Chapter 29 Compared to them, I still prefer you…
The girl skipped along the ground beneath the building. It was unclear what the man beside her had said to her, but her bright, almond-shaped eyes curved into a smile, as if peach blossoms had suddenly bloomed all over the city in spring. The man walking beside her paused for a moment, then the smile in his eyes deepened.
Fu Huaiqing's eyes darkened, his jaw tightened slightly, and his pupils surged with emotion.
As Su Ci walked unhurriedly, his gaze swept over the two figures ascending the steps. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Fu Huaiqing, whose expression was slightly gloomy. He raised an eyebrow and then looked at Qin Xiao, whose gaze was fixed on the two of them, a hint of unspoken difficulty flashing across his face.
He pondered for a moment, then said as if he hadn't noticed anything amiss, "Biezhi and Xu Wenche seem quite well-matched."
The moment the words fell, two sharp gazes pierced the silence and shot towards her. Su Ci felt that if eyes could turn into arrows, she would probably have already died under their gazes.
Fu Huaiqing sneered: "How are we a good match?"
Su Ci's smile deepened, and she patted his shoulder meaningfully, teasingly saying, "It's true that Qin Xiao is worried about his younger sister, but why does Your Highness also look like you're facing a formidable enemy?"
Qin Xiao, whose gaze was fixed on him, subconsciously turned his head to look at the man with an unhappy expression upon hearing this. He was stunned for a moment, then frowned.
Noticing the intense gaze, Fu Huaiqing casually met it. After a brief exchange of glances, he said unhurriedly, "Quite interesting, very cute."
His words were unclear, but the two people in the private room understood in an instant that he was referring to Biezhi.
"It seems the rumors are true; the Qin family has a close relationship with our Prince Su," Su Ci said with a smile. "But I didn't expect it to be the second daughter of the Qin family."
Qin Xiao's palm, hidden beneath his sleeve, tightened unconsciously. The turmoil in his eyes instantly transformed into calm in Su Ci's eyes. He tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, "We'll talk about it later."
His words were full of polite refusal.
Fu Huaiqing stood with his hands behind his back and glanced at him indifferently.
The Qin family's words regarding matters outside the main branch are not to be taken seriously.
Biezhi, whose attention was entirely focused on Xu Wenche, was unaware of the gazes from the private room upstairs. She followed him to the private room on the west side of the second floor, which was empty.
Biezhi sat down opposite him, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the servant carrying tea coming in. She said, "If Young Master Xu has made an appointment with someone else, it would be inconvenient for him to take me into consideration."
"There's no one else here." Xu Wenche pushed open the window of the private room, his gaze falling on the scattered seats below where people were coming and going, and asked, "Don't you think Qing Shi Zhai is very interesting, young lady?"
Biezhi asked in confusion, "Hmm?"
“If you have the time, young lady, you can come more often. You can know what’s going on in the world without leaving home.” Xu Wenche took a sip of tea, his gaze catching one of the figures. He raised his chin slightly and said, “You can step on any of these figures and still find a scion of a prominent family.”
Biezhi followed his gaze and saw the young master of the Li family talking boastfully to someone. She twitched her lips slightly and said, "I don't like it here."
Upon hearing this, Xu Wenche looked at her and asked, "Why?"
"A beast in human form." Bie Zhi's voice seemed soft, but she still spoke at a volume he could hear. She thought for a moment and muttered, "I think Young Master Xu is more interesting."
Xu Wenche was taken aback: "What?"
“I say, you’re more interesting.” Biezhi stared at him intently, then said something surprising: “I still prefer Young Master Xu.”
Xu Wenche held a mouthful of tea in his mouth, unable to expel it.
Biezhi looked at the man's handsome face, which flashed with confusion and bewilderment, and her smile deepened. She said, "Compared to them, I still prefer you."
Xu Wenche: "..."
He swallowed the tea with difficulty: "Miss, please don't make fun of me."
"I didn't." Biezhi blinked, her expression sincere.
Xu Wenche's lips parted slightly, stunned by her bluntness, and he remained speechless for a long time.
He had seen many women who were poised and brave in pursuing their love, but this was the first time he had seen one so straightforward, without the slightest hint of coyness or affectation.
The man seemed to be deep in thought, and Bie Zhi knew he was taking it to heart. The corners of her mouth gradually lifted, revealing a bright smile: "Young Master Xu, please don't misunderstand."
Xu Wenche snapped out of his daze and remained silent.
The girl's eyes sparkled, so bright and beautiful it was almost unbelievable.
He subtly concealed his probing expression while drinking tea and asked, "What do you mean, young lady?"
"Has no one ever told you, young master, that you are very handsome?" Bie Zhi asked crisply.
Xu Wenche: "..."
