An unhappy and stern expression emerged on the handsome face beneath the red-faced, fang-toothed devil mask, secretly hidden beneath the mask.

Rong Ting circled his fingers impatiently, feeling an indescribable irritation in his heart.

He didn't want to listen to anything the man surnamed Yang said.

But my ears were perked up, not wanting to miss a single word.

Jiang Rao felt like she had been hit hard on the head and was unable to recover for a long time.

Marriage… It’s been nearly two years since she reached the age of 15. What marriage? What marriage? What marriage?

It’s too early!

Jiang Rao frowned slightly.

The flowing water under the small bridge, the dim lights and the hazy light and shadows make the frowning beauty's eyebrows and eyes look as bright and picturesque as a painting. Yang Xiuzhu was mesmerized for a moment, his eyes flashing with undisguised amazement.

He said in a gentle voice: "I wonder if I can go with you tonight?"

A few days ago, he went to buy medicine for his sister. When he passed her carriage on the street where the clinic was, he happened to see her lift the curtain and look outside.

A glimpse,

Unforgettable.

Even if she had not reached the age of marriage, he could wait, no matter how long it took, as long as the marriage could be settled first.

Today, his father went to test the waters on his behalf, but was politely declined by Fourth Master Jiang.

He didn't give up.

I heard that Fourth Master Jiang loved his daughter very much. If he could win her favor first, the marriage might go smoothly.

Tonight he thought that she might come to Zhuque Bridge to release sky lanterns, so he waited here early. Unexpectedly, he actually waited for her.

Yang Xiuzhu said this in a gentle voice, his eyes full of expectation.

Rong Ting's chin was pursed into a sharp line.

The anger in his heart became even more unbearable, and his hands on the side of the wheelchair almost broke the wooden armrest.

There has always been a bit of morbid madness in Rong Ting's personality.

But he had always been able to control himself well, rarely showing his emotions, until this moment when a boiling fire ignited in his heart, burning it and breaking the string of rationality, burning his heart and making it difficult for him to control himself.

He narrowed his eyes.

Thick clouds of resentment gathered in those long, glass-colored eyes, concealing aggression.

Like a little leopard defending its territory.

Jiang Rao was frowning instead.

She then met him and he invited her to go with him. Her instinctive reaction was to refuse.

Jiang Rao shook her head at Yang Xiuzhu and was about to speak, but Yang Xiuzhu said before she could say no: "It's really hard for a little girl like you to push this wheelchair. Why don't I go with you and push the wheelchair for you?"

After he finished speaking, he bowed and saluted, showing the elegant manner of a scholar.

Although he said that he wanted to help others, his attitude was very humble and polite. Even if Jiang Rao wanted to refuse him, she couldn't bear to say harsh words and just gave him an apologetic smile.

With a click.

The armrest finally developed cracks.

The wheelchair suddenly slipped out of the hands of Jiang Rao and Yang Xiuzhu.

Rong Ting turned his head, pressed the armrest with his big hand, controlled the wheelchair alone, and walked forward.

Under the mask, her face was gloomy and her eyes were dark.

The back is covered with thorns.

Jiang Rao raised her foot and chased after him.

He was obviously angry.

It was her negligence. She was so focused on talking to Yang Xiuzhu that she let his hand rest on his wheelchair for so long, which must have made him unhappy.

It was just like in the dream that one time she was helping him to take a bath in the hot spring, and a young boy who had just come to work as a helper saw her pushing a wheelchair out. Without saying a word, he came over to help her, took her hands away to help push the wheelchair, which made him furious.

If she hadn't knelt down and begged him that time, the young helper might have died.

Even though she pleaded for mercy, his face was as gloomy as the night before a storm in the next few days, and within a few days, the young helper was fired.

Jiang Rao hurriedly caught up and grabbed Rong Ting's wheelchair.

I saw his slender fingers clenching the crossbar of the wheelchair, with veins bulging. I didn't know if it was because it was too hard to push the wheelchair on the slope, or if it was because he was too angry.

But looking at him wearing the mask and with his head lowered, it doesn't seem like happiness at all.

She was so nervous that she didn't notice that Rong Ting was still able to pull out the toys she bought even though he was holding them in his arms.

Yang Xiuzhu's concerned voice came from behind, "Miss, are you okay?"

Fearing that Yang Xiuzhu would suddenly come over again and do something bad with good intentions, Jiang Rao turned back with a bitter face to stop him, saying, "Young Master Yang, don't come over."

Because of impatience, it seemed like there was a hint of rebuke.

Amid the crowd, an invisible line was drawn between him and Yang Xiuzhu.

Yang Xiuzhu paused in embarrassment, looking awkward and uncomfortable.

Rong Ting stretched out his fingers.

The corners of his lips curled up slightly.

As soon as Jiang Rao finished speaking, she realized that her tone had been a bit harsh.

