Holy crap, how could it be Fu Shou'an?!

Under his scrutinizing gaze, Zhan Xinjia suddenly felt as if ants were crawling all over her body.

You probably wouldn't recognize me...

After all, she hadn't met Fu Shouan many times, and the room was dimly lit. Before coming, she had even used charcoal to adjust the details of her eyebrows and eyes and deliberately lowered her voice.

He remained silent, only staring intently at her.

She remained silent, only feeling awkward.

The atmosphere froze, the air eerily quiet.

Zhan Xinjia mustered her courage, braced herself, and quickly stepped forward to place the dishes on the table. Then, holding the plates, she turned to leave, but as soon as she took a step, she heard Fu Shouan's questioning voice behind her.

Do you have any other alcoholic beverages here?

"Yes, brother. Of course, there's more than one of these fine wines that are smooth on the palate and go down smoothly like the one you're drinking now! We have nine more in total, all of which are best-selling wines that were just brewed last month."

Before the brain could even process it, the mouth had already reflexively started responding.

Zhan Xinjia belatedly realized what was happening and quickly covered her mouth with both hands, causing the plate she was holding to fall to the ground with a loud clatter.

She hurriedly bent down to pick up the plate, and under Fu Shouan's suspicious gaze, she gave an awkward laugh and slowly lowered her head to look at the tips of her shoes.

The girl awkwardly wiped her hands on the apron around her waist, then raised her finger to brush away the stray hairs by her ear and adjusted her headscarf, looking every bit the timid and cowardly country girl.

"Haha... Sir, shall I go get you some wine?"

Fu Shouan didn't respond, but poured himself a cup from the wine pot on the table.

Unexpectedly, the liquid poured from the wine jug was as viscous as porridge, even stringy, and a layer of fluorescent powder that had not yet blended with the wine floated on the surface, bubbling with eerie green bubbles.

Fu Shouan's lips twitched a few times.

"...You didn't poison this wine, did you?"

"No, just add whatever you want to drink."

"..."

Fu Shouan gave him another death stare, while Zhan Xinjia lowered his head further and further like a quail.

She couldn't figure out why Fu Shou'an wouldn't let her go. Had she triggered some side story? Did this villainous supporting character have some kind of ambiguous romantic relationship with the male lead?

Upon receiving the letter, a sudden inspiration struck me.

"Sir/Madam~"

The girl gave a affected, high-pitched, coquettish cry.

Before Fu Shouan could react, she stiffly twisted her waist and walked up to him, then pulled out a fragrant handkerchief from somewhere and frantically flung it around his side.

"Our shop doesn't offer that kind of service. You're really putting me at a loss for words~"

Trying hard to recall her mother's usual glamorous appearance, Zhan Xinjia recited the words dryly. To her delight, her "seduction" made Fu Shouan's expression look as ugly as if he had eaten shit.

"Damn it, get lost, I'm a respectable man."

He threw down his wine glass and waved his hand dismissively. Upon seeing this, Zhan Xinjia lifted the hem of her skirt and ran outside.

Just as I closed the door, a middle-aged man in a dark long coat, with a fat head, big ears, and a fierce face, blocked my way in the hallway.

"You shameless, promiscuous little slut! I told you to deliver the food to the customers, and you, you vixen, took the opportunity to seduce them, didn't you! You dare to cuckold me? I'll beat you to death tonight!"

He reached out to twist Zhan Xinjia's ear, but Zhan Xinjia, unaware of what was happening, instinctively dodged to the side.

She was stunned.

Who the hell is this?

Her attempt to dodge only resulted in the middle-aged man unleashing even more vile and offensive insults.

For a moment, spittle flew everywhere.

"You dare to hide? You've gone too far!"

The middle-aged man grabbed Zhan Xinjia's arm menacingly and dragged her down the stairs. Zhan Xinjia could easily break free, but making too much noise would inevitably disturb others.

If we get caught, we're doomed.

She pushed and shoved him a few times, then pretended to comply and let him drag her downstairs. After taking only a few steps, a cold voice suddenly rang out from behind her.

The two words "light and airy" carry a subtle sense of oppression that sends a shiver down one's spine.

"stop."

Upon hearing the sound, Zhan Xinjia turned around in surprise.

