Xiangtan Lake is located in the center of Xiangzhou City. It is very large and resembles a garden that has been enclosed, with a wall surrounding the outermost edge.
Many literati and poets usually enjoy strolling on the lake, composing poems and lyrics here.
There were still quite a few people today. As Qiao Qiu walked forward, she heard many pretentious poems, most of which she couldn't even figure out the rhyme scheme of.
Before long, Qiao Qiu saw a familiar figure standing in the pavilion under the willow tree.
I haven't seen him for half a month, and he's lost a lot of weight. What happened?
Qiao Qiu walked across the wooden bridge. He Qi Xie seemed to sense something, turned around, and came out to greet her personally.
"Junbai, it's been so long, I really miss you."
As he spoke, he walked up to Qiao Qiu and brazenly took her hand.
Qiao Qiu didn't want to say anything more. She followed him inside and sat down on a pavilion bench. It was springtime, and she didn't want to sit on a cold stone bench. "You didn't go to the Shen residence, but instead directly asked me to come out. You've got some nerve. Aren't you afraid I won't be able to get out?"
“You’re Shen Junbai, leaving the manor is a piece of cake for you, isn’t it? I just don’t want to see that bunch of matchmakers, they’re so annoying.” He Qixie sat in front of her, holding her hand tightly with one hand, and taking off her veil with the other, staring at her without blinking, as if he couldn’t get enough of looking at her.
Qiao Qiu cursed "big pervert" in her heart, then couldn't help but laugh. "If Uncle He hears this, he'll have a headache again."
Her smile was like a fleeting flower, her eyes like starlight, and her rosy lips curved slightly. He Qixie swallowed hard, but couldn't bear to look away. "Whatever, I haven't found a woman I like, so I'm not getting married."
Qiao Qiu withdrew her hand, snatched back the veil, and skillfully put it on. She hadn't touched that scar today.
Her slender fingers danced across the veiled hat, graceful and beautiful, making He Qixie's heart itch with desire.
Beneath the veil, Qiao Qiu curled her rosy lips into a smile, "You little brat, you'll suffocate."
He Qixie pressed his hand to his heart, let out a long sigh, and looked to the other side. It seemed that his heartbeat had never been normal since he met Shen Junbai.
Qiao Qiu said, "You're already twenty-seven years old. If you can't find a woman you like, it's not a good solution. Look at Su Yue, she got married last year and her child is almost born."
"That's different. She's a woman, and if she gets any older, no one will marry her. It's okay if I get married later."
He Qixie was still as stubborn as ever. Qiao Qiu really wanted to pry open his head and see what was inside. She stood up, looked at the scenery outside the lake, and said in a cold tone, "Fine, then I won't bother with you anymore. Recently, a lot of people have been concerned about my marriage. How about Brother He helps me find out which girl is suitable for me?"
"W-what?" He Qixie was taken aback. He stood up and moved closer to Qiao Qiu. "You want to get married? Didn't you say you wouldn't?!"
Qiao Qiu continued to deceive, "I've been having dreams lately, and I keep dreaming about my parents. They say that if I don't get married to continue the Shen family line, I'm being unfilial."
"That's just a dream. How can you go against your conscience? You don't love those women at all." He Qixie panicked, and the words that came out were almost entirely different from what he originally intended to say.
Qiao Qiu knew this, but it was a voice from the depths of her heart, representing her truest thoughts. She continued, "If I don't marry, who will accompany me for the rest of my life? The taste of loneliness is not pleasant."
“I’ll go with you,” He Qixie said without hesitation.
Qiao Qiu raised an eyebrow, "What about my sister-in-law?"
“She won’t object.” He Qixie felt inexplicably irritated when he heard the words ‘sister-in-law’.
Qiao Qiu pressed further, "How do you know she won't object? You don't even have someone you like yet."
He Qi Xie put his arm around her waist and led her towards the center of the lake. "I invited you here to enjoy the scenery, so let's not talk about these unpleasant things. I brought you a gift, see if you like it?"
As he spoke, he took out a pair of rings.
When Qiao Qiu saw this, she held her breath and widened her eyes. Surprisingly, she didn't focus on the fact that it was a ring that He Qixie had brought, but instead paid attention to the shape of the rings.
These are a pair of peach blossom-shaped rings with three diamonds, set in the center and at the top of one petal. The design is clearly of the same origin as the leaf ring on her finger.
"Where did you get this ring from?" Qiao Qiu asked him.
“I’ve had this ring since I was little. My dad said I found it somewhere. It’s been so many years, but it’s still as good as new. Maybe it’s a treasure.” He Qi Xie said, taking advantage of Qiao Qiu’s distraction, he put the ring on the middle finger of her left hand.
Qiao Qiu looked down and her heart skipped a beat. The left middle finger was meant to represent a marriage proposal. Did this guy even know what he was doing?
"It's so beautiful...wait, why are leaves growing on this ring?" He Qixie exclaimed in surprise.
Qiao Qiu's pupils contracted. The original leaf ring and petal ring had overlapped. How could this be?
She tried to pull the ring off, and found that, like the leaf ring, it was also impossible to remove.
If she can't get the ring off, what will happen after she dies? It's a pity she can't contact the ring now, otherwise, she could ask what happened.
"Master, Master."
The ring's sweet, childlike voice echoed in her mind, and Qiao Qiu looked at the ring on her hand in surprise.
"Master, don't speak. If you expose yourself to this guy, everything will be over."
Qiao Qiu looked at He Qixie and said, "This ring can't be taken off once it's on. What's going on?"
"I don't know, but I have a feeling this ring will be very useful to you." He Qi Xie scratched his head, he couldn't figure out why either. "Jun Bai, I'm sorry, I... I didn't know it couldn't be taken off."
"I'm a grown man, wearing a girl's ring and I can't take it off, what do you suggest I do?" Qiao Qiu asked him, raising an eyebrow.
"What... should I do?" He Qixie's mind was in complete chaos, and he stammered as he spoke.
Qiao Qiu smiled and said, "It's simple. You wear it too, and don't take it off. That'll be like you're keeping me company."
"Okay, this is simple." He Qi Xie put on the ring himself. Suddenly, a jolt of electricity shot from his finger straight to his brain. It was as if some image flashed by, but he couldn't grasp it. When he tried to follow it, he didn't know which way to look.
Qiao Qiu took his hand and tried to remove his ring, but it didn't budge.
Many questions remained unanswered, and she had to find someone to ask about the ring.
Qiao Qiu looked up at him and said, "I have something to do, so I have to go first. If you have something to do in Xiangzhou, you can come back to the Shen residence later."
"What's wrong? I'll go with you." He Qixie's heart was pounding. Shen Junbai was too close to him, so close it was almost intimate.
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