
Another young lady from the Marquisate arrived, possessing eyes that sparkled with allure and a face as pure as jade and bright as a flower.
The Marquisate's young lord, Xie Yanzhi, a proud scion and a powerful minister, initially found her frequently soliciting glances extremely detestable.
He was accustomed to sparrows who only wished to climb higher and fly to the sky, believing she was merely frivolous, full of schemes and vanity.
But later, he noticed that she could smile and chat with everyone else but avoided him at all costs.
He sneered, thinking it was merely her tactic of playing hard to get, yet his gaze couldn't help but be drawn to her.
It wasn't until later, when he saw her actually getting engaged to another man behind his back, and carrying that man's token daily, that he realized.
He belatedly cornered her against the wall, his eyes red, and gritted out, "Who allowed you to get engaged?!"
"I'll give you a chance to seduce me; break off the engagement first!"
Shen Qingnian gracefully waved her hand. "This young lady cannot reach for the Marquis's high branch."
Later, Xie Yanzhi discovered that they had been betrothed all along, but she had never told him.
She had never intended to marry him.