Chen Chongan couldn't help but chuckle when he saw her being so unimpressed by praise.
He prided himself on being well-informed in the social world, but the wife he married was an old-fashioned lady with an ordinary appearance. Her dull face and old-fashioned character that followed the three obediences and four virtues made her extremely boring.
The overseas-educated girls he met at the cocktail party had modern ideas, but they were all too arrogant, which made him feel overwhelmed.
The girl in front of him had both the bright and beautiful clothes of a modern girl and the gentleness and shyness of an old-fashioned lady. Her appearance was just what he wanted. If he took her in, she would be well behaved and would be decent enough to take her out for social events.
"Miss Zheng, could you please show me the way?" He softened his voice deliberately.
"Hey, Mr. Chen, please come this way." Zheng Qingyi bowed slightly and turned to lead the way.
Chen Chongan smelled the faint scent of French perfume on her body, which was different from the traditional scent of powder and attracted him. He pretended to move closer to her unintentionally, and his suit brushed against her bare arms.
Zheng Qingyi tensed up as if she had been electrocuted, and her pace quickened unconsciously.
The path along the rockery was winding and narrow. When she quickened her pace, the hem of her skirt got caught on the bushes, and she staggered.
"Be careful." Chen Chong'an quickly supported her arm, and the warmth from his palm made her tremble all over. But he did not let go immediately, instead, he used the gesture of supporting her to gently rub her delicate skin with his thumb.
"Thank you so much, Xiaozi." Zheng Qingyi hastily pulled her hand back, and even the hair behind her ears began to tremble. She lowered her head and dared not look at him, only staring at the shadows of the two people arguing on the ground.
After turning around the rockery, the sound of laughter and chatter at the tea party could be heard faintly in front of us. Zheng Qingyi had just breathed a sigh of relief when Chen Chongan suddenly asked her, "Miss Zheng, do you like reading books on weekdays?"
She was startled, then remembered her aunt's advice to talk about new topics, so she answered softly: "Occasionally read some poetry..."
"I loved Shakespeare the most when I was in England." Chen Chong'an interrupted her and said to himself, "The Fourteenth Poem says that your eyes are brighter than the stars on a winter night. At this moment, I think Miss Zheng is more charming than the morning light after the snow."
This blatant compliment made Zheng Qingyi at a loss. Just as she was wondering how to respond, a slender figure appeared from the corner of the rockery.
The man was wearing a long gown of Yueyi Hang silk, a black jacket, and a warm mutton-fat jade pendant hanging around his waist.
He seemed to realize that he had bumped into something. He coughed lightly with a little embarrassment and bowed to Chen Chong'an: "Brother Chen, I don't want to meet you here." His voice was clear and his demeanor revealed the composure of a child from a noble family.
Li Changqing's eyes swept across her blushing cheeks, then glanced at Chen Chong'an, with a faint smile on his lips: "The tea party is about to end, Brother Chen, are you lost?"
Chen Chongan's face flashed with displeasure, but then he smiled and said, "Thanks to Miss Zheng for leading the way."
Zheng Qingyi took the opportunity to bow and said, "Please chat slowly, I'll take my leave now." After that, she hurried away, picking up her skirt.
After she walked away, Chen Chong'an's eyes flashed with annoyance. This Li Changqing came at a really bad time. He had clearly seen the hesitation in Miss Zheng's eyes. But he changed his mind and thought that with his family's status, it should not be difficult to take a concubine as a concubine. He could ask someone to propose marriage another day.
"Brother Li, why are you coming to Zheng's house today?" Chen Chong'an asked with a tentative tone.
Li Changqing played with the folding fan in his hand and said casually, "I came to visit Master Zheng. I stayed in Gospel Hospital for half a month a few days ago. Thanks to Brother Yuheng for his careful treatment."
Chen Chong'an suddenly realized that he had heard that Li Changqing was hospitalized due to lung disease, but he didn't know that the attending physician was the eldest son of the Zheng family.
"Brother Li, how are you?" Chen Chong asked in a pretentious manner.
Li Changqing said calmly, "It's fine now." He looked in the direction where Zheng Qingyi left, and changed the subject, "Miss Zheng Si has just come of age, so Brother Chen should be more careful when talking to her."
Chen Chong'an's face changed slightly, then he smiled: "Brother Li, you are joking. It's just a casual chat. What's wrong with that?" He took out his pocket watch and looked at it. "It's getting late. Chen still has to go to Yang's account to check. I'll leave first."
Looking at Chen Chongan's hurriedly leaving back, Li Changqing sighed softly.
He had heard that the young master of the Chen family was living a life of debauchery in the concession, and today when he saw him pestering Miss Zheng, he felt that he was frivolous. Zheng Yuheng had helped him a lot, so he would have to remind him to pay attention to his sister someday.
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