Chapter 17 Intentional... Song Ming wouldn't be her choice, and he isn't currently...
“Miss Zhu, would you like to borrow a carriage from the Yu family for a ride?” Yu Xuan asked, his thoughts returning to him. He lightly rubbed his fingertips together, his manner gentle and polite.
Since the oxcart from the Zhu family's residence did not move, Yu Xuan waited patiently.
After a while, the girl's voice came from inside the carriage, thanking him: "Thank you for your trouble, young master."
Zhu Xuanning stepped out of the car, her clothes fluttering slightly, her every movement and gesture exuding unparalleled elegance.
Yu Xuan returned the greeting with his sleeves clasped, but lowered his eyes and dared not look at her again.
After Zhu Xuanning boarded the carriage at the Yu residence, Yu Xuan glanced at the coachman, whose noble air made the coachman tremble.
The servant behind Yu Xuan immediately stepped forward with a smile, stuffed silver ingots into the coachman's hand, and whispered something that no one else could hear.
The driver accepted the bribe with trembling hands, keeping the whole affair a secret.
Yu Xuan returned to the carriage, and the moment he bent down to get in, Zhu Xuanning carefully moved back a little.
The movement was extremely small, yet it clearly caught his eye.
Yu Xuan couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You don't need to be afraid of me. Song Ming is a tough guy, and I wouldn't dare to steal his people."
Zhu Xuanning blushed slightly, and her tense body relaxed after Yu Xuan finished speaking.
Yu Xuan caught Zhu Xuanning's little actions out of the corner of his eye. He turned around, closed the car door, and the smile on his face faded in an instant.
But when he turned to Zhu Xuanning again, Yu Xuan still had a gentle and refined demeanor, and even his voice became more tender: "Where is Miss Zhu going?"
"Taiqing Temple." Zhu Xuanning gave a place name, and the servant beside him opened the door and told the coachman.
"Miss Zhu is also going for a spring outing?" Yu Xuan said, pouring tea into his cup. Without him having to give any instructions, the servant outside had already brought in a brand-new sky-blue tea set.
After scalding the tea with boiling water, the servant bowed and placed the tea set on the small table in the center of the carriage.
Zhu Xuanning responded softly.
Before long, Yu Xuan pushed the brewed flower tea toward the direction Zhu Xuanning was facing.
Zhu Xuanning thanked her, picked up the cup with both hands, and blew on it to cool her hands.
Yu Xuan glanced at it, then looked away and lowered his head to read.
Silence fell over the car. Zhu Xuanning sipped her hot tea, her eyes constantly glancing at the boy reading the book.
Yu Xuan's appearance was undoubtedly of the highest quality; anyone who saw him would praise him as a gentleman as jade.
His words and actions exuded a gentle, scholarly air, less immature than Pei Yu, and more dignified and principled than Mei Jiashan.
She was a unique existence that Zhu Xuanning had never seen before.
What Zhu Xuanning thought was a careful observation turned out to be an open judgment in Yu Xuan's peripheral vision.
Yu Xuan, who was already somewhat distracted by her, could not ignore her burning gaze. His mind was slightly flustered, and he gently pulled the book in his hand, exhaled softly, and smiled helplessly: "Miss Zhu, do you want to read?"
The gentle tone of her voice made Zhu Xuanning grip the teacup more tightly, and a blush instantly spread across her fair face, as radiant as a rosy cloud.
He does resemble Pei Yu somewhat.
After Zhu Xuanning finished speaking, her gaze swept across his eyebrows and eyes like a dragonfly skimming the water, and then she lowered her head.
That single glance, though shy, held a thousand charms of spring.
"An old friend?" Yu Xuan put the book aside and looked at her, a secret expectation stirring in his heart.
"Yes, someone who used to treat me very well." Zhu Xuanning followed up with an ambiguous answer, but did not elaborate further.
Yu Xuan smiled, his emotions flickering in his eyes, but quickly disappeared, and he did not ask any further questions.
He lifted the curtain, called over the servant who had gotten out of the carriage, and had someone bring up some little trinkets to keep him entertained during the journey.
A pile of exquisite items was placed in front of Zhu Xuanning's small table, forming a small mountain.
Zhu Xuanning looked up at him, bewildered.
Yu Xuan's heart softened slightly, and he sat down next to Zhu Xuanning, but still kept a distance from her. He lowered his handsome eyes, reached out and picked out a jade Bagua lock, coaxing her like a child: "It's boring in the carriage. We still have a long way to go to Taiqing Temple. Do you want me to teach you how to play?"
Zhu Xuanning hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Yu Xuan then earnestly explained the principles of the Bagua Lock to Zhu Xuanning, and then gradually disassembled it for her to see.
Zhu Xuanning, who was originally just acting, actually found it quite interesting as she listened and watched.
Upon seeing this, Yu Xuan handed her the Bagua lock in his hand. Before long, Zhu Xuanning became engrossed in it, seemingly forgetting that there was someone beside her.
"Have you forgotten what I just taught you?" Seeing Zhu Xuanning's delicate eyebrows furrowed tightly, Yu Xuan couldn't help but speak up, taking the Bagua lock from Zhu Xuanning's hand.
A gentle voice, accompanied by meticulous movements, instantly solved the problem that Zhu Xuanning had been pondering for a long time.
"You're amazing." The girl looked up, her face flushed, her starry eyes sparkling, and her voice soft and sweet.
Yu Xuan stopped what he was doing.
"I've just played it thousands of times, and practice makes perfect." Yu Xuan smiled as he handed the Bagua lock back to Zhu Xuanning, and said gently, "It's already quite remarkable that you were able to solve it to this extent on your first try."
Zhu Xuanning's eyes sparkled even more brightly after receiving the praise, making Yu Xuan's cheeks slightly flush. He gently cupped his hands to his lips, subtly concealing the slight movement of his Adam's apple.
The distance that had been so distant gradually closed, and the atmosphere warmed up. However, the servant's voice broke the silence: "Young master, Miss Zhu, we're almost at Taiqing Temple."
"Thank you for bringing me here, young master." Zhu Xuanning returned the Bagua lock to Yu Xuan, her eyes crinkling with a smile, completely unlike her initial cautious and wary demeanor.
Her slightly cool fingertips brushed against Yu Xuan's hand unintentionally, like a shy, youthful temptation.
Yu Xuan took the unlocked Bagua lock, seemingly unconcerned about the skin-touching from before, and said gently, "My surname is Yu, I'm the second oldest, a bit older than Song Ming and the others. You can call me Second Brother Yu, just like they do."
"Second Brother." Zhu Xuanning's voice was clear and melodious, like a nightingale emerging from a secluded valley.
Yu Xuan recalled the twilight of his childhood, when a little girl was perched on his back, calling his name in a crisp, clear voice.
As the two faces gradually overlapped in his vision, Yu Xuan felt a surge of joy in his heart, smiled, and softly responded.
"I noticed you're prone to feeling cold, so take this to warm your hands." As Yu Xuan got out of the carriage, he gave a glance, and the maid behind him carrying a hot water bottle stepped forward and respectfully handed the exquisitely crafted hot water bottle to Zhu Xuanning.
Zhu Xuanning looked at Yu Xuan in astonishment, never expecting that a mere touch would have made him take it to heart.
"Thank you, Second Brother." The girl's eyes glistened with emotion.
Yu Xuan then ordered his servant to bring out the Bagua Lock, which was even more difficult, and handed it to Po Mo.
"If you can't solve it and you're stuck, you can come to me."
"I'll teach you."
The boy's voice was gentle, and his eyes were clear and earnest.
Yu Xuan didn't even need Zhu Xuanning to lift the hook; he easily took the bait.
"Okay," Zhu Xuanning replied cheerfully, revealing a beautiful smile.
The two parted ways, and Yu Xuan only got into the carriage after he saw Zhu Xuanning's figure disappear into the peach grove.
His personal servant, who was attending to him, finally asked the question that had been nagging at him all the way: "Young Master, do you really not intend to compete with the young master?"
The loyal servant was worried, always feeling that his young master treated Miss Zhu differently from others.
With a "smack," Yu Xuan rolled up the bamboo slip in his hand and hit the servant on the forehead: "You have no restraint when it comes to talking, you even dare to slander the imperial family."
Seeing the servant shrink back in fear and apologize, Yu Xuan said slowly and deliberately, "Although she is clever, she is kind-hearted. Marrying into the royal family, her little tricks are not enough."
Song Ming would not be her choice, nor would he be at the moment. Among their group, only Ji Yucheng, who was orphaned and had already inherited a title, best suited her goal.
A note from the author:
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