When the book-traveling little detective meets the two-faced prince

Chapter 396 A Heart Full of Pity

He escaped the street vendors, but not Xiao Yi's calamity.

Suddenly taking out a book and shoving it in front of your face—what's the difference between that and being publicly humiliated?

"Do you believe this too?"

It's just a book, not gold or jade, so what's the point of preserving its value?

"Whether it holds its value or not is another matter. Everyone has been talking about this book lately, so I was curious and bought it to take a look."

Lin Le thought to herself, "If you want to watch it, then watch it."

Xiao Yihuo acted as if nothing had happened, but he was probably doing it on purpose.

Otherwise, why not hide it better?

Thinking that it wasn't good for me to keep acting like this, I couldn't always be so startled when I saw my own books, or people would think I was a strange person.

Lin Lezhi let out a soft breath, deciding not to care what Xiao Yihuo was up to, and prepared to pull her hand back.

Xiao Yihuo only gripped one corner of the book, while Lin Lezhi, in order to cover the name on the book, pressed down on most of it, and in her haste to cover it up, she hadn't noticed.

At this moment, when I removed my hands, I felt that Xiao Yihuo's book was not flat and seemed to be damaged.

Although he couldn't control what Xiao Yihuo wanted to do, he couldn't afford to spend money on bad things.

Even if you have a lot of money, you can't do this.

"You didn't look at the book carefully when you bought it..."

As he spoke, Lin Lezhi opened the damaged book. The moment he opened it, his words suddenly caught in his throat, his eyes narrowed sharply, and he wavered.

It is that black jade with blue flowers.

Lin Lezhi ignored Xiao Yihuo's gaze, her eyes fixed on the jade tucked between the pages of the book. The jade was wrinkled and even broken in some places from the excessive force applied earlier.

The book was perfectly fine before, but now it's really ruined.

"Although this jade is not of the highest quality, and the black color is not pure enough and has some impurities, it is indeed a rare and good piece of material, which suits you very well."

"...Why...?"

"You've seemed a bit distracted since earlier. Although I don't know what happened, you seem to really like this jade. I hope it can help you feel better."

Was it really that obvious to him?

He thought he was behaving no differently than usual, and he himself did not even realize that there was anything unusual about him.

But when Xiao Yihuo said that, he finally realized that he felt a little depressed, as if he were at the bottom of the sea, unable to see the light, and being suffocated by the powerful water pressure.

The reason for the gloom is the sadness in my heart.

This sadness stems from loss and reluctance to let go; deep in my heart, I know it can never be regained.

He couldn't take his eyes off this piece of jade the moment he saw it at the stall, not because it was anything special.

Instead.

The moment he saw the jade, he remembered his grandfather, who liked to write calligraphy from time to time. Although his works were not masterpieces and lacked grandeur and elegance, they inexplicably made people feel at ease.

My grandfather's name is Lin Heyu.

This piece of jade, which looks as if it has absorbed a lot of ink, is warm and unassuming, much like my grandfather.

Lin Lezhi's fingers curled up involuntarily, and an indescribable emotion welled up in her heart.

He knew that Xiao Yihuo meant well.

Can……

Do not know why.

Xiao Yihuo's kindness made him feel incredibly burdened.

"...Let's return this jade."

Xiao Yihuo stared at Lin Lezhi for a while, but Lin Lezhi showed no sign of getting up. He then refused, saying, "No, I'm hungry. We've been waiting for so long, and it'll be our turn soon."

"Then you wait here for me, I'll go and get a refund."

Lin Lezhi dared not touch the jade and turned to close the book, but halfway through, her wrist was grabbed by Xiao Yihuo.

Seeing that Lin Lezhi was clearly avoiding his good intentions, Xiao Yihuo couldn't help but feel annoyed. His eyes became somewhat deep, with a hint of barely perceptible panic and urgency in them.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he held back. He let out a soft sigh and said, "This is a return gift I bought for you to thank you for taking care of me at the inn. I have no other intentions."

"I didn't do anything, and it was your money I spent. I just went out for a trip." Lin Lezhi smiled awkwardly, her smile slightly bitter. Avoiding Xiao Yihuo's gaze, she said sheepishly, "I can't really take your money and use it as my own, can I? If you really want to calculate, I still owe you quite a bit."

He was clearly testing whether he had amnesia when he said that.

At the inn, he even claimed the money he gave to the homeless beggars as his own.

He owes money and favors; if he continues to owe like this, he may never be able to repay them in this lifetime.

“I will remember what I said; it was not a joke.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Lezhi's eyes flickered slightly, but she did not speak.

"..."

"Although this piece of jade is not of the highest quality and has some flaws, the price he offered is indeed beyond what it should be worth. But he has been searching for jade for carving for many years, so how could he not know how much this piece of jade should be worth?"

Listen and.

Lin Lezhi's eyes, which had been lowered due to her avoidance, trembled slightly, and she seemed to soften her stance.

"I think the reason he set such a high price is that when he bought the material, he also offered a price that was higher than what the jade should have been worth."

"..."

Yes.

The shop owner said that he bought this piece of material from refugees in Moyu Town.

He also said...

But if one flees, compared to life, one is nothing but a stone.

How could one utter such heartbreaking words without having personally witnessed that horrific scene?

He didn't understand jade.

But according to Xiao Yihuo, the stall owner must have known that the jade wouldn't fetch such a high price, yet he still offered the highest price he could.

So.

He smashed the jade in his own hands.

This also shows that the boss understands and cherishes jade, and did not treat it as just a stone.

Seeing that Lin Lezhi had been persuaded, Xiao Yihuo's expression relaxed somewhat, but there was still a hint of tension in his eyes, as if he had something to say.

He paused for a moment, then let out a soft breath, his eyes focused and serious, and said in a gentle tone, "I bought this jade not to help him, but because I could tell you really liked it. Besides, I didn't actually buy it at the price he asked for. If you don't believe me, you can ask him yourself."

He paused slightly, a gentle look appearing in his eyes, and said softly, "Jade is cherished by those with a destined heart, and people pity jade with a kind heart. This piece of jade is truly a perfect match for you."

Seeing that Lin Lezhi remained silent, but her eyes and brows showed signs of being persuaded.

Xiao Yihuo's eyes flickered, and he said in a rather cheeky tone, "Anyway, it's already been bought, so there's no way to return it. Once the gift is given away, it's no longer mine. If you don't like it..."

As he spoke, Xiao Yihuo picked up the jade directly from the book page, making a gesture as if to throw it off the pleasure boat, "Then forget it."

"Don't throw it!"

Although he knew that Xiao Yihuo would not actually throw the jade down, seeing Xiao Yihuo's gesture as if he was about to throw it, he still reached out and stopped Xiao Yihuo, his eyes full of urgency and panic.