Chapter 14 A Wild Idea
As Ruan Xingzhu went downstairs, she was eager to escape that embarrassing scene, so she rushed forward in a hurry.
Without noticing, she bumped right into someone coming from the opposite direction. Suppressing the stinging sensation in her nose, she was about to apologize when she looked up and realized the person she had bumped into was none other than Gu Yun'an.
Gu Yun'an reacted quickly, catching Ruan Xingzhu who was bumping into him. Ruan Xingzhu blinked as if she had found her anchor. Upon seeing Gu Yun'an, the grievances she had been holding back suddenly welled up, and her voice unconsciously carried a hint of grievance.
"Fourth brother, you've finally arrived." He looked exactly like a wronged little cat.
Seeing this, Gu Yun'an naturally understood that she must have encountered something unpleasant, but he still asked knowingly, "What's wrong?"
Ruan Xingzhu glanced upstairs again, fearing that Shao Qunyin would come down, and quickly said, "It's nothing, let's go first."
As she spoke, a hint of tension and unease flickered in her eyes, and her small hands gripped Gu Yun'an's sleeve tightly.
Gu Yun'an didn't ask any further questions, simply agreeing. As he turned to leave with Ruan Xingzhu, he subtly glanced at Sheng Que beside him, his eyes giving a slight signal. Sheng Que, having followed Gu Yun'an for many years, immediately understood and quietly went upstairs.
Sheng Que walked straight to where Ruan Xingzhu had been sitting. The person who called himself Shao Qunyin was still waiting there, along with a woman whose makeup was somewhat exaggerated.
Sheng Que expressionlessly took out two money pouches and placed them on the table.
"Take your money bag and keep your mouth shut," he warned coldly.
The two men's eyes lit up the moment they saw the money bag, and they put on fawning smiles, hurriedly saying, "Yes, yes, of course nothing happened today."
With that, they grabbed the money pouches, stuffed them into their pockets, and went their separate ways.
Once inside the carriage, Ruan Xingzhu's tense nerves finally relaxed slightly, and she breathed a sigh of relief. However, when faced with Gu Yun'an's concerned question, she hesitated and didn't know how to answer.
After all, Shao Qunyin hadn't done anything particularly outrageous; he was just an obedient son who listened to his mother.
"It's not quite right..." After a long pause, Ruan Xingzhu finally managed to utter this sentence.
She lowered her head slightly, not daring to look Gu Yun'an in the eye, and nervously rubbed her hands on the hem of her skirt.
"What's wrong with it?" Gu Yun'an deliberately pressed, his eyes narrowing slightly, a look of inquiry on his face.
Ruan Xingzhu found it difficult to speak, but Gu Yun'an was, after all, her closest person. After much hesitation, she reluctantly gave a rough outline of what he had said.
Finally, somewhat embarrassed, he muttered under his breath, "Anyway... it's not suitable."
After saying that, she secretly glanced at Gu Yun'an, her eyes pleading, hoping he would stop asking questions.
Seeing the girl's frustrated and embarrassed appearance, Gu Yun'an couldn't help but find it amusing and decided not to make things difficult for her any further.
He merely feigned anger, raising his voice to say, "What kind of people has this Madam Fang sought out?"
Seeing this, Ruan Xingzhu, fearing he would take his anger out on Madam Fang, quickly said, "Perhaps Madam Fang is unaware of this either..."
She spoke somewhat dejectedly, completely unaware of the triumphant smile playing on Gu Yun'an's lips.
As the midday sun lingered, Madam Fang was utterly perplexed. She couldn't understand why either of them seemed unsuitable—a charming young woman, a courteous scholar—but when she asked why, neither would utter a word.
Now she could only express her apology for her absence yesterday.
"Xingzhu, I'm so sorry, something came up yesterday and that's why I couldn't come." Madam Fang looked ashamed and gently took Ruan Xingzhu's hand, her eyes full of apology.
Ruan Xingzhu quickly waved her hand, indicating that it was nothing and that Madam Fang meant well; how could she turn the tables on her?
Just as Ruan Xingzhu was about to take her leave, someone suddenly appeared, looking at her as if he had overheard their conversation. His face full of surprise, he blurted out, "Are you Miss Ruan?"
Madam Fang turned her head at the sound of his voice and saw that it was Shao Qunyin. She frowned slightly, puzzled as to why he had returned.
Upon seeing this, Shao Qun quickly explained, "I left my book behind, that's why I came back."
Madam Fang nodded slightly, but after hearing his words, she couldn't help but feel confused and asked, "What kind of question is this, Young Master Shao? Didn't you and Miss Ruan meet yesterday?"
As soon as Madam Fang spoke, both Shao Qunyin and Ruan Xingzhu were stunned. Ruan Xingzhu's delicate brows furrowed instantly, her beautiful eyes widening in disbelief. He was Shao Qunyin? Then who had she met yesterday?
She instinctively took a step forward and asked eagerly, "Are you Young Master Shao?"
Facing the charming young woman before him, Shao Qunyin shared the same doubts. He nodded slightly, his expression somewhat bewildered, and gave a nonchalant nod.
"Exactly."
Seeing their surprised reactions, Madam Fang seemed to have a clue. She frowned slightly and said in a somewhat hesitant tone, "You didn't see the wrong person yesterday, did you?"
