The Chen siblings repeatedly left her dumbfounded.
Could it be that in her past life, she was only so well-behaved because the pair of troublemakers, Cui Yunfeng and Prince An, were stirring things up and left no room for chaos?
"Miss Chen," Cui Yunchu said sincerely, "It’s a pity we didn’t meet sooner."
If they had, they would surely have been kindred spirits, birds of a feather, able to share some of the infamy heaped upon her.
Chen Miaohe smiled faintly. "Meeting now isn’t too late either, Sister Cui. You’re absolutely beautiful—I truly adore you."
"No need for that." Cui Yunchu pulled her arm away from Chen Miaohe’s grasp.
Faced with someone so utterly unruly, especially when she gazed at Cui Yunchu’s face with such lecherous eyes, Cui Yunchu feared it might lower her own moral standards even further.
Chen Miaohe didn’t take offense. "Well then, Sister Cui, what about what I said just now? Is it alright?"
Cui Yunchu felt as if someone had forced a dirty rag into her mouth, choking her words.
"...As I said just now, there’s nothing between Lord Shen and me. If you want him, you don’t need to tell me about it. It’s... none of my concern." Cui Yunchu lowered her lashes and spoke softly.
Chen Miaohe gave a faint smile. "Out of courtesy, I still had to inform Sister Cui."
Cui Yunchu laughed awkwardly. "What do you like about him?"
"I like that his surname is Shen, that he’s good-looking, and that he’d pass muster with my parents."
"Oh." Cui Yunchu’s reply was perfunctory.
"It’s getting late, Sister Cui. Aren’t you leaving yet?"
"You go first." Cui Yunchu didn’t want to walk with her.
Chen Miaohe skipped away cheerfully.
Shen Xiabai shot Yu Feng a look, and Yu Feng immediately followed Chen Miaohe.
Chen Miaohe was already plotting how to get close to Shen Xiabai, thinking that after the banquet ended, she’d go to the Ministry of Personnel to find Shen Zilan and ask about Lord Shen’s preferences.
Just as she was lost in thought, a large shadow suddenly loomed over her, and a human barrier stood before her, blocking her path.
Chen Miaohe looked up and met Yu Feng’s gaze.
"You’re Lord Shen’s attendant, aren’t you?"
Yu Feng nodded. "Yes. I’ve been ordered by my master to deliver a message."
Chen Miaohe stood dumbfounded as Yu Feng continued, "My master and the Eldest Miss Cui are in love with each other. He has admitted it."
Chen Miaohe, "..."
She stared blankly at Yu Feng.
Yu Feng frowned. "Miss Chen, have you heard what I’ve conveyed?"
"Does your master usually eavesdrop on people like this?" Chen Miaohe asked, furrowing her brow.
So the noble, aloof, and detached Lord Shen was actually the kind of man who eavesdropped.
Yu Feng looked somewhat embarrassed.
Chen Miaohe felt even more awkward. After all, she was currently Shen Zilan’s fiancée. If word got out that she had feelings for her fiancé’s uncle, it would be a complete disaster.
Her face paled and flushed in turn for a moment before she hitched up her skirt and ran off.
Even Yu Feng was taken aback.
Her maid chased after her with all her might. "Miss, where are you going?"
"To the Ministry of Personnel!" She was going to find Shen Zilan. She had poked a hole in the sky, so he’d have to clean up after her.
……
Cui Yunchu leaned against a rock, her tender fingers twirling a withered blade of grass, swaying it up and down.
Until the sunlight before her was completely obscured, a large shadow falling over her slender figure.
Cui Yunchu squinted and looked up at the man standing before her.
"Eldest Miss Cui," Shen Xiabai said in a low voice, his brows lowered, "So I have nothing to do with you?"
His tone was indifferent, carrying no other emotion, but it made Cui Yunchu instinctively tighten her fingers.
"Answer my question. Do I have nothing to do with you, Eldest Miss Cui?"
