The young man stood up and slowly walked to the chaise lounge directly facing the door, lazily reclining on it. He lightly rested his face on the back of his hand, his beautiful eyes staring blankly out the door.

This was already the third day. He had held back again and again, neither going to look for her nor sending someone over to urge her. He just obediently stayed in the mansion waiting for the young woman to come. But these three days were almost over. Was she really that busy?

Not seeing her for three days, was she not anxious at all? He missed her so much it made him feel restless and stifled. Even drawing several portraits couldn’t ease his longing. He just wanted to see her as soon as possible.

Jiang Ming Yue unconsciously raised his hand to touch his chest, but when he felt the emptiness in his clothes, his hand suddenly froze. Only then did he remember that the belly-band had long been taken back.

A hint of shyness rose on his jade-like face. He lightly bit his fingertip, his eyes full of spring meaning, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curling upwards.

When he saw her again, he must get her to give him a token of her love in return.

The young man let out an alluring soft laugh, his brows filled with lingering affection, immersed in his own fantasies and unable to extricate himself. Seeing a servant hurrying over from outside the door, he excitedly propped himself up.

The joy in his eyes was beyond words.

The servant was startled by that oppressive gaze and broke out in a cold sweat. He lowered his head and had just stood still, not yet able to report, when he was interrupted by the young man’s urgent voice: “Is it Miss Shen coming to see me?”

Never having seen the young master like this before, the servant was stunned for a moment and couldn’t react. Until a hint of coldness seeped into his lungs, he suddenly woke up, kneeling down on the ground in terror, so scared that even his voice was broken: “Please… please forgive me, Young Master!”

Jiang Ming Yue glanced faintly at the person on the ground. He was in a good mood and didn’t bother with him, but he was very displeased that he still hadn’t reported the matter. His fingers impatiently rubbed lightly.

The servant’s voice stopped for a moment, then immediately reported: “It’s not Miss Shen outside, but… but people sent by the Shen family.”

People sent by the Shen family?

Jiang Ming Yue frowned. Could it be that she was unwilling to come, so she sent people to bring him to the Shen residence?

The servant hadn’t finished speaking, stammering for a long time without daring to continue.

“If you don’t want to speak, this young master has ways to make you never able to speak again.”

The young man’s soft words were full of cruelty. No one would think he was joking.

The servant’s body trembled as he lay prostrate on the ground. With a timid voice, he said: “The Shen family sent people to say… to say they want to cancel the engagement…”

The smile at the corners of the young man’s lips froze, his expression gradually turning cold.

……

Shen Residence

At this moment, Shen Yao Xing was lying powerlessly on the stone table. Along with the stuffiness, it was as if there was a fly buzzing non-stop by her ear, disturbing her and making her irritable.

“I didn’t expect little Xing Xing to be so indifferent to male beauty. You’re not even moved by that Young Master Yin. Could it be that only an immortal from heaven would catch your eye?”

Having just discussed the matter of cancelling the engagement with Madam Shen, this uninvited person overheard it. She was so excited that her mouth hadn’t stopped, though it was unclear if she was feeling sorry for her or happy that she still had a chance herself.

Chu Yi’s face was full of smiles. She tapped the prostrate young woman with her jade fan, teasing: “You dislike official matters so much, yet now you’re willing to compromise with Lord Shen for the sake of cancelling this engagement. Do you really think it’s worth it?”

In Chu Yi’s view, this was far from worth it. Not only losing a beautiful man, but also forcing herself to do those restraining things she disliked. So in her eyes, the young woman’s actions were really hard to understand.

Shen Yao Xing was already annoyed about this matter and didn’t want to pay her any attention at all.

Chu Yi raised a mischievous smile, suddenly leaning close to the young woman: “Since you’ve cancelled your engagement with that Young Master Yin, why don’t you be a go-between and let me get to know that Young Master Yin?”

She had been itching for such a beauty for a long time. If it weren’t for the lack of opportunity, the one engaged to Young Master Yin now would probably be her, not wasted on this young woman.

“Tch.” Shen Yao Xing impatiently raised her head, irritably swatting away the jade fan: “If you have the ability, go yourself. Don’t come bothering me!”

“It’s precisely because I don’t have the ability that I have to bother you.” Chu Yi annoyingly extended her jade fan again.

The young woman was like an angered cub, baring her teeth fiercely and glaring at her.

Chu Yi’s eyes grew even more interested. She reached out to try to touch her face, but was forcefully slapped away by the young woman, with such force that her wrist felt like it was about to dislocate.

“If you don’t leave, I’ll throw you out.” Shen Yao Xing said viciously.

Chu Yi held her painful wrist, glancing at the young woman. Seeing that she was really annoyed, she stopped pushing her luck. Before leaving, she still threw her a lewd wink.

It wasn’t until she watched Qing Su escort the person out of the courtyard that Shen Yao Xing finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was now noon, with the sun directly overhead. The nearby silk tree could barely shade the stone seat near the tree edge.

Shen Yao Xing raised her hand above her brow, squinting at the sky, then got up and returned to her bedroom.

