"He said he saw that I brought a girl who was unconscious home and came to see what was wrong."

Seeing that Shen Qing remained silent, Cheng Zhiwen continued to explain, "My elder brother is the head steward of the Cheng family. It's normal for him to inquire about a stranger who has come to the manor. Don't worry, he's not a bad person."

Shen Qing sensed his protectiveness towards Cheng Zhiwu from his words, so she didn't say anything more. That night, Cheng Zhiwu's hand even reached for her blanket.

They are brothers born of the same mother; her saying these things would appear as an attempt to sow discord between them.

Never mind, I'll just be more careful in the future.

"Let's go." Cheng Zhiwen patted her hand that was linked with his arm. "We're almost there."

Arrive at the northeast corner of the house.

Inside the stone archway, there is a detached house, a pavilion, and an artificial hill bathed in the setting sun.

Shen Qing left this courtyard yesterday, but she left in such a hurry that she didn't have time to take a good look at it. Today, she took one look and immediately fell in love with it.

Wearing a gray-purple vest and skirt, with her hair tied in two small buns, Zi Yan, who was guarding the door, ran over and said, "Second Young Master, Second Madam, you're back. This servant will go and prepare dinner for you right away."

Cheng Zhiwen nodded.

Shen Qing smiled at Zi Yan: "Thank you."

Zi Yan was taken aback, then blushed a little: "Second Aunt, you're too kind."

She immediately took a liking to the new mistress of the yard.

Shen Qing followed Cheng Zhiwen and pushed open the door to go inside.

The entrance features a brown European-style leather sofa, a row of bookshelves against the wall on the left, and a set of rosewood table and chairs.

This is a well-proportioned suite, furnished entirely with the same set of rosewood furniture.

The bedroom is at the far end, with a four-poster bed covered with a soft, bright silk quilt.

Shen Qing walked over to the sofa, sat down, and looked around at the surroundings.

Cheng Zhiwen sat down next to her, turned her face to look at her, and her gaze went from her eyebrows and eyes all the way to her lips, where it lingered.

His gaze was so bold that Shen Qing noticed it too.

She immediately remembered that he had kissed her in front of the reporters that afternoon, so she quickly lowered her veil, moved her body slightly to the side, and distanced herself from him.

Fortunately, he quickly stood up: "I'll go take care of some other chores, you rest first."

Shen Qing got up to see him off.

After the door closed, she leaned against it, patted her cheeks, and prayed that her stay at the Cheng family's house would be peaceful.

"Knock knock..." Someone knocked on the door.

Shen Qing snapped out of her daze and pressed herself against the door, asking, "Who is it?"

"Miss Zhu, this is your servant Ziyan. The second young master asked me to bring you dinner."

Shen Qing opened the door.

Ziyan stood outside the door, holding a tray in both hands, followed by other maids, each holding a tray in their own hands.

"This servant greets Miss Zhu," everyone called out in unison.

Shen Qing stepped aside and smiled, "No need for formalities, please come in."

Dinner was served one by one on the coffee table, including steamed chicken with ginseng, fish soup, green vegetables, braised pork, boiled shrimp, and a bowl of bird's nest for dessert.

Although the dishes were not particularly expensive, they were beautifully presented, light and nutritious, and all to Shen Qing's liking.

She had a hearty meal.

Ziyan ordered the other maids to clear away all the tableware.

"Miss Zhu, the Second Young Master has instructed me to assist you with your bath and changing."

"Why don't you call me 'Second Concubine' anymore?"

Zi Yan said obediently, "The second young master just said that we should all call you 'Miss Zhu' from now on."

Shen Qing nodded.

Although I'm still not used to the new name, it sounds better than "concubine".

She got up, opened her suitcase, and took out a set of light gold silk pajamas and lingerie.

Seeing Ziyan staring in shock at the bra in her hand, she picked it up and held it up in front of her: "This is how you wear it."

Zi Yan blushed and lowered her head.

Shen Qing smiled: "You all wear bellybands, right? Those don't provide any support and are easy to sag. You need this to keep them upright."

Zi Yan's face turned even redder, almost to the point of covering it with her hands.

Shen Qing laughed heartily, slung her pajamas over her arm, and asked Zi Yan to take her to the bathroom.

She had assumed that, like the Gao family, the bathroom would be located elsewhere, but Ziyan led her through the bedroom instead.

There was actually a bathroom at the very back.

It wasn't big; the ground was covered with long, waterproof wooden planks, with gaps between them so that water could flow down.

The bathtub is made of ceramic and can fit two people at the same time. It's somewhat like a modern bathtub, except that a bathtub is oval-shaped while this bathtub is cylindrical.

There are also ceramic toilets and washbasins.

The washbasin was placed on a wooden frame, and on top of it was an oval-shaped bronze mirror.

The maid poured hot water into the bathtub. Ziyan tested the temperature and found it was suitable. She was about to help Shen Qing undress when Shen Qing sent her away.

She immersed herself in the hot water and closed her eyes in comfort.

On cold days, happiness comes from hot water.

Shen Qing soaked her body in the hot water, closed her eyes to rest, and drifted off to sleep.

With a loud bang, there was a crisp sound outside the door, like some metal object falling to the ground.

Shen Qing woke up at the sound, opened her eyes, and asked loudly, "Who is it?"

No one answered from outside.

Shen Qing blurted out, "Cheng Zhiwen? Is that you?"

Still no one answered.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingxin immediately got up from the bathtub, quickly grabbed the long dress hanging on the clothes rack, and put it on.

After getting dressed, she opened the door and went out.

There was no one outside, and no metal objects on the ground.

But the sound just now was so clear; she couldn't have misheard it.

Barefoot, Shen Qing checked every corner of the room to make sure there was no one else inside. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and walk to the door, intending to lock it from the inside.

Just as my hand touched the latch, the door was pushed open from the outside.

Shen Qing was startled and took two steps back.

It was Cheng Zhiwen.

He pushed the door open, glanced at her, and closed it: "Finished washing?"

Seeing her bare feet: "It's cold, why are you barefoot?"

Shen Qing then belatedly realized that her feet were cold.

He rubbed his right foot against the back of his left foot to warm it, then stood firmly on one foot and said with lingering fear, "I was taking a bath when I heard a noise outside, so I quickly came out to check."

What kind of sound was it?

"The sound of a metal object falling to the floor is a bit like a knife..."

Cheng Zhiwen immediately stepped forward and picked her up in his arms.

She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

I was initially on tenterhooks, but his arrival suddenly put my mind at ease.

He carried her to the bathroom before putting her down, saying, "Don't worry about washing, I'll be right outside, I won't leave." He then left and closed the door behind him.

Shen Qing bolted the door, losing all interest in taking a bath. She quickly rinsed herself off, changed into her nightgown, and went out.

Cheng Zhiwen sat on the sofa.

He took off his suit jacket and tie, unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, rested his elbows on his knees, and placed his hands in a tower shape against the tip of his nose, lost in thought.

Shen Qing felt a bit cold, so she walked over with her head down and sat down opposite him, where she saw the gun holster on the coffee table.

He always kept the gun tucked into his waistband. He never took it off when he stayed in inns or hotels, and he always slept with it tucked in.

Just then, he got up, walked to the foot of the bed, took a silk robe, and draped it over her shoulders.

"Thank you." Shen Qing adjusted her bathrobe.

Cheng Zhiwen sat down next to her: "I asked the maids in the courtyard if anyone else entered the room while you were taking a bath."