Although Shen Che’s words were teasing, Wang Liniang’s heart sank upon hearing them. When they first met, Wang Liniang had been reserved, thinking she shouldn’t let a man have his way so easily, and Shen Che hadn’t forced her either.
At the time, Wang Liniang thought Shen Che valued her, but in the blink of an eye, two months had passed. She hadn’t been forward, and her beloved nemesis had never taken the initiative either. Each time, he only teased her with his gaze, leaving her flustered, while he remained unaffected.
Wang Liniang was, after all, a woman who had been married before. When her late husband was alive, he would pester her for intimacy every day. She thought no man could resist, but in front of this flirtatious young master, everything seemed to have turned upside down. It was she who couldn’t hold back now.
“Young Master, I…” Wang Liniang called out, on the verge of tears.
Shen Che wiped her tears, “Liniang, don’t cry. Even if we can’t be together, if you ever need my help, I won’t ignore you.”
Wang Liniang panicked upon hearing this. How had it come to talks of separation?
Unfortunately, no matter how pitifully Wang Liniang cried, she couldn’t sway that heartless man.
“Young Master.” Shen Che’s attendant, Ma Chao, seeing Shen Che come out of the Hou residence, immediately went to greet him. He had thought it would take a little longer.
Shen Che looked back at Wang Liniang, who had followed him out but dared not approach. He felt somewhat bored, having thought Wang Liniang would maintain her reserve for a bit longer.
Ma Chao had followed Shen Che for many years and knew his master’s habits well. He inwardly sighed for Wang Liniang. Such a charming young widow, with her alluring figure, yet she couldn’t hold his master’s interest for long.
Shen Che recalled his interactions with Wang Liniang. He was certain that even in such proximity, Wang Liniang couldn’t have placed the five-colored thread on him without his knowledge. If she could have managed that, he would have died countless times already.
After leaving Hou’s residence, they happened to meet the fat man from Prince Ping’s mansion, and Shen Che accepted an invitation to go directly to Tianxiang Tower.
Thinking of this, there was only one possibility left. Shen Che seemed to realize something, frowning slightly. He glanced again at the five-colored thread in Nichang’s hand and said indifferently, “Throw it away.”
While Shen Che’s acquisition of the five-colored thread surprised Nichang, Ji Cheng was completely unaware of its loss. When changing clothes earlier, Ji Cheng had no weapons at hand for self-defense. She remembered the needle Shen Rong had given her and casually pinned it in her hair. Even if it couldn’t serve as a formidable weapon, in an emergency, it might still be used to poke someone’s eyes.
Ji Cheng hadn’t ended up using the needle. While dancing, her movements were too vigorous, and the needle had slipped out of her hair. If not for the five-colored thread still attached to it, it would have fallen to the ground.
Coincidentally, when Ji Cheng had twisted into Shen Che’s arms, the needle with the five-colored thread slid onto Shen Che’s back, lightly catching on his belt. Remarkably, after all that commotion, when Shen Che returned home, it was still tucked in the crevice of his belt, not having fallen off. One might wonder if this could be considered fate.
The next day, everything seemed to have returned to normal. When Ji Cheng went to pay her respects to Ji Lan, she saw that her aunt’s face was pale, with dark circles under her eyes, clearly from lack of sleep. Ji Cheng didn’t ask much; as a junior, it was sometimes inappropriate to pry.
But while she couldn’t speak up, Shen Cui had no such reservations. “Mother, have you found out who tried to harm us?”
Ji Lan replied, “How could it be that quick? Last night, all our efforts were focused on finding you two.”
Shen Cui wanted to ask more, but Ji Lan cut her off, “Alright, stop asking. If there’s any news, don’t you think I’d tell you?”
Shen Cui realized this was true and said no more. She wasn’t a fool and had guessed a little, but she wasn’t sure and couldn’t believe the Wang sisters would have such audacity.
Ji Cheng, however, thought differently. She believed the Shen family probably already knew who was behind this incident. When they had returned, she had not only mentioned Tianxiang Tower but also the middleman “Pockmark.” Following these clues, investigating that very night would be the quickest, as those people wouldn’t have had time to hide their tracks.
Looking at Ji Lan’s expression, it was clear she was extremely angry but had to suppress it, instead having to comfort Shen Cui.
The influence of the Wang family’s Noble Consort was indeed great. The Shen family might not be able to stand up for Shen Cui. Ji Cheng sighed inwardly, suddenly feeling somewhat disheartened. When she had come to the capital, she had been eager to associate with high society, believing it would guarantee her life’s dignity. But seeing Ji Lan like this now, she wondered if the Shen family could be considered a high society. They had a hereditary Earl title and even a Princess married into the family, but what did it matter? Even when something happened to Shen Cui, the Shen family had to swallow their pride. What was the point of it all?
Ji Cheng thought, could it be that she would have to marry the old Emperor, wait for him to pass away, and become the Empress Dowager to truly settle scores?
But who would want to marry the old Emperor? Ji Cheng suddenly felt that everything she had done was meaningless. Her heart felt empty, and she couldn’t help but think of Ling Ziyun again. She remembered how he had ridden on horseback to see her off for an entire day when she left. His eyes had been red the whole time. Ji Cheng had grown up with him and had never seen him cry before. He was always saying that a man shouldn’t shed tears easily.
