A pang of sadness welled up in my heart during Chapter Nineteen.

"I won't see you!" Xie Yanzhi said only two words.

"That's it?" Yuan Qing doubted her ears. But then she thought, what's so strange about that? That day, Master had kicked Miss Qing off the carriage.

After Yuan Qing came out, he touched his head and repeated Xie Yanzhi's words with some embarrassment.

Shen Qingnian was not surprised by Xie Yanzhi's attitude; he had always disliked her.

"Please give this to the young master." With that, Shen Qingnian handed over a wooden box.

Ling'er asked, puzzled, "Miss, this young master won't even see you. Will he accept this box?"

Shen Qingnian has always been clear about her gratitude and resentment. Xie Yanzhi saved her, and even though he dislikes her, she still wants to thank him. Although she doesn't like him either.

Yuan Qing nodded and accepted the wooden box with both hands. Yuan Qing was somewhat puzzled; what a gentle and polite Miss Qing was.

Unfortunately, it seems the master still doesn't like Miss Qing.

Yuan Qing entered the study, placed the wooden box on the desk, and prepared to leave.

Xie Yanzhi glanced at the wooden box on the table and snorted coldly, "Take it out and throw it away!"

It's the same old tricks again; he doesn't want anything related to her.

Yuan Qing pursed his lips. The wooden box didn't look expensive, but it was quite exquisite. It was such a waste that the master wouldn't even open it to take a look before throwing it away.

Yuan Qing thought, since the master is going to throw this wooden box away anyway, and he doesn't even know what's inside, why doesn't he open it and take a look?

So he picked up the box, quietly opened it and took a look. Inside was a string of beads, emitting a pleasant scent of agarwood.

Yuan Qing glanced at Xie Yanzhi again and deliberately slowed his pace.

Thinking to myself: Lingjiao, this is all I can do to help your daughter.

"Leave your things behind!" Xie Yanzhi's cold voice rang out.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qing secretly grinned. He turned around and immediately put on a serious expression: "Yes, sir." He then put down his things and left.

This time, I deserve credit for the water chestnut!

Xie Yanzhi opened the wooden box and picked up the string of fragrant beads. The scent was indeed pleasant, though different from the scent she wore that day, it suited him perfectly.

Xie Yanzhi recalled that day when he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissed her lips, and felt the soft touch of his arms...

"Snap!" Xie Yanzhi put the item back, closed the lid, and placed it on the top shelf of the bookshelf. Unless you looked closely, you wouldn't notice that there was anything there.

He absolutely refused to allow himself to be bewitched by Shen Qingnian.

As for the Jingnan Marquis's residence, following the old lady's wishes, no one mentioned the Guangde Marquis's residence incident again. The groom and the old woman who knew about it that day had already been sold off and disposed of.

All anyone knew was that on the day of the Snow Day Banquet, Second Master Lu went to his beloved concubine's courtyard and caused a ruckus.

Soon it was the old lady's birthday, and the entire Jingnan Marquis's mansion was decorated with lanterns bearing the character "寿" (longevity), creating a joyous atmosphere.

Xie Zhao also returned. He had left the capital on official business the day before the Snow Day Banquet, and brought back gifts for each household, making everyone very happy. Except for Xie Min, whom Xie Zhao later learned that Madam Lin had taken Xie Min to the estate to recuperate.

That evening, the old lady ordered fireworks to be set off at the waterside pavilion. Bathed in the glow of the fireworks, Xie Zhao looked at Shen Qingnian's gentle eyes and felt a sense of tranquility.

"Qing-meimei," Xie Zhao called out.

"Hmm." Shen Qingnian turned her head to look at Xie Zhao. She saw Xie Zhao take out a small cloth bag from his sleeve and hand it to her.

"Cousin, what is this...?" Shen Qingnian hesitated, unsure whether to accept it. What if it was something valuable? It wouldn't be good to accept it.

Xie Zhao noticed Shen Qingnian's concerns and smiled, "Sister Qing, this isn't anything valuable, you can take it."

As Xie Zhao spoke, he stuffed the cloth bag into Shen Qingnian's hand. Shen Qingnian took it and opened it to find a small enamel dog with a chubby face, bright eyes like grapes, and a sticking-out tongue—it was very endearing.

“Girl, what an adorable puppy!” Ling’er said from the side.

Shen Qingnian also liked it very much, holding it in her hand and fiddling with it, showing a clear reluctance to put it down.

Xie Zhao was very happy to see that Shen Qingnian liked it: "I saw it in the shop when I was on my errand, and I thought that you might like it, so I bought it."

Hearing Xie Zhao say this, Shen Qingnian felt as if the things in her hands weighed a ton. She knew Xie Zhao's feelings, but she couldn't accept them.

Shen Qingnian handed the enamel dog over again, and Xie Zhao became anxious: "Qing-meimei, this is just a little gift from your cousin to you."

"Thank you very much, cousin." Shen Qingnian finally stopped refusing.

Xie Zhao felt a lump in his throat, and a wave of bittersweet emotion welled up inside him. So, Qing-mei understood his feelings...

"Oh, right, I've finished making the incense beads we agreed on last time," Shen Qingnian said, handing Xie Zhao a wooden box.

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhao's bitterness vanished instantly. He opened the box with great joy and found a string of incense beads inside, emitting a faint pine scent. The beads looked extraordinary.

"Thank you, Qing-mei." Xie Zhao was about to put the box into his sleeve pocket. Shen Qing-nian stopped him: "Cousin, try it on and see if it fits."

Xie Zhao smiled and nodded, putting the bracelet on his wrist; it was just the right size.

Shen Qingnian added, "Cousin, don't put these incense beads in the box anymore. Wear them with you so that their medicinal properties can be fully utilized."

Xie Zhao looked at Shen Qingnian with affection and said, "Mm."

Qingmei told him to wear it, and he always did.

Shen Qingnian avoided Xie Zhao's burning gaze and turned her face away to continue watching the fireworks. Xie Zhao occasionally looked down at the string of incense beads in his hand, his face full of satisfaction.

Xie Zhao thought for a moment. He realized that he had only known Qing for a short time, and his actions had been somewhat abrupt. From now on, he would be more careful not to reveal his feelings so as not to disturb his Qing.

"Qing-meimei, I will be leaving the capital again tomorrow, and it may be a month or two before I return. You...you must take care of yourself in the manor."

Shen Qingnian smiled and replied, "Yes, cousin, take care on the road and have a safe journey."

Xie Yanzhi was in the pavilion across the street, touching his teacup, lost in thought.

Yuan Qing could see clearly that Miss Qing had just handed the Fourth Young Master a wooden box that looked exactly like the one given to the Master.

She held the little gift the fourth young master had given her in her hand, her face beaming with joy. They looked like a loving couple.

Could it be that Miss Qing is really both coaxing the master and thinking about the fourth young master at the same time?

But the master had already discovered Qing's thoughts, which is why he asked her to take the wooden box away and throw it away.

After watching the fireworks, Xie Yanzhi returned to his study with a dark expression, took down the wooden box, and tossed it to Yuan Qing: "Burn it!"

Not far away, Aunt Su watched Shen Qingnian and Xie Zhaoru, a perfect couple, under the fireworks, and felt a mix of emotions.

Seeing Xie Yanzhi leave the pavilion with an unhappy expression, she unconsciously clenched her handkerchief. She immediately made a decision in her heart: she couldn't delay any longer; she had no choice but to use that method.