His long, warm lips pressed against Su Miao's ear, sending shivers down her spine.
But he held her tightly in his arms, leaving her no way to escape.
Su Ma's heart pounded like thunder.
He remained silent, his expression unreadable, yet a palpable aura of menace emanating from him was barely concealed.
"Silence...forever!"
"Speak louder, and try to call everyone who's attending today's banquet!"
Shen Changji grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up and stare directly at him.
Su Miao's face flushed instantly, and she glared at him fiercely.
This man did it on purpose!
He knew perfectly well that this was the Xie residence and that today was Xie Qin's birthday, so he was certain that she wouldn't dare to make a fuss.
"Why?"
Shen Changji looked down at her, his thin lips slightly pursed.
Why what?
Wearing only a thin summer shirt, Su Miao's heart trembled. Taking advantage of a moment to catch her breath, she turned her head away.
"You're going to marry him?"
When Shen Changji saw that Su Miao did not answer, his eyes darkened even more.
"Xie Qin is very good and sincere!"
No sooner had Su Miao finished speaking than another uproar ensued.
She was completely trapped in Shen Changji's arms, with no room to resist. He forced her to retreat to the door behind him, his tall body pressing tightly against hers.
With a "bang," the door made a sound of resistance.
Su Miao felt like she was suffocating, and the feeling of suffocation made her face turn red, even her eyes turned red.
A long period of silence is no better.
Just then, a few footsteps came from outside the door.
Is anyone inside?
The passing maids couldn't help but utter sounds of doubt.
"I don't think so. This place is so secluded, and the guests are all in the main hall. How could anyone be here?"
That's what they said, but one of the maids still couldn't help but take a few more glances out of curiosity.
"Stop looking. If something really happens... it's none of our business!" she whispered, trying to dissuade her.
After all, the guests who came today were all wealthy and powerful, and none of them were people they could afford to offend. They just needed to do their job.
"Yes, let's go."
This is the Xie residence, and today is the birthday of the Xie heir. It's not like anyone would be so bold as to act so recklessly here.
The two exchanged a glance, then walked away carrying their things.
They had barely left when they bumped into Xie Qin.
Xie Qin: "Have you seen Princess Su?"
"Never."
Upon hearing this, Xie Qin couldn't help but find it strange.
He clearly saw Miao'er just now, how come she disappeared as soon as he turned around?
Shen Xing overheard Xie Qin's words by chance. He thought for a moment, then stepped forward and said, "Young Master Xie, it's been a long time. I still remember losing to you in the last game of chess. Do you have some free time now to play another game?"
Xie Qin glanced at it and said, "Come on!"
When Shen Yueyin heard that Shen Xing wanted to play chess with Xie Qin, she couldn't help but become interested.
"Quick, quick, I want to see it too!"
Seeing this, Liu Jiaojiao pretended to be unwell and wanted to rest for a while.
Shen Yueyin didn't stop her, nor did she notice that Shen Changji wasn't by Liu Jiaojiao's side.
After all, Shen Changji would visit Marquis Yongning every year on Xie Qin's birthday, so it wasn't surprising.
Seeing that everyone's attention was not on her, Liu Jiaojiao clutched the paper in her hand and then went around into the small bamboo grove behind her.
Upon seeing her arrival, the other person immediately embraced her.
"Stop messing around, I can't stay here for too long."
"During this time, in order not to arouse Shen Changji's suspicion, you have neglected me quite a bit."
"Don't you want to accomplish the great cause you've always dreamed of?"
As Liu Jiaojiao spoke, she grabbed the other person's restless hand.
"Speak, what is it?"
"I hope you can help me deal with Steward Liu, and also... get evidence as soon as possible that Su Miao entered the Duke's mansion with a false identity!" Liu Jiaojiao said calmly.
"What did Butler Liu do to make you want to kill him?"
"I just have a feeling something's wrong... but I can't be sure. In any case, my identity cannot be questioned!"
She is the daughter of Liu Taipu, not the daughter of a vulgar man!
“Hasn’t Shen Changji stopped seeing Su Miao recently? My men even heard that Shen Changji told her to give up on marrying him and to stop bothering her.”
Hearing this, Liu Jiaojiao's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
"Is Shen Changji really refusing so decisively?"
"Naturally, I estimate that in his mind, you still have very special feelings for him."
That's why I told you not to overthink it. After all, Shen Changji is suspicious, and if you show obvious hostility towards her, he might notice something.
"That makes some sense..."
"Right now, the most important thing is for you to marry into the Duke's mansion first, and then deal with Su Miao slowly. By then, you will be the Duchess, and she will just be a minor county princess. She won't be able to do anything to you, and besides, you will have the status of the eldest sister-in-law to bully her."
If you manage the mansion well, surely Old Madam Shen understands who's more important? Would she hold a grudge against you because of a maid who once stayed there?
"That's true, but you still need to help me keep the evidence of her falsifying her identity!" Liu Jiaojiao reminded her again.
It's better to be safe than sorry.
If anything happens to Su Miao, at least she still has a backup plan!
"You've finished speaking, shouldn't you give me a little something in return?" The man's playful voice rang in my ears.
Liu Jiaojiao glanced around to make sure no one was around before hooking her arm around the neck of the person in front of her.
The other person reached out and pulled her into the alley.
...
On the other side, Su Miao had two hairpins hanging precariously on her head, as if they were about to slip off her hair bun at any moment.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