Ji Cheng’s eyes grew moist. She wasn’t one to cry often either, thinking it too weak, but today she could hardly hold back. She raised her fingertips to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, and at that moment, she saw Shen Che across from her.
Ji Cheng was startled and quickly stood up, realizing she had unknowingly walked to the Duiyun Jicui Bridge, just as Shen Che was coming out of Jiuli Courtyard.
This scene was perhaps too similar to a previous one, reminding Ji Cheng of when Su Yun had waited for Shen Che here. Heaven knows, Ji Cheng truly didn’t have the same intentions as Miss Su.
Ji Cheng looked around, trying to find Yuqian’er. Although she had absent-mindedly walked here, she vaguely remembered that she had brought Yuqian’er with her when she went to pay respects to Ji Lan. But the little maid had disappeared somewhere along the way. Ji Cheng thought she must scold Yuqian’er for her lack of discipline when they returned.
Ji Cheng was misdirecting her anger. She used to get lost in thought before, and the little maid following her step by step had annoyed her. So Yuqian’er had learned to be clever. Seeing Ji Cheng deep in thought, she had run off to play with other little maids in the courtyard, only occasionally glancing in this direction.
Unable to find Yuqian’er, Ji Cheng knew she couldn’t shake off the suspicion of being in a compromising situation. She decided to simply greet Shen Che properly, calling him “Cousin Che.” The feeling of being misunderstood as having romantic intentions was truly frustrating, and the late summer heat was gradually climbing up the treetops, sending waves of heat to Ji Cheng’s face.
“Cousin Cheng, why are you here alone shedding tears?” Shen Che asked.
If these words had been directed at Su Yun, her heart would probably have been racing like a little deer. But to Ji Cheng, they sounded somewhat chilling.
No matter how brazen Ji Cheng might be, she wouldn’t think Shen Che had any romantic intentions toward her. She felt a strong sense of wariness, as animals seem to have an unusually keen sense for their kind.
Ji Cheng felt she now had some understanding of this Cousin Che. He was undoubtedly flirtatious and affectionate, but also clever. He knew that getting involved with cousins was not easy to extricate oneself from, which was why he had been so coldly polite to Su Yun that day. There was no reason for him to change his behavior with her.
Ji Cheng couldn’t help but recall the events of the previous night, inwardly frowning. No matter how lavishly decorated such a place might be, it couldn’t hide the inner filth. The experience of dancing with bare shoulders and midriff in such a place made Ji Cheng feel sick just thinking about it. The unmasked faces of desire on those men made her nauseous.
However, Ji Cheng remembered Shen Che’s gaze at that time. It had been very calm, probably like the ancient sage Liu Xiahui. If Shen Che could remain unmoved by her then, how much more so now? Moreover, in the carriage, Shen Che suspected that she might be the mastermind behind the scenes.
These thoughts flashed through Ji Cheng’s mind in an instant. She quickly replied, “The wind was strong just now, and sand got in my eyes.”
“Does Cousin like the Duiyun Jicui Bridge so much? I saw you constantly looking this way one night before,” Shen Che said, taking a step closer to Ji Cheng.
Seeing him approach, Ji Cheng rather uselessly took half a step back. This couldn’t be blamed on Ji Cheng, as she had never imagined that Shen Che had noticed her that day when Su Yun was waiting for him on the bridge.
Indeed, it’s best not to watch other people’s drama, or one might easily get caught in the crossfire.
Not wanting to answer Shen Che’s question, Ji Cheng chose to counter with another question, “Cousin Che, is there any lead on who was behind last night’s incident?”
There were indeed leads. Shen Che now knew he had misunderstood Ji Cheng, and that last night’s events were all Chen Bin’s doing, likely connected to Wang Yueniang.
It wasn’t surprising that Shen Che had misunderstood Ji Cheng, given the many coincidences of the previous night. For instance, the dancing girl Hu’er, who later went to look for Ji Cheng and Shen Cui, had guessed from the beginning that they were the two “fresh rabbits” who had escaped. In their establishment, they called the newcomers who hadn’t been deflowered “fresh rabbits.”
Hu’er had originally been from a good family but was sold to Tianxiang Tower by her father who had lost money gambling. She had resigned herself to her fate, but whenever she saw other girls being forced into this life, she always felt a twinge of compassion. That’s why she had chosen to pretend not to recognize Ji Cheng and Shen Cui.
This is perhaps why Buddhists always encourage people to accumulate good karma. Ji Cheng and Shen Cui had fortunately encountered Hu’er and thus narrowly escaped disaster. It could be seen as a reward for the Ji family’s frequent donations for bridge building and road paving in the past.
Although Shen Che had misunderstood Ji Cheng regarding the kidnapping, he hadn’t misjudged Cousin Cheng’s scheming nature at all. Originally, Shen Che hadn’t paid much attention to the Third Branch’s affairs, but since he had discovered it was Chen Bin who had orchestrated the kidnapping, he naturally had to investigate why Chen Bin would do such a thing, which led to Wang Yueniang.
Shen Che was certainly aware that Shen Cui had won the mid-level arts selection. One could guess with their toes that his Third Aunt, who had more money than she knew what to do with, had pulled some strings. However, what surprised Shen Che was that Cousin Cheng had spent money behind her aunt’s back to help her fifth sister. This was indeed worth pondering.