"Can I say no?" Qingchen helped her father up and looked at him. "If I say no, are you going to kidnap me again?"

He tilted his head and smiled, his gaze slowly falling on her. "Of course not. This time, I've come to 'invite' Lord Shen."

Under the bright sunlight, he stood tall and elegant, his soft fur collar fluttering slightly in the wind. With a half-smile, he exuded a cool and aloof demeanor, radiating a unique charm.

Qingchen blinked, and after a moment of eye contact with him amidst the bustling crowd, replied, "Okay."

This man is strong-willed. If she doesn't agree, he probably won't leave easily, and then it will inevitably alarm the officials. It's best not to cause any trouble during the holidays; let them all have a good New Year.

Besides, she knew that he needed her help this time, so he should behave appropriately and not do anything inappropriate to her.

Upon hearing the word "good," Meng Gexing immediately smiled, revealing two rows of white teeth, his smile as radiant as a child's. He had originally thought she wouldn't agree to him so easily; he would have to use his silver tongue, or even resort to being a bit rough, to get her to the village for the New Year.

But she actually agreed. Could it be... that Lord Shen also harbors some feelings for her?

He had never experienced the feeling of being missed by a high-ranking official, especially one as handsome as this provincial governor, who was truly... wonderful.

No, it's wonderful!

Meng Gexing felt a surge of spring fever in his heart, so much so that he couldn't suppress the smile on his face, making him look like a fool.

"Meng Gexing?" Qingchen looked at the person in front of her who was only focused on smiling and couldn't help but call out.

Meng Gexing finally managed to suppress his laughter, cleared his throat, and said, "Ah, let's go."

Qingchen nodded. "Have your men send a message to my residence, saying that I'll be back in a couple of days. I'm afraid they'll worry about me."

As Meng Gexing lifted the curtain of the carriage for Qingchen, he said, "Yes, I'll do as Lord Shen commands."

After boarding the carriage, Qingchen and Old Shen were blindfolded. She didn't struggle, only comforting her father, knowing that Meng Gexing didn't want to reveal the exact location of the village.

She was an official, and he was a bandit; she could understand this kind of vigilance.

The White Lotus sect ran rampant in Yunnan for many years, committing numerous acts of robbery, theft, and other petty crimes. In recent years, they launched one or two uprisings, but both were suppressed.

In recent years, Meng Gexing has become the leader and has been pursuing a strategy of keeping a low profile and biding his time, acting much more restrained than before. On the surface, he tries his best to maintain peace and avoid direct confrontation with the government, while in private he is secretly strengthening his own forces and recruiting many new believers.

The growth of any organization is inseparable from money. Meng Gexing is quite a talent; he is said to come from a merchant family and has some wealth, and is very proficient in business. Over the years, he has spent a considerable amount of money recruiting so many followers, and it is said that all of this money came from his business ventures.

No one knows exactly how much he earned, but they do know he definitely didn't pay taxes and was never short of money. Of course, there are all sorts of people in a big forest, and some of his subordinates inevitably did petty theft and other despicable things.

In recent years, the government had cracked down on them several times, but there were simply too many of them. Each crackdown seemed to only scratch the surface, never truly eradicating their influence. Those arrested weren't guilty of capital offenses, so they were simply imprisoned, and eventually, the prisons were overflowing. Besides providing food for the prisoners, the government also had to assign many jailers to watch over them, exhausting themselves while the sect continued to thrive. Eventually, they simply stopped arresting them.

This was Meng Gexing's skill: not to confront directly, but to wait and see. The Ming Dynasty's bureaucracy was in chaos, and Grand Secretary Xu Yan's absolute control was weakening day by day, which suited him even better. He only needed to develop and strengthen himself, waiting for the balance of power to shift.

If he ever becomes powerful enough, given his personality, it's hard to say what he might do.

Qingchen's understanding of him was limited to these.

