Inviting the Moon to the Farmhouse

Chapter 149 Xia Lanyue decides to stay

Xia Lanyue paced back and forth at the entrance of the official residence, waiting for Xia Yao to come out before going to greet him.

"Why are you here?" Xia Yao asked.

"I have something to say, and I really can't wait until tonight to tell you," Xia Lanyue said.

"What is it? Tell me," Xia Yao said.

"Did I do something to upset you?" Xia Lanyue asked cautiously.

Xia Yao was taken aback. "Why do you ask that?"

"I think you weren't very happy after you found out who I was," Xia Lanyue recalled his cold gaze.

“You’re overthinking it,” Xia Yao explained.

Xia Lanyue did not agree with this answer. "My feeling is never wrong. Is it because of me? If I did something wrong, you can tell me."

"Really?" Xia Yao asked.

Xia Lanyue was stunned. Was it really her fault? "Yes, tell me."

Xia Yao looked serious, beckoned Xia Lanyue closer with his finger, and then looked around warily.

Xia Lanyue was also fooled by his appearance and thought it was something important, so she leaned closer to listen.

Immediately afterwards, Xia Yao took advantage of Xia Lanyue's unpreparedness and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Xia Lanyue covered her face in alarm and took a few steps back.

Xia Yao didn't say anything, but looked at Xia Lanyue's flustered appearance and laughed happily.

Xia Lanyue pretended to be angry, "Don't make jokes like that again."

“Ah Yue’s shy look is so cute,” Xia Yao said.

"Xia Yao!" Xia Lanyue said, a little angry.

Xia Yao was taken aback. "What's wrong?"

Xia Lanyue thought for a moment and felt that if she wanted to stay here, she had to clarify their relationship. "Xia Yao, let's be friends."

"Friends? Why friends? Didn't we agree that if Dai You was released, you would marry me?" Xia Yao became serious.

Xia Lanyue panicked a little, "Wasn't that a joke?"

“Of course not, I’m serious,” Xia Yao explained. “Besides, we’ve already kissed and hugged, and there’s also the marriage arranged by Village Chief Zhao.”

“There’s a reason for that, it can’t be counted…” Xia Lanyue said.

Seeing Xia Lanyue's serious expression, Xia Yao understood something. "Have you never thought about marrying me?"

Xia Lanyue felt guilty, but decided not to hide it anymore. "Yes! I lied to you before when I said I would marry you. I just wanted to get Dai You out."

Xia Yao was taken aback, and the smile on his face fell. "But I gave up the imperial examination because of your promise."

Xia Lanyue felt guilty. "I didn't know your true identity back then. If you had told me earlier, I definitely wouldn't have let you do this."

So, it's my fault?

"It's not your fault, of course it's not your fault, I... it's just that things were too unfortunate," Xia Lanyue explained.

"Then wouldn't I have lost both my wife and my army?" Xia Yao glanced at Xia Lanyue. "I don't care, how are you going to compensate me?"

When it came to compensation, Xia Lanyue was at a loss. "I...I don't know either. Ah, I'll share with you when I make money."

"I don't want money," Xia Yao said, looking aggrieved. "I just want you."

"What are you saying?!" Xia Lanyue blushed at his words.

“Ah Yue, we’re people with secrets, it’s perfect for us to be together,” Xia Yao said.

"But we don't know each other at all, so it's too hasty to talk about marriage."

“You don’t know me, but I know you. Your name is Xia Lanyue,” Xia Yao said.

Xia Lanyue was taken aback. "How did you know?" She quickly realized it must have been something she said that day when she was drunk, but she didn't know what else she had said while drunk. "What else do you know?"

"Do you want to know? Come to my house, and I'll tell you."

Xia Lanyue understood that Xia Yao was doing this on purpose, "Fine... if you don't want to talk, then don't."

Xia Yao saw that she wasn't buying it, so he said, "Go ahead, there's just too much to say all at once. I'll tell you slowly when I get home tonight, okay?"

Xia Lanyue hesitated. There were too many things she wanted to know, but she was also afraid that something bad might happen, so she couldn't make up her mind.

Xia Yao understood her concerns. "Don't worry, I promised you. If you don't want to, I will definitely not force you. I keep my word."

Actually, Xia Lanyue was still willing to trust him. After all, knowing his identity made her feel closer to him. Besides, Dai You was with them, so there shouldn't be any problems. Therefore, Xia Lanyue agreed.

