Chapter 7: Don’t be so close to me. I’m not used to it.
The cold wind blew the fallen ginkgo leaves into flight, and the chill penetrated into Shen Xingwan's heart.
She stared at the man in front of her, whom she once loved sincerely, for a long time, and suddenly she felt relieved.
This was the man she had entrusted her heart to and given her all for.
Was it because he disguised himself too well and acted too realistically in his previous life, or was it because she was too blinded by greed and was so shortsighted?
So he clearly had an affair with Tang Lin'er, and was secretly having an affair with her, but he was still relentless in pursuing her, performing scenes after scenes of deep love for her.
He just covets the status and power behind her.
If she, Shen Xingwan, was not the legitimate daughter of Prime Minister Shen, and General Shen's biological sister, he probably wouldn't even look at her.
What he loved and wanted was always Miss Shen's identity, not Shen Xingwan as a person.
He is such a hypocritical and snobbish person.
And she, in her previous life, actually sacrificed everything for such a person.
Shen Xingwan smiled sadly, mocking himself for being a fool in the past.
"What are you laughing at?" Wei Zilin frowned.
Shen Xingwan raised her eyes, stood up straight, straightened her clothes, and looked at him straight in the eye.
"I laugh at how the Third Prince misjudged me, thinking that I was a snobbish person who only cared about status."
She looked at him, her smile faded, and her eyes gradually became clear.
"I am a person who has a clear distinction between love and hate. Once I have chosen someone, I will treat him sincerely. I have been granted marriage by His Majesty. My husband is the Regent King Yan Jinghuan. From now on, he will be the only one in my eyes and heart. No matter who he is, I will respect and love him, and I will not hesitate to give him everything."
Wei Zilin's eyelashes trembled slightly, and the bloodshot in his eyes became more intense. He almost said in a breath, "Are you deliberately trying to piss me off?"
Naturally, she was angry with him. Shen Xingwan knew that he just wanted her help, so she deliberately added that she would be willing to sacrifice everything for him.
A faint scent of cold pine was brought by the wind, causing Shen Xingwan to look up.
Under an osmanthus tree not far away, Yan Jinghuan, dressed in black, was standing there. No one knew when he came or how long he had been standing there.
Shen Xingwan felt as if she had been pardoned. She raised her hand to push Wei Zilin away, lifted her skirt and ran from his side towards Yan Jinghuan.
Wei Zilin was about to reach out to grab it, but when he turned around, he saw Yan Jinghuan staring at him sinisterly, so he finally clenched his fist and lowered his hand.
Yan Jinghuan reached out and embraced Shen Xingwan who was running towards him. He gently shook his arm and held her in his cloak. He looked at Wei Zilin deeply, held her in his arms, turned around and walked out.
"Why are you here?"
Shen Xingwan looked up and asked him, her eyes sparkling with joy at being out of trouble.
Yan Jinghuan softened his stern expression and glanced at her, "I'm here to send you the marriage proposal."
Shen Xingwan opened her eyes wide, "Do you really need to come and deliver this in person?"
Yan Jinghuan laughed and his tone became softer, "You still have to come and greet your father and mother first. Do you think you can only meet them when you get married?"
"Then stay and have dinner with us. My mother is best at making cherry duck. When you come, she will definitely make it for you to try."
"Um."
Neither of them paid any attention to Wei Zilin who was still standing there. They walked out of the garden chatting and laughing intimately. They looked so sweet, as if they had been a young couple who had been in love for many years.
Wei Zilin took a deep breath and calmed down for a long time before he managed to hold back from having an outburst.
"Sanlang..."
Accompanied by a low call, a silver-red figure walked out from the corner of the bushes.
Tang Lin'er's eyes moved, and when she saw that there was no one around, she walked closer to Wei Zilin, lowered her head and called out in a low voice, "Sanlang."
The voice was like crying and complaining, gentle and sad, and anyone who heard it would feel pity.
It’s a pity that Wei Zilin was not in the mood at the moment. He didn’t even look at Tang Lin’er and walked out with a cold face.
"Why!"
