Gift

She didn't stay outside for long before returning to the Shen residence. Compared to the ease she felt when she left, her mood became somewhat heavy upon her return.

Song Mingyan's words kept echoing in her mind. She absentmindedly got off the carriage and almost lost her balance. Yun Ji quickly steadied her, still feeling lingering fear as she recalled the scene just now.

She and her mistress were separated by the crowd. She originally intended to wait for the crowd to disperse before looking for her mistress. Unexpectedly, two hands suddenly reached out from behind her. She was terrified and covered her mouth and nose, watching helplessly as she got further and further away from her mistress until the two people took her to an empty house.

She was blindfolded and couldn't see anything. She could only rely on her hearing to judge that she had probably been sold to a brothel.

She couldn't help but shed tears, feeling both scared and hopeful that her mistress would find her soon. Then, several people rushed in and took her away. She followed them anxiously, thinking that she was going to be sold again.

Unexpectedly, those people took her to the young lady's side. Yunji still felt uneasy when she recalled that scene, especially since she was almost locked up in that kind of place. Although the matter was later handed over to the government for handling, she was still quite frightened.

Fortunately, Miss was still by my side.

Jiang Mian was uneasy. Just now she was so focused on comforting Yun Ji that she hadn't thought about Song Mingyan's words. Now that she thought about them, she suddenly felt a little shaken.

Given the current situation, if she wanted to leave Shen Ji quietly, he would likely be able to find her no matter where she went.

The only way is to marry someone else.

However, ordinary people without power might not be able to protect her, and with Wen Shi's current status, marrying him is indeed the best choice.

But deep down, she still felt uneasy.

Despite how good Brother Wenshi was to her, she harbored ulterior motives. She didn't genuinely want to marry him; rather, she wanted to escape Shen Ji's control.

But is there a better way?

She lowered her eyes, her mind in turmoil.

Back in the Begonia Courtyard, it was already completely dark. She was exhausted after a long day of running around, and Yunji was also frightened. Jiang Mian told her to rest early, but she was restless and took off her clothes before stepping into the bathtub.

The warm water enveloped her, and she closed her eyes. Her thoughts seemed to be peeled away layer by layer. Although her mind was still somewhat chaotic, she had a clear idea of ​​what was going on.

She didn't drink the medicine today, nor did she feel as unwell as Shen Ji had described. It seems he did lie to her; he didn't use the curse on her.

That gave her more confidence to leave him.

The wind rustled through the branches, and the rain began to fall softly. After only half a day of rest, the comforting sound of rain began again under the eaves. Jiang Mian closed her eyes and suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her. She tried to get up from the bathtub when a series of footsteps suddenly sounded.

She assumed it was a maidservant coming in to serve her, so without thinking much of it, she said, "Bring me my clothes."

The footsteps paused for a moment, but didn't stop. The sound of rain drowned out the slight movement. Jiang Mian kept her eyes closed and didn't urge them.

until--

The footsteps grew closer, and she suddenly sensed something was amiss. When she opened her eyes, it was too late to stop them—

"Cousin?" Her eyes were filled with obvious surprise. When she met the deep look in the man's eyes, she couldn't help but shrink back into the water.

She was naked, and he just happened to come in at that moment.

Jiang Mian looked up and saw that the door was still tightly closed, but there was a crack in the window. No wonder she felt the rain was getting louder earlier; it turned out he had climbed in through the window again.

“Mian Niang seems quite surprised. What’s wrong? You’re not welcoming me?” Shen Ji took in her reaction and sat down gently beside her. He could easily lift a strand of her hair with his hand. He lowered his eyes, and the water was smooth. He could see everything he should and shouldn’t see.

"No, I just didn't expect my cousin to come back so suddenly. Next time, I can send someone to tell him so I can be prepared." Jiang Mian reacted very quickly. She wasn't sure if Shen Ji had been in her room from the beginning or if he had just appeared.

She didn't look closely when she came in; he probably wouldn't have come so early.

"What are you preparing? You look beautiful just like this, Mian Niang." He leaned closer as if no one else was around, his fingertips lingering on her neck, his body carrying a chill, as if he had just returned from outside and hadn't even tidied up before coming to see her.

