Chapter 110: I Won’t Stop Pursuing You

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: I Won’t Stop Pursuing You

The greenhouse was as peaceful as Xi Yunxui remembered.

Sunlight filtered through the glass panels overhead, spilling across the rows of carefully tended plants and illuminating the delicate leaves with a soft golden glow. The air carried the faint fragrance of flowers and damp soil, while the gentle rustling of leaves provided a soothing backdrop to the silence between the two people who had just taken their seats.

Huo Jingchen sat beside Xi Yunxui, his presence as imposing as ever despite the tranquil surroundings. He had led her into the greenhouse without explaining much along the way, and after they settled down, he seemed content to leave the conversation untouched.

Xi Yunxui, for her part, had no intention of breaking the silence first.

After the strange incident with Jianshan’s spiritual power, she desperately needed a few moments of peace. Her consciousness had finally settled, the oppressive sensation that had threatened to overwhelm her had disappeared, and she could breathe without feeling as though an invisible force were pressing against her chest.

For the first time in what felt like forever, she could simply sit still and enjoy the quiet.

She watched a butterfly flutter past the glass, its delicate wings catching the sunlight before it disappeared among the plants. Gradually, the tension in her shoulders eased, and her thoughts wandered away from the mysteries that had been troubling her.

Unfortunately, the peaceful silence did not last forever.

"How are you recovering?"

Huo Jingchen’s question came so unexpectedly that Xi Yunxui blinked and turned toward him.

"Recovering?"

For a moment, she had no idea what he meant. Then the events of five days earlier came back to her, and understanding dawned.

He was asking about the accident.

"Oh, that." She gave him a reassuring smile. "I’m fine now, Young Master. I’ve recovered quite well, so you don’t need to worry about me."

Huo Jingchen studied her face, seemingly unconvinced by how easily she had dismissed the matter.

"Being able to sit here and tell me you’re fine doesn’t mean you should disregard what happened."

Xi Yunxui was briefly taken aback by the seriousness in his voice. She had expected him to ask out of courtesy, perhaps because he had happened to see her looking unwell earlier, but his expression suggested that the accident had occupied his thoughts far more than she had anticipated.

"I’m really all right," she insisted, softening her voice. "There isn’t anything to worry about anymore."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

He fell silent again, and Xi Yunxui returned her attention to the plants, assuming the conversation had ended. Yet she could feel his gaze resting on her, steady and thoughtful, making it increasingly difficult to pretend that she was completely unaware of him.

After a while, Huo Jingchen finally spoke again.

"I know you told me not to look for you anymore."

Xi Yunxui’s fingers paused where they rested in her lap.

She turned her head.

Huo Jingchen was looking straight ahead, his expression composed, but there was a gravity to his voice that made her heart skip a beat.

"I remember what you said, and I understand that you have your reasons. But I haven’t changed my mind."

"Young Master..."

"I’m not going to stop pursuing you simply because you told me to."

He turned toward her, meeting her eyes without the slightest hesitation.

"I can respect your decision to keep your distance, Xi Yunxui, but I can’t promise to stop caring about you. And I won’t pretend that I no longer want to be with you just because it would make things easier."

Xi Yunxui stared at him, momentarily unable to find a response.

She had known Huo Jingchen for some time, and although she had seen glimpses of a side of him that differed from his usual cold and distant demeanor, she had never expected him to speak so openly about his feelings. He was not a man who readily explained himself, much less someone who would sit beside a woman and calmly admit that he had no intention of giving up on her.

Yet there he was, looking at her as though he had already considered every possible consequence and decided that none of them would change his mind.

Her heart began to beat a little faster.

What’s wrong with this man today?

She quickly looked away, pretending to be fascinated by a particularly large potted plant.

Why is he suddenly saying things like this? Does he have any idea what he’s doing to my poor heart?

Huo Jingchen noticed the way her ears had begun to turn pink, but he made no comment. Instead, he leaned back slightly, giving her enough space to collect herself while continuing to speak.

"There’s something else I haven’t told you."

Xi Yunxui glanced at him despite herself.

"What is it?"

"After the accident, I kept thinking about what might have happened if things had been different."

His voice grew quieter, and the faint crease between his brows deepened.

