“Aren’t you usually so sharp-tongued? Why turn into a mute when meeting someone else today?” The man’s voice was low, carrying a cold, somber depth.
A master and servant paced slowly as they appeared.
Sunlight spread out behind the newcomer’s dark red brocade robe, yet his sharply cold features refused to soften in the least.
Whether blinded by the sun or something else, Cui Yunchu squinted slightly. “He struck me dumb with his nastiness.”
Shen Xiabai seemed to let out a faint snort as he came to a stop beside Cui Yunchu.
“Shen Xiabai.” Gu Xuan paused to catch his breath before gathering some strength. “You dare lay a hand on me?”
Before he could scramble up, Yu Feng kicked him again. “Who are you calling ‘me’?”
Gu Xuan’s eyes widened with fury, venom dripping from his gaze. “What, you’ve set your sights on this wench too?”
Cui Yunchu seemed to take a step back, her body trembling slightly. Shen Xiabai turned to glance at her, frowning.
Gu Xuan from the ground went on, “Give it up—she’s mine. I’ll have my fun before anyone else gets a turn.”
Shen Xiabai blocked Cui Yunchu’s line of sight, his voice calm. “Master Gu enjoys playing so much, why not let this official invite you to the Ministry of Justice for some games? And if you’re afraid it won’t be enough fun, we can bring your father along too. This official will ensure you’re well entertained.”
The Ministry of Justice was a place even the crown prince and princes dared not tread lightly.
Gu Xuan, still nursing some caution, climbed to his feet and sneered coldly. “In that case, Shen, you’d better keep a tight watch on that beauty. Don’t let her out where I might catch a chance.”
“And you and your Gu family had best not give me an opportunity either. Go tell your father to watch his words and actions carefully these days,” Shen Xiabai’s gaze suddenly turned icy, his threat carrying a weight that was hard to ignore.
Yu Feng silently cheered for his master—finally, a few words that sounded impressive. Such authority—how could any girl not be charmed?
Then Shen Xiabai turned, taking hold of Cui Yunchu’s wrist without a word, and led her away, not forgetting to order Yu Feng, “Report what happened here to the Prince of An.”
He added as an afterthought, “Make sure the Princess of An hears it too.”
The wedding palanquin had returned, and the ceremony was underway. Still gripping Cui Yunchu’s wrist, Shen Xiabai kept walking forward.
“Where are you taking me?” Cui Yunchu suddenly asked.
Shen Xiabai looked up; only then did he realize they had long left the main hall behind. Ahead lay the garden, a pavilion—they had been wandering like aimless ghosts.
“Could it be that Shen doesn’t want to let go of my hand, so he just keeps walking?” Her voice was pleasant, but the three parts teasing in it were rather provocative.
As if burned, Shen Xiabai abruptly released her hand.
“You are, after all, a young lady. Can’t you… show some restraint?” He stood with his hands behind his back, not turning around, but the silence behind him stretched. When he finally glanced back, the young woman’s eyes were brimming with tears.
“Shen Xiabai, do you want to laugh at me? Go ahead, don’t hold it in.”
“Laugh at what?”
Cui Yunchu said, “At me being unwanted by anyone, of course. I spread the word for so long, and not a single person came to propose. Decent men avoid me like a snake or scorpion, and all I attract are pathetic scumbags.”
Perhaps it was the first time he’d heard such a creative insult; Shen Xiabai actually smiled.
He turned to face her, looking down. “So, Miss Cui, in private, are you also laughing at me?”
“Laugh at what?” Cui Yunchu didn’t understand.
Shen Xiabai gazed down at her for a long moment before saying, “Do you truly not know?”
Was it ignorance, pretense, or intentional?
Cui Yunchu shook her head; slowly, a cold light crept into Shen Xiabai’s eyes. “I can only admire how skilled Miss Cui is at maneuvering.”
Laugh at him for what?
For being easily fooled, easily deceived.
She could cling to him one moment, holding on and refusing to let go, offering pastries, speaking words that were confusing and ambiguous—then turn around and take up marriage negotiations without a hint of hesitation.
And later, she comes crying to him that no one wants her.
In the end, who is really laughing at whom?
“You seem… very afraid of that scumbag.”
Cui Yunchu was startled, her reddened eyes like a rabbit’s as she looked at Shen Xiabai.
Shen Xiabai clasped his hands behind his back. “What, wasn’t it you who called him a scumbag?”
Cui Yunchu nodded, her voice a bit hoarse. “It’s just… hearing those words come out of your mouth is quite something.”
“…”
Cui Yunchu wanted to sit on a nearby stone block, but it was a bit high and surrounded by rubble. She reached out toward Shen Xiabai.
Naturally, Shen Xiabai stepped forward a couple of paces and offered his wrist for her to steady herself—two people acting like old friends.
“You know, Xiaobai died.”
Cui Yunchu’s sudden words made Shen Xiabai freeze.
Was she cursing him?
Shen Xiabai pulled back his arm, his face stiff. “I don’t know.”
That nickname “Xiaobai,” she rarely called it—only, it seemed, once at the palace.
His displeasure lingered in the lines of his brows and eyes. But true to his taciturn nature, he only remained silent.
“You change your face faster than someone turns a page, and even that description is too slow for Miss Cui.”
“…” Cui Yunchu raised her eyes to glance at Shen Xiabai, her clear pupils holding a hint of bewilderment.
“I know you don’t know—that’s why I’m telling you. That little thing was quite endearing. Even though it didn’t like me, I was still very sad when it died.”
“…”
“Cui Yunchu,” Shen Xiabai’s sharply defined face was shadowed by coldness. “Do you really wish for me to die so badly?”
“No way. I like Shen quite a bit.”
A light, drifting remark seemed to smooth over everything in an instant, softening even the breeze in the Prince of An’s manor.
“It’s just that Xiaobai was poisoned, and that makes me a little sad.”
“…”
“That cat was very beautiful. In its spare time, it always loved to scratch at the crack of my door.”
Shen Xiabai asked, “A cat?”
Cui Yunchu nodded. “Yes—a cat the Prince of An gave to Yunfeng. Unfortunately, it was poisoned to death by them through a mishap.”
“So that day in the palace, you were also looking for a cat?” Cui Yunchu, lost in her feelings, didn’t notice the chill creeping into his tone.
“Yes. It ran off and disappeared—I was looking for it. What about it?”
She seemed to hear the crack of knuckles being clenched.
Shen Xiabai grinded his back teeth, forcing out two words: “Nothing.”
“Then why is your face looking so green?”
Shen Xiabai lowered his gaze and uttered three words: “Just shut it.”
He turned around, his face burning hot, dark and red shifting by turns.
Finally, he let out a bitter laugh.
So that moment of flirting was a misunderstanding.
He was the only one who had taken it seriously.
Even the shame was his alone.
“What are you laughing at? Is you being happy that Xiaobai died?”
“If you don’t want me to wring your neck, shut up.”
Silence instantly fell so complete that a pin drop could be heard, the wind clear and distinct.
After a long time, Shen Xiabai suppressed his emotions and said, “The wedding ceremony should be almost over. Hurry back.”
Cui Yunchu didn’t move; her voice drifted softly into Shen Xiabai’s ears. “I’m the child the Cui family abandoned.”
Shen Xiabai abruptly stopped in his tracks.