Cui Yunchu’s throat moved as she quickly averted her gaze and lowered her head. "Lord Shen, a high-ranking minister... shouldn’t you be above eavesdropping?"
"I told you to answer my question." He bent down, lifting her chin to force her to meet his eyes.
Sunlight fell upon him, making him look handsome and alluring.
"Cui Yunchu, speak," he said, pressing harder with his fingers. "Do I have nothing to do with you?"
Cui Yunchu winced in pain, then lowered her head and bit down on the base of his thumb again.
Her wide eyes held a storm of emotions.
Shen Xiabai’s gaze was calm, his grip unwavering, but his voice softened slightly. "Cui Yunchu, answer me."
Tears began to well up in Cui Yunchu’s eyes.
Shen Xiabai loosened his hold slightly, but she still looked at him with teary eyes, so he let go entirely.
She released her bite as well.
Close to where the scar from the previous bite still lingered, a fresh set of teeth marks had appeared, though not as severe as before. Shen Xiabai paid it no mind, merely glancing briefly at the mark.
"I didn’t use much force," Shen Xiabai said.
Cui Yunchu was used to putting on airs, lying and playing the victim. He told himself not to soften.
Yet the next moment, he raised his fingertips and wiped away the glistening tears at the corners of her eyes.
Cui Yunchu froze, as if struck by a spell.
Setting aside her earlier calculated persistence in clinging to him, this was their first moment of genuine closeness.
Cui Yunchu looked away. "You’re a man, and I’m a woman. I’m naturally delicate. You might think you didn’t use force, but when I feel it, it hurts like hell."
Shen Xiabai gazed at her, overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness that left him unable to vent his myriad emotions.
"Fine. Then answer my question now."
"..."
Cui Yunchu, seeing his determination not to let the matter drop, had no choice but to speak. "Wasn’t it Lord Shen himself who said I shouldn’t take it seriously, shouldn’t let it weigh on my heart?"
If that was the case, then naturally, there was nothing between them.
Shen Xiabai stared at her for a long time without speaking.
After a moment, he straightened up, his lowered gaze still fixed on her.
Cui Yunchu felt as though thorns were piercing her all over. She lifted her chin. "Lord Shen, if you have any questions or want to settle scores afterward, just say it now."
Shen Xiabai said, "Today is Princess An’s birthday. Why aren’t you in the front courtyard with her, and instead out here?"
Cui Yunchu pouted, bowed her head, and remained silent.
"The banquet has already started."
"Mm, I’m not hungry," Cui Yunchu said flatly, her attitude firm; she had no intention of joining the festivities in the front courtyard.
"Did you quarrel with Princess An?"
"No." Cui Yunchu shook her head, curling up and wrapping her arms around herself.
The wind kept rustling their clothes, accompanied by a moment of silence.
"Aren’t you here to deliver a birthday gift? If you skip the feast, won’t that be a huge loss?" After a long pause, Shen Xiabai spoke slowly.
Cui Yunchu turned her face away. "I’m not going. I’m jealous."
At that, Shen Xiabai frowned. "Jealous of what? Is there something in the Prince An manor that you want?"
As he said this, he recalled the words she’d used to taunt Prince An in the main courtyard, and his voice grew heavy. "Could it be that Eldest Miss Cui still harbors an unyielding desire for Prince An?"
Cui Yunchu snorted softly, displeased with his choice of words. "If I were a bandit, I’d kidnap both Prince An and the Crown Prince, make them my consorts in my mountain stronghold—the Crown Prince as my main wife, and Prince An as a concubine."
Damn Xiao Yi, he didn’t even deserve to be a concubine.
No, a concubine was too good for him—he should be a lowly foot-washing maid.
Cui Yunchu gnashed her teeth, completely oblivious to the dark, chilly low-pressure aura of the man before her.
Just as she was sitting still, a sudden flying kick knocked her over. Though it didn’t hurt, it was indeed a kick, leaving her sprawled on the ground in a rather embarrassing position.
