Shen Zaiye was never gentle. He was usually calm and wise, but for some reason, when faced with Jiang Taohua’s equally calm and indifferent face, he couldn’t contain his anger.
During their intimate moments, he asked her, “Are you unhappy about Lu Zhilan coming to the mansion?”
“Not at all,” Taohua shrugged, enduring his roughness with a smile. “As long as you’re happy, my lord.”
Shen Zaiye fell silent, his eyes resembling those of a crazed venomous snake. He bit her neck, only easing up when he heard her cry out in pain.
“What are you angry about, my lord?” Taohua smiled, her eyes calm as she stared at the canopy. “Could it be that you want me to make a scene and drive Lady Lu away?”
Shen Zaiye sneered, “I’m not that petty. You’re doing the right thing now. I’m just rewarding you.”
Is this how he rewards? Taohua clicked her tongue, wrapped her arms around his neck, and flipped him over, pinning him down. With narrowed eyes, she looked like a seductive little fox. “In that case, shouldn’t I repay you for supporting Long Jie?”
“How do you plan to repay me?” Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow.
Taohua smiled, her gaze alluring. Her jade-like fingers traced from his Adam’s apple downward, every glance exuding charm.
Shen Zaiye was stunned. It had been a long time since he’d seen her like this. His gaze deepened as he grasped her slender waist. “Didn’t you say you’d never use your seduction techniques on me again?”
“This isn’t soul-capturing seduction,” Taohua chuckled softly, pulling him into the red brocade quilt. As they entangled, her eyes sparkled. “It’s just adding some spice. Don’t you like it, my lord?”
Remembering who taught her these techniques, Shen Zaiye tensed. He gripped her arms and said sternly, “You’d better just lie still!”
How unromantic! Taohua pouted, obediently letting him pin her down. Her face wore a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
Shen Zaiye had recently completed the first step of his grand plan, so he was indulging a bit, even engaging in sweet talk with her. However, if she foolishly believed that he truly placed her in the most important position in his heart, she’d only be setting herself up for abandonment again.
She wondered if he had ever kept cats. A cat abandoned by its owner, then picked up again, would have eyes full of wariness and doubt. Even if it appeared docile on the surface, it would be ready to escape through the window at any moment.
Shen Zaiye couldn’t make her feel secure. He only saw her as a partner in his schemes, so she would treat him the same way, never giving an inch more.
After their night together, the atmosphere between them seemed harmonious the next morning, as if they had returned to how things were before. Though Shen Zaiye’s face remained expressionless, his overall demeanor had softened considerably. He carried her to the table for breakfast as usual. Seeing her eyes closed from exhaustion, he gently opened her mouth and fed her spoonfuls of porridge.
“Can’t even swallow?” he raised an eyebrow.
The person in his arms mumbled, smacking her lips and snuggling closer to him.
His heart seemed to soften at her actions. Shen Zaiye smiled, fed her two more spoonfuls, then carried her to wash up before tucking her back into bed.
The misunderstanding was cleared up, right? He thought that as long as she wasn’t acting sarcastic like the past few days, his life would be much more comfortable.
However, after just a few days, Shen Zaiye found this comfort completely overshadowed by a new annoyance!
Lu Zhilan had many things she wanted to do with him. Whenever he had free time at the mansion, she would drag him out. Shopping, hiking, eating out – these were debts he owed her, and he accepted that. But that damned Jiang Taohua not only didn’t complain, she even helped arrange everything perfectly for them. Each time, she would stand at the door with a smile to see them off, saying, “Be careful on your way.”
Could a woman be this magnanimous? Shen Zaiye didn’t believe it, but he also couldn’t believe that Jiang Taohua had no feelings for him at all. After much consideration, he finally pulled Xu Yangui aside to ask.
Xu Yangui looked at him with disdain. “Why are you so demanding? She’s fulfilling her role as the lady of the house perfectly. She doesn’t interfere with you, doesn’t bother you, and doesn’t scheme behind your back to obstruct you and Lu Zhilan. Yet you turn around and think she’s too indifferent? What do you want her to do?”
“At least act like a normal woman should,” Shen Zaiye said sternly. “I’m not asking her to be angry, but if she showed even a hint of concern or jealousy, I’d think she was still human.”
Xu Yangui thought for a moment, then said somewhat guiltily, “Well… I might have told her some things a long time ago.”
“What things?” Shen Zaiye frowned. “You went to see her privately again?”
“It was a long time ago,” Xu Yangui quickly moved away. “When she first learned about Lu Zhilan, she seemed a bit dejected. So I went to tell her about your relationship with Lu Zhilan, and assured her that you would never fall for Lu Zhilan, telling her not to worry.”
Shen Zaiye was speechless.
So that was the problem? He glared at Xu Yangui with a darkened face. “Why did you have to meddle?”
No wonder Jiang Taohua wasn’t jealous after hearing such things.
“I felt sorry for her at the time,” Xu Yangui pouted. “Besides, what I said wasn’t wrong. You and Lu Zhilan could never be together anyway.”
Shen Zaiye snorted coldly, eyeing him. “You’re not the worm in my belly. How do you know I won’t develop feelings for Zhilan? Remembering all these things now, if I suddenly feel touched by her past devotion, that wouldn’t be strange at all.”
Mouth agape, Xu Yangui stared at him. “You can’t be serious?”
He seemed to care about Jiang Taohua, so what was this all about? Jiang Taohua was warm on the outside but cold inside. It was already difficult enough to gain her care, and this fool wanted to take a roundabout approach.
“You’d better go gather information about Zhao,” Shen Zaiye said. “After the two countries formally ally, I might need you to personally visit the Zhao palace.”
“I understand the mission,” Xu Yangui looked at him worriedly. “I’ll follow your lead on important matters, but when it comes to matters of the heart, you’d better listen to me. To win a woman’s true heart, you need to offer your own true heart. Don’t think of any crooked schemes.”
True heart? Shen Zaiye glanced at him. “I just want to confirm her feelings, to avoid being stabbed in the back later.”
He had already pulled her onto his boat, but truthfully, he wasn’t very confident about her. Without emotional ties, a woman could easily betray him. Especially Jiang Taohua, who could match wits with him. He couldn’t feel at ease entrusting his weakness to her unless she loved him as wholeheartedly as Lu Zhilan once did.
(End of Chapter)