"Cousin, you're joking again." Jiang Mian was taken aback, and a faint blush slowly rose on her delicate and soft skin, like a shy and beautiful flower, making people want to get closer, yet afraid of damaging it.

Shen Ji's eyes darkened, and he raised his hand to untie the jade belt around his waist.

"Cousin, I'm done washing up. Could you get me some clothes?" Jiang Mian asked quickly when she saw him doing this; she didn't want to stay here with him.

"No rush." ​​Shen Ji saw through her thoughts, slowly raised his lips, and stared at her without blinking.

"Have you been taking your medicine these past few days?" Fortunately, he had only taken off his outer robe.

Jiang Mian tried her best to ignore the abnormal heat and nodded gently.

"Did you go see Song Mingyan?" Shen Ji leaned closer, his familiar scent pressing in, causing Jiang Mian to instinctively back away. However, she had only taken half a step back when he grabbed her waist unhappily. With a "splash," water splashed up, and she was pressed against his body.

There wasn't a single gap.

“Cousin…” she couldn’t help but say.

"Just like that, let me hold you for a while." Shen Ji's tone softened, and he couldn't help but want to pull her into his arms.

He touched her smooth back to prevent her from leaving, then lowered his eyes and stared intently at her: "Mianniang, don't lie to me."

"...No." This posture made her a little uncomfortable. "Didn't He Yue tell you all my whereabouts? You know what I do every day, why bother to interrogate me personally?" She was splashed with water, and now the water droplets slid down her fair and delicate neck, slowly leaving marks on his front.

He couldn't resist pinching the soft flesh of her waist, his voice gentle: "Are you angry?"

"Mianniang wouldn't dare." Jiang Mian turned her head away. She had lied to him, but hadn't he lied to her too?

“I won’t walk this long next time.” Shen Ji was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “Or I can tell you what I do every day.”

Next time?

There shouldn't be a next time, right? Jiang Mian was a little distracted. If she could successfully leave him, everything about him would have nothing to do with her anymore. He would just be her cousin, nothing more.

"Then... have you missed me?"

He lowered his dark eyes and gazed at her gently.

Jiang Mian's heart suddenly skipped a beat; she thought about how to leave him every day.

"Speak, yes or no?" He seemed to be experiencing his first love, insisting on getting an answer. His hand on her waist tightened unconsciously, and the two drew even closer.

“Yes,” Jiang Mian said softly, “Cousin, I’m sick and can’t soak for too long.” She didn’t look him in the eye, and spoke gently.

"Have you taken your medicine? Have you seen a doctor?" Shen Ji's voice was a little deep. He touched her forehead. Her temperature wasn't too high, but he was shivering all over, so he couldn't be sure if she really had a fever.

"I'm almost better, but I'm still a little weak, cousin. I'm sleepy and want to rest."

Shen Ji picked up a handkerchief from the side and wrapped her up. He carefully dried her hair, and Jiang Mian finally felt at ease after putting on her clothes.

"Cousin, I can do it myself." Jiang Mian felt a little guilty. She wasn't actually sick; she had just made up her mind on the spot and thought this excuse would work.

Unexpectedly, he actually let her go.

"Don't move, sit still." Shen Ji's serious demeanor made her feel a little uncomfortable.

Sure enough, she stopped moving around. After he had finished drying her hair, Jiang Mian thought he was finally leaving and was planning to get a good night's sleep after he left. But unexpectedly, the young man suddenly looked at her and said, "Go to bed first."

Um?

Jiang Mian tensed up. Before she could react, he had already returned behind the screen. His tall and slender figure was elegant and upright. She saw him taking off his clothes.

He was actually taking a bath here, the water was almost cold, and it was the same water she had used. He didn't seem to mind at all, but she remembered that her cousin was known for his obsessive-compulsive disorder about cleanliness.

She felt dizzy and unsure of herself, even though she wasn't sick before.

"If you're not going to bed, why don't you come in and join me?" Suddenly, a clear, slightly deep voice rang out.