Tang Lin'er hurriedly grabbed his sleeve, her beautiful eyes were red and swollen, and she looked at him with tears in her eyes, "Sanlang, since she doesn't want to, why bother to insist? She's not the only daughter of the Shen family. Now I'm also an adopted daughter of the Shen family, and I can help you in the same way. We can finally be together openly. Isn't this a godsend?"
"How can they be the same?!" Wei Zilin pushed her away.
"You are just an adopted daughter, and you have no blood relationship with the Shen family. Can the Shen family devote all their resources to you? Is General Shen willing to mobilize troops for you?"
"I will think of a way, I will work hard, you believe me, Sanlang, you..."
"Get out of the way!" Wei Zilin waved her away, "I'll go find my father and ask him to issue a new decree."
"Sanlang! Saburo not allowed!"
Tang Lin'er rushed forward and grabbed Wei Zilin's sleeve, crying, "Sanlang is confused, don't dare to go against the emperor's will like this. Your father has more than one son."
Wei Zilin's steps paused, and he suddenly stood still, in a daze.
Seeing this, Tang Lin'er rolled her eyes and took advantage of the situation to whisper in his ear, "Be patient. Your Majesty's body is not in good condition and he won't be able to hold on for long. When you succeed, you can have anyone you want. What's the point of having a status? Just marry her and take her away, right?"
Wei Zilin gritted his teeth, his eyes turned several times, and finally looked at Tang Lin'er, "You are very good."
"It is my blessing to be able to relieve Sanlang's worries."
Wei Zilin sneered, "Even so, you can't be my prince consort, so give up this thought as soon as possible." After that, he no longer paid attention to Tang Lin'er's reaction and left the Shen Mansion.
Tang Lin'er stood alone in the garden for a long while before returning to the front yard in a depressed mood.
While the servants were still busy moving and placing the betrothal gifts, Prime Minister Shen and his wife hosted a banquet to entertain Regent Yan Jinghuan.
Prime Minister Shen sat below Yan Jinghuan and toasted him repeatedly. Yan Jinghuan did not refuse and drank all the wine. The two of them had a very pleasant conversation.
Mrs. Shen personally brought a plate of hot cherry duck and placed it in front of Yan Jinghuan. She gently pushed Shen Xingwan's arm, indicating that she should serve the food.
Most of Shen Xingwan's previous words and intimate behavior were deliberately done for Wei Zilin to see. After leaving the garden, she immediately broke away from Yan Jinghuan's embrace and walked side by side with him.
She was really not used to being so close to him.
After all, she had just spoken to him yesterday.
But Mrs. Shen didn't seem to think so. She obviously liked this son-in-law very much.
Unlike the Third Prince who was so arrogant and unreasonable, this regent who was rumored to be cruel and taciturn now seemed to her to be very kind, talkative, and polite, without any airs at all. It was obvious that the rumors were not true.
Madam Shen sat next to Prime Minister Shen and gave Shen Xingwan a look to urge her. Shen Xingwan had no choice but to pick up the silver chopsticks, picked up a piece of cherry duck and put it into Yan Jinghuan's bowl.
Yan Jinghuan lowered his head to taste it, then looked up at Madam Shen with a smile in his eyes, "It's delicious. Madam Shen has great cooking skills."
Mrs. Shen was so happy that she immediately wanted to get up and cook a few more of her signature dishes. She was finally persuaded by Prime Minister Shen to sit back and toast Yan Jinghuan.
Seeing that Prime Minister Shen's face was flushed and he was speaking more and more freely, Shen Xingwan was just about to persuade his father to drink less when Tang Lin'er walked in.
Because she was Prime Minister Shen's adopted daughter, a seat was set for her at the banquet, and Madam Shen asked her to come over and meet Yan Jinghuan.
Tang Lin'er came forward and bowed. Madam Shen took her hand and asked her to sit down, "Why are you so late?" When she lowered her head, she found that her eyes were red, obviously she had been crying. Although it could be seen that she had reapplied makeup, the redness and swelling could not be concealed.
Madam Shen's smile faded and she revealed a look of heartache. She naturally knew that it was the Third Prince's public humiliation that made Tang Lin'er cry so much. In her eyes, Tang Lin'er was in such a state because the Shen family had suffered an undeserved disaster.
