"I wouldn't dare accept such praise. Eldest Miss, please speak."
Before Cui Yunchu could open her mouth, another voice suddenly rang out. "What does he know? What could you possibly ask him for advice on?"
Cui Yunchu paused in surprise. "You're awake?"
He was merely resting his eyes, not dead asleep.
Yu Feng's awkward laughter drifted into the carriage. "This subordinate is indeed shallow in knowledge and talent, not even a ten-thousandth of my master. If you have any questions, Eldest Miss, you can ask my master."
Otherwise, he feared he would have to endure the harshness of human indifference.
Cui Yunchu said, "He doesn't like paying attention to me, so I was just asking casually."
Yu Feng was speechless. Who said the master doesn't like paying attention to you...
Well, it was definitely the master himself who said that.
Hearing this, Shen Xiabai scoffed lightly. "At least you have some self-awareness."
Cui Yunchu replied, "...Can you shut up?"
She had tried her best to pretend he didn't exist, so why was he still clinging to the subject?
Shen Xiabai gave her a sidelong glance and remained silent.
Cui Yunchu asked, "Yu Feng, do you think the shops on this street are expensive? If I wanted to buy one, how much silver would it cost?"
Yu Feng held his breath for a long while before replying, "This subordinate does not know."
A person's value lies in knowing their place; this kind of show-stealing explanation should be left to the master.
Shen Xiabai said, "The Cui family has a massive estate and business. They must have countless shops. What do you need one for?"
That was naturally because she didn't have one herself.
Cui Yunchu glanced at Shen Xiabai, only feeling that this person's words were incredibly unpleasant to the ear.
"Yu Feng, do you still carry a sword when you go out nowadays?"
Yu Feng shivered in fear.
The carriage finally stopped at the entrance of the restaurant. Yu Feng was the first to jump off, followed by Cui Yunchu.
"Master." Yu Feng lifted the carriage curtain. As Shen Xiabai stepped down, his gaze swept lightly over Yu Feng's waist.
Yu Feng kept his head down, only feeling that the sharp blade at his waist was burning hot.
Did the master know what state he was in right now?
He was almost on par with the maddened Prince An. But looking at his master's cold, indifferent face, appearing as if nothing in the mortal world could catch his eye, it was obvious that he hadn't noticed his own lapse in composure.
Cui Yunchu was led by the restaurant's waiter to a private room on the second floor.
The four of them were already sitting upright and proper. They had even ordered the food. The large table was fully packed with everything you could imagine—delicacies that flew in the sky and ran on the ground.
"Honored guests, the premium Nu'er Hong wine you requested." The waiter carefully served the wine.
Tang Qingwan and Prince An both glanced toward Cui Yunchu at the same time.
Tang Qingwan asked, "Why is it just you? Where is Lord Shen?"
Cui Yunchu took a step back and felt herself bump into a wall. Turning around, it was indeed Shen Xiabai.
"Lord Shen is right here. Well, the thing is, I have some matters to attend to, so I'll skip the meal. You all go ahead and eat, no need to wait for me."
She tried to leave right after saying this. Tang Qingwan naturally knew what was going on with her and immediately had Mo'er block her path.
"Since you're already here, just sit down."
Cui Yunchu looked at the table full of food, feeling a sharp ache in her wallet.
But she was blocking the door. If she didn't move, Shen Xiabai couldn't enter either. And Shen Xiabai clearly didn't seem to be in any rush.
Suddenly, Cui Yunchu turned her head and lowered her voice, "Lord Shen, could I have a word with you in private?"
Shen Xiabai's eyelids twitched slightly as he raised his eyes to look at Cui Yunchu.
Then, under the watchful gaze of the four people and eight eyes in the private room, Shen Xiabai nodded and followed Cui Yunchu out of the room.
Shen Xiabai's expression remained calm.
Cui Yunchu said, "I thought about it over and over, and I still feel that what happened earlier wasn't very fair. How about this: let's split whatever we won today fifty-fifty. What do you think?"
What did he think?
Shen Xiabai stared at Cui Yunchu, leaving only silence.
Right now, his heart was as tranquil as his face, without the slightest hint of falsehood.
"As you wish."
After saying that, he stepped toward the private room.
Taking the same seats as they had in the Crown Prince's estate, Prince An and the Crown Prince continued to constantly serve food to Tang Qingwan and Cui Yunfeng.
But this time, Cui Yunchu was not like she was at the Crown Prince's estate.
She was very quiet. She waited for the Crown Prince and Prince An to finish serving, taking a bite if there were leftovers, and drinking water if there weren't.
She managed to drink an entire pot of water by herself. Shen Xiabai glanced over at her several times but ultimately said nothing.
He just found it strange; this wasn't like Cui Yunchu's usual style.
Could it be that she was provoked by something today?
