While Shen Qing was stunned, Cheng Zhiwen quietly lifted her veil.
He kissed her lips again.
The man's lips were soft and moist, and through the veil, he gently caressed Shen Qing's lips.
Flashes of light and the clicking of camera shutters filled the air as they captured their kissing moment in photos.
Cheng Zhiwen's fresh breath sprayed onto her face, and her lips remained as soft as ever.
He restrained himself, not sticking out his tongue, and lingered on her lips for a while before gently sucking on her lower lip.
Shen Qing was completely stunned.
A voice inside her was telling her—stop it now!
She moved her hands, which were wrapped around his waist, to his arms and tried to separate them with a little force, but he was unmoved and unaffected by her, continuing to kiss her.
Immersed in it.
Shen Qing was in great agony.
Time passed slowly, until her lips began to ache, before Cheng Zhiwen finally released her, straightened her veil, put his arm around her shoulder, and faced the reporters together.
He smiled happily, as if he were truly reunited with his beloved; and she, because of the kiss just now, smiled shyly and nestled beside him.
The reporter asked in broken Chinese, "Mr. Cheng, is this beautiful lady your wife?"
Cheng Zhiwen turned his head and looked at her with deep affection: "She was my classmate when I was studying in the United States. We have been in love for many years. This time she came back to Shanghai from England to prepare for our wedding."
Congratulations!
Congratulations Mr. Shen and Ms. Zhu!
The camera flash started flashing again, even more intensely than before.
wedding?
Shen Qingxin felt uneasy.
However, she also understood that the only way to stay legitimately in the Shen family was by posing as his woman.
Otherwise, why would the Cheng family allow her to live in their home, and why would these British newspaper reporters endorse her?
Although Shen Qing understood, she still felt a little uncomfortable.
Suppressing her emotions, she and Cheng Zhiwen boarded the carriage together.
"Why didn't you tell me yesterday that you were going to announce your marriage? And you even..."
He kissed me without my consent.
She didn't say the last sentence aloud, afraid of being mocked by him, because years ago, she had also kissed him without his consent.
But he was unmarried at that time. So many years have passed, he should have married that Miss Liu long ago.
Otherwise, the maids in the Cheng family wouldn't have called her "Second Concubine"...
Thinking about it this way, Shen Qing felt it was necessary to remind Cheng Zhiwen about the appropriate boundaries in their relationship.
Just as he was about to speak, he lowered his voice and said, "Last night, Qi Zhenheng sent a letter by fast horse."
Shen Qing asked in surprise, "Big brother wrote a letter? What did it say?"
Cheng Zhiwen immediately took out a folded piece of yellow Xuan paper from the inside pocket of his suit and handed it to her.
Shen Qing opened it immediately.
There were only two words inside: "Manxi".
Shen Qing asked anxiously, "Just two words? What do they mean?"
"Li Zhongman likely already knows you're still alive."
Shen Qing felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, and her voice and limbs trembled: "Then...then...what do we do now?"
Cheng Zhiwen lowered her voice: "So I made the last-minute decision to announce our marriage. My identity as a classmate who studied in the US and the daughter of a wealthy businessman in Guangzhou is not enough to protect you. Once you become a member of the Cheng family, Li Zhongman will have a harder time touching you."
Shen Qing felt a sense of despair.
She thought she could hide in the Cheng family for a while, but she didn't expect that she would have to hide as Cheng Zhiwen's fiancée. And now, the people who were trying to kill her knew that she had faked her death.
This means that she would have a hard time just surviving, let alone clearing her name.
Shen Qing was depressed the whole way, hugging his arms and resting with his eyes closed.
She was well aware of her current situation and didn't say anything more to Cheng Zhiwen.
What she needs to do next is leave the Cheng family as soon as possible so as not to become a burden to others. Then she should look for an opportunity to clear her name.
After a long and tiring journey, they arrived in Yongzhou and returned to the Cheng family home.
Shen Qing followed Cheng Zhiwen off the carriage.
Unlike yesterday when I left at dawn, it was now evening, and the Cheng family mansion was bustling with activity.
The servants and maids moved through every corner of the mansion.
Cheng Zhiwen carried Shen Qing's suitcase and walked ahead, while Shen Qing followed behind her with an elegant and slender swan neck held straight.
The black veil on her hat covered most of her face, revealing only the lower part of her face, which was slender and delicate.
On the way to Cheng Zhiwen's courtyard, maids kept passing by, cautiously observing Cheng Zhiwen as she followed behind, whispering among themselves:
"I heard she's a rich young lady the second young master met while studying abroad..."
"So she's from a wealthy family. No wonder she had such a different air about her than other young ladies..."
"Much more elegant than Miss Liu..."
"That's right. Can Miss Liu compare to a young lady who has returned from studying abroad?"
"..."
Shen Qing heard this and thought to himself: This news travels fast.
She followed behind Cheng Zhiwen, looking around as she walked.
The Cheng residence is truly enormous. From the moment I entered the main gate, it had been almost a kilometer, and I still hadn't reached Cheng Zhiwen's courtyard.
"Second brother!"
A deep, resonant voice came from behind.
Shen Qing turned around and saw a man who looked about 70-80% like Cheng Zhiwen standing there.
He wore a long silk mandarin jacket of excellent quality and had a half-shaved head. Although he looked very much like Cheng Zhiwen, he was more robust than Cheng Zhiwen.
“This is my older brother,” Cheng Zhiwen said in a low voice. “Should we go over and say hello to him?”
Shen Qing recalled the man who entered the house that night.
That's probably the person.
Thinking about it this way, Shen Qing felt a little uncomfortable and instinctively took Cheng Zhiwen's arm: "Let's not go."
Cheng Zhiwen patted her hand reassuringly: "Okay, let's go then."
After saying that, they turned to leave, but the man strode over and caught up with them.
Cheng Zhiwen had no choice but to stop and introduce the man to Shen Qing: "My elder brother, Cheng Zhiwu."
Shen Qing suppressed her emotions and nodded to him: "Hello, elder brother, nice to meet you for the first time."
"Hello."
Cheng Zhiwu's gaze lingered on her face for a long while before turning to her and Cheng Zhiwen's linked arms: "Second brother, where did you take Miss Zhu all day yesterday?"
Cheng Zhiwen kicked the suitcase in her hand: "I took Shining to Shanghai to buy clothes."
Cheng Zhiwu nodded without saying anything.
Cheng Zhiwen took Shen Qing's arm and turned to continue walking forward.
After walking a few steps, Shen Qing turned back to look at Cheng Zhiwu, only to see him standing still, watching her and Cheng Zhiwen.
Feeling a chill run down her spine, she whispered to Cheng Zhiwen, "The night I woke up, your brother chased the girl away and sneaked into my room late at night. He stood by my bed and looked at me. I don't know what he wanted to do."
Cheng Zhiwen paused, her expression changed, and then she continued walking.
“I know. As soon as I returned to the courtyard, Ziyan reported this to me.”
Shen Qing nodded, recalling that night when Cheng Zhiwen did indeed suddenly appear at the door and call Cheng Zhiwu away.
They stood outside the door and talked for quite a while.
Shen Qing asked, "Did he tell you what he was going to do in the room?"
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