Chapter 56 He's Better Than You

"I never said that," Shen Qingnian said calmly.

What good would it do to say it? Someone of her status could never be the principal wife of the Marquis's heir.

In the end, she would still be forced to become a concubine, which was better than nothing. If she wasn't careful, she might lose her life in this marquis's mansion.

She didn't want either a legal wife or a concubine.

"Don't tell anyone about the engagement," Shen Qingnian instructed Ling'er.

This matter must be kept strictly secret; outsiders must not be allowed to know.

Xie Yanzhi then realized that she hadn't lied that day; she really did have a marriage arrangement.

He was now curious about who her fiancé was and why she wasn't keeping her engagement.

Xie Yanzhi stepped inside.

Hearing footsteps, Shen Qingnian quickly lay down, closed her eyes, and pretended to be still asleep.

"Young Master." Ling'er quickly stood up and bowed slightly to Xie Yanzhi in a flustered manner.

Looking at the still somewhat pale face, Xie Yanzhi frowned and asked, "Still not awake?"

Ling'er clenched her hands and answered somewhat hesitantly, "Not yet."

She kept her head down, afraid that the young master would notice something amiss from the expression on her face.

Xie Yanzhi glanced at the person on the bed, whose face was still a little pale. He pretended to be calm and closed his eyes. He sat on the edge of the bed and held the person's hand, which trembled almost imperceptibly.

Xie Yanzhi pursed his lips, seeing that she still didn't seem to be waking up, and turned to Ling'er, saying, "Go and get your young lady some clothes."

"Hmm?" Ling'er asked, somewhat puzzled.

Does the eldest young master think that she hasn't changed the young lady's clothes yet today?

She was about to say that she had just changed her clothes today when Xie Yanzhi forced her to stop with a single look.

"Yes, young master."

Ling'er had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but she still followed the instructions and quickly took out a new set of undergarments from the closet, handing them over respectfully with both hands.

"Go outside and wait there," Xie Yanzhi said coldly, reaching out to take the thin garment.

"Ah?" Ling'er looked at the young lady on the bed, feeling a little worried.

"Get out!" Xie Yanzhi was already very impatient when he saw Ling'er still standing there blankly.

Seeing that her mistress had not yet reacted, Ling'er was extremely anxious, but how could she, a mere maid, disobey the young master's words?

She reluctantly replied, "Oh." After glancing at the young lady with concern, she left and closed the door.

I couldn't help but feel a chill for the young lady.

The eldest son actually wanted to change the young lady's clothes himself. Although he was going to take her as a concubine, she hadn't officially married into the family yet.

Inside the room, Xie Yanzhi looked at the person pretending to be asleep. Her feather-like eyelashes trembled slightly, and he had a thought of teasing her.

"Cousin, since you're still unconscious, let me change your clothes."

As he spoke, he began to unbutton her clothes, one button at a time.

Shen Qingnian felt his movement, and her hands, which were under the covers, gripped the sheets tightly. In her heart, she cursed him a thousand times!

I wonder if he has done anything shameful to her while she was asleep these past few days.

Seeing that the person still wouldn't wake up, Xie Yanzhi stopped what he was doing and said, pretending to be considerate, "How about I help you take off your underpants first? Your clothes still look clean."

After saying that, he reached his hand under the covers to pull down her pants.

He wanted to see how long she could endure it.

"Cousin!" Shen Qingnian grabbed Xie Yanzhi's hand, pretending to have just woken up, and coughed twice.

Xie Yanzhi watched her movements, gave Shen Qingnian a meaningful look, and a smile curved his lips. "Cousin, you've finally woken up?"

Shen Qingnian looked at his expression and then noticed that Xie Yanzhi only had an undergarment in his hand.

She suddenly realized that he had known all along that she was pretending to be asleep.

Shameless!

They even made me take off my underwear! That's utterly shameless!

Shen Qingnian lowered her head, somewhat annoyed.

It turned out that Xie Yanzhi had been outside just now, and he had come to tease her on purpose.

Xie Yanzhi saw that she had her head down, her black hair was draped in front of her, her face was a little pale, and her lips were pursed, so she was obviously annoyed.

He suddenly realized that she was actually quite cute.

But he had something more important to ask her now.

"You really have a marriage contract?" he asked softly.

Shen Qingnian was startled; Xie Yanzhi had been eavesdropping on their conversation outside the door.

She tried to recall, but she and Ling'er hadn't revealed who her betrothed was. Xie Yanzhi probably didn't know that he was the one she was engaged to.

Thinking of this, she calmed her panic.

“Yes, it was decided for me by my mother when I was a child,” Shen Qingnian replied calmly.

Xie Yanzhi scrutinized Shen Qingnian and saw that her expression was calm and her eyes were firm, not like she was lying.

Xie Yanzhi suddenly felt that he admired her a little.

Despite being engaged, she went out to meet men and almost secretly pledged her life to them.

She's truly fickle and promiscuous.

Does she even have a sense of shame?

"You knew you were already engaged, yet you still went to meet that man surnamed Xiao?"

Faced with Xie Yanzhi's questioning, Shen Qingnian said nonchalantly, "That was an engagement made when we were young, and that person is now out of reach."

"Given my status, who would take this marriage seriously?"

"It's best not to go out and make yourself disliked by others."

Unreachable? Xie Yanzhi was a little curious about the identity of the person she was engaged to.

She dared to provoke even a high-ranking prince like him, so who else could she avoid at all costs?

He asked with some surprise, "You dare to provoke even this young master, who else wouldn't you, Shen Qingnian, dare to provoke?"

Shen Qingnian could hear the sarcasm in his words.

Besides, she had never provoked him, so she didn't know why he was always so arrogant.

Since he made her unhappy, she would make him angry in return.

"That's because he's better than you!" Shen Qingnian said, raising her neck high with a proud look, and glancing at Xie Yanzhi.

"Oh?" Xie Yanzhi went through all the big and small figures in the capital in his mind, and it seemed that there were not many people more powerful than him.

Those guys were all old foxes, and their children were about the same age as Shen Qingnian.

Moreover, Shen Qingnian was clearly protecting that person in her words and actions.

Presumably, the person was unwilling to fulfill the marriage agreement, and instead of blaming him, he took all the blame upon himself.

Shen Qingnian must have been deeply in love with that man, and knowing that they could not be together because of their different family backgrounds, she went to seduce other men.

"What do you mean by 'unreachable'? I'm afraid your fiancé is just a faithless man. Why are you still protecting him?"

Shen Qingnian didn't know how Xie Yan could have gotten the idea that she loved that person so much.

But when she heard Xie Yanzhi call himself a faithless person, she couldn't help but find it funny.

At this moment, she suddenly looked straight at Xie Yanzhi and asked seriously, "If the Crown Prince had such a lowly fiancée, would you accept the marriage agreement and marry her?"