"The night you went to the club, I saw you there. I noticed you, but I didn’t approach you. At the time, I told myself that you had made your decision and that I had no right to interfere with your life."

He paused, his jaw tightening.

"If I had gone over to speak with you, perhaps I would have known you were leaving. Perhaps I could have arranged for someone to accompany you or made sure you returned home safely."

Xi Yunxui’s expression softened.

"Young Master, you couldn’t have known what was going to happen."

"I know that."

Huo Jingchen turned to face her fully.

"Knowing that doesn’t make it any easier to accept."

For the first time since they had entered the greenhouse, his composure seemed to waver. It was subtle, barely more than a shadow passing through his eyes, but Xi Yunxui saw it.

He was blaming himself.

The realization left her unexpectedly unsettled. She had spent the past five days recovering from the accident, answering questions when necessary, and trying to determine whether the system’s mission had been connected to what happened. She had not imagined that Huo Jingchen might be carrying his own burden of guilt over something he could never have predicted.

"Please don’t blame yourself," she said earnestly. "The truck came out of nowhere. Nobody could have known it would happen, and even if you had spoken to me at the club, that wouldn’t necessarily have changed anything."

"Perhaps."

His answer was quiet, but it did not sound as though he had truly accepted her reassurance.

Xi Yunxui looked at him for a moment, uncertain how to comfort someone who seemed so determined to hold himself responsible. She was accustomed to dealing with her own problems, not to being confronted with the sight of a man like Huo Jingchen openly regretting that he had not done more for her.

Then he reached for her hand.

The movement was neither hurried nor forceful. His fingers simply slipped around hers, warm and steady, and when she looked down at their joined hands, her mind abruptly went blank.

"Whatever happens from now on," he said, "I don’t want you to think you have to face everything alone."

Her breath caught.

Huo Jingchen held her gaze, his expression serious enough to leave no doubt that he meant every word.

"You may not want me near you right now. You may even continue telling me to stay away, and I won’t force you to accept anything you don’t want. But if you need help, I want you to come to me. If you’re in trouble, I want you to tell me. And if something happens to you again..."

He paused, his fingers tightening around hers just enough for her to notice.

"I don’t want to be standing somewhere else, wondering whether you’re safe."

Xi Yunxui felt warmth creep up her neck.

It was one thing for Huo Jingchen to say that he intended to pursue her, but hearing the concern beneath his words was another matter entirely. He wasn’t simply declaring that he wanted her. He was telling her that her safety mattered to him, that the thought of something happening to her had unsettled him enough to make him question what he could have done differently.

And the worst part was that she found herself wanting to believe him.

She lowered her eyes to their joined hands, trying to conceal the blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Young Master, you don’t have to..."

"I know."

He interrupted her gently, without raising his voice.

"You don’t have to give me an answer now, either. I’m not asking you to change your mind just because I’m telling you how I feel."

Xi Yunxui looked up again.

For a brief moment, their eyes met, and she found herself unable to look away.

Huo Jingchen’s usual coldness had receded, leaving behind a quiet sincerity that made him seem more approachable than she had ever seen him. He wasn’t smiling, nor was he trying to charm her with sweet words. He was simply sitting beside her, holding her hand and allowing her to see a part of himself he rarely showed anyone.

Her heart betrayed her by beating even faster.

This is bad.

She swallowed.

This is really bad.

She had always considered herself reasonably sensible. She knew the difference between affection and dependence, and she had no intention of allowing a romantic relationship to distract her from her goals. She had too many things to accomplish, too many mysteries to unravel, and too many people she wanted to protect.

Yet Huo Jingchen seemed determined to make all her carefully arranged priorities wobble whenever he looked at her like that.

Perhaps it was because she had never expected someone like him to care about her so openly. Perhaps it was the sincerity in his voice, or the fact that he had not demanded anything from her despite making his intentions clear.

Whatever the reason, she was beginning to feel that keeping her distance from him might prove considerably more difficult than she had anticipated.

Huo Jingchen seemed to sense that she was struggling to respond. Rather than pressing her for an answer, he lifted their joined hands slightly and glanced at her.

"Xi Yunxui."

"Yes?"

"If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to misunderstand."

