Feeling sticky and uncomfortable when she woke up early in the morning, Li Shiyue looked up as she walked out of Chengyu Pavilion. The weather was clear, with a thick layer of clouds covering the azure sky.

"The weather is as strange as a child's, unpredictable."

Chunling followed behind, carrying a cloak and an umbrella, afraid that the weather would turn gloomy in the next second and Li Shiyue would get wet and fall ill.

"Princess of the County".

Chunling immediately fell silent and looked up to see the source of the sound. It was Xie Yizhi, who had entered the mansion a few days ago.

Xie Yizhi took two steps forward, not even glancing at the gate of Shousong Hall, and headed straight for Li Shiyue.

"Thank you, my lord."

Li Shiyue's jacket today is peach-pink, a more vibrant color than usual.

A look of amazement flashed in Xie Yizhi's eyes, and his smile deepened: "Why call me Young Master Xie? Why not call me cousin? That would be much more intimate."

He was gentle and refined, but when he spoke, he had a touch of youthful naiveté, and even when he spoke directly, it was impossible for people to find him annoying.

Perhaps it was because he spoke so frankly, and his expression was completely uncomplicated, that he didn't seem like someone with ill intentions.

“Then Cousin Xie, why don’t you just call me Yan Yan? Calling me County Princess is too formal. Besides, my cousins ​​at home all call me by my courtesy name, and I usually refer to myself as ‘Yan Yan’.”

"Yan Yan is a courtesy name bestowed by the Emperor. Even if Cousin Xie says something, there's no need to worry about what others might say. Everyone knows where these two characters come from."

For a woman's family, especially an unmarried woman, her name is a very private matter and should not be easily known by others, let alone by a man from another family.

But the characters bestowed by the emperor are different; they are used throughout the land and are known to everyone, so there are fewer taboos associated with them.

"Okay, Yan Yan."

Xie Yizhi's smile never faded. He glanced at the maid in the corridor and said, "You've come to pay your respects to your aunt so early. I thought I would be the first one there."

“Grandma is getting old and doesn’t sleep well. She usually gets up around this time. I suppose she’s been feeling unwell with a headache lately, so it’s good for her to sleep a little longer today to rest.”

Li Shiyue sighed softly, watching the steps beneath her feet: "I didn't have much to do, but thinking of my grandmother all by herself, I thought I'd come over every day to keep her company."

Xie Yizhi's tone seemed to carry a hint of nostalgia, and he looked at her profile with some emotion.

“Back in the past, my grandmother was very domineering and rarely showed us any affection. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that my great-aunt and my grandmother were cousins.”

Li Shiyue was not surprised, after all, one's personality sometimes depends on the environment.

Take her for example. In her past life, she was weak, easily bullied, and hated yet pitiful. Now, she is still vengeful and holds grudges.

This has a lot to do with the environment. No one has clearly stipulated that weak and easily bullied people must always obediently listen to others.

"Old Master Xie passed away early. If Madam Xie hadn't been so assertive and resourceful, the Xie family would have long been someone else's prey."

"There are gains and losses. For example, I am now favored by my maternal grandmother, but there are also things I have never had. This is ultimately a regret that only I know."

"But that doesn't mean this regret will bother us for a long time. After all, the people who care about us only regret that they couldn't give us more, just a little more."

Li Shiyue's voice was gentle and calm. She smiled slightly as she met Xie Yizhi's gaze and walked in first.

Xie Yizhi paused, watching the beautiful figure gradually disappear before his eyes. He choked on his words, unable to speak.

This was the first time he had ever been lectured by a little girl, but surprisingly, he seemed to listen to her.

When Xu Yunci arrived, Li Shiyue was sitting next to Old Madam Xu, listening to Xu Lingzi say something. Xie Yizhi, who was drinking tea, listened quietly without making a sound.

She had a quiet and cheerful demeanor. Xu Yunci looked at the person next to Old Madam Xu, who was wearing this peach-colored new dress for the first time.

It turns out that he happened to see Yang choosing a dress for Li Shiyue. He pretended not to know and said that the peach-red color was nice. Sure enough, today he saw Li Shiyue wearing this new dress made of peach-red brocade.

It made her complexion rosy and her face as beautiful as a peach blossom, as if a fairy from heaven had descended to earth.

"What is Grandmother saying? She's laughing so hard she can't stop."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lingzi stood up and said, "Is Second Brother jealous? Perhaps I should say it again."

She coughed twice to clear her throat, then adopted a haughty, old-fashioned tone: "I've heard that the young master of the Rongguo Duke's mansion is already of age but still unmarried, so perhaps..."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Xu Yunci interrupted her before she could finish speaking, his eyes showing a hint of barely suppressed displeasure.

Xie Yizhi, engrossed in watching the show, hadn't yet noticed anything amiss. He leaned close to Xu Lingzi and chimed in, "If you ask me, my cousin is absolutely right. Why don't you hurry up and get married, cousin? You can at least have one more wedding feast before I have to leave. That would be wonderful, wonderful."

For the first time, Xu Yunci lost his good attitude, displaying a cold demeanor that hinted at impatience.

"There's no need to be in such a hurry for me. If you want a nice meal, I can pay for it and take you to a restaurant. As for the wedding, I didn't expect you two to be even more eager than I am."

Xu Lingzi sensed something was wrong and dared not make a sound. She quietly tugged at Li Shiyue's sleeve and said silently, "Save me."

Helpless, Li Shiyue braced herself and walked out under Xu Yunci's gaze, while Xu Lingzi pretended to hide behind her.

"My cousin was just joking. Oh, by the way, my cousin is here too. It's my birthday next month, and he was saying he wanted to invite more friends over to have some fun. I wonder who he wants to invite?"

"Although it's my birthday, and it's not the first time I've celebrated it, my maternal grandmother and aunt said that since it's the first time I've celebrated it at the Duke's mansion, we should make it a grand affair and invite everyone we know to come and get to know each other."

Li Shiyue's desire to save people was too obvious. Just look at her. Xu Yunci sighed inwardly and thought to himself, "Never mind."

“I came here today for this very reason. Why don’t you go to my villa, and Grandmother can come along too? Don’t worry about the trip; I’ll take care of everything.”

"Since it's my cousin's first time celebrating her birthday at home, we should naturally make it a grand affair and not let our guard down. Since we're going to have a celebration, we should invite everyone in a generous manner. We can also take this opportunity to let my cousin make the decision herself."

"This is also Mother's idea. It's my cousin's birthday banquet, so she can make her own arrangements. No matter what happens, the family will take care of it for her."