Chapter 4: Weird

He said this as if he was afraid that Shen Anan would rely on him.

She said calmly, "Don't worry, Mr. Li. Even if I can't get married, I won't marry you. It's better to be an old maid than to be a widow in your youth."

"What do you mean by this?" Li Huaiyan was unhappy, "What do you mean by widowhood? How can a girl like you curse others?"

Shen Anan looked at him without saying anything. He was just telling the truth, which was not a curse.

Li Huaiyan frowned and was about to say something when his ears suddenly moved.

"Someone is here." He clenched his fists and made a response gesture.

Shen An'an was relieved. It was so far away. Was this dog's ears smooth?

"The streets are full of people. Master Li is still asleep. Is there something wrong with his brain?"

"You don't understand." Li Huaiyan looked back at her with an unusually serious expression.

He patted Uncle Zhong, his face darkening, and said, "Turn around and go into Nanhua Street from the alley behind. There's an accident there."

Uncle Zhong frowned and turned to look at Shen Anan.

"You go if you want to go. I'm in a hurry to go home." You must be kidding. It was good enough that she didn't stab Xiao Yuan. It was impossible for her to risk her life to save him.

"Get off." Shen Anan ordered him to leave with a sullen face.

I wanted to save Li Huaiyan's life, but it was his destiny to seek death.

Li Huaiyan's face became increasingly ugly. Nanhua Street was the only way for Xiao Yuan to return home. The bandits had just been pacified. If anything happened, it would most likely be him.

But today, he did not have any secret guards with him, only Qing'an followed him.

"Human life is at stake, Miss Shen. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Please help."

"No help." Shen Anan said briefly.

What does Xiao Yuan's life or death have to do with her? In his previous life, he never cared about her life or death.

"Are you getting out of the car?"

Li Huaiyan's face was gloomy, knowing that Shen Anan would never help, "Then can I borrow Miss Shen's carriage for use, and I will repay you tenfold afterwards."

"No." Shen Anan was already slightly impatient. "Uncle Zhong."

As soon as she spoke, before Li Huaiyan could react, he was hit hard on the back with great force and thrown off the carriage.

Uncle Zhong showed mercy, otherwise Li Huaiyan would probably be a corpse by now.

In just a moment, Li Huaiyan reacted. He realized that Uncle Zhong knew martial arts and his skills must be quite good. Thinking of this, he jumped up and hugged the wall of the car tightly.

"Miss Shen, I will just lend Uncle Zhong the carriage. The one being assassinated is the Fourth Prince. If something happens to the Fourth Prince and the Emperor investigates, and Miss Shen does not help him, the Shen family will have a hard time explaining themselves."

"Damn it." Shen Anan gritted his teeth in anger.

“As for Concubine Shen, General Shen, and Miss Shen in the palace, there are priorities, so please think twice.”

She opened the curtain and looked at Li Huaiyan who was clinging to the car wall. She gritted her teeth and said, "I should have let you die with that bastard."

Li Huaiyan was stunned.

He had never seen a girl so vulgar before. Was that bastard scolding Xiao Yuan?

But now is not the time to worry about those things, "As long as Miss Shen is willing to help, she will be my Li Huaiyan's aunt in the future, and also Xiao..."

"Forget it. If you treat him as your aunt, you will be beheaded. So just treat him as your aunt."

“…” Shen An’an exhaled, “Uncle Zhong, turn around.”

"Girl, you..." Saving people is very dangerous, how can I take a girl with me?

"It's okay. Master Li will protect me."

Just as Li Huaiyan said, he couldn't afford to offend the Shen family, not to mention that she was here to save people.

Li Huaiyan was anxious and didn't say anything else. He urged Uncle Zhong to turn around and rush into Nanhua Street from a narrow alley behind.

The horses neighed and galloped, Shen Anan and Mo Xiang clung to the wall of the car, their heads were dizzy from being thrown around.

Nanhua Street was empty but in a mess. The vendors' stalls were overturned, fruits and food were everywhere, and the wooden floor was covered with knife marks.

Shen Anan lifted the curtain of the car and looked over in the direction of the sound of swords clashing.

Not far away, Xiao Yuan was surrounded by a dozen people. His elegant purple and gold robe was torn, his hair was loose, and his face was covered in blood.

Qing'an on the side was still fighting hard with several gangsters.

"Xiao Yuan." Li Huaiyan shouted, diverting the criminals' attention a little, and then he took Uncle Zhong to kill them.

Xiao Yuan raised his eyes, and there was a hint of darkness in his dark pupils, but he suddenly met a pair of beautiful eyes.

