Jing Zhi was about to help Yan Qing change her clothes and dress her hair. Yan Qing waved her off. “This is our own home — a calm, ordinary attitude is enough.”

Though she said it with composure, the memory of her death in her previous life surfaced again and again as she made her way there. Each time it came back to her, the chill gnawed through to her very bones, and the hatred she felt toward that man built layer upon layer once more.

“Miss, are you alright?” Murong noticed her breaking out in a cold sweat repeatedly, and couldn’t help worrying about her.

“I’m fine.” Yan Qing said. “Let’s go.”

When they arrived at Yan Laoye’s courtyard, the main hall was warmly lit, and several maids came and went carrying trays. When they saw Yan Qing, they all stopped to curtsy.

Yan Laoye was receiving Shi Guang with the ceremonial courtesies reserved for honored guests. The Eight Immortals table in the sitting room was filled with preserved fruits, pastries, Chinese tea, and Western coffee — a rich and generous spread.

Shi Guang sat on one side of the table, holding a celadon teacup in his hand, dressed in a three-piece gray-brown pinstripe suit, his hair combed into impeccable order.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up — and saw Murong pushing Yan Qing through the doorway.

Yan Qing wore no cosmetics, dressed in a pale pink bamboo-leaf-collar blouse, with a thin blanket adorned with tasseled pendants draped across her legs, covering all the way down to her feet.

Yan Laoye rose at once to welcome them, beaming as he made the introduction to Shi Guang: “Worthy nephew Weizhi, this is my daughter, Yan Qing.”

Shi Guang’s courtesy name was Weizhi. He ranked second among the Shi brothers.

Shi Guang stood, wearing a mild smile, and gave a gentlemanly nod. “Sixth Miss Yan, how do you do.”

Yan Qing’s expression remained composed and unreadable. “Second Young Master.”

“The two of you met before at the Shi residence.” Yan Laoye said. “It was just a pity that circumstances weren’t ideal at the time, and there wasn’t much opportunity to speak.”

Shi Guang smiled, his gaze resting on Yan Qing’s smooth, fair face.

He had seen many women who wore heavy makeup. To suddenly encounter a face bare of powder, fresh and clean — it gave him a pleasant jolt.

Rumors had clearly not lied — the Sixth Miss of the Yan family, though disabled, possessed the beauty of a celestial maiden.

Although it seemed the rumors were not entirely accurate either. At least what had been said about her character differed entirely from the person standing before him.

“Weizhi, I have some pressing matters to see to — I’ll come back shortly.” Yan Laoye gave a warm laugh. “You and Qing’er have a chat for now.”

Shi Guang replied courteously: “Of course, Uncle Yan.”

As Yan Laoye left, he caught Murong’s eye and signaled to her. Murong, still worried about Yan Qing, had no choice but to follow Yan Laoye out of the hall.

The air carried the faint scent of coffee. From an ornate incense burner, a slender thread of smoke curled upward.

Shi Guang smiled. “We only met briefly last time, without the chance to introduce myself properly. My name is Shi Guang, courtesy name Weizhi, twenty-five years old, currently serving in the military. You may call me Weizhi, or simply Shi Guang.”

Yan Qing said nothing, lowering her eyes slightly — as though acknowledging his words.

Faced with Yan Qing’s indifference, Shi Guang was mildly surprised. He was accustomed to women around him fawning and flattering, surrounding him front and back. This was perhaps the first time in his life he had encountered anyone who treated him with such cool disregard.

“May I ask how old Sixth Miss is?”

Yan Qing raised her head, but her gaze didn’t fall on him — instead it rested on a teapot sitting on the Eight Immortals table, painted with two sprigs of plum blossoms, clean and graceful.

“Second Young Master.” She did not call him Weizhi, nor did she use the more familiar address of his given name, Shi Guang — she used a form of address even more distant than her father’s. “Since you’ve come today, there are some things we should speak about plainly.”

Shi Guang could feel her detachment — this woman seemed to be pushing him away from head to toe.

“What would Sixth Miss like to speak about?”

“The marriage.”

Shi Guang thought to himself: although this Sixth Miss was trying to keep her distance, at heart she was still anxious about the marriage between them. Of all the unmarried young women in Shun Cheng, which one didn’t dream of becoming a Shi family wife? At this thought, he couldn’t help but lift his chin slightly. “Is there something the matter with the marriage?”

Yan Qing shook her head. “Second Young Master, I’ve heard that this marriage came about as a verbal promise my father made to the Marshal, out of gratitude for a favor. Setting aside the fact that we are complete strangers to each other and have no affection whatsoever — my disabled condition alone makes me unworthy of the Second Young Master’s distinguished standing.”

Shi Guang’s expression shifted — he had clearly not anticipated her saying anything of this kind.

“What does Sixth Miss mean by this?”

Yan Qing said: “The Second Young Master was born into a prominent family and holds a high position, with the Marshal’s deep trust. Perhaps in time you will prove to be a figure who unifies the nation. Whereas I am nothing more than the daughter of a merchant, disabled, with a timid and pliable nature — wholly unfit to bear the responsibilities of head of a household. I know that this marriage does the Second Young Master a disservice. And so, I ask that you return home and discuss this seriously with the Marshal — might this engagement be dissolved, so that the Second Young Master is free to marry someone worthy of him?”

Breaking off the engagement?

Shi Guang was struck by three successive waves of shock.

“You want to break off the engagement?” His furrowed brow and his expression seemed to convey three words: “Are you mad?”

Did she understand what this marriage meant for her?

