Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Took the Initiative to Hug Him

When Hu Jianjun heard the name “Scarred-eyed Old Black,” he staggered violently and nearly collapsed to the ground.

’Lu Xiao knows about him too?’

He was finished… His last shred of wishful thinking was completely shattered.

“And another thing…”

Lu Xiao advanced a step, looking down at the pale-faced Hu Jianjun.

“Hu Lili never went back to her hometown. Where is she hiding? Are you going to tell me, or should I bring people to search for her? When that time comes, it won’t be as simple as just getting kicked out of the family compound.”

“Attempted poisoning… Hu Jianjun, you should know full well what the consequences will be.”

Hearing Lu Xiao’s words, Hu Jianjun’s mind went blank, and a tremendous fear overwhelmed him.

’Career prospects, reputation… none of it is more important than my life!’

’I can’t die! And my sister can’t die either!’

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

“Lili… Lili is in… in that run-down shed for watching over the melon patch. Captain Lu, I wasn’t thinking straight! Please, let us go…”

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Lu Xiao ignored the slumped form of Hu Jianjun and carefully put away the packet of poisonous herbs.

“Save it for the security department.”

“Hu Jianjun, as Hu Lili’s older brother, you’re supposed to be guiding her. She could never have done something like this without you indulging her.”

’Even if Su Tang hadn’t been the target, Hu Lili’s jealousy would have driven her to do something terrible eventually.’

Lu Xiao gave Hu Jianjun one last, long look before leaving.

News that Hu Jianjun and Hu Lili had been taken away by the security department spread through the family compound as if it had wings.

Hu Lili had intended to use the poisonous herbs to frame Su Tang, pinning the crime of poisoning people on her.

She thought she could do it without anyone knowing.

Little did she know, Lu Xiao had mobilized his rarely used network of connections to clear Su Tang’s name.

But in an even more dramatic turn of events, as the security department was hauling Hu Lili away…

…she was in a daze, her foot slipped, and she tumbled headfirst, landing flat on her face.

The family compound instantly erupted in an uproar.

A torrent of curses nearly drowned the Hu siblings.

The results of the investigation completely cleared Su Tang of suspicion.

The door to the confinement room opened, and blinding sunlight poured in. Su Tang instinctively raised a hand to shield her eyes.

Lu Xiao was standing in the doorway.

His tall figure was silhouetted against the light, but his gaze, as it fell upon her, was exceptionally bright and soft.

“It’s okay now, Su Tang.”

“Let’s go home.”

Those three simple words warmed Su Tang’s heart.

The indignation, fear, anger, and stifling frustration of being wrongly accused over the past few days all came pouring out in that instant.

She didn’t even have time to think; her body reacted before her mind could catch up.

The instant Lu Xiao finished speaking, Su Tang, like a fledgling finally returning to its nest, threw herself into his arms!

“Lu Xiao!”

Her voice was choked with sobs as her arms wrapped tightly around Lu Xiao’s lean waist, and she buried her face deep into his broad, solid chest.

He smelled of the cool morning air, mixed with a uniquely reassuring scent that was all his own.

Lu Xiao froze solid in an instant!

He was like a wooden post driven into the ground.

The hand he had extended to steady her froze in mid-air, completely motionless.

The sudden, soft warmth in his arms and the embrace that trembled ever so slightly hit him like a powerful jolt of electricity.

It felt as if all the blood in Lu Xiao’s body rushed to his head, only to freeze solid the very next second.

He could clearly feel Su Tang’s soft hair brushing against his chin.

He could feel her warm breath warming his chest through the fabric of his shirt.

And he could feel the arms around his waist gradually tightening.

Lu Xiao felt as if a firework had exploded in his head, and his ears were ringing.

His cheeks and ears grew hot at a visible rate, and his heart pounded like a drum—THUMP, THUMP, THUMP—against his ribs, beating so fast it felt like it would leap out of his throat.

His body was so stiff he didn’t dare move a single finger, and he held his breath.

’Holding a soft, sweet-smelling girl in my arms… this feeling is… too foreign!’

’And too… overwhelming!’

Su Tang didn’t think much of the hug, completely unaware that she had just done something so earth-shattering.

Not until she felt Lu Xiao’s body go as stiff as a board, and realized he hadn’t reacted at all for a long moment…

…did Su Tang belatedly realize what she had done!

’Oh my god! She… she had actually hugged Lu Xiao?!’

’Right in front of the confinement room, no less! People might have been watching!’

She abruptly let go, springing back from Lu Xiao’s embrace as if scalded. Her cheeks were so red they looked ready to bleed, and a deep blush spread all the way down her neck.

Su Tang hung her head low, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her shirt. She wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

“I… I…”

She stammered, her voice barely a whisper, “I’m sorry… I was just so emotional… I…”

His arms were suddenly empty, the soft warmth gone.

As if released from a petrification spell, Lu Xiao’s tense body finally relaxed, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

Seeing Su Tang so ashamed she couldn’t even lift her head, the panic in his heart didn’t subside. Instead, it was joined by a sense of helplessness and… a flicker of indescribable disappointment.

He cleared his throat, his voice even hoarser than before and tinged with a barely perceptible nervousness. “It’s all right. You’ve been through a lot.”

He wanted to say, ’Don’t apologize,’ or even, ’You can hug me anytime you want,’ but the words that came out were just bland words of comfort.

The hand hanging by his side clenched unconsciously, his fingertips still tingling with the memory of her warmth through the fabric.

Lu Xiao forced himself to look away, not daring to glance at Su Tang’s flushed profile or her trembling eyelashes.

He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control the burning heat in his face or his rapidly accelerating heart.

“Let’s go.”

Lu Xiao struggled to keep his voice steady as he stepped aside, motioning for Su Tang to come out.

He deliberately put some distance between them, but his eyes followed her involuntarily.

He watched as she scurried past him like a frightened little rabbit, her head bowed, leaving a faint, sweet fragrance in her wake.

Su Tang had calmed down a little, but the heat in her cheeks had yet to subside.

She stole a glance at Lu Xiao out of the corner of her eye and saw him staring fixedly ahead.

But the bright red tips of his ears and his slightly stiff gait silently betrayed his inner turmoil.

Seeing how he was obviously mortified with shyness yet forcing himself to act calm, Su Tang found her own embarrassment suddenly fading.

In its place was an urge to laugh, along with a feeling that was… a little sweet.

’What a big goof…’ she thought to herself, the corners of her lips turning up in an unconscious smile.

The two walked one behind the other, a subtle distance between them.

The sun shone down on them, warm and comforting.

“Oh, dear, you’re finally out! Come on, I made you some dumplings.”

“Eating some dumplings will help drive away all the bad luck.”

As soon as the two of them returned to the family compound, they saw Zhang Cui, Aunt Wang, and Sister Li waiting by the door.

Zhang Cui’s eyes were red-rimmed as she stepped forward and took Su Tang’s hands.

“You’re back, that’s all that matters. You’re back.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep