Chapter 256 Still Hiding From Each Other
The moment she said those words, Shang Ruyi clearly saw Yuwen Ye's eyes flicker.
At that moment, she didn't know if she felt joy or something else, or perhaps both.
To her delight, she finally managed to capture his heart once.
What made her feel even more complicated was that Yuwen Ye had indeed been hiding something from her, and it was one of the things he had just told her, but she didn't know which part it was.
Is she Princess Crescent Moon, or something else?
She was perceptive enough to sense that there were still some aspects of Yuwen Ye's feelings for Princess Xinyue that she couldn't understand. She also wouldn't forget that in Yanmen County, there was an indescribable yet unwavering persistence in his gaze towards Princess Xinyue. It was a persistence that she had never experienced, even though she had already shared moments of physical intimacy with him and they were now considered to be of one mind with each other.
What is he so fixated on?
Seeing his long eyelashes slowly droop, completely obscuring his cold and deep eyes, even the fleeting glimmer of light was hidden, Shang Ruyi said softly, "Can't you tell me?"
Yuwen Ye countered, "Would you tell me?"
His rhetorical question was clear and sharp.
Shang Ruyi's throat tightened, but she ultimately fell silent. Yuwen Ye looked at her, a hint of mockery and desolation in his eyes, and said, "It seems that we are still hiding things from each other."
These words chilled Shang Ruyi's heart.
She didn't even know whether she should be disappointed in herself or in him this time, or whether he felt the same way.
Just as the two were facing each other in silence, the waiter came up again, accompanied by a well-dressed, middle-aged man who looked wealthy. Shang Ruyi recognized him at a glance as the owner of Tinghelou Restaurant. The two men walked to the door of the private room and bowed and smiled obsequiously, saying, "We apologize to our esteemed guests."
Yuwen Ye asked, "What's wrong? There's still one dish that hasn't been served."
The shopkeeper said, “Esteemed guests, the government officials just arrested a fugitive laborer from our shop. Now they insist that we close for a thorough investigation. I’m sorry, you two have to go back for now. Today’s food and drink are on the house! Next time, I will definitely treat you personally to make amends.”
It turns out they came to see guests off.
The shop owner was quite perceptive; he could tell that the two men were dressed in fine clothes and that those who could sit in the private room on the second floor were either rich or noble, and he couldn't afford to offend them. That's why he came up personally to apologize. It just so happened that the two men had lost their appetite by this point in their conversation. Yuwen Ye nodded to Shang Ruyi, then stood up, straightened his clothes, and said, "Well then, we'll be going."
Just as the two lifted the beaded curtain at the door and stepped out, the shopkeeper, who was standing at the door bowing and scraping, saw Shang Ruyi and suddenly paused, "Huh?"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
Actually, she had been here more than once. Usually, the owner wouldn't personally greet her when she came here, but she remembered the owner's appearance because the last time she came here, Chu Yang chased away all the other guests and had his people fill in downstairs. He then took her up to the second floor, and when she left, the owner was waiting for her downstairs. It was at that moment that the two of them met.
At that moment, the boss looked at her with a surprised expression, clearly recognizing her.
But immediately, as if worried that he had caused trouble, the shopkeeper hurriedly lowered his head and said repeatedly, "Please take care, esteemed guest."
Yuwen Ye turned around and glanced at him.
Shang Ruyi also looked a little nervous. When she met his gaze, she broke out in a cold sweat. But Yuwen Ye glanced at her, his eyes only flickered for a moment, and he didn't say anything. He turned around and walked away.
Shang Ruyi hurriedly followed.
After going downstairs, Yuwen Ye paid for a few dishes. The carriage was just waiting at the door. As the two were about to get into the carriage, Yuwen Ye suddenly stopped and turned to look at the other side of the long street.
Shang Ruyi asked, "What's wrong?"
He didn't speak, but waved to the driver to wait, and then walked towards one side of the long street. At this moment, Shang Ruyi seemed to sense something and had a vague bad feeling, but she still followed immediately.
A short while later, they came to a fork in the road, turned around, and entered a small alley.
The alley was dark and damp. Because there were few people passing by, the corners were covered with moss and had an unpleasant musty smell. As soon as you walked in, even the sunlight dimmed.
There are two people inside.
A well-dressed young man helped a lame old beggar slowly walk into the depths of the alley. The old beggar put down his cane and said gratefully, "Thank you, young master."
The young man laughed and said, "It's nothing. Old man, if your legs aren't good, don't walk around too much. Be careful not to bump into someone."
Upon hearing that voice, it was none other than Yuwen Cheng!
Shang Ruyi's eyes widened in surprise—shouldn't he be studying at school at this time? Why was he here? And looking at his concerned expression, especially towards an old beggar! Shang Ruyi had been married into the Yuwen family for more than half a year. This child's face had shown cunning, indifference, disdain, and even ferocity, but never such a kind and concerned expression, making her almost unrecognizable.
Is this still the same Yuwen Third Young Master who caused headaches for the whole family?
What made her even more uneasy was—
Just as Shang Ruyi's heart was in turmoil, she heard the lame old beggar say with a bitter smile, "Young master is joking. This old man has no money and no food. If I don't come out to beg for some copper coins, I'm afraid I won't be able to survive a day."
"oh?"
Yuwen Cheng asked, "How much money can you make in a day like this?"
"Sigh, judging from the old man's mood in the past, it's a blessing from God if he can get one or two."
"I see..."
Yuwen Cheng thought for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver ingot, saying, "Then, do you want this?"
The lame old beggar had probably never seen so much money in his life; his eyes widened in astonishment: "This, this is—"
Yuwen Cheng weighed the silver in his hand and said, "Here are ten taels of silver. Do you want it?"
The old beggar was overjoyed and clasped his hands together, saying, "Yes, I want it!"
Just as his hands were about to touch the silver, Yuwen Cheng suddenly withdrew them, hid the silver behind his back, and said, "However, I can't just give you so much silver for nothing."
The old beggar forced a fawning smile: "Then, what will it take for the young master to give it to me?"
Yuwen Cheng looked up and thought for a moment, then suddenly snapped his fingers and laughed, "How about this, you hit me once, and I'll give you one tael of silver. There are ten taels here, so I'll hit you ten times, okay?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com