Once the meal ended, the Crown Prince said he wanted to accompany Tang Qingwan for a walk in the market.
The two left together as a pair.
Then it was Prince An, who mentioned he had prepared something Cui Yunfeng liked and also left with her.
What was left for Cui Yunchu was the waiter's bill.
Cui Yunchu merely glanced at the astronomical figure on it before immediately shoving it back to the waiter.
"Say, Lord Shen."
Shen Xiabai raised his eyes.
From the moment she offered to split things evenly, Shen Xiabai knew she had an ulterior motive.
Cui Yunchu smiled sheepishly. "Look, we agreed earlier that the winner would treat us to this meal. Since you took so much, shouldn't you..."
Cui Yunchu continuously winked at the waiter.
Shen Xiabai was speechless.
That brain of hers—whenever it came to money or bickering, who knew how it could spin so fast.
Shen Xiabai looked at Cui Yunchu without speaking, but the waiter was very clever and spoke up with a smile, "This esteemed guest's wife is truly beautiful."
Cui Yunchu's smile froze.
Shen Xiabai's expression became even more unnatural. He glanced at Yu Feng before saying, "She is not my wife."
Yu Feng had already taken out the silver. Hearing his master's words, he wished he could take it back.
What a waste of silver.
The waiter smiled and nodded. He didn't care if she was his wife or not, as long as they paid the bill.
Cui Yunchu was also quite embarrassed. Beside her, Shen Xiabai had already stood up. "Today, Eldest Miss Cui has taught me a lesson."
"What?" Cui Yunchu was a bit confused.
She saw Shen Xiabai looking down at her as he said, "One should not take advantage of poor people."
...
She was deeply hurt.
"It's not my fault I'm poor," Cui Yunchu pouted as she followed him out of the restaurant.
A single pot of wine cost over a hundred taels—enough to buy her life.
Outside the restaurant, Tang Qingwan and Cui Yunfeng were long gone, leaving only the bustling noise of the passing crowds.
Standing amidst the sea of people, a deep sense of loneliness surged into Cui Yunchu's heart once again.
The livelier the surroundings, the more uncontrollable this feeling became. It would be better to stay quietly by herself; then she wouldn't feel so lonely.
Just then, a sudden boom echoed in the sky. Colorful fireworks exploded in the air, bursting into brilliant light.
Cui Yunchu looked up.
"It's not a holiday or festival, why are they setting off fireworks?"
"Following the fireworks, we should be able to find the Crown Princess and Second Miss Cui," someone suddenly said beside her.
Cui Yunchu had thought he was already gone.
At this moment, no matter who it was, as long as it was a person she could talk to, it would make Cui Yunchu feel much better.
"How do you know?"
Shen Xiabai shot her a glance and, without a word, took the lead and walked forward.
The two followed the fireworks and found the servants from Prince An's estate, but they didn't find Prince An and Cui Yunfeng. They were told the pair had gone to the highest point in the city to watch the fireworks.
Cui Yunchu was utterly exhausted, so she simply found a place to sit down and refused to move.
Shen Xiabai frowned. With such poor stamina, how did she manage to walk out from the bottom of the cliff that day?
"Weren't we going to find them?"
Cui Yunchu tilted her head up to watch the fireworks in the sky and shook her head. "I'm not looking anymore. I can see them just fine from down here."
Shen Xiabai lowered his eyes, watching the colorful reflection of the fireworks blooming in the young woman's eyes, and asked, "Are you in desperate need of money?"
The Cui family had deep roots and immense power. With her father serving as the Prime Minister, wealth should have long been a trivial matter to them. As a daughter of the Cui family, even if she was born of a concubine, she shouldn't have been so strapped for cash.
Cui Yunchu didn't answer his unspoken doubt. Instead, she tilted her head and asked, "Don't you loathe the daughters of the Cui family the most? Why are you acting so out of character today? It's not like you at all."
"You speak as if you know me well," he said, standing in the shadows with his hands clasped behind his back.
Perhaps, there was more to what happened back then.
For some inexplicable reason, Shen Xiabai hoped for the very first time that the tragedy involving his father and brother had nothing to do with the Cui family.
Cui Yunchu smiled and patted the empty space beside her. "Sit."
Shen Xiabai didn't move.
Cui Yunchu took out her handkerchief, carefully wiped the spot, and said, "It's clean now. Have a seat."
Shen Xiabai frowned, but ultimately swept his robes aside and sat down beside her.
Cui Yunchu rubbed her stomach. "What a pity to waste such an expensive meal. I didn't even get to eat my fill. And that Nu'er Hong wine smelled absolutely wonderful."
"Then why didn't you eat?"
Cui Yunchu paused. "...I was afraid I'd be the one forced to foot the bill."
Shen Xiabai turned to look at her, his eyes conveying an absolute lack of words.
Cui Yunchu pouted. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is it my fault I'm poor?"
