The window was open, and the cries of street vendors drifted into the room as the breeze gently stirred the leaves outside.
Ji Zhaoxi sat by the window, engrossed in a storybook.
She glanced at the person across from her, then suddenly cleared her throat.
The hand holding Fu Xianyan’s teacup paused ever so slightly.
“This Young Master Bai—those two are clearly so devoted to each other, yet he insists on forcing his way between them. One moment he’s giving her this, the next he’s giving her that. What kind of innocent act is he putting on?”
Ji Zhaoxi sprang to her feet, clutching the storybook as though its tale had infuriated her.
She paced back and forth across the room, turning the pages while standing up for the characters in the story.
“And that vixen! She’s absolutely wicked. Why must she steal food from someone else’s bowl? Why must she snatch away a marriage that was already arranged?”
Fu Xianyan remained seated, not even lifting his eyelids. He reached for a piece of fruit on the table, but the next moment, it had somehow landed in Ji Zhaoxi’s hand.
Fu Xianyan: …
Ji Zhaoxi moved to the seat beside Fu Xianyan and began reading the storybook aloud.
“Young Master Fu, look at this! These two are a perfect match, yet this man insists on lying down in front of their carriage. What a heartless bastard!”
Ji Zhaoxi pointed at the passage in the storybook, her eyes shining with indignation.
Fu Xianyan said nothing, so Ji Zhaoxi silently moved the storybook in front of him.
Fu Xianyan brushed the tea leaves aside with the lid of his cup without even raising his eyes. His voice was weak and listless. “Miss Ji, I can’t read.”
Ji Zhaoxi faltered. “Then I’ll read it to you.”
Did Fu Xianyan really have no idea what she meant? Her pointed insinuations could hardly have been any more obvious.
As she read, she watched Fu Xianyan’s expression from the corner of her eye. He remained so calm, as though he had no idea she was cursing him.
By the end, Ji Zhaoxi’s throat was dry. She glanced at Fu Xianyan, who still showed no reaction, and could not help saying, “Young Master Fu, you really should read more books.”
Otherwise, when people insulted him, he would not even understand them.
This was the first time she had met someone even less educated than herself.
In the room next door, Qin Qiwu and Xu Ancheng were discussing what they had observed that day.
They had originally intended to discuss it with Ji Zhaoxi as well, but Ji Zhaoxi was worried about Fu Xianyan and had stayed next door to keep an eye on him.
As Qin Qiwu and Xu Ancheng talked, they gradually fell silent. They listened to the sounds from the room next door, and when no sounds of fighting came through, they exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.
The sky gradually darkened, and the wind outside grew cooler. Qin Qiwu and Xu Ancheng finally finished their discussion.
“Young Master Fu, did you get along well with Miss Ji just now?” Xu Ancheng asked with a smile after lighting the candles.
Miss Ji had left looking rather grumpy.
Fu Xianyan nodded politely. “Miss Ji is very warmhearted. She told me many things about how one should conduct oneself.”
Xu Ancheng froze for a moment, looking puzzled. “Things about how to conduct oneself?”
Miss Ji usually hated it when people preached moral principles to her.
Fu Xianyan smiled faintly. “Miss Ji told me many stories about vixens, faithless men, and mistresses. I benefited greatly from them.”
The moment Xu Ancheng heard this, he understood. His face flushed crimson, and he coughed. “Perhaps Miss Ji misunderstood Young Master Fu.”
Fu Xianyan looked at Xu Ancheng, who was so nervous that his hands and feet seemed to have lost all coordination, and chuckled. “The feelings between Young Master Xu and Miss Qin are mutual. I truly envy you.”
Xu Ancheng’s face grew even redder. He lowered his voice. “To be honest, Qiwu and I… Miss Qin and I have known each other for a long time. From the first moment I saw Miss Qin, I…”
Whenever he thought of the first time he had met Qin Qiwu, his heart could not help but tremble.