As darkness fell, they finally arrived at the White Lotus Sect's stronghold.

Meng Gexing personally removed the blindfold from Qingchen's eyes and said with a grin, "We've arrived, Lord Shen."

Qingchen helped his father down from the carriage. They saw many lanterns hanging in the village, emitting a warm yellow glow. Bright red couplets and paper-cut window decorations were pasted on the doors and windows, and colorful Yunnan-style ribbons hung from the trees, creating a very festive atmosphere.

"The boss is back..." The people in the village cheered happily when they saw Meng Gexing return, and all their eyes fell on them as they welcomed them into the village.

Meng Gexing couldn't help but smile. As he entered the room, he waved to his subordinates, "Go out, everyone. I'm going to have New Year's Eve dinner with Lord Shen. You can eat by yourselves!" His expression revealed a hint of smugness and joy, as if he were enjoying his wedding night all to himself.

Qingchen inadvertently caught a glimpse of his expression, and her brows furrowed slightly.

The New Year's Eve dinner prepared for them in the village was very lavish. In addition to Meng Gexing's favorite chicken and fresh lake fish, there were also cattle and sheep raised by themselves, as well as various Yunnan specialty pastries and fruits. Of course, there was also the local fine plum wine.

Looking at the table full of food and listening to the laughter and chatter of the villagers, Qingchen felt a moment of disorientation.

She just ended up on Meng Gexing's turf like that. And she's even spending the New Year with him?

To this day, they've only met twice, yet they seem like very familiar people, even able to have New Year's Eve dinner together?

When he asked her if she wanted to spend the New Year together, she answered so readily. Besides not wanting to worry the people in the manor, it's hard to say that she was also feeling somewhat lonely, perhaps due to her solitude.

This world is truly a strange place. Sometimes, all it takes for people to get close is a tiny bit of coincidence.

I wonder what Lu Shenyun would think if he knew she was spending the New Year with people from the White Lotus Sect. How could he have imagined that the person he had been trying to capture all this time was now sitting right across from her?

Meng Gexing removed his collar and cloak, invited Qingchen to sit down, and poured her some wine. "Lord Shen, what are you thinking about? Since you're here, make the best of it. Don't think too much. Let's enjoy our New Year's Eve dinner first."

Qingchen stopped him from pouring the wine and said decisively and calmly, "I don't drink."

Meng Gexing raised his handsome eyebrows and met her gaze. "Today is the New Year, which only comes once a year. This is fine wine, brewed only once every ten years. Are you sure you don't want to drink it?"

She shook her head. "I won't drink."

He didn't press the matter further and brought the wine pot to Old Shen again, asking, "And what about your father?"

Qingchen thought for a moment, "Pour him a little, thank you." Her father was a man who liked to drink, but because he was ill, she usually didn't give him any. This year, since he had come to Yunnan for the New Year, she wanted him to try some Yunnan wine.

“That’s right.” Meng Gexing said with a smile, “The wine I prepared especially for you was almost wasted.”

Qingchen's lips curved slightly.

Meng Gexing tore off another chicken leg for her and put it in her bowl. "Here's my favorite chicken leg for you... Thank you for saving my brother." When he said this, he looked at her with a somewhat formal air.

Qingchen was surprised that he would thank her, especially so suddenly. He raised his eyelids slightly and said calmly, "No need to be polite, it was just a small favor. He's still a child, anyone would have done the same."

"It was just a small favor?" He curled the corner of his mouth. "With so many people surrounding your government office, no prefect would be willing to open the gate, but you actually did."

“I am the prefect of Yuanjiang, and I should face the people of Yuanjiang.” She said, glancing at him, “including you.”

Meng Gexing didn't seem to intend to refute, only nodding and then downing his wine in one gulp. A drop of wine slid down his lip, which he gently wiped away with his fingertip. "Hey, let me ask you, have you ever spent the New Year with a commoner as good-looking as me before?"

Qingchen was slightly taken aback.

