She was talking and laughing while saying something to the man. She didn't really smile, but he looked unhappy.

She seemed to have noticed something, and turned around in a daze. When she met his gaze, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes. She hurriedly turned around, said goodbye to the man, and then returned to the banquet with her head lowered.

The eldest lady smiled and said, "It's rare for Xuejun to come here, you must accompany her..."

Xie Xianyu: "I just came from the Imperial Prison. I'm going to change clothes first."

The eldest lady frowned upon hearing this, took one look at his spotless robes, and finally nodded: "Then go quickly and come back soon."

Xie Xianyu bowed, then turned and left.

Wanruo didn't know if it was an illusion, but she felt that when Xie Xianyu left, he seemed to give her a cold glance.

Wanruo felt frightened and quickly thought about how she had offended him.

Could it be that he noticed something was wrong with Madam Sanri and saw that she was plotting something?

Su Yue suddenly stepped forward and whispered in Wan Ruo's ear in a low voice, "The eldest master asked the young lady to go back."

Wanruo just nodded.

Wanruo was inconspicuous and no one noticed when she left the table.

When they arrived at Songheju, Xie Xianyu was standing by the window with his hands behind his back, already waiting.

Wanruo walked in: "Cousin."

He turned around to look at her, his dark eyes seemed to see through her.

Wanruo's heart tightened for no reason, and she asked cautiously, "Cousin, is there something you want to talk to me about?"

He slowly approached her, his clear eyes carrying an invisible sense of strong oppression, forcing her to retreat.

Wanruo clenched her hands in her sleeves, pursed her lips and stood still.

"Who is that man?"

Wanruo was stunned for a moment: "What?"

She looked into his deep eyes, and then she realized belatedly that the person he asked was not Yuan Zhao.

Wanruo breathed a sigh of relief and readily replied, "Who was that person who just spoke to me? He was a candidate attending a banquet. I don't know who he was. I just met him in the peach forest and asked for directions."

Wanruo avoided the important issues and didn't say anything in the first place.

He raised his hand and touched her face, pressing the tip of his thumb against her lips, leaving a hint of vermilion on them. His eyes were filled with mystery: "Really?"

Wanruo's heart tightened, and she felt a little breathless: "What's wrong?"

She hated this feeling so much. Others said that Xie Xianyu was a gentleman as gentle as the breeze and the moon, but only Wanruo knew that he was moody, vindictive, and very good at tormenting people!

Sometimes she even regretted why she chose to seduce him.

She had thought he was the most talkative person in the Xie family, but she had never expected him to be the most troublesome. Over the past year, she had been trembling with fear in his presence all the time.

He stared at her lips: "I remember you don't like bright colors like this."

Not only did she wear bright-colored lipstick, she also wore powder. When you got close to her, you could smell the refreshing scent of jasmine.

She always wore plain clothes, the plainest makeup, and the plainest skirts. She never wore the jewelry he gave her. She tried her best to make herself a transparent member of the Xie family and was afraid of attracting attention.

The last time he saw her dress so thoughtfully was a year ago, when he first met her.

Wanruo's breathing hitched. Although no one else noticed her little thought, Xie Xianyu saw through it at a glance.

She forced herself to remain calm and said, "It was the Spring Festival Banquet today. I just wanted to have a good start. If my cousin doesn't like it, I won't use lip balm like that next time."

Xie Xianyu's face was unhappy, and it was obvious that he was not relieved.

She was also getting a little impatient, unable to bear it any longer, and said, "Do you think I'm not even worthy of the ordinary woman's love of beauty, cousin? At the Spring Festival banquet yesterday, which girl wasn't dressed up beautifully in red and green? I didn't steal anyone's limelight, I don't know why you have to pick on me!"