Attention Sir, I Have Your Heart Handcuffed!-Chapter 586 - 433. Dare to shake hands once? (1st update)

What Shi Nian didn’t see, Huangfu Huazhang saw everything. A hint of delight flickered in his blue eyes, then he lowered his head to kiss the back of Shi Nian’s hand, speaking softly, "It was my fault just now, I lost my temper without asking questions. Nian, forgive me, forgive my urgency these days in trying to bring comfort."

Shi Nian nodded, "Sir, don’t say that."

He raised his blue eyes, shaking his head with a smile, "I’m not wrong; not protecting you is my fault. But no matter whose fault it was, it’s already in the past. Let’s not mention that night again, nor unrelated people and affairs."

Shi Nian gazed into his blue eyes, feeling they were the ocean, a vortex of storm and waves pulling her in constantly.

She had to take a deep breath to steady her mind, then nodded gently, "Okay."

She thought, the most important thing right now is rescuing Jieyou. In the face of the child’s safety, these matters among adults can indeed be temporarily put aside.

"Then you should rest, I still need to talk to this guest." Huangfu Huazhang’s lips never left Shi Nian’s hand, full of tenderness.

Shi Nian’s face turned red, nodding gracefully, "Alright, then I’ll go. Call me if you need anything."

She walked towards the door, feeling the gaze of those two people pinning on her back. Two were scorching like fire, two were chilling like ice. She endured and didn’t look back, walking all the way to the door. Senmu opened the door to greet her, and she finally couldn’t help herself, holding the doorknob, she glanced back.

Uncontrollably, her gaze drifted towards that outsider guest.

.

In just a moment, she quickly retracted her gaze and smiled slightly at Huangfu Huazhang, "I’ll excuse myself then."

Senmu almost immediately supported her arm, leading her outside and then closed the door tightly without mercy.

Adhering to etiquette, Senmu closed the door without making a single noise, but in Shi Nian’s heart, that door closing still echoed loudly in the silence.

Shi Nian understood that even in a servant like Senmu’s eyes, her earlier words and actions were quite inappropriate.

But she knew herself; she was never someone indecisive when it came to emotions. She knew by doing something so out of character in front of the gentleman and the servants, even not restraining herself—it could only mean: she loved him, and he loved her; and their feelings didn’t actually violate the laws and norms of this world.

She gently closed her eyes, in her mind was the scene of her pouring tea for him and the two of them meeting eyes, bathing together in the golden sunlight. She felt this was how it should be with him, not like that night, where he had to be shrouded in night and mist to stand by her side.

So, she wanted to know why they, who should rightfully stand together in the sunlight, could only be forced to meet and face each other in the darkness?

.

In the room, in the few minutes after Shi Nian left, the two men fell into silence, facing each other wordlessly.

The hearts were all on her, yet both were in a state where they couldn’t fully possess her, watching her leave, seeing the door close tightly, leaving behind endless yearning and regret in their hearts.

For men, conquering the world and conquering a woman are two major goals. For these two self-assured men, conquering their own side of the world might not be difficult, but wanting to stably and permanently possess that woman was a longing afar.

Because on the path to conquest sat the man before them; each was the greatest obstacle, the strongest opponent on the other’s path of conquest.

As the host, Huangfu Huazhang first collected his thoughts, coughed softly, "I didn’t know you’d come today, what do you offer?"

Tang Yanqing sighed, gathering his thoughts, "To discuss forming an alliance with you."

"An alliance?" Huangfu Huazhang seemed to have heard something amusing, "Young Master Yan Qi wants to ally with me?"

Tang Yanqing nodded steadily, "That’s right. Since your goal is to rescue Jieyou, as is mine, why should we fight alone, why not team up?"

Huangfu Huazhang laughed loudly, "Mr. Tang, oh no, sorry, I forgot you’re no longer an officer—Young Master Yan Qi, I’m a bit confused. The situation has changed, and now only Jieyou remains in danger. Jieyou is my daughter, of course, I should go to any lengths to save her; but what does it have to do with you?"

Huangfu Huazhang realized that perhaps today he had made a foolish move: he shouldn’t have revealed Shi Nian to Tang Yanqing so soon.

Originally, Shi Nian was the bait, the key element in the trap he set to capture Tang Yanqing. By revealing Shi Nian, showing Tang Yanqing that Shi Nian was safe and sound, it meant the trap he laid out was now automatically invalid.

