are still a step late."
Gao Xingchen paced back and forth anxiously, Elder Jin's kind face flashing through his mind, his heart filled with worry and self-blame. "It's all my fault. If we had discovered her conspiracy earlier, Elder Jin wouldn't have..."
Nan Li walked over to him, gently held his hand, and tried to comfort him. "Xingchen, it's no use blaming yourself now. We must find Elder Jin and Fairy Zhou as soon as possible to prevent the tragedy from happening."
Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "You're right. We must split up now. I'll go find Elder Jin, and you go track down Fairy Zhou's whereabouts."
Nan Li nodded and was about to turn around and leave, but was stopped by Gao Xingchen. "Wait, be careful, Fairy Zhou is very cunning, you must not underestimate the enemy."
"I know, you too." Nan Li turned around, gave him a firm look, then turned and disappeared into the night.
However, they found nothing in the following days. Elder Jin and Fairy Zhou seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth, and no matter how hard they searched, they could not find any clues.
To make matters worse, the atmosphere between Gao Xingchen and Nan Li also became unusually subtle. They had been in a cold war since the dispute in Zhou Xianzi's room that day.
The cause was that Gao Xingchen, in anger, accused Nan Li of being too impulsive and failing to stop him from going to Fairy Zhou to argue in time, which led to the current passive situation.
Although Nan Li did not refute, the disappointment and hurt in her eyes deeply hurt Gao Xingchen's heart. He knew that he had said the wrong thing, but because of his face, he could not bring himself to apologize.
The two returned to their respective rooms in silence, and neither of them took the initiative to take the first step towards reconciliation.
In the next few days, although they lived under the same roof, it seemed as if there was an invisible wall between them, and the atmosphere between them was awkward and depressing.
Fairy Zhou seemed to have noticed this as well. She appeared in front of them intentionally or unintentionally, and from time to time she mentioned some sensitive topics about the two of them, trying to exacerbate the conflict between them.
For example, she would pretend to say casually: "Miss Nanli, you are so lucky to have found such an excellent partner like Mr. Gao."
Or he might intentionally or unintentionally mention other suitors in front of Gao Xingchen, implying that Nan Li is not short of excellent suitors.
Faced with Fairy Zhou's instigation, although Gao Xingchen and Nan Li knew her purpose very well, they could not control the inexplicable irritability and uneasiness deep in their hearts.
After returning to the room, Gao Xingchen threw himself on the bed in annoyance, and his mind kept recalling every detail of his acquaintance with Nan Li.
He knew that he shouldn't doubt Nan Li's sincerity, and he shouldn't say hurtful words because of a momentary impulse. However, every time he wanted to take the initiative to break the deadlock, the inexplicable self-esteem in his heart would jump out to stop him.
"Alas..." Gao Xingchen sighed, his heart filled with regret and helplessness. He didn't know how to save the relationship between him and Nan Li, and he didn't know when the invisible wall between them would really collapse...
Gao Xingchen paced back and forth in the room anxiously, like a wild beast trapped in a cage. He kept thinking back to what he said to Nan Li that day, and every word was like a sharp blade, piercing his heart fiercely. He knew that he was too impulsive. Nan Li risked her life to sneak into Fairy Zhou's room in order to find clues as soon as possible and rescue Elder Jin. Not only did he not understand her intentions, but he pushed all the responsibilities onto her. How unfair it was to her!
He held his head in pain, his heart filled with self-blame and regret. However, whenever he mustered up the courage to go to Nan Li to apologize, the ridiculous self-esteem in his heart would jump out to stop him, as if an invisible hand was tightly strangling his throat, making him unable to breathe.
On the other side, Nan Li locked herself in the room, crying silently. She was not really angry with Gao Xingchen, but was extremely disappointed with the distrust in his words. Since the two met, she had trusted Gao Xingchen without reservation, and was even willing to make the whole world an enemy for him. However, Gao Xingchen doubted her sincerity when she needed him the most. How could she accept this?
She buried her face in her knees, her tears soaking her clothes. The room was silent, with only her suppressed sobs echoing in the air, expressing her sadness and grievances that had nowhere to go.
Time passed by, night gradually fell, and the light in the room became dimmer and dimmer. Gao Xingchen finally plucked up the courage and walked to Nan Li's door. He hesitated for a moment, raised his hand to knock on the door, but put it down at the last moment. He didn't know how to face Nan Li, and he didn't know what to say to make up for the harm he had caused her.
At this moment, he heard Nan Li's suppressed crying in the room. His heart trembled suddenly, and all his worries and hesitations disappeared. He could no longer care about anything else, and suddenly pushed open the door and rushed into the room.
"Nanli, I'm sorry..." He walked to Nanli and gently embraced her in his arms, "I was wrong, I shouldn't have doubted you, can you forgive me?"
Nan Li's body froze slightly, but her tears flowed even more violently. She didn't say anything, but buried her head deeply in Gao Xingchen's chest, as if she wanted to draw a little warmth and strength from him.
Gao Xingchen hugged her tightly, feeling her body trembling, his heart full of pity and love. He knew that the rift between them had not completely disappeared because of his apology, but at least, they had taken the first step towards reconciliation.
However, this was just the beginning. In the following days, although the two of them calmed down on the surface, the gap in their hearts still existed. When they met in public, they just nodded politely, no longer having the intimacy and tacit understanding of the past.
That day, Gao Xingchen and Nan Li met on the way to the mission hall...
Gao Xingchen and Nan Li walked side by side on the bluestone road to the mission hall. The warm sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves, casting spots of light on the ground. In the past, they always walked side by side, chatting and laughing, but now, there seemed to be an insurmountable gap between the two of them, and only silence spread in the air.
