Chapter 464: All Excuses
During a late night lit by the moon, the room that usually put its lights out early was now fully lit. Two figures facing each other were illuminated by the light.
"What does Wife mean by this?" Baili Yu was confused as he looked towards the bed at Tang Doudou who was refusing to let him get close.
Tang Doudou just glanced at him without speaking.
"Wife, if there's something, just let this husband onto the bed first, then we can talk, alright?" After working for an entire day, all he wanted to do was hug Tang Doudou and sleep.
However, he could faintly guess why Tang Doudou wouldn't let him sleep. He really hadn't given her much attention these past few days. When this occurred to him, he gave an ingratiating smile as he walked towards the bed. "Baby, have you been listening to Mother these last few days?"
Using the child as an excuse was a technique that he had recently mastered.
Whenever he talked about the child, Tang Doudou would be distracted and start telling him about the baby.
However, it didn't work tonight.
Tang Doudou pulled on the blankets and covered her belly as she continued staring at Baili Yu with a 'confess and I'll be lenient, resist and I'll be strict' expression.
However, Baili Yu hadn't done anything so he didn't understand what she meant by this. He first told her about the information he had found these past few days, then said some sweet nothings, but nothing worked.
Baili Yu was out of ideas and could only looked towards Tang Doudou pitifully. His eyes which were already red from his exhaustion looked even more pitiful this way.
As the night deepened, although Tang Doudou had vowed in the morning to teach Baili Yu a lesson, when she saw how tired he was, her heart ached. She cleared her throat and said, "If you want to sleep, agree to one thing."
Baili Yu's face lit up with joy when he saw that Tang Doudou was loosening up. As long as he could sleep now, one thing didn't matter. He would agree to even ten, a hundred things!
"Alright!" His response came instantly.
Tang Doudou nodded in satisfaction as she moved inside. Baili Yu immediately went over and got on the bed. He reached out to hug Tang Doudou, but Tang Doudou stopped him. "Don't you want to know what it's about?"
Baili Yu lowered his eyes with a slight smile. "Regardless of what it is, this husband will agree to it."
"You're sure?"
"Very sure."
"Then alright. Tomorrow, I want to go with you to investigate Lan Jia's whereabouts!" After Tang Doudou said this, she stared at Baili Yu without blinking.
Baili Yu's half closed eyes abruptly opened, then lowered again. "No."
It was as she had expected. Humph!
"It's too dangerous, and Wife is currently pregnant. You should stay in the manor to look after yourself." Baili Yu reached out again to hug Tang Doudou.
This time, Tang Doudou ducked again and humphed disdainfully. "Humph! From what I see, you're just hiding a secret. That's why you won't let me go!"
What secret would he have? What exactly is in this girl's little head? Why would her thoughts jump here?
However, after she said this, Baili Yu finally understood why she was angry.
These past few days, he had been heading out early and returning very late. The moment he came back, he would fall asleep. Anyone would wonder what he was doing all day every day.
After figuring out the problem, Baili Yu considered things for a moment, then reached out to stroke Tang Doudou's nose. "I've already found Lan Jia's current whereabouts, but the situation there isn't clear so I won't be going there again for the time being. I'll be sending some people to scout out the situation. After that, we can discuss the next move."
Excuses! They were all excuses!
After Tang Doudou heard Baili Yu's explanation, a little person inside her heart was shouting that they were all excuses! He just didn't want her to follow him!
Otherwise, why would he tell her with this timing?
In any case, Tang Doudou couldn't help but feel that Baili Yu was coaxing her because he didn't want her to go with him!
This made it clear that he was hiding something!
"Alright, let's sleep!" When she didn't speak, Baili Yu extinguished the candles with a wave and hugged her to sleep.
However, Tang Doudou couldn't fall asleep. Her eyes remained wide open the entire night. Waves of sleepiness only came it was near morning and she gradually closed her eyes. Once she fell asleep, Baili Yu woke up. Actually, he hadn't slept at all either. When he heard the soft even breathing come from next to him, he opened his eyes to look at Tang Doudou.
"Silly girl. I'm not only busy with investigating Lan Jia, I also have to help Su Yi find a way to get to your world. I also want to be with you and the baby all the time."
"If there's really a way to go back, would you choose to go back?" Baili Yu's gaze turned hazy. "Should I keep hiding it from you, stop you, and refuse to allow you to go back? That world probably has your true relatives, right? If I don't let you go back, would that be really selfish?
"But I want to be with you. I just want to be with you. In this lifetime, the next, and the one after that… I want to always be with you, so please forgive my selfishness. I really don't want to lose you."
Baili Yu couldn't hold back his emotions and leaned down to kiss Tang Doudou's eyes, nose, lips, cheeks… to leave his trace. Then he sighed softly and got up, once again disappearing from the room.
Tang Doudou was very angry!
