CHAPTER 372: CHAPTER 372: OTHERWISE, MASTER WILL NOT RECOGNIZE YOU

"To the point where you’re willing to submit to her forever, without any thought of rebellion, willing to sacrifice everything for her, disregarding everything, right?"

"Even if others misunderstand you, thinking you have no ambition, no aspirations, wasting your talents by being beneath a child, you also have no complaints."

"Isn’t that so!"

Isn’t that so?

Indeed!

These words are not only facts but also a bit harsh.

If you do not like me, if the age difference between us is too great to be accepted by society, then I will keep this love secret for a lifetime.

This is Ye Ying’s attitude towards love.

He is willing to bury these feelings deep in his heart, unwilling to let them see the light of day; he just wants to silently be good to the one he loves.

But Lan Xihe suddenly said all this out loud.

She spoke so directly, without reservation, hitting Ye Ying’s heart hard.

Ye Ying wanted to deny it, but couldn’t; accepting it would mean Jun Ning would soon find out, leaving no room for maneuver.

After Jun Ning found out, even though she wouldn’t drive him away, she would certainly distance herself from him, neglect him, and even rarely visit the Qianji Pavilion anymore.

"Xi He, why do you insist on forcing me this way?" Ye Ying asked, suppressing the emotions roiling within him.

Lan Xihe threw away the portrait in her hand, crying, "Master, I’m not forcing you, I’m... I’m just heartbroken. Why... Why is the one you love not me?"

Ye Ying remained silent.

Lan Xihe, as if mad, grabbed Ye Ying’s hand and said, "Master, my good master, don’t like Ah Ning anymore, like me, will you?"

"As long as I’m grown up, I will definitely give you a response."

"But Xi He is a princess, and she has been betrothed to the son of General Qi since birth; she will marry him sooner or later. You like her, but you’ll never get a response."

"But if you like me, it’s different. Whatever response you want, I can give you."

"Master, will you like me?"

Lan Xihe looked at Ye Ying pleadingly.

Ye Ying shook off Lan Xihe’s hand coldly and said, "... Xi He, you’ve gone too far!"

Liking someone cannot be forced, nor can feelings be easily transferred.

"I haven’t..." Lan Xihe suddenly knelt before Ye Ying, kowtowing forcefully to him, "Master, just consider it a request from your disciple, asking you to like me, please?"

Lan Xihe desperately wanted a response.

She kept kowtowing to Ye Ying, tugging at his clothes, begging earnestly.

Humbling herself to insignificance.

Humbling herself to the point of losing her self.

Humbling herself to the point where she couldn’t lift her head.

The once spirited, never yielding, never crying Lan Xihe had completely disappeared.

"Xi He... don’t do this..."

Ye Ying could hardly face Lan Xihe’s crazed state.

He turned away, silent for a long time, wanting to wait until Lan Xihe’s emotions had settled a bit before talking to her.

However, Lan Xihe’s emotions continued to be unsettled.

She kept crying, kept begging him.

From initially clear-headed speech to incoherent pleas, begging Ye Ying to love her.

The more Ye Ying listened, the more his anger grew.

He was furious.

He squatted in front of Lan Xihe, slapped her across the face, and said, "Lan Xihe, must you be so disappointing to the point that your master looks down on you? Where is your fighting spirit in practice? Where’s your determination not to quit, huh?"

"I..." Lan Xihe couldn’t respond.

Ye Ying forcefully pulled her up and warned her, "Lan Xihe, listen well. No matter now or in the future, you can kneel for your master’s educational kindness, to thank your master, but you must never kneel in front of your master, begging him to love you..."

"The person who truly loves you will do so even if you do nothing, just standing there."

"The one who doesn’t love you, no matter what you do, it’s useless."

Lan Xihe lifted her tear-streaked face and asked sadly, "... Does Master mean you don’t love me?"

"..." Ye Ying sighed deeply, unsure how to respond.

This question, he didn’t want to answer directly, so as not to sadden Lan Xihe.

After all, Lan Xihe is still young, her mind not as firm as an adult’s, her capacity for bearing also not as strong.

But he knew that if he didn’t give a clear answer today, Lan Xihe wouldn’t be satisfied.

Better a short pain than a long-term agony.

He said straightforwardly, "Master likes you, but only with the affection a master has for a disciple, no other feelings."

"Then is Master’s liking for Ah Ning the affection between a woman and a man?" Lan Xihe asked chokingly, with some resentment in her tone.

Ye Ying gently replied with an affirmative, then continued, "I do not ask for any response from her, nor even for her to know my true feelings; I only wish to silently be her guardian, protecting her for a lifetime."

"So Xi He, Master told you this to make you give up, but Master hopes you won’t spread this matter, or else..." Ye Ying issued a severe warning, "Master will no longer recognize you."

This harsh warning was extremely cruel!

Just a single sentence, pressed heavily on Lan Xihe until she couldn’t breathe.

Lan Xihe sat on the ground heartbroken, gasping for breath, unable to calm down for a long time.

Ye Ying said, "Wash your face! Ah Ning is coming; she wants to see you."

After Ye Ying finished speaking, he left; Lan Xihe stayed there crying for a long, long time, until she was exhausted and her voice hoarse, before she got up to wash her face and redo her hair and makeup.

Knowing this truth, she actually didn’t want to see Jun Ning, but Jun Ning had sent people to urge her repeatedly, insisting on seeing her, so she reluctantly went to see Jun Ning.

Jun Ning and Ye Ying were sitting on either side of the central seat in the flower hall, seemingly talking, both with shallow smiles on their faces.

Lan Xihe entered the room and sadly glanced at Ye Ying, but Ye Ying didn’t even look her way.

"Sister Xi He, you’re here!" Jun Ning, seeing Lan Xihe come in, hurriedly came forward to meet her, grabbed Lan Xihe’s hand and asked, "Sister Xi He, are you feeling unwell today? Why did people have to come and ask you repeatedly, yet you didn’t come? Do you know that Ah Ning has been waiting for you for a long time."

If it weren’t for today, hearing such aggrieved words from Jun Ning, Lan Xihe would surely have consoled her well.

But today, after hearing Jun Ning speak these words, not only did Lan Xihe not console her, but she also withdrew her hand from Jun Ning’s grip and awkwardly retreated a step.

She spoke politely yet distantly to Jun Ning, "... Ah Ning, you’re here!"