She calmed her tone, "Thank you, Mr. Yang."

The corners of his mouth that were raised suddenly retracted.

"But we just met today, so there is no need for us to travel together."

Jiang Rao spoke to Yang Xiuzhu in a serious and polite tone.

Jiang Rao is quite shy.

Although Mr. Yang in front of her looked gentle and elegant, he mentioned his marriage to her right away.

Even though her father was there and the marriage didn't take place, she still felt awkward looking at him and being with him.

After she finished speaking, she bowed to Yang Xiuzhu and pushed Rong Ting away.

As a famous talent in Yecheng, Yang Xiuzhu had always been the one being flattered and pursued. He was very arrogant and never took any girl seriously.

Today was the first time he chased someone, but he was rejected.

Yang Xiuzhu raised his eyes and looked at Jiang Rao's leaving back.

Her figure blended into the crowd on the bridge. Her steps were graceful and her temperament was extremely eye-catching. You could tell at a glance that she was well-educated.

The disappointment in his heart disappeared a little, and he lowered his head and smiled again.

I thought I deserved the rejection.

A girl from a good family would never immediately agree to a date with someone she just met for the first time.

He was too impatient and rude to Meng Lang.

…

When he turned around, Yang Xiuzhu saw his biological sister Yang Qian'an, looking at him angrily.

Yang Qian'an pouted, his face looked extremely ugly, and he was panting, obviously he had just found his brother.

Her tone was unkind, her lips pouted, "Did my brother come out to look for that woman?"

Her brother never participates in these festivals. He came out for the first time today. It must be for the girl he has his eyes on!

But Yang Qian'an didn't want to.

She had promised all the young ladies in the circle of noble ladies in Yecheng that she would help introduce whoever made her happy to her brother.

She just wants to choose a sister-in-law who is good to her.

"Qian An!" Yang Xiuzhu's face turned cold, "Be more respectful in your tone."

Yang Qian stamped his feet, "Humph! I don't want to call her my sister-in-law!"

…

On the Suzaku Bridge, one sky lantern after another rose up.

Unexpectedly, the further he pushed, the less effort he needed. When he reached the bridge, Jiang Rao stopped and put two stones under the wheels.

After taking the Kongming lantern handed to him by Mingshao and pasting it, he handed the note to Rong Ting and asked Rong Ting to write his wish on the note. Then he lowered his head and started writing his own.

She wrote each stroke, first praying for the safety of her parents and family, for the prosperity of her family, and that she herself would not be reduced to slavery in the future. She did not want to be someone else's slave. Then she thought, she would be fourteen next year, and one year before she came of age, she would have to learn the female training and precepts. She heard that it would be very boring, so she also wrote down the rule that she would not learn the female training and precepts.

The small piece of paper was filled with words written by this greedy little girl.

She tied the note into the Kongming lantern and turned to look at Rong Ting, but saw that he hadn't said a word. She asked curiously, "Why don't you write it?"

Rong Ting's eyebrows and eyes were calm.

The anger in my heart has not yet dissipated.

In her mind, she recalled the smile she had just given to the man named Yang.

Both good-looking and ugly. He felt a lot of anger in his heart, but he had no way to vent it. He clenched his fingers, feeling that he was so angry for no reason, and said gloomily, "Go put out your lamp first."

Because of the mask, Jiang Rao couldn't see his face. She could only hear from his voice that his voice sounded a little deep and his emotions seemed a little off.

Jiang Rao didn't ask, but pouted, picked up the pen again, and wrote another line of small words on the paper that was already filled up.

——[Let him be nicer to me].

After she finished writing, she stood up, lit the wick in the Kongming lantern, lay down on the edge of the bridge, and let go of her hands.

She raised her little chin and stared at her Kongming lantern, watching it fly into the sky and become a firefly-like dot in the night sky.

Unexpectedly, the candle was blown by a sudden gust of wind and fell straight into the river under the Suzaku Bridge. The candle was soaked by the water and extinguished.

The bright light in Jiang Rao's eyes also went out.

She felt a little uncomfortable and drooped her head, but she consoled herself by saying, "It's okay."

She sniffed in the cold wind, her white neck like a crushed lotus leaf, her head hanging low, "I am too greedy, I wrote too many wishes, too heavy."

The next moment, a piece of paper and a pen were stuffed into his hand.

When she looked up at Rong Ting, he had turned his head away, so she could only see his profile under the mask, with a clear and beautiful jawline.

She was stunned, and Rong Ting said, "This is my Kongming lantern, you can use it."

"But if my wish is written on this paper, what about your wish?"

His voice was so low that it sounded a little hoarse. "It's already been written."

But the paper is blank!

Jiang Rao was confused for a moment.

Does he mean that he has no wishes?

Just when she was lost in thought, she heard him say forcefully, "Write yours."

Seeing that she didn't move, he turned away and said indifferently, "I'll write mine down."