Thump, thump. Whose heartbeat was it? Lan Yan looked at Jun Yelan beneath her, his handsome face flushed. She raised an eyebrow and sat up with a smile.
Jun Yelan only then reacted, staring coldly at Lan Yan, his face returning to its icy demeanor. This Lan Yan had done that deliberately!
Stared at, Lan Yan thought she might have appeared too pleased and curbed herself slightly. She cleared her throat and said, "Jun Yelan, about what just happened..."
"No need to say." Jun Yelan tidied his collar, picked up the fallen books, and didn't look at Lan Yan again. He considered himself peculiar and unlikely to attract Lan Yan; the fall could only have been an accident.
However, Lan Yan's smile had been intentional!
Lan Yan immediately smiled, leaning forward slightly, and fixed her gaze on Jun Yelan's faint eyes. "Good."
Jun Yelan started. He looked at Lan Yan's radiant eyes, and a strange feeling arose within him, making him want to flee.
He retreated, but the carriage wall was behind him.
Lan Yan saw this and realized Jun Yelan had his adorable moments, despite his outwardly cold exterior. She curved her lips, sat up contentedly, and then suddenly saw a strand of hair floating between her fingers.
It was white, likely something she had accidentally broken earlier.
Seeing Lan Yan staring at the hair, Jun Yelan's eyes darkened, and he reached out to snatch it.
But Lan Yan raised her hand, evading Jun Yelan, and smiled, "This is a gift, I'll keep it well." She had been fretting about how to please Jun Yelan, and this was a heaven-sent opportunity.
She carefully rolled up the strand of hair, tied it together, took the sachet from her waist, and placed it inside.
Jun Yelan watched Lan Yan's every move, his confusion growing. He unconsciously asked, "Why?" He had never been treated like this before.
In his childhood, people had even pulled his hair, burned it, and freely insulted him, calling him a monster.
Lan Yan turned her head to look at Jun Yelan and suddenly laughed, "As I said, this is a gift you gave me. When we reach the Imperial City, there are many delicious things there, and I will give you some too."
Heh heh, this way she could attract Jun Yelan and make him stay a little longer. Given the original host's identity here, she couldn't leave freely and had to inconvenience Jun Yelan for a while.
Once she sorted out affairs here, she could leave with Jun Yelan.
Jun Yelan's pupils trembled slightly, his lips pressed into a thin line, and he stared motionlessly at the person before him. He felt he would never understand Lan Yan, why she appeared by his side, why she did these things for him.
"Jun Yelan?" Lan Yan curiously reached out and waved in front of his eyes. Was this person too moved? At that moment, the carriage jolted again. She quickly grabbed the rope on the carriage wall, but one hand landed on Jun Yelan's leg.
Last time it was an accident, how would she explain this one!
Jun Yelan, however, was much calmer. He reached out and steadied Lan Yan's waist, helping her to sit properly. Then he continued reading, a ripple appearing in his eyes.
Lan Yan was stunned. She glanced at her waist; her skin there was still cold, proving it wasn't her imagination! Her heart secretly rejoiced. She picked up the book on the table and couldn't stop laughing.
The laughter attracted Ruan Yuan outside the carriage, who couldn't help but knock on the window and ask, "General, what's wrong?"
Lan Yan lifted the curtain and squinted at Ruan Yuan, "Nothing, this book is quite interesting. Vice-General Ruan, you can prepare more like it in the future."
"Is that so?" Ruan Yuan was full of confusion. The book in the General's hand seemed to be held upside down! She caught a glimpse of Jun Yelan, noticing the wrinkles on his collar, and seeing Lan Yan smiling like that, she understood!
She silently lowered the curtain, "General, don't worry, I'm the only one here, no one else knows."
Lan Yan: "..." Seeing that there was no more sound from outside, she looked at Jun Yelan and asked in bewilderment, "What does she know?"
Jun Yelan remained silent, looking at the book Lan Yan held upside down, and reached out to turn it around. "Read."
"Oh." Lan Yan lowered her head, seeing the densely packed text on the page, and mumbled, "What kind of book is this?"
The sound reached Jun Yelan's ears. A slight curve appeared at the corner of his mouth, then quickly vanished.
As night fell, the carriage stopped to rest.
Lan Yan took the opportunity to stretch her muscles. She limped out of the carriage and walked to where the soldiers were gathered, sitting with them.
"General!" The soldiers picked up their bowls and saluted her.
Lan Yan called out, "Please sit, everyone. No need to be formal." Looking at the soldiers, she smiled and asked, "What were you doing just now?"
A soldier replied, "General, we were singing folk songs."
"Excellent, please continue." Lan Yan looked towards the carriage. Jun Yelan was unwilling to come down, and she sighed slightly.
One of the bolder soldiers called out, "General, why don't you sing one too? We haven't heard you sing before." With that, many soldiers started to clamor, looking at Lan Yan.
Lan Yan smiled helplessly. She was just there to make up the numbers, and it had turned into a talent show. She raised her hand to quiet the soldiers, picked up a bowl and chopsticks, and tapped the chopsticks on the bowl.
Accompanied by the crisp tapping, her hearty and bold singing began.
Her singing infected the surrounding soldiers, their faces lighting up with excitement, and some even shed tears. This song represented their sentiments and their hardships.
Lan Yan simply stood up and shouted, "Sing along, everyone!" She belted it out alone, her throat nearly raw.
Then the soldiers joined in, their voices echoing throughout the entire camp. Other soldiers stopped in their tracks.
Inside the carriage, Jun Yelan also stopped turning pages and looked outside. He heard Lan Yan's voice, opened the window, and saw Lan Yan standing among a group of soldiers, leading them in song.
His eyes quivered. Listening to the song, he felt Lan Yan's emotions. This person disliked war and yearned for a simple life.
He took out three copper coins from his怀. It had been a long time since he had divined. He suddenly wanted to know what Lan Yan's existence truly represented.
The copper coins were tossed heavily and landed on the table.
Jun Yelan looked at the coins, his eyes deepening. There was no divination. He tossed them again. The same as before. He turned his head to stare at Lan Yan outside and muttered to himself, "You are a variable."
He couldn't help but clench the three copper coins, a trace of worry surfacing in his heart. This was an unprecedented situation.
"Jun Yelan?" Lan Yan stood by the carriage, lifting the curtain, and looked at Jun Yelan's somber expression with bewilderment. After finishing her song, she had quickly run over to find Jun Yelan.
Jun Yelan put away the copper coins and said nothing.
Lan Yan blinked and got onto the carriage. She sat beside Jun Yelan, took his wrist, and murmured, "You don't have a fever." She had specifically asked Nie Ye to teach her simple pulse-taking.
Jun Yelan watched Lan Yan's practiced movements and asked himself, "Could it be that you truly are my variable?" His eyes darkened.