Chapter 31

A breeze swept through the corridor, and the crisp sound of wind chimes rang out in the silence. Xie Qinghong looked at Qiu Ran, whose face was deathly pale, and suddenly a wicked thought arose in his mind. He deliberately said, "I remember that Young Master Qiu seemed to have mentioned earlier that he wanted to say something to the young master in person. What a coincidence today. Young Master Qiu, you might as well speak your mind."

Qiu Ran hadn't recovered from the shock yet. At this moment, he couldn't care less about Xie Qinghong's implied meaning. He only thought of the letter his father had sent to the Prince of Nan, and a belated regret surged into his heart like a tide—not regret for spreading rumors, but regret for bringing people here so rashly today.

He was so angered by Xie Qinghong and his group that he didn't plan as carefully as usual. As soon as he heard that he could catch Xie Qinghong red-handed, he lost his composure.

But it didn't matter; he didn't say anything else. Compared to that, what Mr. Zhu said was even more disgusting.

Seeing him speechless and looking flustered, Xie Qinghong looked at Mr. Zhu. This Mr. Zhu only taught at Baihe Academy. He was a very serious and rigid person. He would be unhappy if he saw female students at Bailu Academy, because he believed that women should not go to school. He thought that if they studied too much, they would develop many other thoughts.

She was a little unhappy, but remembering the teachings of respecting teachers since childhood, she didn't say anything. She just hung her head listlessly, feeling that everyone in the corridor was quite annoying.

Pei Du walked to her side, instantly erecting a strong barrier that blocked the doubtful and uncertain gazes of those around him. "Does anyone else have anything to say?" He raised his eyes with a hint of arrogance, one hand resting on the long sword at his waist, as if he could draw it at any moment.

Mr. Zhu, the eldest among those present, still had his brows furrowed tightly, his wrinkles almost pressing together, and his words were as cold and sharp as knives: "Even engaged couples should abide by etiquette and rules, how can they meet in secret here? Young Master Pei has always disregarded etiquette, and I have nothing to say about that. I never expected that the daughter of the Xie family, a prestigious family for centuries, would behave like this. No wonder the world is going to the dogs and people's hearts are no longer what they used to be!"

Xie Qinghong was completely bewildered by the scolding, her eyes widening in disbelief and a hint of grievance in her gaze.

Although the occasion was somewhat inappropriate, Pei Du's heart skipped a beat; he was charmed by her cuteness.

He couldn't help but smile, but not wanting her to feel wronged—even if she did feel wronged, she could only do so to him—he immediately retorted, echoing Mr. Zhu's words: "Indeed, the world is going to the dogs. You, sir, do not investigate carefully but believe rumors, do not reflect on yourself but slander the innocent. As a teacher, you lack the ethics to educate people, and as a person, you lack the virtue to convince people. What kind of etiquette do you speak of? I respectfully call you 'sir' not because you observe etiquette. After all, in terms of etiquette, you, sir, are really not worthy of this title."

Mr. Zhu was rendered speechless by this rebuttal. He snorted coldly, "I will not argue with children like you," and went straight downstairs.

Xie Qinghong opened her mouth slightly in surprise. Why was Pei Du's mouth so sharp? She had thought that she had finally learned how to argue after all these years, but compared to him, she found that she was really nothing. He really knew how to argue.

She couldn't help but think that if they lived under the same roof and had a fight, she would always lose... That would be too miserable.

As she was lost in thought, she didn't notice that the group blocking the stairwell had all hurriedly said their goodbyes and left, leaving only the two of them in the corridor once again. Pei Du coughed lightly and handed her the box of pastries he had been carrying: "Hmm, your favorite desserts."

Xie Qinghong hugged the box of pastries tightly and suddenly asked, "Will you argue with me often in the future?"

Pei Du was taken aback: "Why do you ask that?"

Xie Qinghong pursed her lips and pondered for a while before saying, "You're too amazing, I can't argue with you."

Pei Du chuckled, but her heart softened a little when she brought it up. He raised his hand and gently patted the top of her head: "I won't scold you. We promised not to make you feel wronged. We'll both keep our promises, okay?"

When he speaks like this, he seems like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, with smiles in his eyes and brows, and a radiant spirit.

Xie Qinghong wrinkled her nose and muttered softly, "Don't mess up my hair."

The door to the private room behind her creaked open, and her cousin peeked out, calling out cautiously, "Sister Ayao?"

Xie Qinghong sighed in annoyance. No wonder she felt like she had forgotten something; so many classmates were waiting. She quickly went over to apologize, carefully escorted her classmates downstairs, and made plans to go boating on the lake together during the next monthly break. Finally, her cousin was left trailing behind.

Xie Qinghong breathed a sigh of relief and asked his cousin in a low voice, "Did you hear anything inside the house just now?"

My cousin shook her head: "We were talking excitedly, but for a moment we seemed to hear Mr. Zhu's voice. He can be really fierce when he curses, so we all think we must have misheard."

Xie Qinghong was relieved and told her, "Go home first. If my mother asks, just say I'll be back in a little while." Her cousin winked at her and went out to get a carriage with a grin.

After everyone had left, she turned to Pei Du, her eyes bright with curiosity: "Where is that secret bookstore in Huaizhou that you mentioned in your travelogue? I've been looking around for a long time but haven't seen it."

Pei Du took the pastry box from her arms again, carried it with one hand, and walked ahead leisurely, expecting her to catch up. Sure enough, the little girl jogged a few steps to catch up, the hairpin shimmering with scattered gold light in the sunlight, making her seem to glow.

"where you go?"

Pei Du said, "Didn't you say you were going to the Dark Bookshop?"

It was called a "secret bookstore," but it actually referred to a bookstore that was not registered with the government. Such bookstores were illegal and would be shut down if discovered. However, in Pei Du's description, this secret bookstore was a hidden gem, printing only rare and unique books, as well as storybooks and illustrated books that could not be found anywhere else.

Even more remarkably, he claimed that his travelogue, "Southward Journey," was also published by this secret publishing house. Xie Qinghong, a man of imagination, had already constructed a mysterious origin story for this secret publishing house in his mind, and now he couldn't wait to unravel its secrets.

However, upon arrival, there were no mysterious symbols carved on the door as they had imagined, nor any mysterious masters hidden in the shadows. Instead, there was only a young man smilingly inviting them inside—it was an ordinary residential house.

If anything is unusual, then the books filling the courtyard are truly extraordinary; Xie Qinghong felt he had never seen so many books in his entire life.

The young man smiled without saying a word: "Zhiyue, it's been a long time since you've been here. Are you looking for some old books, or have you come up with a new manuscript?"

Pei Du glanced to the side and said, "Bring her to see."

The young man understood: "Feel free to look around, I have plenty of books here."

The courtyard was filled with books, and Xie Qinghong's gaze was too busy to focus. Not wanting to move around too much, he bent down and picked up a book from a nearby table, looking at the cover first. His eyes widened in shock, and he was speechless. The cover boldly proclaimed, "Reborn and Returning: I Reached the Rank of One of the Three Dukes Through My Own Efforts!"