If he saw it correctly, there was a sense of gloating in those eyes, as well as a bit of excitement of watching a good show.

Li Huaiyan flew forward to share half of the pressure for him, and Uncle Zhong also joined the fight.

Shen Anan's voice suddenly sounded, "Uncle Zhong, safety comes first. If you can't resist, there is no need to fight hard."

The implication is that there is no need to worry about Xiao Yuan's life or death.

Li Huaiyan's mouth twitched, and he complained while beating her, "I was wondering how you offended that girl from the Shen family. Why do I always feel like she hopes you die sooner?"

Xiao Yuan glanced towards the carriage without saying a word, concentrating on fighting the enemy.

All of them were experts in this field, and Uncle Zhong was also an expert specially assigned to Shen Anan by Commandant Shen. Soon, the criminals fell one after another with the combined efforts of several people.

Qing'an and Xiao Yuan were both seriously injured and looked miserable.

Shen Anan leaned against the wall of the car, looking at Xiao Yuan, whose steps were unsteady, hair was messy, and clothes were tattered, and the corners of his lips curled up.

I thought he would always be that noble god who was high and mighty and looked down upon everything in the world.

As she was taunting, two gangsters suddenly flew towards her.

Shen Anan's face changed. If she died here to save Xiao Yuan in this life, she would die with regret.

Thinking of this, she pointed at the seriously injured Xiao Yuan who was supported by Qing An and scolded, "What are you standing there for? I came to save you. Do you want to watch your savior die here?"

“…”

The scene fell into a brief silence.

Xiao Yuan looked at the cute little face that peeked out from the car curtain and clearly caught a hint of deliberateness.

His face, which usually had no expression, looked a little stiff.

Li Huaiyan was stunned for a long time, and only reacted when the last gangster attacked. The knife turned in his wrist and with a sweep, the man fell in a pool of blood with a big gash on his neck.

Uncle Zhong quickly ran towards the carriage and dealt with the two gangsters who were planning to kidnap Shen Anan.

Only then did Shen Anan bend the outstretched finger.

Li Huaiyan helped Xiao Yuan onto the carriage. Qing'an and Uncle Zhong sat outside.

Shen Anan moved aside with a cold face, looking out the window.

Li Huaiyan's eyes flashed, and he spoke to ease the atmosphere, "The fourth prince was injured and his physical strength was insufficient. He failed to stop the criminals in time, and frightened Miss Shen."

"No problem." Shen Anan retracted her gaze and swept her eyes over Xiao Yuan, with a bit of yin and yang in her eyes, "Just don't repay kindness with enmity and rely on me in the name of being a lifesaver."

How could she not see that he was just taking the opportunity to curse a few times to vent his anger.

“…”

Li Huaiyan smiled awkwardly and chuckled at Xiao Yuan who had a cold face.

In the past, only Xiao Yuan could say these words to others. He never thought that one day there would be a girl who would respond to him with such ridicule.

Xiao Yuan's heavy eyelids slightly lifted, and his voice was indifferent, "Miss Shen, you can rest assured, this prince will never entangle."

"That's good." Shen Anan gave a decent smile.

Those were the words Xiao Yuan always said every time he saw her in his previous life. Now it was just tit for tat.

Xiao Yuan's eyes, as deep as an ancient pond, looked deeply at Shen An'an, and then fainted.

The carriage passed through Chang'an Lane, where the dignitaries gathered. Shen Anan knocked on the wall of the carriage with his knuckles, "Uncle Zhong, stop the car."

Li Huaiyan had a bad feeling in his heart.

Sure enough, Shen Anan said expressionlessly, "The people have been saved. I'm in a hurry to go home for dinner. Mr. Li, take your good brother out of the car."

“…”

"The Shen Mansion is just across an alley from the Fourth Prince's Mansion. Miss Shen, please save them and give them a ride." After all, he had to ask for help, so Li Huaiyan tried hard to smile.

"I really want to give him a ride!" Shen Anan's tone was faintly cold.

Li Huaiyan tightened his grip on Xiao Yuan's arm, and had the illusion that Shen Anan wanted to tear Xiao Yuan apart.

"Miss Shen, I can't carry two unconscious and seriously injured people by myself. Good deeds will be rewarded..."

Before he could finish, there was a thud outside. Li Huaiyan lifted the car curtain and saw that Qing'an had been thrown out. Perhaps feeling a little guilty, Uncle Zhong dragged him by the arm and made him lean against the wall.

“…”

"Thank you Miss Shen for what happened today. I will let Xiao Yuan repay you when there is a chance in the future."

"No need, just don't let me see him all the time."

"..." Li Huaiyan pursed his lips and got off the carriage with Xiao Yuan on his back.

