"So it was you."
From the bamboo grove emerged a handsome youth, also dressed in an ivory-white robe with silver-threaded trim. Compared to the pale little dumpling, his attire was the epitome of elegance and refinement.
He stopped before Shen Miao, looking down at her with a probing gaze.
The youth was exceptionally tall—Shen Miao barely reached his chest. His habitual roguish smirk, which might have seemed condescending as if looking at a child, was rendered utterly unoffensive by his striking features. Any ordinary maiden would likely have been left breathless and flushed by now.
But Shen Miao was no true blushing maiden. She swept a glance over him and remained silent.
The youth curved his lips into a smile, and before anyone noticed, a delicate dagger had appeared in his hand. He turned the sheath toward himself and used the hilt to tilt Shen Miao’s chin upward, forcing her to meet his gaze.
Reluctantly, Shen Miao looked at him.
The youth appeared to be in his late teens, with sharp brows and starry eyes that shimmered like autumn waters. His half-smiling expression was captivating, yet the depths of his gaze sent chills—those were piercing eyes, almost as if they could see straight into one’s soul. A person like this, no matter how carefree he might seem on the surface, likely had a heart as impenetrable as ice.
She took a deep breath and stepped back, freeing her chin from the dagger’s hilt. Calmly, she said, "Young Marquis Xie."
Xie Jingxing smiled, his tone inscrutable. "You know me?"
"Everyone in the capital knows of Young Marquis Xie," Shen Miao replied evenly. The words carried a faint hint of mockery, but her delivery was so matter-of-fact that it was impossible to discern her tone.
"I don’t know you," Xie Jingxing said, glancing at her before shifting his gaze to the trembling dumpling on the ground. "You had Su Minlang deliver a message to the Su family."
"A message?" Shen Miao looked at him and suddenly smiled faintly. "I merely taught him a way to avoid his father’s scolding—diverting attention, that’s all. Hardly worth calling it a 'message.' Young Marquis is overthinking things."
"Overthinking?" The youth savored the words playfully before suddenly stepping forward, nearly pressing Shen Miao against the massive tree trunk behind her. His expression was ambiguous, but his tone was crystal clear: "If I didn’t overthink, you’d have fooled me."
Shen Miao frowned.
Though Ming Qi was not overly strict about interactions between men and women, such behavior between unmarried youths in broad daylight was still improper. Especially outside the Hall of Extensive Learning, where the children of noble families often gathered—if someone were to see them. She didn’t care about her own reputation being tarnished, but she couldn’t bear the thought of Shen Xin being shamed because of her. In her past life, the Shen family had fallen because of her, and only then had she understood her parents’ painstaking efforts. In this second chance, she would protect her family—how could she allow anyone to speak ill of the Shens? Especially if it was because of her.
With this in mind, Shen Miao grew impatient. "Young Marquis Xie, if you’re here to demand answers, what exactly do you want?"
Xie Jingxing studied the girl before him.He had always possessed an extraordinarily sharp intuition about everything. Some matters could reveal their undercurrents just from the surface. These were skills honed over more than a decade of life—killing on the battlefield, the treacherous struggles beneath the veneer of Fixed Capital, and the hidden schemes within the inner chambers. That he had grown up so boldly was not solely due to luck. Among the noble families of Ming Qi, the number of young scions who met untimely ends each year for various reasons was never small.
He never took anything lightly.
A single remark from Su Minlang wouldn’t lead Su Mingfeng to make other associations, and Master Su would think it was just his son’s unintentional reminder. But to him, it was different. The timing was too precise, and true coincidences in this world were far too rare. Many apparent coincidences were man-made.
He could be certain someone had coached Su Minlang to say those words, though the purpose remained unknown.
He intended to meet this person.
Yet when he finally did, it left him utterly astonished.
Xie Jingxing had originally assumed that someone capable of such meaningful words, and from the Hall of Extensive Learning no less, would be the son of some influential court official or a young man about to enter politics. Perhaps they sought to win over the Su family, or perhaps it was a ploy of playing hard to get. But when he saw this person, he nearly suspected Su Minlang of playing a trick on him. It wasn’t until the girl called out to Su Minlang that he confirmed it was indeed her.
The girl before him was not tall, barely reaching his chest. Her features weren’t particularly striking either—at best, she could be called cute. She looked no older than eleven or twelve, her hair tied in double buns, her face round, her eyes round, her lips small. Standing there, she resembled a lost fawn in the woods. Yet she stood straight and poised, her words deliberate and measured, as if she were a noblewoman trained in the palace. Did she aspire to be the Empress? If not for seeing it with his own eyes, Xie Jingxing might have choked on his own spit.
Up and down, left and right—she was just a little brat.
Until he exchanged a few words with her.
Her face was childish, but her tone was steady. Not a trace of panic showed on her features; if anything, she seemed slightly impatient. For Young Marquis Xie, this was a first. Other women would already be blushing furiously at such proximity, yet her expression remained indifferent—utterly dull.
Perhaps she was too young to understand anything. But then why did she understand matters concerning the Su family?
He braced one hand against the tree trunk behind Shen Miao, so that from the outside, it almost looked like he was encircling her in his arms. Xie Jingxing leaned down, bringing his face dangerously close to hers.
"You’re not afraid of me."
"Young Marquis, you’re not some man-eating monster. What is there to fear?" Shen Miao replied coolly. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll return to the hall now." With that, she made to leave.
"Stop." Xie Jingxing raised his hand, and Shen Miao’s hair brushed against his palm, tickling like ants crawling over his skin. He withdrew his hand, stepping back to lean against the tree, arms crossed, resuming his usual air of nonchalance.
"What’s your purpose in warning the Su family?"
His words were as sharp as his gaze—never concealing their edge, direct and impulsive, yet laden with boundless implications.
Shen Miao sighed inwardly.Xie Jingxing was even more astute than she had imagined. With just a word from Su Minlang, he had managed to track them here. Not only that, but he had also discerned their purpose. In her past life, she had only known him as someone with grand ambitions, but now it seemed he was also remarkably perceptive.
How could one conceal their true intentions when dealing with someone so clever? Unfortunately, she had never intended to hide anything in the first place.
"Nothing more than self-preservation."
After uttering these words, she gave Xie Jingxing a slight curtsy and turned to leave without another thought.
Six words—Jingxing would understand.
Behind her, the young man curled his lips into a faint smile, twirling the short knife in his hand.
"Su Minlang, what's her name?"
－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－
Mwah, how's our little marquis doing?
...
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