He knew perfectly well whose side everyone was on, so he quickly chimed in, "That's right, and there's Prince An as well. I heard the other day that he'd made a list of everything you took from his residence and plans to demand it all back."
Cui Yunchu looked at the pair, her mind racing.
"Ridiculous," she scoffed. "Once something goes into my pocket, there's no getting it back."
"And this pile of junk—do you still want it?" Shen Xiabai pointed at the heap of broken items.
Cui Yunchu's face scrunched up in distaste. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'll take it. I'll have Xing'er sell it at the market later. It might fetch a few silver taels."
"..."
The master and servant both stared at Cui Yunchu, who never missed a beat, and fell silent together.
Not to mention Shen Xiabai—even Yu Feng looked down on a mere few silver taels.
Shen Xiabai said, "Just throw it away. It'd be embarrassing if word got out. If you want something, I'll give it to you."
Cui Yunchu's eyes lit up at those words. If she could pick anything from the Shen family's storeroom, she'd be the richest woman in the world.
But the excitement lasted only a moment before she forced it down. As greedy as she was for money, she knew full well whose wealth she could take and whose would come at a cost.
Shen Xiabai's possessions, for instance, were not easily taken. He was sharp as a monkey, and trying to get something from him might cost her a lifetime.
"No need. Just that screen will do. Forget the rest," she said. She couldn't afford to be greedy—certainly not at the risk of losing more than she gained.
But compared to the Crown Prince's stinginess, Shen Xiabai's generosity left a strong impression. Such a stark contrast—anyone would find Shen Xiabai far more agreeable.
Shen Xiabai ordered Yu Feng to have everything Cui Yunchu wanted moved back to her place.
When it was time to leave, strangely enough, Cui Yunchu felt a little reluctant. If she could spend the rest of her life with the Shen family's storeroom, she'd remain faithful forever and never betray it.
With a face full of longing, she smiled again when she saw the screen and confirmed with Shen Xiabai, "It's mine now, right?"
"No need to return it, is there? No hidden conditions attached?"
"After I move it out, I won't acknowledge any debts, you know."
Shen Xiabai glanced sideways at her, his smile lazy and affectionate.
Meanwhile, the steward waiting outside was dumbfounded. Didn't his master say they were just borrowing the screen for a bit, to fill the space? How had it ended up being moved away entirely?
Watching Yu Feng arrange the screen's removal, the steward couldn't help whispering, "Master, that screen..."
Before he could finish, his foot was stomped on hard enough to make his face twist in pain. He hopped on one spot.
Cui Yunchu looked over, and Yu Feng explained cheerfully, "There was a bug. I helped the steward crush it."
The master's image as a wealthy and generous man was now firmly established—no accidents could spoil it and undo all their work.
These days, compared to the Crown Prince and Prince An, the master was the real big shot.
Delighted, Cui Yunchu was about to follow the screen home.
But behind her, Shen Xiabai suddenly cleared his throat lightly. "The pearl—do you still want the pearl?"
Cui Yunchu stopped dead in her tracks. How could she have forgotten about that?
She turned and looked at Shen Xiabai, frowning. "That pearl... did you bite it or not?"
Shen Xiabai hadn't expected her to still remember after all this time.
Cui Yunchu continued, "The one you gave me earlier was bitten—couldn't sell it for a good price."
"You sold it?" Shen Xiabai's face darkened.
That pearl should have held special meaning for the two of them. Had she really sold it?
Cui Yunchu shook her head quickly. "No. People said a dog had chewed on it, so they didn't want it."
Shen Xiabai let out an angry laugh, stepping forward and grabbing the back of Cui Yunchu's neck.
The servants all swiftly lowered their eyes, pretending to see nothing.
"Let go," Cui Yunchu struggled. "Why do you always like grabbing people by the back of their collar? What kind of habit is that?"
"Be good," Shen Xiabai said coaxingly, his voice low. "Your lover will take you to see the pearl."
And so, half dragging, half resisting, the two of them left.
