Chapter 51 I love you, do you love me?
Shen Qingnian practically fled back to Qianyue Residence.
At this moment, she also felt a chill on her back, probably because she had walked too fast and her back was a little sweaty.
She took a bath, changed into clean clothes, and went to bed early.
The night was as dark as ink, and the cold moonlight shone down, shining through the window onto the gauze curtains, but the person inside tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Shen Qingnian spent the entire night thinking about her appointment with Xiao Huaiyi the next day.
Xie Yanzhi had frightened her so much today; if he found her meeting with Young Master Xiao again tomorrow, she had a feeling that Xie Yanzhi would not let her off the hook.
Thinking of this, a hint of sorrow appeared between her brows.
In the early morning, accompanied by the sound of dew dripping from the bamboo, Shen Qingnian finally managed to fall asleep.
Just as Ling'er lifted the curtain and came in, Shen Qingnian woke up.
Ling'er felt sorry for her when she saw that her eyes were covered in dark circles.
Miss must have been terrified yesterday, that's why she couldn't sleep last night. The eldest young master is too fierce.
Looking at her reflection in the bronze mirror, Shen Qingnian quickly noticed that there was a dark circle under her eyes.
But she had no time to think about these things. Young Master Xiao had invited her tonight, but Xie Yanzhi had sent someone to accompany her. How could she possibly go to the appointment?
"Miss, let me comb your hair." Ling'er picked up the comb and began to comb a few strands of hair with her fingers.
Shen Qingnian felt increasingly annoyed and lost all interest in grooming herself.
"I'm not going to comb my hair today." With that, she lazily leaned back on the couch and picked up her embroidery frame to start embroidering.
Ling'er also moved a small stool and sat down beside Shen Qingnian to embroider a handkerchief.
But after embroidering for a while, she realized something was wrong. The young lady had pricked her finger several times, and the bright red blood stained the begonia flowers on the embroidered handkerchief, making them look rather vivid and striking.
"Miss, is something on your mind?"
Shen Qingnian finally put down the embroidery frame. Was her absent-mindedness so obvious? Even the usually oblivious Ling'er could see it.
"Young Master Xiao originally invited me to Zuifeng Tower today to see him off. But the young master..."
As Shen Qingnian spoke, the sorrow between her brows deepened.
Ling'er then realized that if the young master found out that the young lady had secretly gone to see Young Master Xiao, he would be furious!
“If I don’t go, I’m afraid Young Master Xiao will misunderstand me again and think that I’m rejecting his feelings.”
Shen Qingnian spoke again, her tone full of helplessness.
"How about I go to Zuifeng Tower and talk to Young Master Xiao?" Ling'er thought for a moment and finally came up with this idea.
Shen Qingnian thought about it and realized that this was indeed the only way.
She brought over a cloak and instructed, "Take this cloak with you when you go out, put on the hood, and be careful not to be seen."
"Just say I have a high fever and don't have the strength to keep our appointment. We'll celebrate for him when he gets back."
"Mmm." Ling'er nodded, took the cloak, and hurriedly went out the door.
Shen Qingnian sat by the window and only looked away after watching Ling'er enter the path through the bamboo forest.
Shen Qingnian picked up the embroidery hoop and embroidered half-heartedly, feeling somewhat annoyed.
Footsteps approached, and someone lifted the curtain and came in.
But Shen Qingnian was lost in thought by the window and didn't notice.
Xie Yanzhi looked down and peered through the curtain, seeing Shen Qingnian leaning against the window, her hand supporting her chin, looking listless. She hadn't washed or combed her hair, letting her long, black hair fall to her waist, like a plum blossom quietly clinging to the window.
"After you've freshened up, I'll take you to Tianque Tower to watch the fireworks," Xie Yanzhi said calmly to Shen Qingnian.
Shen Qingnian was pulled back to her senses by the voice. She turned around and was surprised to find that it was Xie Yanzhi. She stood up and curtsied, "Cousin."
"Go to Tianque Tower?" Shen Qingnian had only been in the capital for two or three months and did not know what Tianque Tower was.
"Yes, Tianque Tower is the tallest building in the capital. The view from the top is excellent," Xie Yanzhi explained casually, seeing her seemingly puzzled expression.
Shen Qingnian watched Xie Yanzhi's tall figure blocking the window, the afterglow falling on his face, half bright and half dim, making it difficult to see his expression.
For some reason, he suddenly became interested in taking her out.
Shen Qingnian thought again and decided to find an excuse to leave halfway through, so that she might still have time to go to Zuifeng Tower to see Young Master Xiao.
So he sat down in front of the bronze mirror, picked up a comb and did a quick combing, loosely tied his hair into a bun, grabbed his cloak, and was about to follow Xie Yanzhi out.
Xie Yanzhi suddenly reached into her hair and put the ruby gold hairpin in her hair.
Shen Qingnian didn't know why he wanted to put the hairpin on her, but she didn't think there was anything wrong with it. If he wanted to give it to her, then so be it.
She then softly said, "Thank you, cousin."
The market was bustling with activity tonight, with vendors making sugar figurines, selling candied hawthorns, selling antiques and calligraphy, and performing acrobatic acts such as fire-breathing and sword-swallowing. There was something for everyone.
Xie Yanzhi led Shen Qingnian to the top of Tianque Tower, where they could see the bustling capital city below.
Shen Qingnian couldn't help but sigh, "It truly deserves to be the tallest building in the capital."
"That's the moat," Xie Yanzhi pointed into the distance.
Shen Qingnian's mind was not on this at all, but she still looked in the direction Xie Yanzhi was pointing.
The banks of the moat were brightly lit and bustling with people.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. Not far away, there was actually the Drunken Wind Pavilion, which made her quite excited.
"Shen Qingnian?" Xie Yanzhi frowned. He was talking to her, but the woman was lost in thought.
"Hmm?" Shen Qingnian turned around in confusion, looking at Xie Yanzhi with his brows furrowed.
"Cousin, what's wrong?" Shen Qingnian asked quickly, afraid of upsetting him.
“If you like, we’ll come every year,” Xie Yanzhi said, glancing at Shen Qingnian.
Shen Qingnian felt a little guilty under his gaze.
Once she marries Xiao Huaiyi, she will leave the capital and won't be able to come with him every year.
But she still smiled at him, nodded, and turned away.
Just then, fireworks lit up the sky, and Shen Qingnian smiled radiantly, intently appreciating the beautiful scenery.
Suddenly she felt her face being cupped, and saw Xie Yanzhi gently kiss her forehead.
"Shen Qingnian, I love you, do you love me?"
Shen Qingnian looked at Xie Yanzhi, who was dressed in a scarlet robe, with his hair tied up in a jade crown, and had handsome features.
His clear eyes reflected the flickering light and her image in his eyes.
His gaze was so intense that she wanted to look away.
Shen Qingnian thought that aside from the fact that he was forceful and obsessive when he was clinging to her, which was annoying.
At other times, he could truly be described as a refined and elegant gentleman.
Before Shen Qingnian could answer, a guard entered and stood at a distance, bowing.
Xie Yanzhi walked over, and the guard whispered something in his ear.
Xie Yanzhi frowned, and the guard withdrew.
Shen Qingnian sensed that something important must have happened.
Xie Yanzhi strode towards her and embraced her, saying, "I have to leave for a while."
Shen Qingnian felt a surge of joy; she could finally go see Xiao Huaiyi.
Suddenly, Xie Yanzhi's cold voice was heard again: "Shen Qingnian, do you even have a little bit of affection for me?"
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