He instinctively pulled his arms back.

Shen Qiyin was completely unaware. She turned around and wrote down the measurements on the paper, saying absentmindedly, "Want to put your hand down? Sure, I've already measured it."

As soon as he finished speaking, everything went dark.

Xiao Yan stood behind her, his hand reaching out from her side and bracing itself on the table, almost trapping her entirely in his arms.

The slight distance between the two was almost negligible.

He leaned down slightly, his sharply defined jaw resting gently on her shoulder, and whispered, "Yinyin, you're too close to me, yet not close enough."

"What……"

Shen Qiyin wanted to ask him what he meant by those words, and as she spoke, she tried to turn around, but the image of her accidentally kissing him suddenly flashed before her eyes, and she immediately froze and turned to the other side.

Xiao Yan stepped back slightly in agreement.

When Shen Qiyin turned around to face him, he pounced on her again.

She watched him, clearly wanting to get closer, yet always keeping a little distance between them. His eyes were so intense, yet he seemed to be desperately suppressing something. In a flash, she seemed to suddenly understand what he meant by his words just now.

He is...

Want a hug?

Blinking, Shen Qiyin looked at Xiao Yan's tense jaw and reached out her hand to him without thinking much.

Her slender arms passed through his waist, forming a circle that was neither too big nor too small, and then gradually tightened until they were completely pressed together, fitting perfectly.

Unlike the tall and robust bears and deer, Xiao Yan's figure is more slender.

But he wasn't the kind of frail, thin type; instead, he had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a strong, upright posture.

It's just not very comfortable to hold; it's quite hard.

This was the first time Miss Shen had ever been in such close contact with someone, and she couldn't help but blush.

But I don't regret it.

She said she would try her best to like Xiao Yan, and that wasn't just empty talk.

Therefore, although this action was against etiquette, she was willing to do it if it made him happy.

Furthermore, the moment Xiao Yan was embraced by Shen Qiyin, he not only froze, but even held his breath.

He dared not move or speak, for fear of waking up from that momentary dream.

After a long while, so long that Shen Qiyin had been holding him for a while and was about to let go because she felt it was pointless, he tentatively tightened his stiff arms and pulled her completely into his embrace.

That was a completely different embrace from the one Shen Xiyin had given him.

It was as if he wanted to meld her whole being into his body, forceful and tender, making her heart pound even harder than before...

This turn of events was completely outside of Xiao Yan's plan, so much so that the usually composed Commander Xiao was thrown into disarray afterward, and left without even considering the purpose of his trip.

It wasn't until the next day that Shen Qiyin received the things that Xiao Yan had originally intended to give her from Chu Si when she went to Guangrentang.

It was an envelope.

On the fourth day, he said, "This was given to you by our young master."

When Shen Qiyin opened it, she found that it contained information about Jiang Wan's past, which she had previously asked Xiao Yan to investigate.

It wouldn't have mattered elsewhere, but this one scene caught her attention.

The Han family of Ganzhou...

Could it be the Han family that Wei Yueru, the former eldest daughter of the Marquis of Wu'an, married into?

Shen Qiyin initially wanted to investigate Jiang Wan's background simply to know herself and her enemy, but now that it seems to involve the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion, she has to be even more careful.

However, she did not make a public statement before the matter was settled.

Just as Xiao Yan's men returned with new news, the Winter Solstice Banquet at the Marquis of Jianning's residence arrived.

Shen Qiyin and Shen Mengyin went to the Marquis's residence together, but they each rode in their own carriages.

Ever since Shen Qiyin recognized Ren Dong as her sworn sister, she only had one maidservant, Ban Xia. Logically, she should have taken Ban Xia with her when attending banquets at the Marquis's residence.

But for some reason, Banxia had an upset stomach the day before and had diarrhea until midnight, so she couldn't go that day no matter what.

Shen Qiyin then borrowed Xianglan from Madam Shen and asked her to accompany him to the banquet.

It was just a matter of ordering around a maid, and Madam Shen felt she wouldn't lose anything, so she agreed.

Meanwhile, Xianglan sat in the incredibly spacious and luxurious carriage that Xiao Yan had prepared for Shen Qiyin, eating still-warm pastries that could only be found in the imperial kitchen of the palace, and was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes.

She's finally living a good life!

While enjoying herself, Xianglan didn't forget to express her loyalty to Shen Qiyin. The two chatted casually and soon arrived at the Marquis of Jianning's residence.

As luck would have it, when Shen Qiyin got off the train, Shen Ruyin had just gotten off as well.

She came to the Marquis's residence as the adopted daughter of Qin Li.

Now everyone in the capital knows that Eunuch Qin has adopted a daughter, whom he cherishes as the apple of his eye and loves dearly.

After Shen Ruyin was injured by Rendong last time, Qin Li specially invited the imperial physician to treat her, which enabled her to get out of bed in such a short time and come here to embarrass the Shen family.

Dressed in fine clothes and adorned with jewels, she sneered at Shen Qiyin, "Why does the Marquis's mansion invite just anyone? If I had known you were coming, I wouldn't have come."

Shen Qiyin smiled and said, "You can still leave now."

One sentence was enough to easily anger the other party.

"What did you say?!"

"What? Now not only is your brain not working properly, but you're deaf too?"

"...Shen Qiyin, don't go too far!" Shen Ruyin's face contorted with rage.

Shen Qiyin: "Is this the first day you've met me?"

Shen Mengyin timidly tugged at Shen Qiyin's sleeve and said in a soft voice, "Second sister, don't argue with third sister. We are sisters after all. We shouldn't let outsiders laugh at us."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!