Xia Yao smiled and said, "See you tonight. I have to go now." With that, he jogged back to his residence.

Only after Xia Yao's figure disappeared through the door did Xia Lanyue remember the purpose of her trip. She hadn't asked a single question she wanted to ask. There was nothing she could do but wait until next time.

She returned to the guesthouse alone and walked down the street, where she saw Dai You sitting by the window from afar.

She waved to Dai You.

Dai You's originally gloomy face lit up the moment he saw her.

Xia Lanyue pushed open the door and saw that Dai You had shaved his beard and looked much neater. "That's really good. He looks much more tidy now."

Dai You smiled and asked, "Ah Yue, are we really going to stay at Xia Yao's place?"

Xia Lanyue nodded, "Anyway, it's free, so why not stay?"

Dai You forced an awkward smile. "A-Yue, I just went to the pharmacy. Doctor Zhang said I can continue working there."

"That's great! Doctor Zhang is a rare good person," Xia Lanyue couldn't help but sigh. But seeing Dai You's unnatural expression, she continued to ask, "What's wrong? Don't you want to go? If you don't want to go, that's fine."

“No, he suggested that you continue taking the medicine for your headache,” Dai You said, lowering his head and his voice growing softer.

Xia Lanyue understood. This wasn't Zhang Langzhong's intention at all; it was clearly Dai You's. He still really wanted her to remember him.

However, she didn't want to drink a single drop of that bitter medicine.

She felt that since she had decided to stay, she had to be frank with Dai You if there was anything she wanted to say, so that he wouldn't be torn between hope and despair and get hurt repeatedly.

“Dai You, I… I’ve made up my mind. I can only be your brother and sister,” Xia Lanyue said slowly, her head lowered. “Of course, if you feel you can’t accept it, if seeing me causes you pain, and if you want to leave, that’s fine too. I respect your decision.”

Dai You frowned, looking helpless, and said, "Don't you want me anymore?"

Xia Lanyue shook her head. "No, I hope you stay, but I can't give you the kind of affection you want."

"Are you getting married?" Dai You's voice trembled slightly.

“No,” Xia Lanyue explained, “What happened between us has nothing to do with him.”

"How can it be unrelated? If it weren't for him, we would both be fine now," Dai You's voice rose with anger.

Xia Lanyue felt helpless; she didn't know how to explain. "Dai You, do you think I'm the same now as I was before?"

Dai You didn't understand what she was trying to say, but he still shook his head.

"What you liked was the old me, but the current me can never go back to the way I was. I don't want the memories of the past anymore; I just want to live the present well. And the current me can only see you as an older brother; I won't have any other thoughts."

Now Dai You understood.

Both of them fell silent.

After a long silence, Dai You slowly spoke, "Does he know about my relationship with you?"

Xia Lanyue was taken aback. What was Dai You trying to say?

Dai You raised his head and stared into Xia Lanyue's eyes. "It seems you didn't tell him about our relationship. If he knew, would he still want to marry you?"

Xia Lanyue understood. Dai You still believed that Xia Yao's existence had damaged her relationship with Dai You. "I didn't say anything, and I don't mind if he knows. But, how I am with him doesn't affect our relationship as siblings. That can't be changed."

“What if I don’t want to be your older brother?” Dai You asked.

“If you don’t want to acknowledge me as your sister, I have no objection. However, I cannot accept the kind of relationship you’re talking about,” Xia Lanyue said firmly.

Perhaps it was these words that hurt Dai You deeply. After hearing them, he lowered his head and stopped talking.

Xia Lanyue felt that the conversation just now had been too intense and was not the attitude she wanted to convey, so she changed to a gentler tone, "Dai You, I cherish the brother-sister relationship between us."

Dai You dismissed it and turned his head to the side.

Seeing his reaction, Xia Lanyue directly stated her plan, "I'm planning to stay at Xia Yao's house for a while. What about you? Are you going to continue staying here?"

Dai You looked up at her coldly, "What do you want from me?"

“I… was thinking that if you are still willing to be my brother, you can come with me and live at Xia Yao’s house,” Xia Lanyue said. “If you are not willing, you can do as you wish.”

Dai You sneered, "Fine, I'll go with you."

Xia Lanyue was stunned. Although Dai You agreed, his expression was extremely reluctant. His change of heart was too fast, which made her a little uneasy.