As soon as she stepped into the room, Shen Yao Xing sensed something unusual behind her. She suddenly turned around to see a man in white clothes with blue trim standing silently behind her, his deep eyes staring fixedly at her.

The man was not disguised at this moment. The teardrop mole under his eye was like the finishing touch, making his already otherworldly beautiful face even more captivating.

Come to think of it, Shen Yao Xing hadn’t seen this face in a long time. Perhaps because the situation was different, she felt a bit startled. She nervously shuffled to one side, using the door to block half her body: “Why… why did you come?”

Jiang Ming Yue stared at her intently, his palms already pierced by his nails and oozing blood.

He took a sharp breath and asked hoarsely: “Do you remember what you said to me two days ago?”

Shen Yao Xing picked at the doorframe, guiltily averting her gaze and pretending not to hear.

Jiang Ming Yue felt waves of sourness rushing to his eyes. He bit his reddened thin lips hard. An unprecedented feeling of grievance filled his heart as he softened his voice to accuse: “I waited for you for so long, but you never came.”

Shen Yao Xing couldn’t help but glance at him again. Seeing his reddened eyes, she was stunned for a moment, then averted her gaze once more.

Darkness flashed in the depths of Jiang Ming Yue’s eyes. He lowered his eyelids to conceal the resentment that seemed about to gush forth. After a moment of silence, he asked in a low voice: “The matter of cancelling the engagement, was it related to you?”

Shen Yao Xing still wanted to pretend she hadn’t heard, but the young man’s gaze was too intense, making it impossible for her to ignore. She compromised, slumping her shoulders and sighing: “You and I are not compatible. Of course this engagement cannot continue.”

Jiang Ming Yue stared at her steadily, his tall slender body tense.

Then he lowered his eyes, his thin lips moved and pressed tightly again. His fair face suddenly flushed red, as if rouge had been applied, looking extremely beautiful. He seemed to be struggling with something, his chest heaving violently, before finally calming down as if resigned.

Releasing his tightly pressed thin lips, Jiang Ming Yue raised his moist eyes to look directly at the young woman. The blush on his face deepened. Gritting his teeth, he looked exactly like those young men experiencing their first love.

Blushing, he stammered out his feelings to the person he admired: “I, I… I have feelings for you! I want to be with you.”

“……” Suddenly confessed to, Shen Yao Xing was dumbfounded. Her hand tightened, almost tearing the door frame off.

Before she could react, the young man continued: “So, of course we are compatible.”

“……” Shen Yao Xing’s face became even more bewildered. She reflexively replied: “What does your liking me have to do with me?”

Jiang Ming Yue, who had thought the young woman would be overjoyed, froze. He stared at her blankly: “Don’t you have feelings for me too?”

“Of course not!”

The young woman’s unhesitating denial made Jiang Ming Yue’s heart sink to the bottom. The blush faded from his face, even his lips starting to turn pale. His heart felt like it was being tightly squeezed by someone, the dull pain making his pupils tremble slightly.

He opened his pale lips: “You… are you toying with me?”

Shen Yao Xing of course denied it repeatedly. Seeing the young man’s increasingly abnormal expression, she couldn’t help but ask with concern.

Jiang Ming Yue’s breathing became unsteady, his eyes growing darker amid the young woman’s persuasions. A crimson gleam flashed in the depths of his eyes as he stared coldly at her, repeating: “You’re toying with me.”

The young man’s voice was colder than the depths of winter. Shen Yao Xing didn’t know how to explain to him, or perhaps this person simply wouldn’t listen to explanations. With a “clang”, an icy blade slashed straight towards her neck.

Shen Yao Xing was startled and barely jumped away in time to dodge it. The sharp sword qi directly split the tea table in the room in half. She widened her eyes, touched her cold neck, and couldn’t help but shout: “Are you crazy!?”

Just as she finished shouting, she turned to see a dazzling cold light. She dodged to the side, raising her hand to strike at the young man’s wrist, but he easily avoided it. The two instantly engaged in close combat, with the sound of things breaking constantly echoing in the room.

Shen Yao Xing was heartbroken. She wanted to lure him outside to fight, but the young man didn’t give her a chance. The sword qi repeatedly brushed past her face, shattering the furniture and decorations behind her to pieces.

Finally, when the young man swung his sword horizontally, she found an opportunity. Her body suddenly leaned back and tilted to one side, raising her foot to sweep towards his chest.

She had thought he would leap back to dodge, but for some reason he stood still without moving. Shen Yao Xing was shocked, wanting to withdraw her force but it was too late. She watched helplessly as the young man was kicked back two steps, a trace of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Shen Yao Xing felt a moment of panic. She instinctively wanted to go support him, but then held back, standing awkwardly in place: “Why… why didn’t you dodge!”

Jiang Ming Yue clutched at his clothes over his chest, raising his eyes to look at her in disbelief. A tear slid down the corner of his eye, mixing with the blood at his chin and dripping onto the ground.

Whether it was due to the injury or not, he only felt his chest hurting terribly.

Shen Yao Xing didn’t dare meet his gaze, stammering: “I’m… I’m sorry, I…”

Before Shen Yao Xing could finish speaking, when she looked up again, the young man’s figure was no longer in the room.