No one dared to speak to him so bluntly.
Bie Zhi seemed not to notice his expression and said calmly, "When I first saw you, I thought you were very handsome, which is why I wanted to get to know you."
Xu Wenche frowned slightly, recalling their first meeting: "Even in such a critical situation, you still had time to think—"
“Our first meeting wasn’t in the courtroom,” Biezhi interrupted him, looking at the man’s slightly puzzled gaze, and said, “When you were admiring calligraphy on the street, I was in a private room on the second floor of a building along the street.”
Xu Wenche remained silent, vaguely realizing that he had missed something.
The man had a variety of friends, and Biezhi couldn't quite figure out what kind of people he liked to befriend. After thinking for a long time, she decided not to pretend to be someone else in front of him. Except for the fact that her identity was fake, she would face him with her most authentic self.
When the door to the private room was knocked, Biezhi was listening to Xu Wenche recount the interesting things that happened on his way to the capital. Hearing a man's whisper outside the door, she turned around and glanced at the man with his thin lips slightly pursed, waiting for him to speak without showing any emotion.
Receiving a signal from his young master, Yuan An stepped over the screen and went out.
Bie Zhi lowered her eyelids and sipped her tea in small mouthfuls.
A short while later, footsteps sounded again; it was the sound of him returning.
After asking the questions, Yuan An looked embarrassed at the girl sipping tea and cupped his hands, saying, "Miss, your brother has sent someone to find you."
Biezhi's eyes widened immediately, and she looked up.
The girl's surprised look didn't seem to be feigned. He pondered for a moment and said, "If it's your brother looking for you, then I won't keep you any longer."
Bie Zhi nodded, stood up with a look of disbelief, and pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure out what Qin Xiao could want from her, and how he knew she was here.
Distracted, she walked to the door before remembering that Xu Wenche was still behind her. She turned back and asked, "Young Master Xu, may I still look for you in the future?"
Xu Wenche tightened his grip on the teacup, his expression unchanged: "What brings you here, young lady?"
“Let’s hear about what happened outside the capital.” Biezhi smiled, feigning embarrassment, and said, “Young Master Xu should have heard that I was found in the countryside. For me, the capital…” She hesitated for a moment, “…seems a bit out of place. Now that I hear Young Master Xu talking about the trivial things that happened along the way, I feel much more at ease.”
Xu Wenche raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.
His purpose in coming to the capital was to establish connections with various prominent families and noble households in the city, so as to facilitate the expansion of the Xu family's businesses in the capital. His elders had long instructed him that if he could get in touch with the Qin family, it would be the best choice.
Xu Wenche said, "Jingyou Street, Xu Residence."
Biezhi had never expected him to refuse her, so she wasn't surprised when she heard which courtyard he was staying in. She said, "I'll go see you when I have time."
Xu Wenche nodded slightly: "Miss Qin, please take care."
Watching the young woman ascend the steps with her servants, Yuan An closed the door to the private room, walked to the young master's side, poured him a cup of fresh tea, and said, "The second young lady of the Qin family is very hospitable."
The smile on Xu Wenche's lips gradually faded, and his expression darkened slightly.
He toyed with the teacup and said, "She has something to ask of you, so of course she's enthusiastic."
Yuan An, who was carrying the teapot, was stunned for a moment and looked at his young master with confusion.
Xu Wenche picked up his teacup and took a sip of warm tea. His gaze seemed to drift through the screen towards the door, as if trying to catch a glimpse of the girl's figure outside.
Biezhi followed Weifeng up the stairs to the corridor at the top of the building, only to find out that there was only one private room at the top of Qing Shi Zhai, and servants guarded the intersections of the stairs. On the other side of the corridor, there was another staircase leading to the outside of Qing Shi Zhai.
Before she could figure out the layout of the surroundings, she caught a glimpse of a somewhat familiar face out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes, which had been scanning the area, paused for a moment before slowly returning to the man guarding the door.
They were the guards who waited at the gate of the Prince's Mansion last night.
Was Prince Su also in the private room?
The two looked at each other for a moment, then the man nodded slightly to her, turned around and knocked on the door of the private room, before pushing it open and stepping aside to let her pass.
As you step across the threshold of the private room, the refreshing scent of sandalwood wafts towards you.
Disliking the lingering smell on her body, Biezhi paused for a moment, lowered her eyes, exhaled silently, and walked over the screen into the room.
When her gaze met the handsome face of the man in the main seat, her breathing slowed slightly.
She still had to admit that although Prince Su's voice was a bit unpleasant, as long as he didn't speak, his face was indeed unparalleled in handsomeness.
Over the course of two years, Fu Huaiqing had seen the girl muttering to herself countless times, and heard her express her dissatisfaction with her master in various ways, and in the end, she would even define her dissatisfaction.