When he reached the door of the mission hall, Gao Xingchen paused, turned his head slightly, and his eyes fell on Nan Li beside him. Nan Li was wearing a lavender dress today, and her long black hair was tied up with a white jade hairpin, revealing her fair and slender neck. She was pure and elegant, like an orchid in the valley. Gao Xingchen's eyes flashed with surprise, but it was soon replaced by a bitterness. He knew that she was no longer the girl who would smile at him.
Nan Li seemed to notice his gaze, and she also stopped and turned to look at him. When their eyes met, time seemed to stand still. Her eyes were still clear and bright, but they lacked the tenderness and attachment of the past, and were replaced by a hint of alienation and indifference.
"Is there something wrong?" Nan Li asked calmly, as if she was facing an ordinary stranger.
Gao Xingchen opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he didn't know how to start. In the end, he just shook his head and whispered, "Nothing, go and get busy." After that, he avoided her gaze and walked into the mission hall first.
Nan Li stood there, watching Gao Xingchen's back as he walked away, with a complex emotion flashing through her eyes. She wished he could hold her hand without hesitation like he did before, and tell her that he would always believe in her and protect her. However, she knew that some things, once they happened, could never go back to the past.
"Mr. Gao, long time no see, how have you been lately?" A charming voice interrupted Nan Li's thoughts. She turned around and saw Fairy Zhou, wearing a fiery red dress, walking towards her with a charming smile on her face.
Gao Xingchen frowned slightly, and nodded indifferently, as a response to Fairy Zhou's greeting. Since the last incident, his impression of Fairy Zhou has plummeted, and now seeing her take the initiative to approach him, he felt a little annoyed.
Fairy Zhou seemed not to notice his indifference and continued to chat with him enthusiastically. She mentioned the last incident intentionally or unintentionally, implying that Nan Li was reckless and impulsive and almost ruined the whole thing. Gao Xingchen felt a little unhappy, but due to the occasion, he couldn't get angry and could only deal with it perfunctorily.
All of this was seen by Nan Li who was standing not far away. She had a self-deprecating smile on her face. It seemed that she had really overestimated her position in his heart.
Although the two of them maintained an indifferent attitude on the surface, they both missed each other deep in their hearts. This state of cold war made them feel tortured. How can Gao Xingchen and Nan Li break the cold war and rebuild their trust and feelings for each other?
Gao Xingchen listened absentmindedly to Fairy Zhou's words, but his eyes drifted towards Nan Li involuntarily. She was lowering her head, stroking a snow-white civet cat with her slender fingers, with a faint bitter smile on the corner of her mouth. That bitter smile hurt Gao Xingchen's heart, he knew that she was forcing a smile.
"Mr. Gao, what's wrong with you? Did I say something wrong?" Fairy Zhou saw that Gao Xingchen was a little absent-minded and felt a little unhappy, but still asked softly.
Gao Xingchen came back to his senses and smiled apologetically: "Sorry, Fairy Zhou, I just remembered something."
"Oh? What is it that makes Mr. Gao so upset?" Fairy Zhou asked, with a cunning light in her eyes.
Gao Xingchen naturally would not tell her about what happened between him and Nan Li, but just dealt with her vaguely. Fairy Zhou felt a little unwilling to find out anything, but she did not continue to pester him. Instead, she changed the subject and talked about the mission this time.
"This time our mission is to go to the Misty Forest to search for a spiritual medicine called 'Star Moon Grass'. It is said that this spiritual medicine can help practitioners improve their cultivation and is very precious. However, the Misty Forest is full of dangers and it is said that there are powerful monsters lurking around. We must be careful."
Gao Xingchen nodded to show that he understood. Although he had something on his mind, he still took the mission very seriously.
"Don't worry, Mr. Gao. I will protect you." Fairy Zhou was delighted to see Gao Xingchen listening attentively, and said softly.
Gao Xingchen frowned slightly and was about to refuse, but saw Nan Li suddenly raised his head, looked at Fairy Zhou coldly, then turned and left the mission hall.
"Nanli!" Gao Xingchen was anxious and didn't care about Fairy Zhou and hurriedly chased after her.
Fairy Zhou looked at the two people leaving one after the other, and a sinister light flashed in her eyes.
Gao Xingchen chased out of the mission hall, but he couldn't find Nan Li. He was extremely anxious and looked everywhere for her, and finally found her in a bamboo forest.
Nanli had her back to him, her slender shoulders trembling slightly, as if she was crying.
"Nanli, what's wrong with you?" Gao Xingchen walked to her and asked softly.
Nan Li turned around, her eyes were red and tears were welling up in them.
"Gao Xingchen, why do you always believe others and not me?" she asked, choking with sobs.
Gao Xingchen felt a pain in his heart. He knew that Nan Li was referring to what happened last time.
"Nanli, I'm sorry. I know I was wrong last time. I shouldn't have doubted you." He reached out to wipe away her tears, but she pushed his hand away.
"Go away, I don't want to see you again." Nan Li turned her head away and said coldly.
Gao Xingchen's heart was filled with helplessness and bitterness. He knew that Nan Li was still angry with him.
"Nanli, I know you are still angry with me, but..."
"I'm not angry!" Nan Li suddenly interrupted him, her voice rising a few notes, "I just feel very tired and don't want to go on like this."
After saying that, she turned and ran away.
Gao Xingchen looked at her receding back, feeling powerless. He knew that the rift between him and Nan Li was getting deeper and deeper, but he didn't know how to make up for it.
……
Elder Li looked at the two people in the mission hall with a strange atmosphere and frowned slightly. He knew that something must have happened between Gao Xingchen and Nan Li.