The Shen Mansion's carriage kept running past him.

Li Huaiyan sighed to the sky, "Xiao Yuan, you have also come to this day, when you are hated and despised by others."

He suddenly looked forward to what kind of sparks would be created when the awake Xiao Yuan met the cold-blooded Shen Anan.

"Miss, he is the Fourth Prince after all. Isn't it inappropriate for you to be like this?" Mo Xiang frowned.

Shen An leaned against the wall of the car and let out a long breath, "It's okay, he's unconscious."

If she were awake, she probably wouldn't have the courage. Some fears are engraved in the bones, and some pains cannot be touched.

Thinking about it carefully, she didn't know Xiao Yuan very well. Her love at first sight that day might have been just lust and a bit of vanity.

After returning to the Begonia Garden of the Shen Mansion, Shen Anan soaked the whole person in the bathtub for half an hour.

It was not until Mo Xiang reported that the eldest son had arrived that Shen Anan came back to her senses, got out of the bathtub, changed her clothes and put on her makeup.

The past is gone, the mistake has been made, and what she should do now is to learn from the lessons of her previous life and live a good life in this life, so as to make the opportunity and the life of luxury given to her by God worthwhile.

"An An, why did you come back home at this time? Did your aunt make things difficult for you?" Shen Changhe put down the cup and looked at the little girl who walked into the house, his face full of concern.

He was dressed in a brocade robe, a jade belt around his waist, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, with his hair tied high in a crown. His eyebrows and eyes were clear and elegant, revealing the gentleness of an approachable person. He was gentle and refined, and as warm and smooth as jade.

Shen Anan looked at the tall and straight figure, who had stood in front of her countless times in the previous life, shielding her from the wind and rain and eliminating disasters.

"Did your aunt teach you a lesson? An An, don't worry, tell your elder brother if there is anything. As long as you don't want to, your elder brother and father will definitely find a way and will never let you marry someone you don't want to marry."

In the previous life, he also said so, but she was so happy at that time that she only saw Xiao Yuan, the glory he brought, and the envy and jealousy of all the ladies in Kyoto.

Later, her eldest brother always persuaded her that a forced melon is not sweet, and that the Fourth Prince did not love her, so it would be suffering if she married him.

She knew in her heart that what her elder brother said was the truth, but she could not accept it and refused to give up. She became more and more unwilling to listen to it, so that the two siblings often quarreled and their relationship became distant.

Even so, he never really ignored her. He even fought with Xiao Yuan for her and was punished by his father to kneel in the ancestral hall.

"Don't worry, auntie didn't make things difficult for me."

Shen Changhe didn't believe it. "Aunt has been planning for a long time and has taken great pains to bring you back from Jiangnan. How could she let you go so easily? An An, you don't need to hide it from me."

Shen Anan smiled, “Mo Xiang, go make another pot of tea.”

Mo Xiang walked out carrying the teapot.

"I came back late today because I ran into some trouble. The Fourth Prince was assassinated on Nanhua Street. I happened to pass by and gave him a ride."

"How are you? Are you hurt?" Shen Changhe's face turned pale with fright.

"I'm fine." As if afraid that he wouldn't believe her, Shen Anan stood up and turned around for him to see.

Shen Changhe looked unhappy. "You are a girl in the boudoir. Why are you getting involved in this kind of thing? What if something goes wrong? What should we do?"

"After all, he is the Fourth Prince. If I do nothing to save him, the Emperor will not be able to explain himself to him, and my aunt and father will also be held accountable."

If not for this, even if Xiao Yuan died in front of her ten times, she would not be soft-hearted.

Shen Changhe's face was gloomy, "Life and death are all his fate."

Shen Anan agreed with this statement very much. In the previous life, there was Li Huaiyan, and in this life, there was her. That bastard really shouldn't die.

Shen Anan had other worries.

"Xiao Yuan is in danger in the capital. As the commander of the imperial guards, I'm afraid you will be held accountable. Do you have any way to deal with it?"

Shen Changhe's eyes darkened. "It is unlikely that they could set up such a big scheme in the capital just because of banditry. There may be someone helping them behind the scenes."

Shen Anan nodded, she thought so too.

"As a prince, Xiao Yuan is almost the only one who has received the emperor's favor. This time, he has even more glory by quelling the banditry. This must have made some people jealous."

The brother and sister fell into a brief silence.

Once you get involved in the royal struggle, it is difficult to escape.

"You'd better take a good rest. Your elder brother and father will take care of the things outside." Shen Changhe stood up and touched the top of Shen Anan's head soothingly.

"Don't worry, brother. I know what's going on."