Jiang Mian was startled, and the little thoughts in her mind instantly vanished. She immediately climbed back onto the bed, closed her eyes, and thought that perhaps by the time Shen Ji came out, she would be asleep, and then he wouldn't be able to do anything to her.

That would be excellent.

However, when she closed her eyes, her hearing became exceptionally clear. The sound of rain outside had stopped at some point, but the sounds behind the screen became even clearer.

She felt the sound of flowing water, as if it were kissing his skin, but she had just soaked in that water too... Jiang Mian suddenly blushed and simply pulled the blanket over her head.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but she still wasn't sleepy.

Suddenly, a pair of hands lifted the blanket above her head. Her eyes were closed, and her eyelashes trembled involuntarily.

Aren't you afraid of suffocating yourself?

Although her words were reproachful, her voice was extremely gentle: "Mianniang, I have something to give you."

Jiang Mian was curious, but still didn't open her eyes.

Shen Ji chuckled. Her ability to pretend to be asleep was getting worse and worse, but she was still kind of cute.

His gaze moved down and slowly landed on those lips.

Then, without hesitation, he bent down and covered her.

He gently sucked on her delicate lips, then without hesitation, stole all the air from them until her face turned bright red. Unable to bear it any longer, she pushed him away, saying, "Chen Ji—"

The girl's eyelashes were wet, and she was glaring at him reproachfully. Shen Ji smiled, and even though he was pushed away, he wasn't displeased at all; instead, he looked delighted.

She always calls his name whenever she gets angry.

There's always a special feeling when she says it.

"Awake?" He looked at her calmly.

Jiang Mian was speechless; he was clearly doing it on purpose.

"Didn't my cousin tell me to go to sleep first? Why did he wake me up again?" Jiang Mian said indignantly.

"It's my fault." He admitted it quickly, which surprised Jiang Mian. She sat up and saw that his hair was still a little damp. Her eyes flickered. He had just dried her hair. Now... she would just pretend she didn't see it. Anyway, she couldn't take the initiative to be nice to him unless she needed something from him.

"Take a look, do you like it?" As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly took out something from behind his back. Jiang Mian looked up and saw that it was a pair of exquisitely carved jade rings, tied with a thin thread, which could be worn around the neck.

She was taken aback, clearly not quite understanding.

What is this?

"I bought this on a whim while passing through Qingzhou, and I thought it would suit you perfectly," Shen Ji said gently, looking at the jade ring around her neck. The jade was warm and gentle, and her skin was delicate, complementing each other perfectly, making it hard to look away.

Shen Ji's eyes were deep and dark, and his fingertips seemed to lightly touch her skin.

"Cousin, I'm sleepy." Jiang Mian noticed that something was wrong with him and immediately pretended to yawn.

"Alright, Mianniang, get some rest. I still have some official business to attend to." Shen Ji tucked her in, watched her close her eyes, and then left.

The room quieted down. Jiang Mian quietly opened her eyes, looked around, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that he had left. She touched the jade pendant around her neck, feeling somewhat surprised. Had Shen Ji specially brought this to her tonight?

This wasn't the first time he'd given her something. He'd casually given her pretty and fun things before, but never with such deliberate intent as today. Jiang Mian frowned, feeling that she was being overly suspicious. He'd just bought her something casually, yet she was making a big deal out of it.

Thinking of this, she closed her eyes and decided to ignore everything else.

The spring rain gradually stopped, and a misty haze filled the air.

Shen Ji sat at the table, the dim firelight illuminating his handsome face, highlighting his naturally smooth lines. In his hand he held a jade ring identical to Jiang Mian's, except that his ring was not tied with a string.

He casually stroked it, recalling the scene at Zhuguo Temple that day.

The two jade rings were specially crafted by him, symbolizing that they would never be separated for all eternity.

He didn't ask who she had met or what she had done during those days; he believed whatever she said.

Even if she says she misses him, he will believe her.

However, his patience was limited to the fact that she wouldn't leave him, and he could grant her every wish to the greatest extent possible. But if she wanted to sever ties with him, he slowly put away the jade in his palm, a hint of contemplation in his eyes.