"What's wrong?"

The man's voice was very gentle, so gentle that Shi Lan couldn't help but grit her teeth.

"Cousin, I feel a little dizzy," Qian Zhiqing's voice was so weak that it sounded like she might stop breathing at any moment.

Shi Lan tightened her grip on the soup spoon, secretly grumbling to herself, "If you're not feeling well, you should stay home and rest. Why do you have to come out and 'wander' around like this?"

Zhu Yi still cared about her to some extent. Hearing that she was uncomfortable, he told the driver to slow down and apologized to Shi Xu, saying, "Brother Shi, please forgive me..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shi Lan threw down the soup spoon, lifted both curtains on the car window, and glanced at him sideways.

Her fair skin glowed, as smooth and lustrous as a freshly peeled egg. Her rosy lips were pursed, full and delicate like beautifully shaped flower petals. Her long, thick eyelashes blinked, fluttering like two rows of dense brushes. Her dark eyes were bright and sparkling, so bright that it was hard to look directly at them.

Zhu Yi's eyes flickered. She looked so disheveled back then, compared to her radiant beauty now. Zhu Yi felt a chill run down her spine, and she couldn't continue speaking.

Zhu Yi's face gradually flushed, her heart pounded, and her body instantly felt strange.

Shi Lan noticed the intricate lines between his brows in an instant, but upon closer inspection, they seemed to be absent.

Shi Lan smiled faintly, then withdrew her smile as the brocade curtain fell gently, concealing the smile that he longed to hold close and that he could enjoy alone.

Because Shi Xu had his back to the carriage, he didn't notice Shi Lan's little actions.

Zhu Yi clenched his fist, inwardly cursing himself for his poor self-control, and then changed the subject, saying, "My cousin is unwell, which has troubled Brother Shi."

Shi Xu blinked, cupped his hands in return, and said politely. At the same time, he ordered the driver to slow down the carriage so as not to leave the Hou family's carriage behind.

Inside the carriage, Shi Lan clenched her fists, her heart pounding faster and faster, almost as if it would leap out of her chest.

She was certain that she hadn't been seeing things. Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, she clearly saw that the pattern was extremely similar to the one between Haoze's eyebrows.

Qian Zhiqing was furious when she heard their conversation, but she had no way to refute it and had no reason to do so. She could only squeeze the teacup tightly, wishing she could crush it.

The carriage swayed and finally made it out of the city gate, and stopped a couple of quarters of an hour later.

Shi Xu lifted the carriage curtain, and Shi Zhen jumped out of the carriage first, followed by Shi Ling and Shi Lei.

Shi Lan straightened her skirt and smoothed her hair before slowly walking down the steps with Zhi Cui's help.

As soon as she landed, she instinctively turned her head and saw Zhu Yi looking at her.

In the bright sunshine, amidst the crowded throng, a tiny figure blooming among camellias slowly gazes out with a smile on its lips.

In an instant, Zhu Yi could see no one but her.

Shi Lan's face flushed slightly, and the intense gaze made her blush with embarrassment. She lowered her head, her beautifully curved neck arching, attracting a flurry of admiring glances.

Shi Xu called to the maids and servants who had caught up later to help his younger siblings walk forward. Turning his head, he noticed the skeptical looks from the people around him. Following their gazes, he saw Zhu Yi and Shi Lan looking at each other. Only then did he belatedly realize what was going on. He subtly moved aside and ordered his men to stop the passersby, giving the two of them a small space.

However, this road is the main road to Jinming Pond, and there are many people coming and going. There were three girls from the Shi family, plus Shi Zhen, so the group was inevitably a bit short-handed.

Due to a moment of carelessness, a reckless man charged straight at Shi Lan. Zhi Cui rushed forward, but only managed to stop him briefly before being pulled backward. Zhu Yi could no longer restrain himself and stepped forward to stop the man, while also pulling Shi Lan to his side and taking her under his wing.

A warm, large hand held her arm tightly. Shi Lan looked up at the broad back and smiled sweetly.