“Does the Second Young Master not wish it dissolved?” Yan Qing said calmly. “A good marriage can be a tremendous asset — and clearly, a union with the Yan family does not accomplish that.”

Shi Guang found himself completely at a loss for words.

“Since this marriage was never something the Second Young Master chose willingly, why not be rid of it?”

“What makes you think I’m unwilling?”

“The Yan family, though also a prosperous household, is not among the foremost families in Shun Cheng. And I am disabled, unable to fulfill a wife’s duties, and with no prospect of continuing the family line. What reason would the Second Young Master have to willingly accept this?”

Shi Guang said nothing.

“So long as the Second Young Master persuades the Marshal, I will guarantee I can persuade my father in turn. Once the engagement is dissolved, the Second Young Master is a free man — free to choose from the finest families and finest young women Shun Cheng has to offer.”

Shi Guang looked at her steadily. “Is this truly what you mean?”

“Nothing could be more sincere.”

After a pause, Shi Guang said in a low, measured tone: “Yan Qing, you genuinely make me see you in a new light.”

Yan Qing’s brow furrowed slightly.

“If this is a ploy of playing hard to get, then you have succeeded — I will tell you plainly: this marriage, I will not be dissolving.”

Shi Guang watched her previously tranquil face gradually fracture before him — a look of disbelief, then of flustered confusion.

He couldn’t help but smile. “I’m someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy conceding to others.”

“Have you not considered your own future? A good marriage can give you wings.”

“You’re so clever, and the Yan family is quite wealthy — how do you know this isn’t a good marriage?”

Yan Qing realized that this Shi Guang did not seem inclined to follow expected logic. His reaction was entirely unlike anything she had anticipated.

Where exactly had she gone wrong? Why had her words only stirred up his determination?

“Yan Qing — you’re flustered, aren’t you?” Shi Guang stepped forward, placing both hands on the armrests of Yan Qing’s wheelchair and leaning down to meet her gaze face to face. “I don’t know why you want to break off this engagement with me. Perhaps this truly is your way of playing hard to get — but let me tell you: you’ve caught my interest. I want to know you. I want to make you my woman.”

Yan Qing glared at him. “But I have no such interest.”

“You will.” Shi Guang smiled. “There is no one in this world who doesn’t want to be the wife of the young Marshal — no one who doesn’t want to stand above all others. And neither do you.”

Footsteps sounded from outside. At the sound, Shi Guang’s hands slowly left the wheelchair armrests, and he straightened up to his full height.

“So sorry — I kept you waiting.” Yan Laoye walked in, his face glowing. “What were you two talking about?”

Shi Guang smiled. “Interests and hobbies.”

“This child Qing’er has a quiet personality — she’s always been fond of reading, even as a little girl.”

“What a coincidence — so am I. I wonder what kinds of books Sixth Miss enjoys? I’ll have some sent over.”

“There’s no need.” Yan Qing refused coldly. “What I like to read, I’m afraid the Second Young Master wouldn’t understand.”

Yan Laoye immediately stepped in with a laugh to smooth things over: “Young girls tend to enjoy romantic and flowery reading — of course a young man of your standing wouldn’t have much use for that sort of thing.”

Shi Guang smiled. “The hour is getting late — I won’t impose any further. Sixth Miss should rest; she’s a delicate constitution.”

“Allow me to see you out, Worthy Nephew.” Yan Laoye winked at Yan Qing as he spoke, but Yan Qing simply turned her head away, entirely unmoved.

Yan Laoye had no choice but to personally see Shi Guang to the door. As Shi Guang left, he did not forget to bid Yan Qing farewell: “Sixth Miss — until we meet again.”

Yan Qing said not a single word, and her hands tightened around the blanket on her lap.

When Yan Laoye returned, he was both flustered and upset. “Qing’er, what was that attitude just now? If you offend Shi Guang, how will you ever manage after marrying into the Shi family?”

“Father, I have no intention of marrying him.” All the frustration that had been building inside Yan Qing came flooding out at once. The thought that Shi Guang shared the same face as Shen Liang filled her with revulsion and nausea.

Yan Laoye had not expected Yan Qing’s reaction to be so fierce. When she had first learned of this engagement, she had shown not the slightest resistance — for that docile, compliant version of her, marrying whoever she was told, whether she wanted to or not, was simply a matter of following her father’s will.

“Qing’er, what are you saying? Do you know how much of your father’s wealth went into securing this marriage for you? Do you know how envious your sisters are of this arrangement?”

Yan Qing said: “Father, I don’t like this Shi Guang. The very sight of him makes me feel uneasy. I truly cannot bring myself to marry a person I find so repugnant.”

“Foolish child — you’ve only met twice. How can you dislike him already?”

“I…” Yan Qing had been about to seize the opportunity and falsely accuse Shi Guang of taking liberties with her. But looking into Yan Laoye’s worried eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to deceive this family member who cared for her so deeply. “I just don’t like him. I would rather marry anyone else than him.”

Yan Laoye let out a long sigh. “When Shi Guang eventually inherits the Shi family’s legacy and takes up the position of Marshal of the North, you will be the Marshal’s wife — above all but one person, beneath none. Everything your father does, he does for your future. Qing’er — your father can protect you for a while, but not for a lifetime.”

After leaving Yan Laoye’s quarters, Yan Qing couldn’t shake the heaviness from her heart.

She had assumed she and Shi Guang might reach a mutual understanding and part ways by agreement. But the opposite had come to pass. Since neither the Shi Guang path nor the Yan Laoye path had yielded results, she would have to find another way.