Chapter 30

Xie Qinghong stood high on the steps, surrounded by beautiful girls with the same demeanor as her, looking at Qiu Ran in the middle of the street with a hint of mockery in her eyes.

A passerby asked curiously, "In the past, this young master Qiu was so distinguished that many girls would throw handkerchiefs at him. What's going on today?"

Then a busybody replied, "This young master Qiu is spreading rumors out of thin air, slandering people's innocence. His moral character is despicable, and his evil deeds are too numerous to count. Even a young lady would be ashamed to associate with such a scoundrel."

"His father is the governor of Huaizhou."

"So what?" a passerby scoffed. "The girl in the middle is the Grand Secretary, and look at the others. Their fathers are either famous scholars or important officials in the court. How can they lose in terms of family background?"

These words reached Qiu Ran and his servant's ears. Qiu Ran was furious, but out of concern for his father's reputation as an official, he gritted his teeth and suppressed his temper. It was not good to start a fight in public; he had to wait until no one was around to do anything.

Xie Qinghong smiled and tilted her head. The leaf-shaped hair ornament in her hair hung down beside her ear, making her profile even more exquisite. She turned around and said, "Yechunlou is about to start its banquet. Don't linger here. Go on over." A group of young girls, their clothes fluttering, left the teahouse chatting and laughing. They didn't even glance at Qiu Ran, which only made the scene before them more ironic.

The servant boy was trembling with fear, not daring to look at his master's expression, but he had to remind him, "Master, why don't you go back to the manor to change your clothes first?"

Qiu Ran laughed in exasperation: "Ha, I'd like to see how she'll be able to laugh in the future." He didn't believe that the Prince of the South could tolerate his fiancée's promiscuity.

Just then, the servant who had seen the "lover" earlier suddenly whispered, "My lord, I saw the lover. He was carrying a long sword. There could be no one else who looked so fierce and menacing. I am absolutely certain!"

Qiu Ran immediately looked in the direction the waiter pointed. The man had just come down from the pastry shop opposite the teahouse. He was tall and handsome, with bright, star-like eyes, but his expression was aloof, as if keeping people at arm's length. In contrast to his demeanor, he was carrying a pastry box, which he carefully protected as he passed by people.

Pei Du had just arrived in Huaizhou City. Despite traveling all night, he showed no signs of fatigue. Just now, while upstairs at the pastry shop, he heard some noise on the street outside, but he didn't pay attention and was only focused on choosing pastries. When he came downstairs, he noticed someone watching him. He looked up and recognized Qiu Ran, the son of the governor of Huaizhou.

Those who appear refined on the surface but are actually like weeds in their hearts are not worth worrying about.

Pei Du walked past without looking to the side, heading towards Yechun Tower. Because Huaizhou City was not far from Yuecheng, he had been there several times before, and had written about the snow on the mountain peaks outside the city and the ten miles of lanterns inside the city in "Southward Crossing", so he was very familiar with what was in this city.

At that time, he was restless and could only follow the example of the ancients and find solace in nature. But time has proven that those who are attached to something cannot get rid of it.

Xie Qinghong had already arranged for her classmates to be seated. Yechunlou served authentic Huaiyang cuisine, which suited her taste perfectly. However, the Yechunlou in Huaizhou was very similar in decor to the one in Wangjing. A small window opened at one end of the corridor, and a gentle breeze blew in, causing the bells hanging outside the private rooms to tinkle.

As soon as she walked in, she thought she had returned to Wangjing. She couldn't help but marvel at how similar the corridor was. It was as if when she pushed open the door, there should have been a group of people opening doors next to her, and a young man in black clothes would have looked up at her.

For a fleeting moment, her thoughts and the bustling scene before her intersected in time and space, leaving her slightly dazed and feeling strange. She clearly had no feelings for Pei Du, so why could she remember their first meeting so clearly, even the expression on his face in the dim light of the corridor that day remained distinct?

During the meal, a few glasses of fruit wine were naturally served, but they weren't intoxicating, only making the girl's face slightly flushed. Xie Qinghong enjoyed this kind of interaction. In the past, she was considered the youngest, and Cui Luo had always taken care of her. This was the first time she had hosted a classmate like an older sister.

Thinking this, she casually asked about their ages, wanting to hear "older sister" a few more times. However, after going through the list, she realized that everyone except her cousin, who was a month younger, was older than her. Her cousin, never one to shy away from a good laugh, exclaimed, "Don't you know my older sister's nickname at home is 'A-Yao'? Isn't that cute?"

"Is your nickname so cute? How about calling me 'A-Yao' in private from now on? Or you can call me 'Little Sister'..."

Xie Qinghong finally accepted it: "Then let's just call her Ayao." As the youngest, she was forbidden from drinking fruit wine, just like her cousin.

By the time the banquet ended, it was past noon. She stepped out of the private room and heard the door next to her open. She looked over instinctively and, as if time and space had overlapped, Pei Du, dressed in black, stepped over the threshold, stood by the door, turned his head, and looked at her face through a long lamp.

The midday sun was shining brightly, and behind him was the small, open window. The sun had just shifted slightly and was casting its rays obliquely on his shoulder.

Xie Qinghong was speechless for a moment, but the person in front of her seemed to know what she was going to say, took a step forward, and asked softly, "Did you bring your sister to have dinner?"

Before she could answer, he said, "There are many of you, why don't you let me go first?" Behind her was the staircase leading downstairs.

"You're so annoying." Xie Qinghong sighed, realizing that he was good at arguing, but he was inexplicably inferior to Pei Du. He could always find a way to nitpick and shut him down completely.

She frowned and stepped aside, saying, "Go."

Pei Du chuckled softly but made no move, remaining standing beside her. The classmates inside had already sensed something and whispered, asking if it was a man they knew. His cousin peeked out and immediately pulled the few who wanted to come out back into the private room.

Separated by a door, Xie Qinghong blushed inexplicably, thinking it must be because she had drunk too much fruit wine earlier.

Just as she was trying to figure out how to brush this off, footsteps sounded on the stairs, and she immediately stepped aside. A malicious voice came from behind her: "What a coincidence! Miss Xie, you are engaged. I've heard that Prince Pei has already proposed in Wangjing. How could you do something so disrespectful to him here? This is truly... alas, an insult to refinement!"

Xie Qinghong frowned and looked over, only to see that Qiu Ran was followed by several scholars from Baihe Academy and highly respected teachers. Among them, Teacher Zhu was the first to frown: "How can a woman meet with a man outside the marriage? A woman should remain chaste and pure, and even widows are not allowed to remarry. How can someone who is already engaged do such a morally depraved thing?"

Xie Qinghong didn't speak, but turned and glanced at Pei Du.

Pei Du couldn't help but lower his head and slightly curl his lips. When he looked up again, his eyes were indifferent, and his gaze was fixed on Qiu Ran. His tone was unreadable: "What are you talking about?"

Qiu Ran was taken aback that his lover would dare to speak so arrogantly to the old-fashioned Mr. Zhu. He feigned surprise: "Who are you? I suppose you are unaware of the majesty of Prince Pei and have made a mistake in your actions..."

Pei Du interrupted his nonsensical remarks: "I am Pei Du, Miss Xie's fiancé."

She had just been engaged to her fiancé.