At that moment, the steward forgot the pain in his foot and stared in shock at the departing pair. Did he hear right just now?
Yu Feng coughed lightly, dismissed the others, and said to the steward, "A lover is still a husband, after all."
With that, he scampered after them.
It took a while to reach Shen Xiabai's study. Cui Yunchu grew anxious. "How about we get it another day? It's really late now, and if I go home too late, that old man of mine will lose his temper."
Given the weather these past couple of days, she really didn't want to end up kneeling in the ancestral hall again.
"It's just ahead—we're almost there," Shen Xiabai said, leading her into a courtyard.
The yard was spacious, simply and elegantly arranged. Cui Yunchu looked around as Shen Xiabai pushed her forward by the neck.
"Is this your courtyard?" she asked.
Shen Xiabai glanced at her, nodded slightly, but a smile hid at the corners of his lips. "No."
Cui Yunchu looked up at him, but he suddenly bent down and whispered in her ear, "From now on, it'll be our place for secret rendezvous."
"What nonsense are you talking?" Cui Yunchu almost jumped up to cover his mouth.
"Lover," Shen Xiabai said with a faint smile. "Isn't that what you called me? You said I'm your lover."
As he spoke, he led her into his study.
Without any more idle talk, Shen Xiabai pulled her over to a cabinet, opened a drawer, and inside was packed full of luminous pearls.
Cui Yunchu's eyes went wide.
"Are all these yours?"
"Mm-hmm." Shen Xiabai stood behind her.
The cabinet and desk were not far apart, and the two of them stood in the space between—just the right amount of room. He looked sideways at her delighted profile, letting his hand drop, moving lower.
"I can take as many as I want?" Cui Yunchu asked again.
Shen Xiabai's hand rested loosely on her waist, his breath close. "A single pearl is worth a thousand gold pieces. Figure out how many kisses it'll take for you to earn one."
"..." Cui Yunchu's face immediately stiffened, then flushed bright red.
She'd only been joking.
Her skin was fair and soft. When she frowned in displeasure, the corners of her eyes tilted slightly upward.
She angrily argued with him, "You liar! Just now at the door, you clearly said—"
Before she could finish, a face suddenly pressed down and covered her lips.
She tried to back away, but the cabinet was behind her and his hand held her waist. There was nowhere to go.
The force of her struggling sent the back of her head knocking hard against the cabinet, stars exploding in her vision.
The next moment, a warm hand gently cradled the back of her head, soothingly massaging it—but his mouth never stopped.
"You count. We'll trade for the pearl later," he said, forehead resting against hers, nose touching nose, his voice hoarse almost beyond recognition.
At that rate, one pearl would take so many kisses her mouth would go numb.
"No... can't..." Her words were once again swallowed up.
She made muffled sounds, begging him to let go, but Shen Xiabai remained unmoved. Frustrated, Cui Yunchu pinched his waist with all her strength.
She struggled, he endured the pinching, and the two of them twisted around by the cabinet like a pair of snakes.
"A Chu."
His low call made Cui Yunchu tremble, goosebumps rising all over.
In her mind, what surfaced was Liu Wanting's sweet, drawn-out voice calling out "Your Highness" to the Crown Prince.
With all the strength she had, she shoved the man in front of her away.
Blushing, her eyes flustered, “You, you, you shameless man, I am your great aunt.”
A Chu. In all her years of living, no one had ever called her that.
The emotions in Shen Xiabai’s eyes gradually faded. He tried his best to calm the tempest in his chest, gazing deeply at Cui Yunchu.
Cui Yunchu averted her gaze, wiped her mouth, and spoke in a scattered tone, “Whatever, you raised the price for a kiss.” She grabbed a large handful of beads from the drawer and turned to leave.
But her waist was suddenly seized again. “A Chu, what are we now?”
He sat on the table, his long legs supporting him on the ground, his head slightly lifted, exposing the sharp and smooth contours of his bone structure in full view.
“Tell me, what are we?” His grip tightened.
