Chapter 243
Was it really necessary to go back to this morning and meet Aivina again?
Xia Er felt that the system had randomly chosen this time on purpose, knowing full well that he wouldn’t opt for a past simulation and would instead refresh the future simulation he needed.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Amy and Isabella in front of him.
Amy was making faces in the direction the noble had left, while Isabella, who had been slighted earlier, seemed surprisingly unfazed, as if the noble hadn’t affected her at all.
What a strong mental fortitude.
However, it seemed they hadn’t noticed Xia Er’s subtle gesture of reaching out to touch Aivina’s lower back.
In the remaining time, Xia Er asked the knowledgeable Isabella many questions, and she appeared quite willing to answer. Amy, who only understood part of the topics, occasionally chimed in.
The atmosphere, which had been disrupted by that plump noble, gradually returned to normal.
Yet Xia Er’s gaze kept wandering in search of Aivina; he was still somewhat worried about her current state.
However, the dinner for this banquet wasn’t held at Aivina’s estate but at the mansion of a wealthy merchant located at No. 5, Jue Shi Bridge District, providing a place for the other nobles to continue their conversations.
Such a sequence of banquets following one another was quite common in noble circles—one could say they had little time throughout the year when they weren’t attending banquets.
Since Amy’s father had also been invited, she had to accompany him, while Isabella chose to head home.
Naturally, Aivina didn’t go to the next event either; she returned to her room, and Xia Er had no reason to follow her. He didn’t know anyone there and didn’t want to be approached by anyone.
The sky had dimmed slightly, with only a distant red sun and twilight remaining. The maids and other servants had begun to clean up the estate.
After inquiring about Aivina’s whereabouts, Xia Er made his way to her room.
As soon as he entered, he saw Aivina, already washed up and dressed in her pajamas, lying face down on the bed. Even the sound of Xia Er opening and closing the door didn’t make her lift her head.
“Are you okay? Aivina?”
Xia Er walked over to her side and asked, but Aivina still didn’t raise her head. She buried her face in the pillow and mumbled, “Bath.”
“What?”
Xia Er didn’t quite catch it and asked in confusion.
“Bath, sleep.”
Aivina’s voice came again, and this time Xia Er understood.
Is she telling me to go take a bath and sleep?
Xia Er walked into the bathroom and saw a light pink nightgown prepared for him hanging on the rack. After washing up, he changed into the silk nightgown and walked to the bedside.
As soon as he lay down next to Aivina, who had been face down in the pillow, she turned halfway and nestled against him, wrapping her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.
“Aivina?”
Xia Er called out, but he was tightly embraced and couldn’t move. He gently rested his hand on Aivina’s still-damp hair and rubbed it softly.
Slowly, he felt a wet patch forming on his chest.
Aivina… is crying?
The situation from earlier this morning seemed to have reversed tonight, with Aivina now buried in Xia Er’s chest, pouring out her grievances.
It seemed that only in front of Xia Er would Aivina show such a vulnerable side.
Xia Er didn’t say anything; he simply tenderly stroked Aivina’s head, leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
Chapter 144: Simulation, Start!
Originally, Xia Er wanted to follow Aivina’s example and softly hum a lullaby.
But he was well aware of his own singing abilities—calling it off-key would be an understatement. To avoid making Aivina laugh outright, he chose instead to soothe her with his hands.
His movements were incredibly gentle, and Aivina, who had been nestled in his embrace, had fallen silent for quite some time.
Just when Xia Er thought Aivina had fallen asleep, he heard her slightly hoarse voice.
“Close your eyes…”
The tone was weak, laced with a hint of pleading, making it impossible to imagine what expression Aivina had when she spoke—this voice couldn’t possibly be associated with her usual indifferent demeanor.
Without thinking much, Xia Er closed his eyes. After a while, Aivina’s voice came again.
“Are they closed?”
It seemed Aivina had noticed her earlier tone was off and quickly adjusted, returning to a more normal tone, though her voice still held a slight rasp.
“Yeah.”
Xia Er nodded.
Upon hearing Xia Er’s response, Aivina shifted slightly, wriggling out of his embrace.
From the sounds, it seemed Aivina had gotten out of bed. The rustling noises piqued Xia Er’s curiosity, and he couldn’t help but crack his eyes open a slit to see what Aivina was up to.
At that moment, he saw Aivina, dressed in a gray-blue nightgown, sitting on the edge of the bed with her back to him, seemingly using a handkerchief to wipe her face, unaware that Xia Er had opened his eyes.
Just as Aivina began to turn slightly, Xia Er quickly shut his eyes again, and soon after, he heard her approaching.
Before long, he felt a soft touch on his lips, but it was as fleeting as a dragonfly skimming the water. Then he heard Aivina getting off the bed and walking away in her slippers.
Is that it?
What about my compensation?
It wasn’t until he heard the sound of writing coming from the desk that Xia Er couldn’t help but ask, “Can I open my eyes now?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Aivina’s response came from nearby.
Xia Er opened his eyes, got up from the bed, and looked in Aivina’s direction.
At that moment, Aivina was sitting at the desk with her back to him, seemingly writing something.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to sleep?”
Xia Er got out of bed, slipped on his slippers, and walked toward Aivina while asking.
“It’s only eight o’clock.”
Aivina replied without turning around, “I need to record everything we discussed today to avoid forgetting later. There are still a few transactions…”
As she wrote, Aivina seemed to remember something and turned to look at Xia Er, saying, “By the way…”
As soon as she turned, Aivina saw Xia Er standing by the full-length mirror, staring at it with pursed lips, seemingly trying to stifle a laugh.
Following Xia Er’s gaze, Aivina noticed a wet patch on his nightgown at the chest area, which, upon closer inspection, resembled a crying face drawn with water.
At that moment, Xia Er also turned to look at Aivina, his face flushed.
Trying to hold back laughter.
Aivina’s face was also flushed; she fixed her reddened eyes on Xia Er, as if warning her: You dare laugh out loud, and you’ll regret it!
After several seconds of tension, Xia Er finally moved her lips, took a deep breath, and asked, “What were you going to say earlier? Ahem…”
By the end, Xia Er could hardly contain herself, covering her mouth with her hand as she coughed a couple of times, using the cough to mask her laughter.
But the mirth in her eyes was undeniable.
Aivina gritted her teeth, wishing she could teach Xia Er a lesson, but without using her extraordinary abilities, she was no match for him.
She had no choice but to divert her gaze back to the notebook in front of her and said, “Today, Old William gave me some news that I think you should know… You might already be aware.”
“What news?”
Hearing the serious tone, Xia Er reined in her desire to tease Aivina further and asked, “Is it about the workers? Or the famine?”
“No.”
Aivina picked up a note from the table and handed it to Xia Er, saying, “You can read it yourself.”
Xia Er took the paper, noticing the scrawled handwriting that didn’t resemble Aivina’s.
What was written made Xia Er’s pupils constrict slightly.
“An extraordinary individual has contained an item with the ‘uniqueness’ trait. Currently, it’s unknown who it is or where it is. You need to be cautious… It’s best if you can return home.”
Was this written by the Interior Minister William to Aivina?
How could that be?
Wasn’t the “uniqueness” trait something he had seized in the other realm? Even the “tainted fate’s treacherous touch” was left behind in that realm; how could anyone know?
Was there another “uniqueness” that had been contained by someone?
“System?!”
Xia Er asked in her mind, her tone very intense.
“Didn’t you say that if it was contained in the other realm, it wouldn’t be discovered by others?”
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