Seeing the little girl stunned, Shen Suqing took one of her hands and held it, then slowly brought her hand to his cheek.
His beautiful eyes seemed to shimmer with glittering light, captivating anyone who looked away.
Shen Suqing repeated it again.
"Do you like Lord Shen the most or me the most?"
He stared intently at her, speaking with utmost seriousness, clearly seeking a definite answer from her, rather than making a casual joke.
"Young Master Shen" could be anyone who kindly took her in on a rainy night. Even without him, there might have been Young Master Lin, Young Master Chu, or Young Master Xie...
Perhaps there are countless people like him in the world who would do her laundry and cook for her, sew her clothes, indulge her and pamper her, and carefully take care of all her sensitive emotions.
Shen Suqing never felt that such simple and convenient things were anything special or worth mentioning.
But all he could do for her were these little things.
That's why he's so anxious about gains and losses.
What if I wasn't the one who found you?
What if there was another person in the world who happened to be pleasing to your eye, and who was also willing to take care of you?
What should "Young Master Shen" do then?
What should I do...?
Compared to your passion and sincerity towards me, and the times you risked your life to save me, what can I, an ordinary person, possibly give back to you? What do I have... that I can offer you?
Just thinking about this made Shen Suqing's heart sink.
It plunged into the empty valley, leaving no echo.
When his parents passed away and his life was full of hardships, he never flinched from the pitying gazes of others, always keeping his back straight. Later, when he was so poor that he had to sell his calligraphy and paintings to make a living while studying, he remained calm and did not belittle himself or feel inferior.
And now, for the first time in his life, he is experiencing feelings of inferiority.
Perhaps it was the sound of the night rain that disturbed his heartstrings, perhaps it was the soft glow of the candlelight, or perhaps it was the vulnerability that was so real in his eyes at that moment.
When Zhan Xinjia came to his senses, she had already leaned over and hugged him.
Oh no, how could there be such an easy-to-bully young man...
"Azhi likes Master Shen the most, I like you the most."
——
The rain stopped at dawn, and when Zhan Xinjia woke up, it was already bright outside the window.
I opened the window to find the sky a clear, bright blue after the rain, a cool breeze blowing, and the sunlight shining brilliantly. Several plump little sparrows perched on the bamboo branches outside the window, preening their feathers and chirping away.
A moist air, carrying a faint floral fragrance, drifted through the courtyard; taking a deep breath, one felt refreshed and invigorated.
She didn't remember when she fell asleep or when Master Shen carried her back to her room...
Has Lord Shen woken up yet?
After tidying herself up, she slipped into the kitchen.
In a hazy, misty atmosphere, the young man, sleeves rolled up, was adding scallions to the noodle soup. Seeing her enter, he used his flour-covered knuckles to leave a white mark on her forehead.
Go wash your hands.
Zhan Xinjia couldn't help but marvel at how delicious everything Xiao Shen made was. It seemed that even if he stopped being an official, he could easily make a lot of money by opening any kind of grocery store.
At that moment, she was contentedly slurping her seventh bowl of noodles.
"By the way, Lord Shen, I have to go out today."
"Hmm? Where are you going to cause trouble again?"
"No, that's not it. I have to go back and pay this year's mortgage. If I don't pay, the house will be taken away. If my house is raided again, my parents will have to beg on the streets."
"..."
Shen Suqing wanted to explain that normal people wouldn't have their homes ransacked so easily, but he wasn't quite sure what the grudges were between the Emperor and Empress and the Zhan family, so he could only remain silent.
He only spoke after the little girl finished eating her noodles and put down her chopsticks.
"I happen to be free today, would you mind taking me along?"
What if I say I mind?
With a belly full of mischief brewing again, Zhan Xinjia rested her chin on one hand and winked at him with her left eye, deliberately teasing him.
The young man was not angry; instead, he calmly relaxed his brows and eyes, displaying an air of detachment from worldly affairs.
"It doesn't matter."
As he said this, his fingers, which were naturally resting on his knees, were secretly gripping her other hand under the table, out of sight.
He skillfully inserted his five fingers between hers, locking them in perfectly.
Zhan Xinjia tugged, but couldn't break free.
She looked up blankly, and the young man still had that gentle smile that was not aggressive at all. He was kind and gentle, and even the smile on his lips was like a stream that was warmly illuminated in spring, clear and gentle.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? If you want to go, then go."
He stared intently at her, his hands clenching tighter under the table, showing no intention of letting her go.
Zhan Xinjia: "..."
Is that right? Let go of me!
Regardless, she still managed to leisurely stroll down the street with Master Shen, a rare occurrence for her.
Her home was quite a distance from Master Shen's, after all, one was in the Second Ring Road near the capital, and the other was in a poor area near the city gate. As she walked, Zhan Xinjia hummed an off-key tune with great joy.
As expected, Master Shen looks good in anything!
Well, a husband's good looks are a wife's glory! Walking with Master Shen makes me incredibly proud.
Because they were going to a slum, she made him change into the most plain and inconspicuous clothes in his wardrobe. Otherwise, with Master Shen's usual expensive-looking formal attire, he would definitely be surrounded by stares before he even entered the area.
However, with his good looks, even if Lord Shen were to wear a burlap sack, he would still be incredibly handsome.
For example, right now, the young man is wearing a plain white robe with no ornaments, except for a few green bamboo embroidered on the cuffs. His hair, which is usually tied up meticulously, is now loosely and casually draped over his shoulders, with only a sky-blue ribbon loosely tied at the ends.
He looks more like a young musician who ran away from a teahouse, with gentle eyes and a warm smile.
The further south you go, the more remote and desolate the streets become, a melting pot of all sorts of people, with thugs and petty hooligans lining the streets. Some are squatting in corners picking at plaster, others are harassing respectable women at street corners, and still others are loitering around in straw sandals with their hands behind their backs…
It's absolutely disgusting.
Shen Suqing frowned and hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help asking.
"You didn't learn anything bad here, did you?"
"How could that be? Young Master Shen, you underestimate me. I'm a well-known good boy for miles around!"
Zhan Xinjia patted his chest and confidently raised his chin.
As soon as she finished speaking, a group of ragged beggars swarmed out from some unknown spawn point.
Upon seeing her, their faces lit up with ecstatic joy, their lips curving upwards in a frenzy. One by one, they surrounded her, each carrying a broken bowl and leaning on a cane, greeting her familiarly in a cacophony of voices.
"Holy crap! Boss! Where have you been making your fortune lately? I haven't seen you in ages."
"Yeah, boss! Didn't we agree to go to the City God Temple in the east of the city to steal the offerings together? Why didn't you come?"
"Boss, you don't know, when you're not around, it's no fun fighting with us. It's only when you're around that we're really in charge. Everyone in the underworld says that there's a street in the south and north of the city. Ask around and see who your father is!"
"Hey boss, we've managed to save up a bit of money these past few days. We were thinking of treating you to a couple of girls and a couple of drinks in the red-light district to show our respect. There's no time like the present, are you going now?"
Shen Suqing stopped, pursed his lips, and looked down at the little girl beside him who was hanging her head and wished she could disappear into the ground.
Zhan Xinjia: "..."
Zhan Xinjia: "Ah... if I said that they've actually gone insane, would you believe me?"
Her voice sounded increasingly guilty.
Clearly, Shen Suqing has no faith whatsoever.
Stealing offerings? Fighting? Gang brawls? Drinking and womanizing?!
What happened to the well-behaved child who was famous throughout the surrounding villages?
How come each of these points, taken individually, is so overwhelming that it could make him faint?
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