Chapter Thirty-Eight: She Still Doesn't Remember His Kiss

Xie Yanzhi grew angrier the more he thought about it.

Other women were eager to win his favor, but he had no interest in them.

As for Shen Qingnian, he put in a lot of effort and tried to please her. But she still didn't like him.

The beauty from before had a slender and supple waist, and was even more understanding than him. Yet, his mind was still preoccupied with Shen Qingnian.

He had seen her body, which made him restless whenever he saw her. He didn't feel this restlessness towards other women.

In the past, some officials who wanted to curry favor with him would secretly send him beautiful women who would take off their clothes in front of him, revealing their beautiful bodies.

But he remained unmoved, dragged the man away, beat him half to death, and threw him into the military brothel camp.

He couldn't help but wonder if Shen Qingnian had secretly cast a spell on him.

The night breeze was cool, and Shen Qingnian tightened her cloak as she walked out of Aunt Su's courtyard.

Ling'er carried a lamp and followed beside her to provide light.

Seeing the master and servant approaching from afar, Xie Yanzhi slipped away and hid behind the nearby artificial hill.

He didn't want to face Shen Qingnian right now. He didn't want to see her guarded eyes again.

That look was like a needle piercing his heart.

Xie Yanzhi watched as Shen Qingnian's slender figure was about to drift past him.

He couldn't help but reach out and slip his hand inside her cloak.

Shen Qingnian felt something touch her waist, but when she looked down, there was nothing there.

Just then, the lantern in Ling'er's hand was suddenly blown out by the wind. Shen Qingnian's cloak was tugged, and her lips touched something soft, but the sensation disappeared in an instant.

"Ling'er!" Shen Qingnian cried out in fright.

Ling'er took out a tinderbox and relit the lantern: "Miss! I'm here."

"My cloak was just tugged at," Shen Qingnian said, still shaken.

Ling'er looked along the cloak with the lantern, but there was nothing there, only a small hole in the cloak that had been caught on a tree branch.

"Miss, it got caught on the treetop and made a hole."

As she spoke, Ling'er took the cloak off the treetop.

Shen Qingnian also took a closer look in the light, and indeed there was nothing there. But the warm touch just now felt so real.

Shen Qingnian still felt uneasy and wanted to go back as soon as possible.

"Ling'er, let's go back quickly." After saying that, he led Ling'er away from the artificial hill.

After the two women left, Xie Yanzhi emerged from behind the artificial hill.

He watched Shen Qingnian flee in disarray and gave a wry smile.

Despite being kissed by him so many times, she still couldn't remember his kisses or his scent. That's why she didn't recognize him just now.

Asahi-zuki-juri.

Shen Qingnian instructed Ling'er to close the windows and doors tightly. Ever since she discovered that someone had entered her room in the middle of the night, she had never dared to be careless again, and she was always on edge every night when she went to sleep.

Right now, Xie Yanzhi has rekindled his feelings for her. Although Xie Yanzhi hasn't mentioned wanting her to be his concubine again, nothing seems out of the ordinary.

But she still felt uneasy and wanted to leave the mansion as soon as possible.

She took out the jade pendant again. Regardless of whether Xiao Huaiyi liked her or not, the jade pendant belonged to Xiao Huaiyi, and she had to return it to him.

Since the marriage is not yet settled, I should first think of a way to earn more money. Only with some money in hand will I have a chance to leave the Marquis's mansion.

Ling'er pawned the hairpin yesterday and got more than 150 taels of silver. Shen Qingnian weighed the money bag and decided to go to the market tomorrow to see if there was a suitable shop she could rent.

The next day, Shen Qingnian and Ling'er took a carriage to the market early in the morning.

They consulted a local broker and inquired about several shops.

The broker enthusiastically showed Shen Qingnian several shops.

Shops in good locations with high foot traffic tend to have high rents.

The shop has cheap rent but few customers.

Ling'er and Shen Qingnian walked around all morning but couldn't find a suitable shop.

The two bought two bowls of tea from a roadside tea stall and sat down to rest.

Meanwhile, in the rouge shop across the street, a pair of eyes were fixed intently on Shen Qingnian.

Gu Lingyu turned her head and said to Madam Tan, "Mother, that's Shen Qingnian, that slut."

"Oh?" Mrs. Tan leaned against the window and looked out.

The woman sitting at the tea stall downstairs had a beautiful face and gentle eyes.

"She really is a beauty. No wonder she could steal Xie Yanzhi's heart." Madam Tan picked up a box of rouge and smelled it.

"Mother, I want that slut to be taught a lesson!"

She and her cousin Yan Zhi were childhood sweethearts. Yan Zhi knew her feelings, but he never gave her a kind look.

That wretched woman has only been here a few days, yet she's already won over Cousin Yan's heart. How could she not be furious!

"Your cousin Yan has never mentioned her in public, so he must just be infatuated with her appearance for a while."

"In the end, he's someone who can't be brought to the table; there's no need to pay him any attention."

Gu Lingyu recalled the scene at the banquet when her cousin put a hairpin in Shen Qingnian's hair, and her heart grew even more troubled: "Mother, she has only been here for a few days and she has already hooked up with my cousin. She must be someone who is not simple."

"She's just a girl from a poor village, easy to deal with."

Lady Tan had fought against many concubines in the Marquis of Xinyang's mansion, and she must have had some tricks up her sleeve to be able to hold onto her position as the Marquis's wife.

Someone like Shen Qingnian doesn't need to bother at all.

Looking at her daughter's sullen face, Mrs. Tan felt that she was still a bit impatient.

"You are the second young lady of the Marquis of Xinyang's mansion. You should have the demeanor of a young lady from a noble family. You cannot lose your dignity for someone with no status like this."

Seeing that Shen Qingnian was still in the mood to drink tea, Gu Lingyu felt annoyed and ran downstairs without saying anything.

Madam Tan had no choice but to go along. Her daughter was impetuous, and she couldn't let her embarrass the Marquis of Xinyang's mansion.

"Shen Qingnian!"

Before Shen Qingnian could even see who it was, she felt a burning pain on her face.

"I told you, if you use that face to seduce people again, I'll slash your face!"

Shen Qingnian then realized that the person in front of her was Gu Lingyu.

Seeing this, Ling'er quickly stood in front of her mistress, preventing Gu Lingyu from getting any closer to Shen Qingnian.

Pedestrians on the street immediately gathered around to watch the spectacle.

Shen Qingnian frowned. Was Gu Lingyu trying to ruin her reputation today?

Shen Qingnian touched her slapped face, a tear sliding down her cheek, looking pitiful.

"Miss Gu keeps accusing me of seducing someone. Can you name who it is? And what proof do you have?"

"Of course it's a banquet..."

Gu Lingyu swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

She couldn't reveal her cousin Yan's name; it would ruin his reputation. He would definitely be furious if he found out.

Seeing Gu Lingyu's restrained expression, Shen Qingnian knew that she dared not reveal Xie Yanzhi's name.

She added:

“Miss Gu is a daughter of the Marquis of Xinyang’s family, while I am a country girl. If you want to hit me, just find any excuse. Anyway, I can’t fight back.”

Someone in the crowd said, "So she's the young lady from the Marquis of Xinyang's mansion. No wonder she's so rude and domineering; she's just bullying people because of her power."

"I think the young lady from this noble family is no different from any other common woman; they're all just as shrewish!"

"You...!" Gu Lingyu's face turned red and white as she listened to the surrounding whispers.