Half an hour ago.
There was a knock on Bai Liuyue's door. She thought it was the young girl Xie Manyu coming to look for her.
But when the door opened, she saw Xie Chengxiao standing outside, holding an exquisitely wrapped box in his hands.
"Brother-in-law?" She tilted her head in surprise. "What is this?"
Xie Chengxiao turned his head away slightly, looking a bit awkward. He extended the hand holding the box forward and said, "It's for you. Try it on?"
"Is it an evening gown?"
Xie Chengxiao nodded.
She hadn't expected him to be so considerate. From Jinzhong to the Northwest, Bai Liuyue had only brought some traditional ruqun skirts that she used to wear.
She had custom-ordered a few qipaos a few days ago, but their styles were more for daily wear and not suitable for a banquet occasion.
And inside the large rectangular box in his hands was an evening gown.
"Thank you. I'll go change into it then." Bai Liuyue took the box and was just about to close the door.
A palm blocked the gap of the door. Xie Chengxiao said in a deep voice, "Why don't you see if you like it first?"
Bai Liuyue opened it to take a look.
It was a white Western-style mermaid dress, and the silk fabric felt incredibly smooth and soft to the touch.
"I love it. Thank you, brother-in-law." With that, she prepared to close the door again.
But it was blocked by his palm once more.
Bai Liuyue blinked, her clear eyes seemingly asking, 'Is there anything else?'
Xie Chengxiao coughed lightly and pointed out, "The zipper is on the back. I thought I could help."
"Oh, right."
Looking innocent and unguarded, Bai Liuyue let go of the door, and Xie Chengxiao took the opportunity to enter the room.
This was his second time entering Bai Liuyue's room.
The room still held a very pleasant, faint scent of lilies of the valley.
Bai Liuyue pointed to a red velvet chair in the room and said, "Brother-in-law, you can sit for a moment. I'll go to the bathroom to change."
"Alright."
Xie Chengxiao sat there stiffly and properly, his eyes lowered.
He was waiting to be summoned.
But then the bathroom door opened.
The white mermaid dress wrapped around her slender, graceful figure. It accentuated her curves perfectly, full where it should be full, and slim where it should be slim.
It was as if it had been tailor-made for her.
The sight of her was stunning, making it impossible for him to look away.
However...
The main issue was: why hadn't she called him to zip her up?
Meeting his gaze, Bai Liuyue curled her lips into a smile and said:
"Brother-in-law, thank you for the dress. I really like it."
"Oh, by the way, even though the zipper is on the back, I could reach it, and it zipped up very smoothly."
"So I didn't need to trouble you."
Xie Chengxiao nodded, giving a calm "Mhm."
But in his heart, he couldn't hide his disappointment.
He didn't even know what he had been expecting just now.
He couldn't help but wonder to himself: why did the zipper on this evening gown he bought have to be of such good quality?
"Shall we go?" Bai Liuyue pointed at the wall clock in the room and said, "It's almost time."
"Wait."
As if remembering something, Xie Chengxiao took out a white peony hairpin accessory from his breast pocket.
"I thought this would match your dress well. I bought it in passing."
His tone was casual, as if it really was just a passing purchase.
It didn't sound at all like he had run up and down the department store by himself, visiting several shops before finally finding this satisfactory peony hairpin.
He was just about to raise his hand to hand it to Bai Liuyue.
But he saw the young lady of the Bai family take a proactive step forward, obediently lowering her head. Her raven-feather eyelashes fluttered slightly.
She exposed the crown of her dark hair to him.
Did this mean... she wanted him to put it on for her?
Wouldn't that be too intimate?
Xie Chengxiao pursed his lips in thought.
Bai Liuyue kept her head lowered, and sensing no movement above her, she couldn't help but mutter softly:
"Brother-in-law, what's wrong?"
"Do you not know how to put it on? Or is my hair too thick to pin?"
Xie Chengxiao snapped back to reality and instinctively said, "Oh, no, I'll pin it for you right now."
He held the peony hairpin, pausing briefly when his knuckles accidentally brushed against the loose hair behind her ear.
The tip of the pin slowly sank into her cloud-like hair, the petals grazing her earlobe.
Xie Chengxiao's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, his eyes darkening a fraction.
"Done."
Bai Liuyue eagerly and happily lifted her small face. Her head, which had been leaning near his chest, was now right against his jaw.
As she looked up.
Her lips inadvertently brushed against his jawline.
The atmosphere instantly became ambiguous.
Xie Chengxiao's entire body stiffened for a moment, his gaze falling on her moist lips, which bore a light pink glaze.
Bai Liuyue didn't seem to notice.
She was still asking, "Does it look good?"
Xie Chengxiao stared at her. "It looks beautiful."
The hands hanging by the sides of his military uniform clenched slightly, restraining his urge to lower his head.
No.
Not so fast.
It would scare the young girl.
"Let's go then. It wouldn't be good to be late for the banquet." Bai Liuyue stepped back from his embrace, picked up a matching small handbag with light steps, and walked toward the door.
"Mhm."
Xie Chengxiao replied, quickly following her.
...
The people around them were gossiping.
Why hadn't the Young Marshal attended with the Young Marshal's wife? Instead, he was accompanied by a beautiful young girl wearing a white mermaid dress and a peony hairpin.
"Which family's lady is that? How come I've never seen her before?"
"Ah, I think that's the cousin of the Young Marshal's wife, the Second Miss of the Bai family from Jinzhong."
"Looking closely, they do look somewhat similar. It's just that the Young Marshal's wife has more commanding features, while this Second Miss Bai is more delicate and exquisite."
"Could it be that the Young Marshal is following in the Grand Marshal's footsteps and taking a second concubine?" someone gossiped in a low voice.
This immediately drew eye-rolls from the others.
"Do you have a death wish?! You can't just say things like that."
"The Young Marshal's temper isn't as explosive as the Grand Marshal's, but he holds grudges and always exacts revenge for the slightest grievance."
That person quickly shut their mouth, not daring to say another word.
These murmurs inevitably reached the ears of Bai Liuyue and Xie Chengxiao.
Bai Liuyue was slightly taken aback and looked at Young Marshal Xie beside her.
With a somewhat displeased expression, she said, "I'm not going to be a second concubine."
"Of course not. They are speaking nonsense." Xie Chengxiao looked toward the source of the gossip, revealing a sharp, murderous glint in his eyes.
Bai Liuyue took another step back.
She distanced herself far from Xie Chengxiao.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Bai Liuyue enunciated every word clearly:
"Brother-in-law, you haven't published the divorce announcement with my cousin in the newspaper yet. She is still the Young Marshal's wife. I shouldn't have stood so close to you just now."
"It's normal for others to misunderstand; I was in the wrong. So, we had better keep our distance."
Being shunned like this pierced Xie Chengxiao's heart.
But Bai Liuyue was telling the truth.
The people inside their Marshal's mansion knew the inside story, but outsiders didn't. While Bai Baozhu was still nominally the Young Marshal's wife.
His being close to Bai Liuyue would only drag down her reputation.
Just at that moment, Pei Yu, dressed in a black tailcoat, walked over with brisk steps. When he saw Bai Liuyue, his eyes lit up.
He stared at her unblinkingly.
He praised:
"Sister Liuyue, you look absolutely gorgeous today! How should I put it... you look like a fairy from the moon."
At this moment.
Pei Yu only regretted that he hadn't read enough books.
When it came to complimenting someone, all he could come up with was "gorgeous."
