Chapter 436: Epilogue 3 – You Owe Me!

“Okay, now it’s our contestant Liu Manman’s turn. She needs to hit a ten-ring to win the championship of this tournament. How will she do?”

“Liu Manman looks a bit nervous. She wipes the sweat from her palms and starts aiming. This aiming seems to be taking a while.”

“Time is running out. What will Liu Manman… She shoots! It hits—a perfect ten-ring!”

A wave of enthusiastic cheers erupts, and the venue becomes a scene of celebration.

The commentator continues: “Let’s watch the replay. Liu Manman’s hands were extremely steady. Even during the countdown, she showed no panic at all. You’d never tell she’s a complete newcomer who has only been competing in archery for a year.”

“By the way, viewers who don’t follow the music scene might not know that Liu Manman is also a renowned guzheng musician…”

Xia Yu shifts his gaze from the television to the Liu Manman sitting beside him.

Three years ago, Liu Manman, for reasons unknown, suddenly stopped playing the guzheng she used to love passionately and came to the palace to pester Xia Yu to teach her archery.

Xia Yu thought that since Liu Manman could give up the guzheng, at which she had no talent, and instead pursue archery where she did show promise, it was a good decision. Thus, he agreed to teach her.

At the beginning, Liu Manman was often distracted. After Xia Yu threatened to send her home, she immediately became obedient.

In three years, Liu Manman successfully won a world championship gold medal, albeit by a narrow margin of one point. Still, she had graduated successfully.

Master Xia Yu couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

“What do you think? I’m amazing, right!” Liu Manman proudly said to Xia Yu, her eyes filled with anticipation for praise.

Xia Yu felt that, for Liu Manman’s psychological development, it was necessary to temper her arrogance a bit.

“You actually hit a seven-ring with one shot. Amazing? Like hell!” Xia Yu tapped her head lightly. “This is not how I taught you. You must stay steady. Why did you adjust the angle when you shot?”

Liu Manman mumbled incoherently, unable to defend herself.

But soon, she gave up trying to explain and directly tackled Xia Yu down.

“So what strategy is this—tackling me?” Xia Yu asked, looking at Liu Manman who was now sitting atop him.

“It’s… it’s…” Liu Manman’s face gradually turned red. She hastily stood up and sat aside.

This surprised Xia Yu a little. Was Liu Manman… blushing?

But hadn’t she always been carefree and oblivious to personal boundaries?

In Xia Yu’s mind, memories of Liu Manman’s reactions during the archery lessons over the past three years flashed by.

There had been a few similar shy moments before, but Xia Yu hadn’t paid attention at the time.

What did this signify?

Previously, they could have close contact without hesitation, but now she had started to avoid it. Was it a sign of distance?

Thinking about this, Xia Yu felt somewhat annoyed.

It had already been four years since his wedding with An Siyao and the others. Liu Manman had already graduated from university. It was natural for some distance to develop.

Four years ago, he had mentally prepared himself and didn’t consider it a big deal.

But now, after teaching Liu Manman archery for three years and spending every day together, Xia Yu’s mental preparedness had become fragile.

These three years had given him illusions—that their closeness could last forever.

Now he realized that was impossible. Things could not remain unchanged forever.

Wait, maybe it wasn’t distance at all, but rather a response of intimacy.

Perhaps before, she had no such awareness, so she was casual. Now the distance came from having special feelings.

Recalling Liu Manman’s reactions, Xia Yu couldn’t determine exactly what it was. He decided to test her.

Glancing at Liu Manman, who had her back to him, Xia Yu stood up: “You should go back now.”

Hearing this indifferent remark, Liu Manman could no longer play ostrich. She turned around and asked cautiously, “Go back for what?”

She feared Xia Yu had sensed her secret feelings.

If Xia Yu still saw her as a senior apprentice sister, but she wanted to pursue him, that would be too sinful!

“After all, this is the palace. It’s not appropriate for an unmarried woman to stay here too long.” Xia Yu observed Liu Manman’s reaction. He knew his actions were somewhat despicable, but to probe Liu Manman’s feelings, it didn’t matter.

Better to be a little despicable now than to regret it later.

Tears welled up in Liu Manman’s eyes. She felt that Xia Yu had discovered her intentions and was driving her away.

“I understand.” With her head lowered, Liu Manman stood up.

She walked toward the door.

This reaction was somewhat unexpected for Xia Yu. If it was distance, Liu Manman should be puzzled looking at his sudden change in attitude. If it was intimacy, Liu Manman should boldly question him instead.

What did this reluctant departure mean?

Xia Yu was very confused, unaware of the guilty feelings swirling inside Liu Manman.

Liu Manman had already opened the door and walked out. Xia Yu remained in place, pondering what to do next.

Without knowing Liu Manman’s thoughts, chasing after her might result in failure. Thinking about the potential embarrassment, Xia Yu hesitated.

He had always had things go smoothly and had never faced an awkward situation before. He couldn’t even imagine what it would be like.

This test had been too hasty!

Covering his head with his hands, Xia Yu tried to think of a remedy, but after a minute, he still hadn’t come up with a solution.

If Liu Manman didn’t come back for her clothes, in a minute she could already exit the palace through the back door.

Once she left the palace, it would be very difficult to find Liu Manman again.

After hesitating for another ten seconds, Xia Yu stood up.

Embarrassment lasts only momentarily, but regret lasts a lifetime!

Quickly approaching the door, Xia Yu had just placed his hand on the doorknob when a force pushed the door from the other side.

Xia Yu quickly dodged. The door narrowly missed him, slicing past his nose. If he hadn’t dodged quickly, he would have been hit.

The one who had pushed the door open with such force was Liu Manman.

Liu Manman’s hair was disheveled, and her breathing was rapid. She had run back.

“You…” Xia Yu hesitated, caught off guard by Liu Manman’s sudden return.

“You still owe me a song!” Liu Manman shouted loudly.

This was a song he had owed her four years ago. Xia Yu had almost composed it, but Liu Manman kept saying there was no rush, so it had been postponed until now.

Looking at Liu Manman’s flushed face, Xia Yu naturally wouldn’t say something like “I’ll compose it for you now.”

“Mm.” He responded with a hum.

“A song that’s not inferior to An Siyao’s!” Liu Manman took a step forward, her body pressing against Xia Yu’s chest.

“Mm.” Xia Yu lowered his gaze to look at her.

“And the interest for four years!” Liu Manman grabbed Xia Yu’s collar fiercely.

“Mm.” Xia Yu leaned down slightly, making it easier for Liu Manman to hold onto him.

“So marry me!” Liu Manman felt her face burning. She knew her request was illogical, but she couldn’t care anymore.

Looking at the stunned Xia Yu, Liu Manman pulled hard on his collar, trying hard to appear fierce as she threatened: “It’s something you owe me!”

She looked into Xia Yu’s eyes, and Xia Yu looked back at her.

The bedroom fell into silence.

Three seconds later, she lowered her head in disappointment and let go of Xia Yu.

“I’m sorry, I…”

Before Liu Manman could finish speaking, Xia Yu interrupted her.

“Okay.” Xia Yu cupped her face.