Fu Xianyan sipped his tea and asked casually, “Is Miss Ji also from the capital, like Miss Qin?”
Xu Ancheng could not help laughing. “That’s right. I met Miss Qin through Miss Ji. Miss Ji is quite—”
He was just about to reveal Ji Zhaoxi’s identity when he suddenly stopped.
The room fell silent at once.
Fu Xianyan tactfully continued drinking his tea and gave a small laugh. “So Miss Ji was the matchmaker who brought Young Master Xu and Miss Qin together.”
Xu Ancheng nodded awkwardly.
Although Young Master Fu seemed like a good person and had traveled with them for so long, they were ultimately not on the same side.
Moonlight spilled over the trees outside, casting dappled shadows. The windows were shut tight, and a lamp burned inside the room.
Qin Qiwu sat at the table writing something, while Ji Zhaoxi lay on the bed, drowsy with sleep.
“Miss Qin, can’t we stop bringing Young Master Fu along?” she mumbled sleepily, hugging the quilt.
Qin Qiwu let out a soft laugh. “Miss Ji, do you dislike Young Master Fu?”
Ji Zhaoxi answered in a muffled voice, “I suspect he wants to become Hua Wuyan.”
Hua Wuyan was a notorious vixen in the storybooks, someone who specialized in breaking up lovers.
Qin Qiwu’s ears grew warm, and her voice became softer and softer. “Miss Ji, Young Master Fu probably isn’t Hua Wuyan…”
Her relationship with Young Master Xu… had not reached that stage yet.
Thinking of this, Qin Qiwu felt somewhat lost.
Ever since she had met Young Master Xu, her heart often seemed beyond her control. He had brought her a great deal of happiness, but at times, he had also brought her a great deal of disappointment.
After organizing all the information, Qin Qiwu gently blew out the lamp.
Early the next morning, as soon as the morning mist dispersed, the streets became bustling and noisy.
The vegetable sellers shouted at the tops of their voices, while steam billowed from the food stalls.
“Here are your four bowls of wontons, honored guests.” The stall owner deftly set the wontons on the table.
Though it was still early, the people all around were already sweating heavily from the heat.
“Pingyuan County is so lively.” Qin Qiwu’s eyes curved into a smile.
Xu Ancheng placed the dipping sauce in front of Qin Qiwu and said softly, “Once we finish what we came here to do, we can stay in Pingyuan County for a few more days.”
Qin Qiwu gave a quiet reply.
“Mmph…”
Ji Zhaoxi held her breath and fanned herself with one hand as tears instantly sprang to the corners of her eyes.
The wonton was too hot to swallow, but she could not spit it out either. Her entire face flushed red as she struggled.
Suddenly, a pair of well-defined hands reached over from beside her. They held a coarse porcelain bowl filled to the brim with cool boiled water.
Qin Qiwu, sitting opposite her, was startled as well.
“Did you burn yourself?”
“Miss Ji, are you all right?”
Ji Zhaoxi took several gulps of water and finally managed to swallow the scalding wonton.
Seeing the concerned looks on their faces, she coughed awkwardly. “I’m fine.”
Just then, a very soft laugh came from beside her.
Ji Zhaoxi pretended not to hear it.
Before long, another muffled laugh sounded beside her, the laughter making the other person’s chest tremble faintly.
Ji Zhaoxi: …
Unable to bear it any longer, she turned around and glared at Fu Xianyan. “What’s so funny about this?”
She refused to believe that Fu Xianyan had never burned himself in his life.
The moment Ji Zhaoxi turned her head, Fu Xianyan immediately resumed his calm expression. He looked at her in confusion. “Miss Ji, what is it?”
Ji Zhaoxi did not feel like speaking to him and continued eating.
“Pfft.”
At the sound, Ji Zhaoxi’s grip on her chopsticks slowly tightened.
This Fu Xianyan truly had no manners!
When someone else was embarrassed, she never laughed at them!
