Reborn Spoiled Girl Tames the Regent

Chapter 46 The Void Bird

Xiao Hengzhi took a chair and sat down slowly, as if deliberately prolonging the time between them.

Jiang Mian opened her collar and sure enough, she saw several pieces of broken porcelain embedded in her neck skin, with bloodstains spreading lightly to her collarbone.

She frowned, gently pinched a shard of porcelain with her fingertips, and pulled it out forcefully.

Although the movements were careful, pain was still inevitable.

"It will hurt a little, just bear with it."

She spoke in a low voice, her breathing slightly rapid, without even realizing it herself.

Xiao Hengzhi turned his head slightly and saw that her hands were trembling. He looked at her quietly, a strange light appearing in his eyes.

It seems he won his gamble.

Jiang Mian was genuinely worried about him.

Her panic, her concern...

Xiao Hengzhi felt that Jiang Wan's heart was gradually opening up to him.

This thought, with a kind of obsessive sweetness, took hold of his mind.

His breathing slowed down, as if he were afraid of breaking this brief moment of intimacy.

As the last piece of porcelain was pulled out, beads of blood immediately appeared. Jiang Man subconsciously bent down and blew on it, as if to ease the pain.

Strands of hair fell onto his shoulder, a slight tickle mingling with her sweet fragrance, causing Xiao Hengzhi's Adam's apple to bob involuntarily.

Jiang Wan didn't notice his expression and turned to find a cloth and ointment.

She hurried along, her mind focused on treating his wounds.

"Fortunately, the porcelain shard wasn't very sharp, so it didn't go in too deep. If it had gone all the way into the skin, it would have been a real problem."

Jiang Mian wiped away the bloodstains with a cloth and then gently applied ointment.

Xiao Hengzhi chuckled softly, his tone teasing and ambiguous: "The Second Miss is so nervous, I think this injury wasn't a complete waste."

Seeing that he still had the mind to joke, Jiang Wan glared at him and said, "Shut up. I'm being nice to you so that you'll remember to be nice to others in the future."

Then, hurried footsteps came from outside the door: "Second Miss, Master said that His Highness the Crown Prince is still waiting for you and urges you to go quickly."

Jiang Wan frowned slightly, put down the ointment, glanced at the wound, and instructed him, "It's almost done. I'll go over now."

Xiao Hengzhi frowned. Was it resolved so quickly?

She turned to leave, but as soon as she took a step, her wrist was grabbed by a warm palm.

Xiao Hengzhi grabbed her sleeve, lowered his eyes slightly, and asked in a low, husky voice, "Second Miss... will she come back?"

The question contained a faint plea, like a fine net that tightly bound her heart.

Jiang Wan's heart skipped a beat. Avoiding his gaze, she said softly, "I need to come back to get your medicine..."

After saying that, she used a little force to pull her sleeve out of his hand.

Xiao Hengzhi didn't let go, pretending to be pulled forward by her sleeve and fall to the ground. In addition, he also pulled his arm down, making it feel like it was falling apart.

Jiang Wan was startled and quickly bent down to help him up, asking anxiously, "What's wrong with you? You keep falling down today, are you feeling unwell?"

Xiao Hengzhi helped her stand up, his fingertips on the ground turning slightly white.

He lowered his eyes, his voice tinged with innocence: "I'm fine... Second Miss, you should go quickly, don't keep His Highness waiting."

Seeing that he was pursing his lips, as if he was enduring pain, Jiang Wan asked again, "Where exactly is it that you feel unwell? Do you want me to take you to the clinic?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Hengzhi's eyes suddenly brightened, and he turned to ask, "Really? Then let's go to the clinic."

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Mian paused, as if she had realized something.

She narrowed her eyes, staring at him with a faint smile: "Xiao Hengzhi, are you deliberately stalling for time to prevent me from seeing His Highness?"

"I......"

Seeing his hesitation, Jiang Mian understood.

She suppressed her smile and said seriously, "Now that His Highness the Crown Prince has come, I must see him no matter what. Don't try any more of these little tricks; one should be upright and honorable..."

Seeing that she was about to launch into her lecturing mode again, Xiao Hengzhi looked at her with a wronged expression and said in a low voice, "But Second Miss, my hand was really injured just now..."

As he spoke, he shook his right hand.

Upon closer inspection, Jiang Mian noticed that her wrist was hanging limply, and it was indeed dislocated.

She sighed and muttered to herself, "I was already weak in my lower body, and now my upper body is weak too."