But the situation abruptly changed, forcing him to do so: he hadn’t anticipated that Tang Yanqing had already unraveled the secret of Mo Ya Village, had even visited Mo Ya Village personally, spending a night with Shi Nian; neither had he expected Tang Yanqing would personally visit him today.

The invalidation of the Mo Ya Village map effectively meant the failure of the plan with Shi Nian as the bait, and continuing to keep it hidden would only be self-deception.

What’s more, he was desperate to know if Shi Nian had truly broken through his psychological suggestion, if she had fully remembered Tang Yanqing... If so, all his plans would be ruined, all arrangements meaningless. So he was eager to see Shi Nian and Tang Yanqing face to face, determining the next plan adaptation by their meeting.

Fortunately, from the earlier situation, it was apparent that although Shi Nian was quite moved by Tang Yanqing, she clearly hadn’t fully integrated all the memories. That is to say, his plan still had potential, he and his little girl still had a future.

He felt much more at ease, regaining composure, curling his lips in a cold sneer, "...You’re no longer an officer, why are you trying to join in rescuing my daughter? It’s my private matter, what does it have to do with you?"

.

Although already considering himself thick-skinned enough, Tang Yanqing still felt a huge void pierced in his heart by Huangfu Huazhang’s words in that instant. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Indeed, he was no longer an officer, what position did he have to save someone else’s daughter, to meddle in someone’s private affairs?

He was silent for two seconds, then he laughed, feeling even his face’s thickness increased a lot, "...Because I’m good friends with Jieyou. When a friend is in trouble, of course, you should be ready to help no matter what."

Huangfu Huazhang was astonished, not expecting him to come up with such a reason, unable to resist staring at him, "What did you say?"

Tang Yanqing thought of Jieyou’s soft and lovely manner, couldn’t help but smile tenderly, "I told you, I’m her Little Swallow."

Huangfu Huazhang suddenly turned his head away, fingers clenched, pressing them on the table.

His mind at this moment was full of contradictions and struggles. As a father, he should be willing to hear such words, even if they were absurd; but from a man’s perspective, he was filled with anger.

Tang Yanqing took a deep breath, staring at Huangfu Huazhang’s profile, "I know it angers you to hear this, and naturally I have my own motives: I want to rescue Jieyou; mostly for Shi Nian. But when I say it’s for Jieyou, it’s not entirely untrue."

He smiled faintly, "When you and I met Shi Nian, she was already grown. You were luckier; you met her when she was only 13. But you missed 13 years, just like me. So you and I, surely we had some regrets in our hearts, regretting not meeting her a bit sooner, lamenting missing her childhood, wondering what she was like as a child, how she spoke, and how she smiled."

"So, when I first saw Jieyou, my heart melted. It bothers me that you’re her daddy, but... her arrival carries more of Shi Nian’s imprints. So at that moment, I thought, maybe she was sent by heaven, to fill the small regret in my heart."

Huangfu Huazhang couldn’t help but turn back, silently staring at Tang Yanqing.

Wearing a white robe, with a red checkered headscarf, he stood smiling in the golden sunset.

The tenderness on his face, the affection in his eyes, were no pretense.

Tang Yanqing then lifted his head to look back at Huangfu Huazhang, "I’m saying, Young Master Yan Qi is indeed a master of psychology, and a talented emotional manipulator."

Despite his thick skin, in that instant, Tang Yanqing knew Huangfu Huazhang had struck a gaping hole in his heart.

Yes, he was no longer an officer; what business did he have in rescuing someone else’s daughter and meddling in their private affairs?

He remained silent for two seconds, then smiled. Even he felt the thickness of his own skin: "...Because I’m good friends with Jieyou. When a friend is in trouble, I should be there to help, no matter the cost."

Huangfu Huazhang was taken aback, didn’t expect him to use such a reason, and couldn’t help but stare at Tang Yanqing, "What did you say?"

Tang Yanqing gently returned Huangfu Huazhang’s gaze, "I told you, I’m her Little Swallow."

Huangfu Huazhang suddenly turned away, fingers clenched tight, saying nothing.

Despite the inner conflict and struggle, as a father, he should have been glad to hear such words, even nonsensical ones; but from a man’s perspective, his heart was filled with anger.

Tang Yanqing’s face broke into a smile, "Now the situation, I believe Big Cousin can see clearly: George is not alone, he has at least James behind him. I believe Big Cousin cannot confront one against two with just your strength. The situation is already against you, especially as you need to take care not to harm Jieyou. So right now, the safe way for Big Cousin is to find more allies and even the odds at 2:2."

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