Her expression was exactly the same as when she was facing Ji Ran; her bright almond-shaped eyes were filled with a chattering light, and it was clear that she was muttering something to herself again.
Biezhi naturally didn't miss the man's slightly probing and thoughtful look. In just a moment, he seemed to have seen through her thoughts. She was startled and came back to her senses, lowering her eyes: "Greetings, Your Highness."
Don't open your mouth! Don't open your mouth!
While greeting him, Biezhi prayed that he wouldn't speak. Her fantasy had already been shattered, but she really didn't want it to be shattered again. She still couldn't accept that he had such a handsome face, yet his voice was an extremely unpleasant water buffalo sound!
Fortunately, it seemed that God heard her urgent wish.
Prince Su remained silent, but slightly raised his fingertips from the table, gesturing for her to rise.
Bie Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, straightened up, and glanced at the two figures in the private room. Looking at Qin Xiao, whose expression wasn't very good, she frowned: "Brother, are you looking for me?"
Upon hearing the word "brother," Fu Huaiqing paused, his knuckles tapping on the table.
"Hearing that you were here, I invited you to come and sit for a while." Qin Xiao handed her a fresh cup of tea.
Upon hearing this, Biezhi couldn't help but mutter to himself.
They weren't even acquainted, so what was the point of sitting down together? Besides, it interrupted her important business.
Thinking this to herself, she didn't show it on her face. She obediently pulled out a chair, sat down, held the teacup, and quietly stared at the table with her eyes downcast.
For a moment, the private room was extremely quiet.
Su Ci glanced at her two friends, who were sipping their tea in silence, with a half-smile, as if they weren't the ones who had just agreed to call Biezhi up.
He raised the teacup with his fingertips and placed it in front of the girl with her eyelashes slightly lowered, saying, "I had something to deal with yesterday and didn't arrive at the Qin family until later. It's only today that we're able to meet."
Biezhi lifted her eyelids, and after a brief eye contact, she picked up her teacup with both hands and touched it to the cup in front of her, saying, "The important matter is the most important; everything else is trivial."
"Do you know who I am?" Su Ci raised an eyebrow without withdrawing her hand.
Biezhi nodded. Yesterday in the backyard, Qin Wan had introduced her to many families of court officials, wishing she could display their family trees in front of her and introduce them one by one.
Moreover, it is clearly a private gathering.
Even though she didn't care about court affairs, she knew that the only people in the court who could have private dealings with Prince Su were Su Ci and Qin Xiao; there was no other third person.
Biezhi said, "I've heard my elder sister mention it."
Su Ci nodded knowingly, withdrew his hand, drank the tea in his cup instead of wine, and said, "The Qin family is not far from the Su family, so we can visit each other more often in the future."
Biezhi nodded obediently: "Okay."
No sooner had she spoken than she caught a glimpse of the man's long, jade-like fingers tapping the table three times. Her gaze sharpened slightly, and she raised her eyes a fraction of an inch.
In an instant, Biezhi understood his meaning.
She turned her gaze away calmly and said to Qin Xiao, "It's getting late. If you don't have anything else to do, brother, I'll head home now."
She was leaving in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.
Qin Xiao noticed her discomfort, sighed almost imperceptibly, and nodded: "Wei Feng will see you off—"
"It's alright." Biezhi interrupted him without thinking: "The carriage at home is waiting at the street corner, it's just a few steps away."
Before Qin Xiao could speak, she stood up, bowed to Fu Huaiqing, and left the private room without looking back, as if someone was chasing after her.
A little while later, Fu Huaiqing also got up and left. The two didn't ask any questions, assuming that he had other things to do.
The door was closed again, leaving only Qin Xiao and Su Ci in the private room.
Su Ci dismissed the servants serving in the private room, reached for the teapot and poured new tea into the teacup, saying unhurriedly, "Just as Your Highness said, she is your sister."
Whether you care or like someone, it's all over now. If you don't pull yourself together in time, the resulting pain won't just be for one person.
"I know." Qin Xiao held the teacup tightly, a faint hint of bitterness flashing in his eyes. He said, "I ask nothing more of her."
From the day he learned that Betsu was his sister, there was no longer any possibility between them. All his past delusions were shattered like bubbles in an instant, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Qin Xiao had told himself countless times that it was best to stop here, because there was no possibility between them in this life other than that of siblings.
But when he saw her close to another man, he couldn't help but feel a slight pang of bitterness in his heart. It was precisely this faint bitterness that was so intense that it enveloped him, making it hard to breathe.
Su Ci looked at her friend and sighed helplessly, saying that fate was playing tricks on people.
He was silent for a moment, then said, "You've also noticed that the Prince has feelings for Biezhi."
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