A young man who had appeared out of nowhere was looking down at the two people struggling on the stairs.

The corridor was dimly lit, and the warm light from the half-open door behind the young man spilled onto the floor. He stood against the light, and Zhan Xinjia couldn't see his expression, but her heart began to race uncontrollably.

Mr. Xiao Shen! !

At first, she was overjoyed and couldn't hide her excitement, but she quickly realized that she must not be discovered that she had followed him out the door and killed and buried people along the way.

Zhan Xinjia quickly lowered his head and hid behind the shopkeeper, covering his face with a handkerchief.

Lord Shen took pity on her and took her in because he thought she was a helpless, amnesiac orphan. If his identity were exposed or he found out that she wasn't as innocent and harmless as she seemed, he would definitely kick her out...

Although she had no ill intentions from beginning to end, it was indeed a deception for Lord Shen.

Zhan Xinjia was somewhat annoyed.

The middle-aged man who was stopped changed his expression like a Sichuan opera face-changing act; his originally fierce face suddenly became full of wrinkles, with a fawning look.

"Sir, I'm so sorry, I was disciplining my maid and disturbed you. I'll drag her away right away. Sir, is there anything else you need?"

Shen Suqing glanced at the little girl hiding behind the middle-aged man, furtively covering her face with a handkerchief.

"She stayed."

"This, this, sir, this is inappropriate. This shameless woman is my betrothed, how can I..."

Not only the innkeeper, but even Zhan Xinjia was shocked.

Could it be that Lord Shen has a penchant for married women?!

“I told you, she’ll stay.”

The young man took two steps down the steps, speaking slowly and deliberately, emphasizing each word.

He had the appearance of a frail, refined scholar, his handsome face usually carrying a slight smile, radiating kindness and gentleness. But at this moment, his half-closed, dark phoenix eyes seemed to be filled with a cold glint, devoid of any smile.

You could even glimpse the suppressed anger in his eyes.

Under the intimidating gaze of the young man, the shopkeeper felt a chill run down his spine, and cold sweat involuntarily beaded on his forehead.

His eyes darted around, and he respectfully smiled at Chen Suqing, nodding and bowing repeatedly.

"Yes, yes. If you like it, sir, you can have it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhan Xinjia's hand, which was being held, was released, and the shopkeeper suddenly pushed her toward Chen Suqing, as if generously giving away some worthless, cheap item.

"Serve the guests well. If I find out you're up to something, you'll be sold to a brothel!"

Still in shock, Zhan Xinjia stumbled and was pushed face-to-face into Shen Suqing's arms by the shopkeeper. Her vision went black and her nose hit his chest hard.

With tears welling up in her eyes from the pain, Zhan Xinjia covered her nose in grievance and buried her face in his clothes.

Dude... how can you give in to your wife like that?? Even though she's a fake...

Fearing her identity would be exposed, the young girl hurriedly steadied herself and placed her hand on the young man's chest to try and create distance. Unexpectedly, the hand that reached out from behind her waist wrapped around her and naturally put one arm around her.

Zhan Xinjia, caught off guard, hurriedly uttered an "uh," only to be forcibly pressed back against the young man.

She was thus forced into his arms, in a posture of being protected and having her sovereignty asserted.

In that instant, my heart pounded like a drum.

Her heart was pounding so hard that her consciousness was becoming hazy. It sounded like a hundred ducks with their throats being choked were quacking in her head, making her mind go completely blank.

The sound of the shopkeeper's footsteps fading away as he went downstairs reached her ears. Coming back to her senses, Zhan Xinjia's lips trembled a few times, but no sound came out.

Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she turned her head away, trying to shrink herself into a small ball to minimize her presence.

For some reason, besides the initial smugness of sticking together, at this moment, an indescribable, intense bitterness welled up in her heart, her thoughts were in turmoil, as if her whole heart had been suddenly immersed in cold winter water.

I was both angry and aggrieved.

Yes, Lord Shen is a very good person.

So he will save and protect anyone who is in trouble or being bullied; if it's not her, it will be someone else.

She was never special or an exception.

From beginning to end, she just relied on her thick skin to stay by his side.

But would he be willing to hug and comfort a complete stranger like that?

...He clearly said that this was improper and not in accordance with the rules.

She can't, but others can.

So, does Master Shen simply dislike her?