Baili Yu actually lied to her! He clearly said yesterday that he wouldn't go again, but once she woke up, there was no trace of him in the manor! Tang Doudou was so angry that she was on the verge of smashing stuff! But she dropped the idea once it occurred to her that most of these things were expensive. However, the servants suffered.
They were criticized for standing, sitting, and even walking…
The entire manor was practically holding its breath around her.
The more Tang Doudou waited, the angrier she got. When it occurred to her that He Xiaoqin had also missed his three day deadline, she went and found Qing Yu and got ready to head to the old temple.
"Xiao Tang, you're finally here!" However, before she even entered the temple, Grandpa He saw her from the door and hastily walked out to meet her. He grabbed her hand with an anxious expression.
"Grandpa He, calm down and tell me slowly. Did something happen to Xiaoqin?" The aged Grandpa He only worried about He Xiaoqin's matters. When she saw that there was sweat on his forehead and his muddy eyes were bloodshot, she knew that he had been waiting here for a long time.
It seemed that he was waiting for her, so it wasn't hard to guess that something had happened to He Xiaoqin.
As she had expected, right after she said this, Grandpa He said anxiously, "Xiao Tang, even though I know that this matter might trouble you, but I don't have any other options! Please, save Xiaoqin! He's a good child! Why does he have to suffer so much?"
Tang Doudou shot Qing Yu a look and had her get the hidden guards to ask around to find out what happened to He Xiaoqin.
Following that, she helped Grandpa He into the old inn. "Grandpa He, don't worry. I'll definitely bring Xiaoqin back."
Although she didn't know what had happened to He Xiaoqin, she had to first make sure Grandpa He calmed down so that he would tell her what happened.
Grandpa He was comforted by these words. Ever since He Xiaoqin disappeared, he had been completely flustered and didn't know what to do. He wanted to look for Xiao Tang, but he didn't know where he lived. It later occurred to him that he would definitely send someone to find out what happened if He Xiaoqin didn't visit him in three days as agreed upon, but he hadn't expected for Xiao Tang to come here personally.
When he saw Tang Doudou, he was already relieved, so after Tang Doudou said this, he became even more relieved.
"Haa, it's all my fault. If only I had stopped Xiaoqin and stopped him from looking for that person." Grandpa He sighed, then started recounting what happened.
A few days ago, right after Tang Doudou left, He Xiaoqin started considering whether or not to ask around about her to see if it would be a good choice to follow her.
Grandpa He had told him that it was clear with one look that Xiao Tang wans't a bad person and it'd be good to follow him.
However, He Xiaoqin was stubborn. After saying to Grandpa He that he was heading out, he left.
And since that day, he hadn't returned.
"Xiaoqin never leaves for that long since my health is poor. Most of the time, no matter how late it is, he would still come back at night. He'd never stay out for several days like this," said Grandpa He worriedly.
Tang Doudou silently mulled over things for a moment, then said, "Perhaps something urgent has come up so he hasn't had a chance to come back."
Grandpa He was certain. "Something has happened to him!"
"Why so?" Tang Doudou felt that there was definitely some other reason, but Grandpa He didn't seem willing to say. He hesitated several times. Finally, out of worry that something really had happened to He Xiaoqin, he told the truth.
"Haa. A year ago, this child had the fortune to meet Mother Mo Yun of Green Clouds Peak. Xiao Tang, you're someone of the Jianghu, so he's definitely gone to her to ask about you."
Mo Yun?
Oh, she had come to propose a collaboration a couple days ago. Could it be that He Xiaoqin hadn't returned since he went to visit Mo Yun that time?
Could it be that Mo Yun had captured Xiaoqin?
It was no wonder she had that expression when she left. It was clearly because she had been sure that she would have to go look for her!
This was troublesome.
In all honesty, she didn't want to interact with someone like Mo Yun if she didn't have to. However, if He Xiaoqin was really where Mo Yun was, due to what she promised Grandpa He and the fact that she needed to investigate He Xiaoqin's parents, she had to pay a visit.
"I've also heard of this Mother Mo Yun. She's of the orthodox sects, so don't worry, Grandpa He. Xiaoqin has definitely just faced some delays and is fine."
Although she said this, Grandpa He still looked very worried.
Tang Doudou could only say, "I've met that Mother Mo Yun a couple times as well. I'll go see if Xiaoqin is there or not. If he isn’t, don't worry, I'll send people to look for him. Have faith, I'll definitely bring him back safe and sound."
Grandpa He finally relaxed at the sound of this and looked towards her gratefully. "Xiao Tang ah, we truly have no way of repaying your grace. Don't worry, in the future if you have need of us, just say it! This old man will be willing to even run through flames!"
She was scared of having her life shortened if she made an old man run through flames!
"Grandpa He, don't be like this. You must be exhausted. Go rest, I'll go look for Xiaoqin right now!"