Her eyes widened.

"I wasn’t looking at you!"

The denial escaped before she could think it through.

A faint smile finally appeared on Huo Jingchen’s face.

"Then I must have imagined it."

Xi Yunxui stared at him, unable to believe that he had just teased her so casually. The man who usually carried himself with an intimidating air of authority was now sitting beside her with a barely concealed smile, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

Her cheeks grew hotter.

He’s doing this on purpose!

She tried to withdraw her hand, partly because she needed to regain her composure and partly because she was beginning to suspect that Huo Jingchen had discovered a new way to torment her.

His fingers loosened immediately, allowing her to pull away if she wished, but before she could decide what to do, he spoke again.

"I missed you."

The simple confession stopped her in her tracks.

The smile on his face faded, replaced by an expression so earnest that she could no longer dismiss his words as teasing.

"I tried to respect your wishes," he continued. "I told myself that if I gave you enough time, perhaps things would become easier between us. But every time I saw you, I wanted to speak with you. And every time I stopped myself, I regretted it afterward."

Xi Yunxui’s heart gave a helpless little flutter.

She had been prepared for him to insist that he would continue pursuing her, but she hadn’t expected him to admit that keeping his distance had been difficult for him as well.

For a moment, she forgot about all the reasons she had given herself for maintaining that distance. She forgot about the complications of their positions, the uncertainty surrounding her future, and the long list of things she still needed to accomplish.

All she could see was the man sitting beside her, looking at her as though she mattered far more than he had ever intended to let her know.

Her lips parted, but no words came out.

Huo Jingchen watched her for a moment before raising his free hand and gently brushing a stray strand of hair away from her face.

The gesture was so natural, so unexpectedly tender, that Xi Yunxui forgot how to breathe for a second.

"Take your time," he murmured. "I’ll wait for you."

Her face turned crimson.

I’m finished.

The thought flashed through her mind with startling clarity.

If he keeps acting like this, I might actually give in.

And that was precisely when King C’s voice burst into her consciousness.

’Xi Yunxui!’

Xi Yunxui nearly jumped out of her seat.

The sudden mental shout was so unlike King C’s usual lazy, food-obsessed manner that she immediately straightened, every trace of embarrassment giving way to surprise.

’King C? What’s wrong?’

For once, there was no complaint about hunger, no demand for carrots, and no dramatic declaration that someone had wronged him. His voice carried a strain of anxiety that made her expression change.

’Come to the room right now!’

Xi Yunxui’s brows drew together.

’What happened? Is Hui all right? What about Biyu?’

’Just come back first!’ King C urged, his voice growing more anxious. ’You need to hurry!’

The urgency in his tone sent a chill through her.

King C could be troublesome, dramatic, and outrageously selfish when food was involved, but Xi Yunxui had lived with him long enough to recognize when something genuinely frightened him. He wasn’t behaving like a creature who had discovered an empty food bowl or lost a treasured carrot.

Something was wrong.

She rose from her seat so abruptly that Huo Jingchen’s expression changed.

"Xi Yunxui?"

She looked at him, momentarily caught between the concern in his eyes and the growing unease in her heart.

"I’m sorry, Young Master. I need to go back to my room. Something seems to have happened."

Huo Jingchen stood as well, his earlier warmth giving way to concern.

"Is someone hurt?"

"I don’t know yet."

That was the truth, and the uncertainty only made her more anxious. She could feel King C’s distress through their mental connection, but he wasn’t explaining what had happened, as though he either couldn’t spare the time or was too unsettled to put it into words.

Xi Yunxui took a step toward the exit.

Huo Jingchen did not stop her. Instead, he moved aside to let her pass, though his gaze remained fixed on her face.

"Go and see what’s wrong. If you need anything, call me."

She nodded quickly.

"Thank you, Young Master."

Then she hurried out of the greenhouse, her earlier embarrassment completely forgotten.

As she made her way back toward her room, King C’s anxious voice continued to echo through their mental connection, urging her to hurry. Xi Yunxui’s pace quickened, and the peaceful garden she had admired only moments earlier became little more than a blur of greenery around her.

Whatever had happened, King C was frightened.

And that alone was enough to make her heart tighten with worry.