Cui Yunchu looked in the direction Xing'er was pointing. Beside Crown Prince Xiao Chen was a girl in a goose-yellow dress. If it wasn't Liu Wanting, who else could it be?
Cui Yunchu raised an eyebrow, watching helplessly as Liu Wanting tugged at the Crown Prince's sleeve, coquettishly pulling him into a jewelry shop.
Xiao Chen's back was turned to her, so Cui Yunchu couldn't see his expression, but since he was willing to bring Liu Wanting along, he was presumably happy to do so.
"Miss," Xing'er looked up at Cui Yunchu.
The one accompanying His Highness the Crown Prince is Miss Liu. Does the cousin know about this? If she knew, she would definitely be heartbroken.
Cui Yunchu gave a faint response. Once the two figures disappeared, she let the carriage curtain fall.
Liu Wanting's marriage into the Crown Prince's estate was already a certainty. It wasn't strange for the two to be out strolling together.
After all, Liu Wanting had suffered such a great grievance. The Crown Prince, who was most skilled at smoothing things over, would naturally pacify her properly to turn a major issue into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing.
"Miss, we've arrived." The driver stopped at the entrance of a restaurant. It was the exact meeting place agreed upon with the Chen siblings.
Cui Yunchu didn't have much of an impression of the young master of the Chen family. But considering he was capable of committing suicide in her previous life, he must be a man who valued his dignity but lacked courage, only able to express his dissatisfaction with the Prince of An through such an extreme act.
Xing'er hopped down from the carriage first and turned back to help Cui Yunchu alight.
As the carriage curtain was lifted, Cui Yunchu wore a decent smile, looking very dignified and gentle.
Just then, a carriage approached from the opposite direction and stopped right in front of her. The driver lifted the curtain, revealing the master inside.
The man had a handsome yet cold and aloof face. He glared at the young man sitting with his head bowed beside him, seemingly scolding him about something. His brows revealed a hint of displeasure, and the young man seemed quite afraid of him...
Cui Yunchu couldn't see the young man's face clearly. She spun around with the fastest speed she had ever mustered in this life and dashed back into her carriage.
"..." Xing'er lowered her eyes, looking at her palm that had emptied in a flash, feeling stunned for a moment.
Cui Yunchu's movements were simply too large and too fast, naturally drawing the attention of the opposite carriage. The man raised his cold, tired brows and glanced over.
His gaze fixed on the wooden plaque hanging on the carriage: "Cui."
His eyes immediately turned icy.
The young man beside him explained, "It is said that the eldest son of the Chen family is discussing marriage with the Cui family."
What his young uncle hated the most were the Tang and Cui families. If the Chen family truly formed a marriage alliance with the Cui clan, perhaps his uncle would be so disgusted that he would agree to cancel his own engagement with the Chen family's daughter.
"Put away your petty schemes. This marriage with the Chen family was carefully selected by your grandmother. There is absolutely no possibility of changing it." The man's voice was cold, leaving no room for negotiation.
Shen Zilan's face fell, and he drooped his head listlessly. "I know."
He twirled a peach blossom petal in his hand, which looked even more wilted than Shen Zilan's face.
"Go down. When it's over, I'll happen to be passing by and will pick you up."
Shen Zilan forced a smile.
He knew in his heart that his uncle wasn't just passing by at all, but was worried that he would cause some kind of trouble.
"Uncle, I already have someone in my heart." Shen Zilan mustered up his courage, wanting to fight for a chance.
Shen Xiabai glanced sideways, staring at him deeply without saying a word, making Shen Zilan's heart pound like a drum.
"A woman you've only met once has become the one in your heart?"
Shen Zilan seemed to recall something, his eyes filled with amazement and longing. "One glance is enough."
The girl had stepped into the light, more dazzling than the sun's radiance and more delicate than a peach blossom, crashing into his sight so defenselessly.
Shen Zilan gently stroked the peach blossom petal. "Uncle, could you please help me find out which family that girl belongs to?"
He tugged at Shen Xiabai's sleeve, even adding a bit of pleading to his tone.
The slender figure fleeing in panic suddenly flashed through Shen Xiabai's mind, followed by that overly beautiful face looking at him in terror, as if he were some ferocious beast.
Fleeing blindly, struck with panic.
"No." Shen Xiabai gathered his thoughts, frowned slightly, and pulled his sleeve back from Shen Zilan's grasp.
"Why?"
"That girl... doesn't have a very good brain."
"..." Shen Zilan stared at Shen Xiabai in disbelief, and in the next second, he was forcefully pulled down by the driver.
Shen Xiabai's voice came from the carriage, "It's getting late. Don't delay and be rude to others."
Immediately after, the carriage turned around and quickly left the restaurant, leaving Shen Zilan standing at the entrance, his face filled with hollow disappointment.
That charming girl standing in the sunlight—would he ever have the chance to see her again?
The scenery in the garden was pleasant, but that day, it had all become a mere backdrop for her.
"Young Master, let's go."
Shen Zilan slightly gathered his wits, his peripheral vision sweeping past the Cui family's carriage nearby, and stepped into the restaurant.
Xing'er had kept her back turned the whole time, afraid of being noticed. Hearing that there was no more movement behind her, she let out a breath and stepped forward to lift the carriage curtain.
However, just as she lifted a corner of the curtain, it was immediately clamped shut forcefully from the inside.
"...Miss, the person has already left."
Xing'er repeated this three times before the curtain was finally opened just a tiny crack, revealing half of Cui Yunchu's eye.
"Miss, he really has left."
Xing'er pulled the curtain completely open. The carriage was indeed gone. Cui Yunchu leaned against the carriage wall, beads of sweat seemingly sliding down her forehead.
"Miss," Xing'er hurriedly offered a handkerchief.
Why was her young lady so afraid of that lord?
Since waking up, Cui Yunchu had made up her mind that in this life, no matter what, she had to stay far, far away from Shen Xiabai.
Yet heaven seemed to love playing tricks on her; in just a month, she had run into him three times.
"Miss, that lord is so handsome. He isn't Yama or an evil demon. Why are you so afraid of him?"
Handsome. Shen Xiabai was naturally handsome, and not just in appearance. He had a strong physique and extraordinary stamina...
It was just that all the intoxicating, heavenly pleasure had been cleanly severed by his swift and decisive sword strike.
People can always easily forget happiness, but their memories of pain run deep.
Fortunately, she was just a sheltered young lady who didn't need to attend court and see him every day. Otherwise, she feared she would only be able to endure it by desperately recalling those moments of pleasure.
"Actually, the girl who gets to marry him and become his wife in the future should still be quite blessed."
At least...
Layers of gauze curtains fluttering in the wind, the creaking of a poorly made bed, accompanied by a man's heavy breathing...
A robust chest reflecting in Cui Yunchu's eyes...
This was the first time Cui Yunchu recalled the scene from that day.
Later, she had been afraid and wanted to escape, but the disparity in strength between a man and a woman left her helpless. Actually, the fault wasn't entirely hers. If Shen Xiabai hadn't been consumed by lust and forced himself on her, she would have definitely retreated and run away without a trace.
Later, presumably realizing her identity as a daughter of the Cui family, he felt a moment of regret and found it hard to accept, which was why...
"He isn't any good either. Back then, he was just a jackal of the same tribe as me."
Cui Yunchu scoffed softly.
Having her innocence taken and then being killed by a single sword strike, she was the one... cursed by an unlucky star!!!!