Upon hearing this, both of them were taken aback, and their minds simultaneously recalled yesterday's encounter. The more they thought about it, the more they felt that they had indeed mistaken the person for someone else.
The two couldn't help but murmur in unison, "They must have mistaken me for someone else."
When Madam Fang saw this huge misunderstanding, she didn't know whether to be angry or amused. No wonder the two of them were both holding their breath when they returned, yet avoided talking about it; they must have been completely wrong.
However, she had informed the two of each other's surnames and given names beforehand, so she was somewhat surprised. She murmured softly, "It's rare to have the same name. It's probably just that the characters sound the same."
Then, she smiled and introduced the two of them again.
The matter, which had been settled, suddenly took a turn, leaving Ruan Xingzhu at a loss. She looked up at Shao Qunyin in front of her and saw that he was indeed, as Madam Fang had said, a gentle and polite scholar.
Shao Qun has an upright posture, a refined temperament, a faint smile on his lips, and gentle and humble eyes.
Shao Qun was still somewhat shaken by the girl from yesterday, but when he saw the real Ruan Xingzhu, he was immediately struck by her beauty and couldn't help but sigh that she was even more stunning than Madam Fang had described.
After chatting for a while, Ruan Xingzhu realized it was getting late and she couldn't stay any longer, so she decided to leave.
Seeing this, Shao Qun quickly stood up as well. He bowed slightly and said softly, "There is a small alley here. It might not be appropriate for you to be alone, young lady. How about I escort you?"
Ruan Xingzhu was slightly taken aback, not expecting Shao Qunyin to offer to see her off. She smiled faintly and said softly, "Then I'll trouble you, Young Master Shao."
He escorted her to the gate of the Gu residence. Only then did Ruan Xingzhu look at him again and say gratefully, "Thank you for today, Young Master Shao."
Having little experience with girls, Shao Qun felt a little embarrassed by Ruan Xingzhu's thanks. His fair face flushed slightly, and he quickly waved his hand, looking somewhat awkward.
"You're too kind, young lady."
Just as they were about to say goodbye, a carriage sped past like the wind, about to hit Ruan Xingzhu. Upon seeing this, Shao Qun's expression changed drastically, a hint of tension flashing in his eyes. Without thinking, he reached out and pulled Ruan Xingzhu towards himself.
"Be careful, young lady!" A voice suddenly rang in Ruan Xingzhu's ears, and he pulled her over.
After the carriage passed, Ruan Xingzhu stopped and felt a burning sensation in her arm. She looked down and saw that Shao Qunyin's hand was tightly gripping her arm.
Shao Qun looked over and realized he had impolitely grabbed Ruan Xingzhu's arm. His expression immediately tensed, his face full of apology for his lack of manners. He quickly let go of her arm, bowed, and said, "The situation was urgent just now, I was very impolite."
Since the incident was urgent, Shao Qunyin was worried about her, so she quickly said, "It's alright, it was just an emergency."
Watching Ruan Xingzhu's small hands waving back and forth, Shao Qun's palm twitched, and the sensation of holding her arm earlier gradually became clearer. Her arm was slender and soft, and the lingering feeling made his heart race a little.
His throat was dry, and he spoke with difficulty, "Then I'll be going now."
As he spoke, suppressing the urge to turn back, he walked away slowly with unsteady steps, his heart pounding with excitement.
A strange feeling welled up in Ruan Xingzhu's heart, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up slightly. Just as she was about to enter the room, Gu Yun'an's voice suddenly came.
Where did Xingzhu go?
Gu Yun'an strode over, his words seemingly casual. But to Ruan Xingzhu, there was a hint of accusation in his tone. She noticed his brows furrowing slightly; was it due to his busy schedule?
Seeing the lingering smile on Ruan Xingzhu's lips, Gu Yun'an's dark eyes fixed on her, and he asked with a half-smile, "What makes Xingzhu so happy?"
When asked about Gu Yun'an's question, Ruan Xingzhu subconsciously pursed her lips. Was she really that obvious?
Today's events were indeed a pleasant surprise, and she was happier than yesterday. At this moment, she also explained the ins and outs of the matter to Gu Yun'an.
"So, we all mistook each other for each other yesterday, which caused a misunderstanding." She said, her voice filled with uncontrollable excitement.
However, when she looked at Gu Yun'an, she found that he wasn't as shocked as she had imagined. She didn't think much of it, assuming that Gu Yun'an was always calm and composed, so his indifference was normal.
"Is that so? Then Xingzhu should be happy."
Gu Yun'an's eyes concealed a hint of disdain, and his words seemed to be spat out from between his teeth, carrying a subtle chill.
Ruan Xingzhu was so absorbed in her joy that she didn't notice anything amiss. Her light and cheerful figure seemed to radiate joy.
The sight of that person would normally be pleasing to Gu Yun'an, but at this moment it was particularly glaring.
A hint of coldness flashed in Shao Qun's eyes as he turned his head three times with each step, his gaze filled with lingering affection for Ruan Xingzhu. This made Shao Qun inwardly scoff.
For a mere scholar to dare to covet the flower he personally nurtured is rather wishful thinking.
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