Xiao Hengzhi stood in front of her in a disheveled state, and whether he was deliberately putting on a pitiful act or not, he did look somewhat endearing.

She had never realized before that Xiao Hengzhi at this moment had such a childlike side.

Helplessly, he said, "Fine, come with me."

Stepping out of the room, Jiang Mian led him to the front hall.

In the hall, Jiang Xun was chatting with Ning Zhi when he saw the two of them appear together, and his conversation paused slightly.

"Greetings, Your Highness, Father." Jiang Man bowed.

Ning Zhi saw Xiao Hengzhi following behind her, but only glanced at him lightly and didn't look at him much.

Instead, he smiled faintly at Jiang Wan and spoke.

"The lantern festival was destroyed by fire yesterday, and I searched everywhere for you without success. I was relieved to find you safe and sound when I came to your residence today."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Fortunately, no one was injured or killed yesterday."

Ning Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly, his smile deepening: "Even so, it was my oversight. I have prepared a small gift, and I hope Miss Jiang will not find it offensive."

After he finished speaking, Lu Fang pulled out a sandalwood carved cage from behind him.

A strange bird stood quietly in the cage, its feathers pale gold, its tail feathers drooping like willow branches, and its body shimmering with a soft luster, like a mythical bird.

"The legend of the Xumi bird is that it is a descendant of the spirit bird and can help people fulfill their vows. If Miss Jiang has any wishes in the future, she can write them down and tuck them into the bird's belly feathers before releasing it. This is more effective than releasing lanterns."

"This bird is extremely rare. I've only ever seen it in books before," Jiang Xun exclaimed, looking at the caged bird.

Jiang Mian's expression froze slightly; she recognized at a glance that this was an alien species from the Crown Prince's palace.

Xu Mi is skilled at finding paths and can carry messages through the air. If you write your wishes on paper, it will surely follow your scent and fly back to the Crown Prince's Palace.

By giving one to Jiang Mian now, Ning Zhi is clearly implying that he can do something for Jiang Mian.

Seeing her in a daze, Jiang Xun nudged her shoulder: "The Crown Prince bestowed this gift, why don't you quickly accept it and express your gratitude?"

Jiang Mian suddenly realized, her mind slightly flustered: "Thank you for your generous gift, Your Highness."

She took the cage and stood aside. The bird shook its wings, its eyes sparkling like stars.

Jiang Xun suddenly noticed Xiao Hengzhi, who had been standing to the side for a long time, and frowned as she asked, "Wan'er, why did you bring him here?"

Jiang Mian explained, "Yesterday, Xiao Hengzhi shielded me from the barricade and saved my life. Just now, he accidentally slipped and dislocated his arm. I would like to ask Father to take a look at him."

Jiang Xun nodded. Having trained in the military for many years, he was naturally no match for such minor dislocations.

However, Ning Zhi immediately sensed something fishy about these words.

He had witnessed Xiao Hengzhi's skills yesterday. To say he slipped and fell accidentally, dislocating his arm?

He simply couldn't believe it.

Most likely, he was afraid that Xiao Hengzhi would force Jiang Mian to leave, so he deliberately used this as a delaying tactic.

He chuckled, then spoke with a composed expression: "Since Miss Jiang is alright, I have some matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

Jiang Xun and Jiang Mian bowed to each other.

As he passed Xiao Heng, he paused and said in a low voice, "I came here today not to take Miss Jiang away. Young Master Xiao, there's no need to go through all this trouble."

His voice was light, but every word was barbed, and the smile on his face seemed to be mocking Xiao Hengzhi's anxiety and insecurity.

Xiao Hengzhi pursed his lips, his fist clenching slightly inside his sleeve, and did not reply.

But I was also relieved, at least nothing happened today.

Jiang Wan sensed the awkward atmosphere and quickly urged, "Father, please take a look at him."

Jiang Xun stood up and walked to Xiao Hengzhi's side, his rough hand grabbing Xiao Hengzhi's shoulder, giving him a sudden push and lift—

With a "crack" sound, the bone returned to its place.

"Alright, stretch a bit." Jiang Xun patted his shoulder.

Xiao Hengzhi raised his hand and turned it around a few times. There was indeed no problem. He quickly said, "Thank you, Uncle Jiang."

"Okay," Jiang Xun replied, then added, "You can go out first; I have something to say to Wan'er."

Xiao Hengzhi acknowledged and withdrew.