"Do you have it?" he pressed.

She didn't answer, but just picked up some food and said, "I'm hungry, so I won't be polite."

Meng Gexing was quite persistent about this question. "I heard that it's just you and your son at home, and it must have been quite lonely during the New Year. This year I'm spending the New Year with you, doesn't it feel very different?"

Qingchen didn't understand why he would ask that question. She didn't want to answer, but she had to admit that it forced her to confront her own feelings.

A good-looking person? This time last year, Song Yue was the one who spent the New Year with the father and daughter. I wonder who he's spending the night with.

As the seasons changed, the person she drank with went from a high-ranking official to a bandit.

"Aren't you hungry? Eat up." Not wanting to talk about this anymore, Qingchen picked up a steamed bun and put it in his bowl.

Meng Gexing chuckled, picked up a steamed bun, took a bite, and said, "Do you still remember when I made you go hungry?"

Qingchen glanced at him. "Of course I won't forget."

"I don't intend to let you starve to death."

"Yeah."

“That was a means, not an end, you know that in your heart. Otherwise, why would you dare to come again?” He looked at her, his gaze unwavering. “To be honest, I enjoy dealing with someone as intelligent as you; it’s very challenging.”

Qingchen didn't reply, and continued, "But... you're leaving, aren't you? Going back to the capital? How long will you stay in Yunnan?" For some reason, Meng Gexing suddenly thought of these questions. The person in front of him was more difficult to deal with than any provincial governor he had ever met, but he just didn't want her to leave.

He couldn't say whether it was because they were evenly matched and admired each other, or because she was beautiful; perhaps it was both.

To these three questions, Qingchen had only one answer: "I don't know."

She herself was also eager to know the answers to these questions.

The sound of firecrackers drifted in from outside the window, loud and lively. Playful figures occasionally flashed across the windowpane, more vibrant than the paper-cut window decorations in the candlelight-lit night.

"Let's not talk about that anymore." Meng Gexing picked up his glass, touched her empty glass to his, revealing his signature dimples and white teeth. "Happy New Year, Lord Shen."

Qingchen nodded. "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year," he said again with a smile.

When do you plan to get down to business?

"You know what I'm going to say?"

"Um."

"What else can I say? It's Chinese New Year today, let's talk about it after it's over."

Qingchen looked at him calmly, "Don't you want to know my conditions?"

"There are conditions?" Meng Gexing looked surprised, then quickly regained his nonchalant demeanor, threatening with a hint of roguishness, "You're on my turf, and you dare to make demands of me? Aren't you afraid I'll tie you to a chair, then tie a bunch of firecrackers around it. Light them? Don't you think it'll be very loud?"

As he spoke, he suddenly stood up, pulled up a chair, sat down next to her, and leaned closer to look at her.

Qingchen leaned back involuntarily. "What are you doing?"

However, he still caught a whiff of her fragrance. He wondered what kind of soap she used, that it smelled so wonderful.

Meng Gexing narrowed his eyes slightly, then leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Tell me, what they're saying about you and Song Yue, is it true..."

Qingchen frowned and turned his head away. This question again? Hadn't he already asked it?

"You really want to know?"

Seeing that she was avoiding him again, he pouted unhappily and said, "What's so good about Song Yue? He's over thirty and still not married. I'm afraid he has some kind of hidden illness."

Qingchen looked at him seriously, "What's so great about you who gossips behind people's backs? If you still want to talk to me, then stop insulting my teacher."

"You like him?" He suddenly looked into her eyes. "You're both men, and he can't marry you."

"It has nothing to do with you!" Qingchen said impatiently.

Unexpectedly, Meng Gexing didn't accept this signal at all. Instead, taking advantage of his slight drunkenness, he pulled her into his arms, looked down at her, and said, "Why don't you come with me?"

"He's just a Grand Secretary. Once the Ming Dynasty is overthrown, I'll be the emperor."