Blooming Flowers, Silent Sorrow

Translator: Silvery Butterfly
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Xiao Bao was unconscious for two full days before he finally woke up.nUMHwUlkyiYvYWjWHTVlynXnXDnNcR

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When he opened his swollen eyes, Zhao Cai and Jin Bao were looking at him with red-rimmed eyes. Both of them were also bruised and battered, not looking much better than he did.yCgEMrGcqvSgcMqEhuXrFgEfWuGOZy

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As his consciousness returned, so did the pain. The sharp, shameful pain from his lower body shot straight to his head, and memories started overlapping. He thought of similar scenes from the past.klKIxyTtpmnDxIfMioNLriAIWCfyoB

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His nose tingled, and in this moment of heartache, not crying wouldn’t be like Xiao Bao at all. Tears streamed down his face as he felt aggrieved enough to want to bash his head against the wall.ZTCafEKXDzStPpkCqWqZwqkwPOwozl

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Zhao Cai hurriedly wiped his tears, “Young master, young master, don’t cry, don’t cry. Well, no, go ahead and cry. Crying will make you feel better. Yes, cry loudly. There’s no one else here. Don’t worry, we will avenge you. We’ve arranged everything. Just say the word, and the followers in the west wing of the Jin mansion and the six hundred retainers in the east wing will rush in and tear that bastard to pieces!”YWcPdptFXtoqGvGCsePKvwTygfQrNH

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Hearing this, Xiao Bao cried even harder, muttering between sobs, “Nonsense… If he dies… what about me… I’m cursed… How could I… fall for him… He’s just a lunatic… a psychopath… Waaaah, what kind of curse am I under, ahhhh…”UGIXxKXTWCmdXdubncEAWVFwSfBMqZ

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“Young master, you must be under a curse. What’s so good about him? Right, I’ve heard there’s a sect in Miaojiang, the Bo Ye Sect. They have many ways to bewitch men. He must have used Gu poison¹ on you, or maybe he poisoned you.”DFyHJIaXjHOlrcGxLbfSocEKBhZQxQ

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“Rubbish… That sect is all… women…”CrXMaFCIyDMdtxwxKetDIGhAEDGXqJ

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“Oh, young master, if you have money, they will do it for you. It’s really spooky. You must be under his spell. Don’t worry, we’ll find an expert to help you break it. Then you won’t think about him anymore, okay?”XpMDGEyHizrqEKeBZtRrBbKmZymdqT

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Zhao Cai tried hard to comfort him, though he was talking nonsense. He had followed his young master for over ten years and knew exactly what kind of person he was. Every thought was written on his face. Xiao Bao was hopelessly infatuated, and no one could change that. If that bastard treated his young master well, it would be fine. But being so ruthless was unacceptable. Xiao Bao’s life could be at stake one day.wZguOnFoQAXKzJUIfBlTcxWgMPRtyS

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Xiao Bao sniffled, his tear-filled eyes fixed on Zhao Cai. “Really… is that… really effective?”QVDrhXaNkEMvniWyCVcJywpeypVWeh

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“Effective, effective, I guarantee the young master will be cured. There are so many beauties in the world, all waiting for you. You can have as many as you want, one is never enough. We’ll first get rid of this scourge and then find someone else for you.”wDjbLODCPDgWGfyIwtCMmqpBUpFLhD

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Xiao Bao glared at him, “Who asked you that? Go find that… sect… no matter the cost. Have them do whatever it takes to Huai En. He must fall in love with me, completely and utterly.”XKbBFTKBmHPCQrGcLZTTnfgTGbWIRz

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Zhao Cai rolled his eyes, almost fainting on the spot.aTUwzsquDQIMGEMhKmdbNaGwMjYvBG

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Jin Bao couldn’t hold back any longer, “Young master, are you out of your mind? After what he did to you, you still want to be with him? Do you want to die? We don’t even dare let the master know. If he finds out, he’ll kill both him and you.”skKcbKcXeQfJXPQwpnUwsgThHjxpml

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Xiao Bao’s eyes welled up even more, and he choked out, “I don’t care, I just like him. Actually, it’s not entirely his fault. I shouldn’t have gone to the brothel… but he didn’t have to be so harsh…”oqOqkxwxLHFsWvzidmhcjwkkYWlbrJ

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Xiao Bao’s tears flowed again as he sobbed uncontrollably. The grievances and sorrow in his heart surged like waves.CIrWeNAPYXyAAgYMrLvDAKToFwVNXP