She wanted to comfort Tang Lin'er, but because Yan Jinghuan was there, she couldn't say much. She could only pat the back of her hand and whispered, "If you feel unwell, go back to your room and rest. I'll visit you later."
Tang Lin'er nodded and said, "Yes." She bid farewell to Yan Jinghuan and Prime Minister Shen, and returned to her own courtyard alone.
After this back and forth, Prime Minister Shen's mood also dropped a lot. Perhaps he was thinking about how the matter with the Third Prince would end, and for a moment, the fine wine in the glass lost its taste.
Seeing this, Shen Xingwan personally poured a cup of tea for Yan Jinghuan and said with concern, "It's cold in late spring, drinking too much is harmful to your health."
Yan Jinghuan was a man of such stature that he naturally understood what he meant. After sitting for a while, he stood up and said goodbye.
Prime Minister Shen and his wife, along with Shen Xingwan, respectfully escorted Yan Jinghuan all the way to the gate of the mansion.
The sun was shining brightly, and Yan Jinghuan, who was walking under the swaying shadows of the trees, was like a dark jade, with a cold and ethereal temperament. Only the slight redness on his cheeks after drinking and the faint smile in his eyes showed some popularity. He no longer looked like a cold regent, but like a spirited young man, strolling and chatting happily with his relatives and friends.
The guards waiting near the carriage were all stunned when they saw this scene and looked at each other in bewilderment.
When they reached the carriage, Yan Jinghuan stopped to say goodbye to Prime Minister Shen and Madam Shen, then turned to look at Shen Xingwan. Prime Minister Shen saw this and immediately took Madam Shen back home first.
"Today...thank you, my mother is very happy."
She knew in her heart that if he hadn't humbled himself and tried to please his parents, they wouldn't have been able to chat with him so happily.
Yan Jinghuan stood against the light, the sunlight fell on his shoulders, the soft fur on his black fox cloak was blown by the wind, looking warm, and even his eyebrows and eyes became much softer.
"Between you and me, there's no need to thank me."
His voice was very soft, like the breeze brushing against the tip of her heart, making her feel a little itchy.
Shen Xingwan was surprised by this sudden strange feeling and said quickly: "Don't do this, I'm not used to it."
A hint of smile appeared in his eyes, and even his tone became warmer, "Then let's get used to it from this little thing. From now on, you don't have to thank me anymore."
Shen Xingwan didn't fully come to her senses until Yan Jinghuan's carriage gradually drove away and disappeared around the corner of the street.
She always felt that something was strange, but she couldn't tell what it was.
She clearly remembered that in her previous life, Yan Jinghuan had monopolized power, was murderous and ruthless, and had almost killed Wei Zilin and his gang several times. But the Yan Jinghuan in front of her seemed like a different person.
Seems... a little gentle?
No no no......
Shen Xingwan shook her head and shook off this unrealistic and crazy idea. If she believed in the gentleness of Yan Jinghuan, who was like a big devil, it would be better to believe that a cow can climb a tree.
Be clear-headed. Even when Wei Zilin was deceiving her heart, he acted so affectionately and sincerely. How could we know that Yan Jinghuan was not a good actor?
He agreed to marry her so easily, it couldn't be that it was because I had helped him several times in the past that he still loved her.
Is it to take revenge on her? Revenge for having rejected him?
Shen Xingwan felt a chill in his heart. If this was true, then this guy must be so scheming and terrifying.
Shen Xingwan took a deep breath and tried hard to get rid of those chaotic thoughts. Now, she just wanted to protect her family and take revenge. She didn't dare to touch the matter of love at all.
As she walked back, she thought that now that things had come to this point, and since she had been protected by Yan Jinghuan and saved her life, it was impossible for her to break off the engagement with him.
She had no choice but to marry him first, and wait until she had taken revenge in the future. If he was willing to divorce, then they could divorce. If not, she would wait until he met someone he liked, and then she would ask to divorce him and give up her position.
Shen Xingwan walked back to the Prime Minister's Mansion, thinking all the way, and caught a glimpse of his mother's maid when passing by Tang Lin'er's courtyard.
When the little maid saw her, she ran up to her like she had found a savior, "Miss, please go and persuade her. Miss Tang wants to commit suicide!"
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