Princess Xiangrui in Huanzhu

"Sister..." Yue Wanhan murmured in a low voice, her voice full of bitterness and sadness. She couldn't help but blame herself for being too reckless, but she could only accept it now.

She originally thought that Benjamin was at least somewhat interested in her, but now it seems that everything was just her wishful thinking.

Yue Wanhan, who was a little dazed by the impact of reality, did not notice the reluctance and hesitation in Benjamin's eyes.

At this moment, she just felt like a fool. She naively thought that love would come to her. She naively thought that as long as she expressed it bravely, she would get what she wanted.

"Okay! I understand. I was too reckless today and caused you so much trouble. I'm really sorry." Yue Wanhan suppressed the pain and sadness in her heart, and tried hard to adjust her mood, trying not to make herself look even more embarrassed.

She bit her lips tightly, trying desperately to maintain the last bit of dignity. As proud as she was, she mustered up the courage to confess to the person she liked for the first time, but the result was not as good as she imagined.

However, despite this, she does not regret making such a choice.

Because only in this way can you truly see your own heart, prevent yourself from regretting your cowardice for the rest of your life, and move forward more firmly.

Benjamin glanced at Yue Wanhan with a complicated expression, then quickly turned and left with a hurried step, as if a stone had been thrown into the calm lake in his heart, causing ripples.

After Benjamin walked away, Yue Wanhan seemed to have lost all her strength and sat down on the ground dejectedly. Tears could no longer be suppressed and flowed freely down her cheeks. At this moment, she finally let go of all her strong disguises and released the pain in her heart.

***

"Benjamin? Benjamin!" Looking at his apprentice's absent-minded appearance, Lang Shining could not help but frown, his eyes full of confusion and worry. He gently patted Benjamin's shoulder, trying to get his attention.

Benjamin suddenly looked up as if he had woken up from a dream, his eyes still a little confused. Lang Shining looked at him with concern and asked softly, "Benjamin, what's wrong with you? What happened to make you so absent-minded?"

Lang Shining always treated Benjamin as his own child. They were not only a master and apprentice, but also a close friend regardless of age. When he was in Great Britain, Lang Shining knew Benjamin's parents, and the two families were old friends. Therefore, when Lang Shining came to the Qing Dynasty, he took special care of this young apprentice.

At this moment, looking at Benjamin's helpless and bewildered expression, Lang Shining's heart could not help but skip a beat. This expression seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere. He tried hard to recall, and finally remembered that Benjamin had shown such an expression when he had a conflict with Xiaoyanzi and others a few years ago. At that time, Lang Shining had already realized that this young man had too many emotional entanglements in his heart.

Lang Shining sighed secretly, thinking that he was too old to bear this kind of stimulation. Seeing Benjamin was about to leave, he just hoped that nothing would happen again. After all, he had long been accustomed to a peaceful life over the years and didn't want to be bothered by trivial matters.

"It's okay, Master, it's really nothing." Benjamin forced a smile, trying to hide his emotions, but that smile looked uglier than crying.

How could Lang Shining not see it? He sighed deeply: "Alas, Benjamin, you can't hide it from my eyes. I know you are hiding something from me. Tell me, what happened?"

Lang Shining stared at Benjamin, as if trying to see through the secret deep in his heart. Benjamin pursed his lips and remained silent. Lang Shining's heart sank, realizing that this matter must be very serious, otherwise with Benjamin's character, he would not be so secretive.

Lang Shining shook his head helplessly. He knew Benjamin's personality. If he didn't want to talk, it would be futile to force him to talk. So he changed his approach and said earnestly, "Benjamin, you are a very stable person. You rarely have such ups and downs like now. I can feel that this incident has a great impact on you. But no matter what, you must stay calm and don't put yourself in trouble."

Lang Shining paused for a moment and continued, "There is one more important thing I must remind you of. You will be returning home next week, which means you don't have much time left in China. At this critical moment, you must be careful in what you say and do, and you must not make any mistakes. Otherwise, it will not only affect your reputation, but it is also likely to prevent you from returning to the UK smoothly. So, please be careful and don't cause yourself any trouble."

Lang Shining patiently gave Benjamin instructions, hoping that he would listen. However, this time Benjamin did not respond to him firmly as usual, but just stood there silently with a blank look in his eyes.

Lang Shining could not help but frown, and his worry became more intense. He didn't know what problem Benjamin had encountered and why he suddenly became so depressed and confused.

Benjamin rejected Luo Rou's confession without hesitation, because they had only met once, and the other party was so bold to confess, which made him wary.

He felt that Luo Rou must have ulterior motives, and perhaps she did not really like him, but had other ulterior motives. Facing such a sinister person, even if Benjamin was usually a gentleman, he could not accept her feelings at this moment, and he could reject them without any burden.

But when it comes to Yue Wanhan, Benjamin has to admit that his heart is completely confused.

He was thankful that Lang Shining suddenly came to him for something, giving him the opportunity to flee that place in a hurry. Because he really didn't know...if he continued to stay, would he...be unable to resist accepting her feelings.

Lang Shining's words were like a wake-up call. Yes, he was about to return to Great Britain, so how could he cause trouble before leaving?

Although he usually worked in Ruyi Pavilion, he knew very well that Yue Wanhan's father was a minister in the court, a general with a large army, and her family was wealthy. She would definitely marry into the royal family and become a concubine or queen in the future.

He was just an ordinary little painter from a foreign country, and there was a huge difference between him and her. There were too many insurmountable obstacles between them.