A gentle breeze swept through the woods, rustling the leaves and fluttering the wide sleeves of the man standing there with his hands clasped behind his back, matching his slightly turbulent state of mind.
Shen Xiabai's gaze fell upon the direction where Cui Yunchu's figure had disappeared. His eyes were indifferent, but his thin lips were slightly pursed.
The faint fragrance in the wind seemed to linger for a long time. He furrowed his brows and raised a hand to touch the tip of his nose.
After a long while, he softly scolded, "A basket full of twisted logic."
With that said, he stepped forward and walked out.
At the end of the bluestone path, Shen Zilan happened to run into Shen Xiabai walking out of the woods. He narrowed his eyes and took a few quick steps forward. "Little Uncle."
Shen Xiabai glanced at him and gave a faint hum of acknowledgment.
"Didn't you say you weren't coming?" Shen Zilan asked, peering into the woods as he spoke. The expression on his face was incredibly complex—filled with hope, yet even more afraid of disappointment.
Seeing his shifty-eyed appearance, Shen Xiabai's face turned cold. "I came to find you. The wedding has already begun, so stop running around."
Shen Zilan agreed verbally, but his eyes remained fixed on the woods, as if the Peach Blossom Fairy he longed for would walk out in the very next moment.
Shen Xiabai did not rush him, merely watching him with a cool gaze.
Neither of them moved. They just stood there staring at each other. Time ticked by until, after a long while, Shen Xiabai spoke faintly, "Have you seen enough? If not, you might as well go inside and look."
Shen Zilan immediately took a step toward the woods.
Shen Xiabai was speechless.
He turned around and kicked Shen Zilan squarely in the lower back. Shen Zilan's entire body instantly lurched forward.
"Now get back to the garden and attend the ceremony."
Shen Zilan scrunched up his face. "Little Uncle, it's not fair for you to do this." He rubbed his lower back, looking thoroughly displeased.
Shen Xiabai frowned, but before he could speak, Shen Zilan continued, "Since we agreed to compete fairly, you can't keep using your status as my elder to suppress me and block my opportunities."
Shen Xiabai let out a long breath, trying hard to suppress the urge to kick him a few more times.
But Shen Zilan pressed his perceived advantage. "Tell me, were you in the woods with Eldest Miss Cui just now?"
Shen Xiabai wanted to say no, but he disdained lying. Yet, if he said yes, Shen Zilan would definitely continue to pester him endlessly.
His expression shifted several times before he coldly said, "Am I the uncle or are you the uncle? When did it become your turn to question my affairs?"
Shen Xiabai had always been profound and unsmiling. He was the person Shen Zilan feared and respected the most.
Seeing that his face had truly darkened, Shen Zilan felt a bit intimidated. "You're suppressing me again."
"I knew you must have been with Eldest Miss Cui. Otherwise, what would you be doing in the woods in broad daylight?"
"But how could you lie to me?"
He clearly said he wasn't coming. Shen Zilan even suspected that he had intentionally sent him away just to have a secret rendezvous with Eldest Miss Cui.
Shen Zilan felt quite dealt a blow. Had the relationship between his little uncle and Eldest Miss Cui really progressed to such a degree?
Did he have no hope left?
While the uncle and nephew were locked in a stalemate, a slightly pale-faced Chen Jiuhe suddenly walked out from around the corner and bowed to Shen Xiabai. "Lord... Shen."
Shen Xiabai's gaze swept over Chen Jiuhe, and he gave a faint response.
"Young Master Chen is not in the garden watching the ceremony. Why have you also come here to join in the fun?"
Shen Zilan frowned. He had clearly told his little uncle that Chen Jiuhe was here looking for Eldest Miss Cui. Thinking of this, and looking at Shen Xiabai's sarcastic demeanor, Shen Zilan could not help but overthink.
His little uncle must have treated Chen Jiuhe as an enemy coveting Eldest Miss Cui.
Just now he acted as if it had nothing to do with him, but now he couldn't pretend anymore, could he?
He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest, looking as if he were waiting for a good show.
Chen Jiuhe's gaze also subconsciously turned toward the depths of the woods. "I... just came out for a random stroll."
The three of them stood in their respective spots, the atmosphere strangely stagnant.
Chen Jiuhe quickly withdrew his gaze and bowed again. "It is getting late. I suppose the wedding should be ending soon. I will take my leave first. Farewell."
Shen Xiabai said, "Take care, Young Master Chen."
Before leaving, Chen Jiuhe took another look at the woods, then lowered his eyes and walked away slowly.
He had heard what Shen Zilan said just now.
Chen Miaohe's words also unexpectedly surfaced in his mind. Yes, Lord Shen was powerful and influential, with outstanding talent. He was indeed far, far better than himself.