Qian Zhiqing slowly got off the car after confirming that she was completely unharmed. Before she could even strike a pose to compete with Shi Lan, she was bumped into by a pair of siblings who were looking around. Fortunately, Bao Xia caught her in time, and Qian Zhiqing only swayed slightly before regaining her balance.

Seeing that Qian Zhiqing was alright, Bao Xia turned around and scolded her siblings, who had realized their recklessness, "What's going on? Didn't you see anyone here?"

The brother and sister quickly apologized. The elder brother was refined and scholarly, and spoke in a very literary manner, but his apology was extremely sincere.

Qian Zhiqing was feeling extremely dizzy after sitting in the car for so long. She turned around, wanting to act coquettishly towards Zhu Yi, but she happened to see Zhu Yi smiling and looking down, while his gaze was fixed on the smirking face behind her.

Qian Zhiqing was furious. With someone still nagging in her ears, she couldn't control her emotions and couldn't help but whisper and scold, "Shut up."

The scholar was taken aback, staring blankly at the slender and beautiful woman before him.

Qian Zhiqing frowned, turned her head, and said, "Aren't you going to help me to my cousin's place?"

Bao Xia wanted to curse a few more times, but her fear of Qian Zhiqing had penetrated to the bone. Hearing the order, she dared not delay and quickly helped her to Zhu Yi's side.

Qian Zhiqing took a small step forward, then swayed unintentionally, as if she was about to fall.

Zhu Yi hurriedly said, "Be careful," and instinctively stretched out his arm.

Shi Lan reacted quickly and caught her before he could, pushing her towards Bao Xia with a slight force.

Qian Zhiqing had been ill for too long, and with the added trouble caused by someone with ulterior motives, her health was damaged. Although her mind had recovered, her body was still sluggish, and she could only lean towards Bao Xia following her force.

Zhu Yi turned to look at her.

Shi Lan looked up at Zhu Yi and smiled, saying nothing, then took two steps back and left his protective circle.

Zhu Yi's heart skipped a beat. Although he had no evidence, he knew that Shi Lan was angry.

Zhu Yi felt a mix of emotions. On one hand, he thought Shi Lan had a bad temper. Zhi Qing was his cousin, and she was in poor health, so it was normal for him to take care of her. On the other hand, he was hopelessly happy. He felt that her nervousness and reluctance to let other women get close to her was a sign that she cared about him, which made him want to indulge her little temper.

The crowd moved forward with them.

Shi Lan held Shi Lei's hand, Shi Ling led Shi Zhen, and Shi Xu led the way.

Shi Lan had never been here before and was curious about everything. Shi Lei loved to eat and lingered at every stall, but she was small and had a small appetite, so she couldn't eat more after three or five stalls.

Shi Lan couldn't bear to see her pitiful appearance, so she decided to buy one from each stall and have it as a snack while watching the play.

Zhu Yi followed behind with a deep expression. He noticed that Zhi Cui was carrying a lot of things, and seeing that there were still many stalls ahead, he gave a wink to the side. Immediately, a servant quietly followed.

Qian Zhiqing has always paid close attention to Zhu Yi, and with Shi Lan, a formidable rival, present, she is even more focused.

Seeing that Zhu Yi was so attentive to her even though it was only their second meeting, Qian Zhiqing clenched her fingers tightly in anger. The pain stimulated her nerves, but it did nothing to quell her rage.

Bao Xia carefully supported her the whole time. Seeing that she was clenching her palms tightly, she was worried that she would hurt her palms again, so she gently patted them twice.

Qian Zhiqing's chest heaved twice, and she suddenly grabbed her fingers and pinched them hard.

The intense pain made Bao Xia tremble and loosen her grip. A scream was on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it back under Qian Zhiqing's cold, piercing gaze.

Qian Zhiqing gritted her teeth, her gaze lingering on the ever-increasing amount of food in the servants' hands.

Poor Baoxia was in so much pain that she was covered in cold sweat, but she didn't dare to utter a sound.