She casually picked up a small wooden stick from the ground and drew aimlessly in the dirt, her head hanging low.
Clusters of fireworks burst in the sky one after another, illuminating half the heavens, as well as the side of Cui Yunchu's face.
For no apparent reason, it gave off a sense of silent desolation.
Shen Xiabai only cast a fleeting glance before evasively shifting his gaze away. "How could the Prime Minister of a nation lack silver?"
"I lack silver. When did I ever say my father lacked silver?" Cui Yunchu glared at him.
"Lord Shen is renowned for his brilliance. Could it be that you have never investigated the life and family situation of your enemy?"
"Say those two words again, and I will take my revenge right now." Shen Xiabai shot her a sidelong glance, his eyes turning slightly cold.
Cui Yunchu curled her lips, but clearly, Shen Xiabai's intimidation was highly effective.
She raised her head, looking at the sky, and said, "What anyone else has is not what I have."
Shen Xiabai frowned. "Did he mistreat you?"
"Not exactly." Cui Yunchu shook her head. "My father's belongings belong to the Cui family, to all of his children. To be able to treat everyone equally is already very difficult."
That day at the Cui Manor, Shen Xiabai had clearly seen Cui Yunchu's situation.
Now, hearing her speak of fairness, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
All she sought, it turned out, was simply fairness.
Cui Yunchu crossed her arms, still keeping her head held high, and continued, "But I know that there is no such thing as fairness in this world. From the moment everyone is born, they are already divided into different ranks. Even among sisters in the same family, there are highs and lows."
Shen Xiabai remained silent, simply staring fixedly at the woman's profile.
Cui Yunchu suddenly withdrew her gaze and turned her eyes to look at him. The colors of the fireworks lingering in her eyes had not yet completely faded, causing an unexpected stir in one's heart.
"Take you, for example."
Shen Xiabai asked, "What does it have to do with me?"
Cui Yunchu smiled. "My surname is Cui, but there are so many people with the surname Cui in the world. Are they all your enemies? From the very beginning, you made things difficult for me, and even wanted to kill me. That is also a kind of unfairness to me. After all, I knew nothing about what happened back then, so what did it have to do with me?"
A long silence fell between the two.
Whether out of guilt or something else, Shen Xiabai only lowered his eyes to watch the crowds coming and going in the market below.
After a long while, he said in a low voice, "I never wanted to kill you." At least, not anymore.
"What did you say?" Cui Yunchu looked at him sideways.
"Nothing. I said Wangyue Pavilion is full of guests and must be raking in gold every day."
Hearing this, Cui Yunchu was filled with envy. "So doing business is that profitable. No wonder Yunfeng is so wealthy and imposing."
She rubbed her stomach. "Unlike me, I don't even dare to eat much, afraid I won't be able to pay for it."
Shen Xiabai cast a sidelong glance at her, summoned Yu Feng, and gave a few instructions in a low voice.
Yu Feng darted a very strange look back and forth between the two of them, and finally, under the deterrence of Shen Xiabai's gaze, turned and left.
Cui Yunchu paid no mind, only looking up at the sky and muttering to herself, "It doesn't matter if no one sets off fireworks for me. I can watch the ones set off for others. They can't cover my eyes, after all."
It doesn't matter if no one loves me, I can peek at the love others have.
As long as I don't try to steal it like in my past life, I am a good person.
It doesn't matter if others think I'm not a good person. It's enough that I think I am very, very good.
Fireworks continued to bloom in the sky, illuminating the two people sitting in the corner. The woman looked up at the sky, and the man looked sideways at the woman, resembling a beautiful painting.
In a nearby restaurant, a scholar took in this scene, marveling at the atmosphere and sighing over the perfect match of the talented man and beautiful woman. On a whim, he actually captured them in a painting.
Yu Feng returned before long, carrying a food box in his hand.
Shen Xiabai pushed it toward Cui Yunchu. "Wangyue Pavilion's pastries and Nu'er Hong wine are quite famous. It would be a wasted trip if you didn't taste them."
Cui Yunchu lowered her eyes, filled with surprise.
"For me?"
Shen Xiabai looked uncomfortable. "No, I just wanted to drink."
He poured himself a cup and started drinking on his own.
Cui Yunchu was never one to be overly polite. She reached for the pastries, but then pulled her hand back a moment later. "You didn't poison this, did you?"
"..."
"I am not that despicable. Do not judge others by your own standards."
Cui Yunchu pursed her lips. "I haven't read many books, so don't try to trick me." Saying that, she picked up a pastry and started eating.
However, she was born with a chatty mouth, and even eating pastries couldn't seal it shut. "Actually, you are quite a decent person sometimes. Although you are ruthless and unfeeling, you do have a bit of sympathy."
Shen Xiabai frowned deeply upon hearing this. Ruthless and unfeeling?
"Cui Yunchu, there is a saying: 'The mouth that eats another's food is soft, the hand that takes another's gift is short.' Have you never heard it?" She hadn't even swallowed his pastry yet, and she was already evaluating him like this.
Cui Yunchu had absolutely no self-awareness in this regard. "Isn't it true? That day, you left me at the bottom of the cliff. I barely survived by crawling and scrambling. I am such a delicate and beautiful girl; what other man could be as heartless as you?"
"..." Shen Xiabai uncomfortably shifted his gaze and took a sip of wine. "It's been so long. Why bring that up?"
He seemed to be feeling guilty.
Hearing this, even the pastry in Cui Yunchu's hand lost its appeal, and her eyes turned slightly cold. "All of you love to say that."
"What?" Shen Xiabai was confused.
"It's in the past," Cui Yunchu said lightly. "From childhood to adulthood, many people have said similar things to me. Every time someone says that, I just want to grab them and repeat the past thousands of times, to tell those people the pain that their so-called past brought to others."