People strive for higher places. Even if he apologized and personally said he was sorry, what could it do? It still couldn't change anything.
Shen Zilan looked at Chen Jiuhe's devastated retreating back and shook his head with a sigh. "Little Uncle, you've already won over Eldest Miss Cui. Why must you still kick him when he's down?"
This behavior truly lacked the demeanor of a gentleman.
Look at how Young Master Chen left—lonely, desolate, heartbroken, and sad.
After all, he was the one discussing marriage with Eldest Miss Cui first. His own little uncle's actions were already inappropriate, yet he still had to mock the man and show off his victorious posture.
Shen Zilan felt that his little uncle's handling of this matter was quite unethical.
Shen Xiabai shot him a sharp glare, and all the expressions on Shen Zilan's face instantly turned to ash, vanishing completely.
"Shen Zilan, can you use your brain before you speak?"
Shen Xiabai felt that Shen Zilan's marriage alliance with the Chen family was simply prearranged by heaven. As the saying goes, people of a feather flock together.
They were all the same... stupid and gossipy, with thought processes beyond ordinary human comprehension.
"If this marriage doesn't work out, it would truly be intolerable to the heavens."
He simply just didn't like Chen Jiuhe.
What happened at the Cui residence that day made him realize that talking too much to a fool was pointless, and speaking human language to someone who couldn't understand it was an even greater waste of breath.
Shen Zilan froze for a moment, his face full of astonishment. "Little Uncle, are you and Eldest Miss Cui already discussing marriage?"
That fast?
...
Shen Xiabai's eyes half-closed as he waved at Shen Zilan. "Come here."
"No." Shen Zilan was very familiar with this; it was the precursor to a beating.
Shen Xiabai's gaze grew even colder. Shen Zilan held out for a short while before conceding defeat, inching over little by little. "Little Uncle, I have the right to admire any girl. You can't be so unreasonable."
Shen Zilan's words had absolutely no effect. Shen Xiabai lifted a foot and kicked him right in the calf. He used quite a bit of force, causing Shen Zilan's face to pale as his body violently stumbled.
"Talk to me about rights only when you have the ability to break away from the Shen family, no longer rely on its protection, and can call your own shots."
Although Shen Zilan's father had died early, he had truly been raised in the lap of luxury all these years, never having suffered any hardships. On the outside, with Shen Xiabai around, wherever he went, he was respectfully addressed as Young Master Shen.
On the inside, the century-old foundation left behind by the Shen family was enough for him to squander for a lifetime.
Although he was not a complete playboy, in terms of achievements, aside from a minor scholarly title, he had absolutely nothing.
Shen Xiabai was furious at his lack of ambition, but thinking of his eldest brother and their mother's doting, he was left with nothing but helplessness.
The flippant attitude on Shen Zilan's face completely dissipated, and even the tiny bit of courage he had to argue with Shen Xiabai was kicked clean away by that blow.
"You want to break off the engagement?" Shen Xiabai looked down at him from above.
Shen Zilan's hands curled slightly as he raised his head. "Yes, I have no interest in the Chen family's daughter. Breaking off the engagement is for the good of both of us."
"Very well," Shen Xiabai looked at him coldly. "Then rely on your own abilities. If you are capable enough, make it so that I have no choice but to agree."
Shen Zilan stood up from the ground, his youthful pride running high. "Keep your word."
Shen Xiabai scoffed coldly. "If the Shen family were yours to lead, no one would be able to force you into anything. As for whether I keep my word—if you are stronger than me, I will have no choice but to honor my promise. If you are weaker, what use is a promise? If I wish to change my mind, it takes but a single word."
"Furthermore, do not forget that you are currently bound by a marriage arrangement. Think carefully before you speak and act. If the day comes when your engagement is truly annulled, it will not be too late to speak of your affection for another family's daughter. Otherwise, you will only ruin the girl's reputation."
Shen Zilan, his heart full of ambition and the desire to prove himself, lowered his head in silence.
Shen Xiabai furrowed his brows and glared at him coldly. "Before you speak or act, first consider the past relationship between Cui Yunchu and the Chen family. Do you wish to become a second Young Master Wang?"
To become entangled with the brother-in-law of one's prospective match after only a few days of marriage discussions—if word of that spread, it would spark rumors even more repulsive than those surrounding Young Master Wang. When that time came, which family in the entire capital would ever dare to propose a match with Cui Yunchu?
Shen Zilan's face paled another fraction, and he bowed his head slightly. "You are right to lecture me, Uncle. I was thoughtless before."
Shen Xiabai stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a fleeting look of awkwardness crossing his face. "My point is that the sons of the Shen family must act with upright integrity in all matters. You must never lose your sense of propriety and grace."
