Snow drifted through the air, the north wind howled, and heaven and earth lay vast and desolate...
For some reason, such an image involuntarily surfaced in Xue Pan's mind. Only after a long while did he catch his breath and force out a smile. "What does the Princess want with Baoyu so late at night?"
Gu Zixian's delicate brows furrowed, and a trace of impatience appeared in her eyes. "What business is it of yours?" The customs of the Western Regions had always been more direct, unlike the Central Plains, where people spoke so tactfully.
Xue Pan felt as though his heart had nearly shattered. He had wanted to leave in a huff, but the faint fragrance drifting from her and those beautiful, captivating eyes made it impossible for him to walk away. He could only comfort himself that customs in the Western Regions were different, and she surely had not meant to hurt him.
After some thought, he still decided to offer her a well-meaning reminder. "What I mean is, Princess, you're a young woman. Going to a man's room in the middle of the night... if word gets out, it may damage your reputation."
Gu Zixian tilted her head slightly. "I don't mind. Why are you so worked up?"
"I!" Xue Pan nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. As the son of an aristocratic family, no matter how much of a wastrel he was, he still had his pride. How could he not be angered by being spoken to like that by a woman?
With a furious snort, he turned and walked away, thinking, If I ever bother with you again, I'm a damned fool!
Seeing his retreating figure, Gu Zixian suddenly had a thought and called out softly, "Young Master Xue, please wait."
At her call,