The young man’s words were hesitant and unclear. Shen Yao Xing felt something was odd and was about to ask more when she was distracted by the violent coughing from the man on the bed.

She quickly reached out to pat his back and help him, while saying: “You must remember to take your medicine properly these days. Once you’ve recovered, I’ll ask mother to assign someone else to serve you.”

Upon hearing that he was going to be replaced, A Qi panicked completely. He fell to his knees with a thud, his eyes reddening as he pleaded: “Young miss, please don’t replace this servant! This servant will surely serve the young master well from now on, and won’t dare to be negligent in the slightest!”

Shen Yao Xing hadn’t expected such a big reaction from the young man. She was only talking about reassigning him to work elsewhere in the Shen household, not selling him off.

“Zhao Zhao.” Song Si Nian called out softly. When the young woman looked over, he coughed weakly, lowering his brows to plead: “A Qi has been serving by my side for quite some years. For your elder brother’s sake, could you forgive him this time?”

Shen Yao Xing had only mentioned it casually. Seeing her elder brother speak up for him like this, and with his promise, she thought for a moment and relented: “For the sake of elder brother pleading for you, I’ll let it go this time. But if I find out you’re still this lazy next time, I’ll have mother drive you out of the household.”

“Thank you, young miss. Thank you, young master. This servant will definitely remember!” A Qi joyfully kowtowed on the ground.

Shen Yao Xing waved her hand, signaling him to get up. She glanced at the sky outside the window and said to the young man: “Elder brother, you should rest some more. I’ll head back first.”

Song Si Nian’s heart tightened. He raised his eyes to look at the young woman who had stood up, his face showing unconcealed weakness, his eyes full of expectation: “When will Zhao Zhao come again?”

“Tomorrow, I suppose. I’ll come back tomorrow to see if your condition has improved.”

Only when the young woman’s figure had completely disappeared from the courtyard did Song Si Nian withdraw his gaze. The weakness on his face from earlier vanished, and he looked coldly at the young man waiting at the door: “If you dare to speak out of turn again, I’ll have mother sell you off.”

A Qi’s body trembled, his head hanging low. His mouth puckered as he responded with a委屈的 “Yes.”

—————

In another mansion in the capital, water droplets from a waterfall on an artificial mountain splashed like mist, swirling among the rocks. At the end of the water flow was a clear, shallow stream surrounding a pavilion in the center.

A young man in light-colored robes sat in the center of the pavilion, holding a palm-sized copper mirror, carefully examining his flawless face.

“Still not as good-looking as my own face…” Jiang Ming Yue’s finger lightly brushed under his eye, where the tear mole that should have been there had disappeared with the change in appearance.

The thought of having to marry that person with this face made him feel annoyed and inexplicably sour at the same time, making him restless and almost wanting to kill someone to vent his anger.

The servant who came in to report sensed the murderous aura emanating from the young man. He kept his head low, his gaze fixed on his toes, not daring to make any mistakes: “Young master, Miss Shen is outside requesting to see you.”

Jiang Ming Yue’s aura slightly dissipated. He moved his gaze away from the copper mirror to the distance, his fingertips repeatedly brushing the edge of the mirror. After a while, he finally raised his thin lips slightly: “Show her in.”

After the servant left, the young man raised the copper mirror again, his beautiful eyes examining the captivating face in the mirror from left to right, before carefully placing the mirror under the qin table.

Shen Yao Xing was quite familiar with this place, so she didn’t need the servant to guide her. She walked quickly to where the young man was waiting. Ignoring the gaze that seemed to be glued to her, she sat down and got straight to the point: “Did you agree to this marriage?”

Jiang Ming Yue’s gaze swept over the young woman’s face, and he calmly denied: “This was my mother’s wish, not mine.”

Compared to the young man’s unhurried manner, Shen Yao Xing was anxious and fidgety, constantly criticizing: “How can your mother feel at ease letting you marry into our family without even meeting me?”

It seems he’s also someone whose parents don’t care about him.

“Miss Shen is too naive. In a marriage alliance between two families, they only care about each other’s family status. Whether you are a good person or not doesn’t matter much.”

Although she didn’t want to admit it, what he said was indeed correct.

Shen Yao Xing instantly deflated like a balloon, unable to muster any energy. But in the next moment, she perked up again. Her clear black and white eyes fixed on the young man as she suggested: “Why don’t you go tell your mother to cancel the engagement?”

Since sitting down, the young woman had been constantly expressing her dissatisfaction with this marriage. This completely cooled down Jiang Ming Yue, who had been somewhat excited to see her arrive.

Not noticing his change in expression, Shen Yao Xing continued talking, convinced that the young man was as unwilling to accept this marriage as she was. She kept coming up with ideas for him, even willing to put herself down: “You can tell your mother that I’m ugly, eat a lot, grind my teeth in my sleep, fart, burp, gamble, visit brothels, and am good for nothing – just a good-for-nothing who only knows how to eat and visit brothels!”

She didn’t believe anyone would still be willing to entrust their son to her after hearing this.

Jiang Ming Yue sneered: “Miss Shen seems to have quite a bit of self-awareness.”

Shen Yao Xing was taken aback for a moment, then said sheepishly: “Just tell your mother this and it should be fine.”

The young man turned his head away, his voice growing colder: “If Miss Shen is so capable, why don’t you go tell my mother yourself?”

Although his voice was cold, his tone and actions gave Shen Yao Xing a strange feeling, as if he was…

Sulking with her.

Shen Yao Xing scratched her face, her arm bumping against something hard in her chest. Only then did she remember the gift she had brought. She quickly took out the hard object from her bosom and handed it to him: “This is for you.”

Jiang Ming Yue, who had been paying attention to the young woman’s every move, saw this and lightly tugged at his wide sleeve. His slightly raised chin lowered a bit as he glanced at the poorly wrapped object in her hand. He pressed his lips together, restraining the joy at the corners of his mouth.

He snorted contemptuously: “What is this? It’s so ugly.”

Shen Yao Xing didn’t mind at all and said cheerfully: “This is an inkstone my mother bought for me. I’ve never used it even once. It’s very expensive!”

The things Shen’s mother bought for her were always the best, especially when it came to writing materials. In the past, when she was at home, her mother would buy new supplies for her every few days.

Jiang Ming Yue’s ears turned slightly red, ripples appearing in his eyes. His hand hidden behind the qin table tugged more recklessly at his wide sleeve. He turned his face slightly away, his voice so soft it was almost like he was muttering to himself:

“Just put it down somewhere.”