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He thought people were truly different. If Huai En had been the one in the wrong, Xiao Bao would have dismantled the entire brothel but wouldn’t have laid a finger on him. But Huai En could treat him like this in front of so many people. No matter how much he pleaded, cried, or shouted, Huai En didn’t soften at all and refused to listen to a single explanation. Even if Xiao Bao was wrong, he didn’t deserve such cruelty. The physical pain was unbearable, but the heartache was even worse. It felt as if all his efforts had gone in vain, bringing him back to square one. The sweetness they shared seemed to be drifting away, slipping through his fingers despite his efforts to hold on. What he thought was mutual affection turned out to be just his one-sided wish. For a moment, he felt as if waking up from a dream, from the moment he woke up in his mansion in Wujiang County until now, it had all been a fantasy of his own making.TBVaZnHogOFshvtWjXJEsEtqjJhqQe

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What hurt the most was that Huai En could so easily disregard him as a person when things went wrong, while Xiao Bao couldn’t even bring himself to hate him. Instead, he found himself seeking his own faults to comfort himself.MArWbBRycOkBpuoHycUjDVmCkFLgwp

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Unable to get out of bed due to the pain, Xiao Bao imagined his humiliating experience had likely spread throughout Suzhou. Huai En had stripped him of his dignity, yet he still couldn’t stop liking him. How could he be so despicable?vsWONAusXjSCJcwWcajCGOqIpKgfKW

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Now, his greatest worry wasn’t about how long it would take for him to recover or what others would think of him. Nor was it about what his parents would do if they found out. Instead, it was about whether Huai En would still care about him.DdeHnmcZPYJBFuNIbdwmStIeatAdwl

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So, he truly believed he was cursed. Even his long-held pride in his resilience now seemed shameless. But what could he do? He just liked that person. Losing him would be far more painful than any humiliation.bBxedMDJypUQwNhicjKWjnWzhtXIGl

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After lying in bed for two more days, Xiao Bao finally felt well enough to get up. During this time, Huai En had not come to see him even once. Although Xiao Bao knew he was just in the adjacent room, he felt somewhat comforted that at least Huai En hadn’t left. This small glimmer of hope brought him some solace.NbDqAmsHxZBqQtaPWjeopGwDiVTXjl

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After much hesitation and dragging his feet for another two or three days, Xiao Bao felt that his legs were steady, his mind clear, and his tongue untangled. He decided he should go and apologize to Huai En before he lost his nerve.qFZIELeHJIdEkKVAtYLFrRxDQAnudp

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He knew that Huai En would never like him the way he liked Huai En. Huai En’s anger over his visit to the brothel was probably not due to jealousy but rather disgust. If he couldn’t expect the other party to give way and understand, then he could only push forward and strive. This was how they had come this far. If he hadn’t thickened his skin and constantly moved closer to Huai En, they wouldn’t have had anything after their initial encounter. Now that they had achieved so much, he couldn’t, and didn’t want to, give up. He had to keep pursuing as always.vCKBtaqNckZFgNdKFebrfKiEyeIcfB

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Xiao Bao waited until late at night before cautiously making his way to Huai En’s separate courtyard. He didn’t want anyone to see him, especially Zhao Cai and Jin Bao. His heart pounded like a drum, a mix of nervousness, fear, and a faint glimmer of hope.dRhOCvJbaysdiNANxrUkfVqIOiDZAP

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Maybe Huai En had already regretted his actions. Maybe he was too embarrassed to come looking for him. After all, he hadn’t left. Maybe Huai En was thinking of him too, unable to lower his pride and waiting for Xiao Bao to make the first move.EEfLicWZDBdmyThQYJexuAfThYGstD

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Unfortunately, reality always disappointed him.MJHYuGsrTmEpkdLPAzsplmYalREphB

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As he turned into the courtyard, he immediately saw Huai En standing by the window with his back to him. Opposite him was Zuo Ying, who was talking to him.zxXxJDlxioHVXykQCByMECoKTDFAWP

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Zuo Ying saw him first and nodded to Huai En, who only slightly turned his head but did not look back.VziyCDhXdzyuqgxGnFMuZIHIvtbqpF

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Then Zuo Ying came out, gave him a meaningful glance, and walked away.MOErdBQXhNAZrkzXNcwpNByfQiggVz

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Xiao Bao fought an internal battle before finally summoning the courage to go inside.GgUoOtTlQCLDkoesXsYTBtbQLGEDtr

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Huai En turned around. In the dim candlelight, his face was hidden in the shadows, making his expression unreadable. Only his eyes shone, dark as midnight and bright as stars in the sky.kAcjJqvYrzTUfAGDPXYKQIYkWZsRaX

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