Chapter 52

The temple for praying was on the other side of the capital. The capital itself was vast, taking nearly two hours by carriage from the Shen residence.

Before departure, Shen Yao Xing hadn’t informed the Yin young master about bringing an additional person. It wasn’t until they were in the carriage that she felt something was off about the atmosphere.

She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong. In the spacious carriage, the exceptionally handsome young man reclined lazily on the soft couch, one hand propped near his ear, eyes closed in pretend sleep, long dense eyelashes casting shadows beneath his eyes.

Shen Yao Xing and Song Si Nian sat on the other side. Unlike the bustling street scenes outside, the carriage interior was very quiet, with no one initiating conversation.

Shen Yao Xing secretly glanced around, sitting quietly for a moment before unable to resist yawning. Her posture was no longer so proper, slouching slightly with one hand resting on the window edge.

“Are you tired? The temple is still far, lie down here and rest a while.” Song Si Nian gently patted the empty space beside him.

Shen Yao Xing shook her head: “No need, I’m not tired.”

Just a bit bored.

Her gaze drifted to the familiar hidden compartment, glancing at the person resting on the soft couch, she slowly inched towards the compartment.

Just as she was about to reach out and open it, an icy male voice sounded.

“Don’t touch it.”

Her outstretched hand froze. Shen Yao Xing guiltily looked towards the man on the couch, only to see his eyes already open, coldly glaring at her.

The carriage was his after all. Since he had spoken up, Shen Yao Xing naturally didn’t dare rummage around anymore. She could only withdraw her hand and silently sit back down, feeling a bit stifled inside.

She was accompanying him to pray at the temple, she was the one who was tired and bothered, now she just wanted to eat something out of hunger, yet even that wasn’t allowed. When had this person become so stingy?

The more she thought about it, the more vexed she became. Shen Yao Xing directly turned her back to him, not bothering with his cold gaze.

Song Si Nian sat to the side silently observing the two. Seeing the young woman’s demeanor, he pressed his lips together and took out a prepared food box, placing it in front of her: “Are you hungry? I prepared some pastries and food for you. See which one you’d like to eat.”

As he spoke, he had already opened the food box lid. It contained two layers – the upper layer had rice and dishes, while the lower layer had pastries and tea. Each item was her usual favorite.

Shen Yao Xing beamed with joy at this: “Big brother, you’re truly thoughtful!”

Song Si Nian’s eyes softened, a gentle smile curving his lips: “As long as Zhao Zhao is happy.”

The two carried on displaying their “sibling affection” as if no one else was present.

On the soft couch, Jiang Ming Yue’s nails nearly pierced into his palm. A bone-chilling coldness settled in the depths of his gloomy eyes. Jealousy consumed him, almost causing him to lose control and tear that eyesore to pieces.

His sinister gaze moved from the man’s face to the young woman’s delighted expression. His thin lips coldly curled: “Get out.”

The man’s icy voice seemed rather abrupt in the two’s harmonious atmosphere, causing Shen Yao Xing to momentarily not understand his meaning.

She swallowed the food in her mouth and turned to look at him in confusion: “What did you say?”

Jiang Ming Yue’s eyes were like frost, staring at her as he enunciated each word: “I told you to get out.”

Shen Yao Xing was a bit dazed. She stopped eating, her clear eyes inexplicably glaring at him: “What do you mean?”

The young man no longer spoke, the gloomy depths of his eyes devoid of any emotion as he stared at her expressionlessly.

Shen Yao Xing didn’t know what she had done to offend him. Seeing his demeanor made her feel even more stifled. She snorted: “Fine, I’ll leave. You think I’m eager to stay here?”

With that, she picked up the food box in front of her and stood up, intending to eat outside.

Song Si Nian beside her also wanted to follow her out, but was stopped by the young woman.

“Big brother, your body is weak now and can’t be exposed to wind. You can’t go sit outside.”

“But…”

Song Si Nian hesitated, clearly still wanting to go with her.

Shen Yao Xing pressed him back down, then took the food box and lifted the carriage curtain to sit outside. It wasn’t bad, except for the strong sun. It was still better than staying inside watching that person’s face.

She reopened the food box lid, picked up a piece of fragrant crispy pastry and ate contentedly, not forgetting to ask Song Si Nian inside the carriage if he wanted any.

At this moment, only the two men with their own thoughts remained in the carriage. Song Si Nian accepted the crispy pastry the young woman passed to him, lowering his eyes as he took small bites.

Even though the chewing sounds were very faint, they still grated harshly on Jiang Ming Yue’s ears.

“The sibling affection between Master Song and Miss Shen is truly enviable.” The man’s voice was frigid, his tone oddly sarcastic.

Song Si Nian’s lowered eyelashes trembled slightly. He gave a light “Mm” and said no more.

Jiang Ming Yue’s lips curled into a sneer. He suddenly propped himself up from the soft couch, letting his ink-black hair fall in front of him. His gaze fixed intently on the other man as he barely parted his thin lips, his voice extremely soft: “I heard… Official Shen had a strange illness recently?”

Song Si Nian’s fingers holding the pastry suddenly stiffened. Then, as if nothing had happened, he put the remaining half of the pastry into his mouth, no longer responding to that statement.

Jiang Ming Yue wasn’t irritated. He unhurriedly took out tea utensils from the hidden compartment and sat down at the low table, moving closer to him. While brewing tea, he continued: “This illness is indeed strange. Such symptoms of excessive sleepiness are unheard of.”

As he spoke, Jiang Ming Yue suddenly paused, his beautiful eyes staring straight at the silent man. He leaned his body slightly forward and softly asked near his ear in a voice only the two of them could hear: “What do you say, could it be that Official Shen was poisoned?”

The man’s melodious voice was alluring and captivating, as if coming from the depths of hell, just waiting to bewitch the listener into the abyss.

Song Si Nian’s palms grew sweaty, a flash of panic crossing his eyes. His gaze unconsciously darted towards the curtain. He bit his tongue lightly and said in a low voice: “According to the imperial physician, mother was just overworked.”

“Oh?” Jiang Ming Yue glanced at his clenched hand, the curve of his lips growing more sinister: “Master Song seems very nervous?”

Song Si Nian instinctively looked at the man, seeing his gaze fall on his own hands. His tightly clenched fingers suddenly loosened as he forced a pale smile: “My apologies, I was just thinking of something else earlier.”