"Heavens! I never realized before that the eldest son of the Gu family was so handsome!"
In the teahouse, a girl in an apricot-colored shirt exclaimed in surprise, dropping the fan in her hand. She didn't notice at all, her eyes fixed on Gu Zhixing, as if she were under a spell, her mind and eyes filled with nothing but him.
“Indeed!” The young lady with her hair in two buns chimed in, her voice full of envy and longing. “Look at his eyes, they’re brighter than the glass goblets in the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. When he smiles, they almost make your heart stop beating, as if they can steal your heart away.”
"If you ask me, his figure is still the most beautiful." A sweet voice came from the second floor of the rouge shop. The girl who spoke had a soft and sweet voice, but it was full of seriousness. "With broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he looks more dashing in that scholar's robe than the top scholar on the stage. Riding a tall horse, his demeanor is simply that of a chosen one of heaven."
A few failed scholars on the street corner curled their lip in sourness, their faces full of disdain and jealousy. "Hmph, he's just a spoiled brat who got lucky because of his family's wealth."
Another scholar in a gray robe chimed in, his eyes fixed on Gu Zhixing's scholar's robes, his tone full of bitterness, "That's right, I heard he couldn't even recite the Analects of Confucius properly before, but now he's pretending to be a scholar."
"The past is the past, the present is the present. Now my boss is the third-ranked scholar. If you're so capable, why don't you take the exam too?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingzhou led his men to the group of unsuccessful scholars.
The scholar glanced at Ye Qingzhou's attire, realizing he couldn't afford to offend her, and slunk away.
"Boss, look this way!"
Then, Ye Qingzhou waved to Gu Zhixing.
He had expected the parade of three scholars to be lively, but he hadn't anticipated it to be this lively.
Compared to Gu Zhixing's group, the top two scholars in the group seemed much less crowded.
A few handkerchiefs occasionally fluttered in front of their horses, but they were far less numerous than the overwhelming display of handkerchiefs on Gu Zhixing's side, which even the constables maintaining order could hardly stop.
The crowd's attention was drawn to Gu Zhixing, as if he were the center of the long street, and everything revolved around him.
"Look, even the sachets are being thrown towards the third-ranked scholar." Ye Qingzhou winked at her companion smugly, her tone full of boasting. "Our young master Gu's face is much more useful than any title."
The top scholar glanced back at the grand spectacle behind him, and with a wry smile whispered to the second-place scholar, "If I had known this would happen, I should have learned from Prince Gu and practiced this kind of good looks back then."
His tone was full of helplessness and self-deprecation.
"Look at me, my esteemed scholar!" A sweet cry suddenly came from the second floor of the rouge shop, the voice clear and crisp, yet tinged with urgency.
Gu Zhixing looked up and saw seven or eight young ladies wearing veils standing by the window. The girl in the front, wearing an apricot-red ruqun, panicked and knocked over her teacup, spilling tea all over the floor, but she still held tightly to the embroidered ball she was about to throw.
It's like someone is throwing a bridal bouquet to choose a husband.
Gu Zhixing frowned, as if he had thought of something.
A hint of impatience flashed in his eyes as he spurred his horse, wanting to get through this area as quickly as possible.
He didn't want to get into any trouble; once he got entangled with someone, it would be hard to get away.
"drive……"
He had just grabbed the reins when his movements abruptly stopped. He froze on the spot, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief as he stared straight ahead.
Countless silk handkerchiefs and sachets fluttered in the air like colorful clouds, and amidst this bustling scene, Gu Zhixing and Shen Jintang, who had just returned to the capital, gazed at each other from afar.
She actually came back?
Gu Zhixing's heart clenched, as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and his breathing became rapid.
His letter was sent to Yanzhou three days ago; even if it were sent by carrier pigeon, it would only arrive a day ago.
Even if Shen Jintang had wings, he couldn't possibly travel back from Yanzhou in a single day.
unless……
Gu Zhixing's lips slowly curved upwards, forming a meaningful arc. His smile contained a hint of doting and a touch of smugness: "You came back specifically for this, didn't you?"
She didn't come back because she saw his letter; she came back specifically for him.
This realization made Gu Zhixing extremely happy, and he couldn't help but smile.
But unexpectedly—
A muffled thud sounded above his head.
Before Gu Zhixing could dismount and look for Shen Jintang, a sharp pain shot through his head.
He instinctively reached out to cover his head, but touched something soft.
He slowly raised his head and saw the girl in the apricot-red dress standing gracefully upstairs, holding a ribbon with an embroidered ball in her hand.
It was clearly she who threw the embroidered ball at him, which hit him squarely on the head, even knocking his official hat to one side, making it teeter precariously before finally falling with a "thud" onto the bluestone slab next to the horse's hoof.
Gu Zhixing looked at the embroidered ball that had fallen to the ground. Its bright red color was particularly glaring against the backdrop of the bluestone slab. Then he looked at his official hat that had been knocked off, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings.
Finally, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
That's some really good eyesight and accuracy!
He dressed up so nicely today so that Shen Jintang would see him, but he was hit squarely by the embroidered ball and his official hat flew off.
If the situation weren't so bad, Gu Zhixing really wouldn't have been able to control his temper and would have wanted to rush up and give that girl a good scolding.
Don't you even consider the occasion?
This is a big day for the Three Yuan Parade, and everyone is watching!
Even if that embroidered ball were thrown to him, would he really be able to marry it?
If that's the case, wouldn't it be perfect if everyone threw a bridal bouquet during the flower-viewing procession?
Gu Zhixing was just thinking about how to deal with this awkward situation when that familiar figure appeared in front of him.
"Sinking..."
A sudden pang of guilt swept through Gu Zhixing's heart; he wanted to explain but didn't know how to begin.
He could only watch helplessly as Shen Jintang strode steadily and powerfully through the crowd of onlookers and walked towards him.
Shen Jintang came to the front of the horse, bent down and picked up the embroidered ball and the black gauze hat on the ground.
Let's toss it again.
Then, she gently raised her hand and tossed the embroidered ball back upstairs, as if asserting her ownership, and said, "He is mine."
Although the sound was not loud, it echoed clearly in the bustling street, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.
"What……"
What does this mean?
"I've never heard of such a thing before..."
The surrounding sounds gradually grew louder, noisy and chaotic, like a boiling pot.
Gu Zhixing couldn't hear a word of it; all he could think about was Shen Jintang's words: "He's mine."
The voice seemed to be engraved in his heart, echoing again and again.
He belongs to her...
It's hers...
Her...
"Say it again?"
Gu Zhixing's eyes shone so brightly they seemed to illuminate the entire world. He leaned forward slightly, as if unsatisfied, and asked again, his voice filled with urgency and longing.
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