Shen Tangning stepped into the courtyard, then paused when she saw something.
Chi Yan was sitting casually on the veranda, looking over with an air of nonchalance. His gaze swept over her back, and he asked with a meaningful smirk, "You're back? Why did you come back alone?"
That sounds rather sarcastic.
Shen Tangning stepped forward slowly, looked him up and down a few times, and feigned confusion: "Otherwise, how many people do you want?"
"I have no idea." He smiled slightly, drawing out his words. "That depends on your opinion. Do you want me to have more competitors?"
She frowned and actually started to think about it. Chi Yan ground her back teeth and almost fainted from anger. How could she possibly think about that?
"Ten or eight wouldn't be too many, don't you think?" She raised her eyebrows slightly, her bright eyes showing a hint of innocence.
Chi Yan took a deep breath: "Chen, Tang, Ning!"
Suddenly, he pulled out a feather duster from behind him and flicked it at her with an ambiguous gesture.
She instinctively stepped back, her eyes looking strange: "Are you going to hit me?"
Xue Qing's eyes widened suddenly, and she rolled up her sleeves, ready to charge forward: "Outrageous!"
Ba Liang pulled her back: "Don't worry, our young master isn't that kind of person. Let's not worry about the young couple's affairs."
"Don't stop me..."
Chi Yan stood up, took a few steps closer to her, held the feather duster in his hands, and said sullenly:
"Bearing thorns to plead guilty."
Shen Tangning: "..."
The servants watching: "..."
Shen Tangning was speechless for a long while, then raised her hand and touched his forehead with a complicated expression: "Are you alright?"
This was the first time she had ever seen someone carrying a feather duster and thorns on their back to apologize.
And just now he was acting like he was going to interrogate me, wasn't he?
Chi Yan's lips curled down, clearly displeased: "How can you talk like that? Do you think I'm the kind of person who gets jealous and throws a tantrum without even knowing what's going on?"
Although Yuan Zhao's words were vague, he guessed that she must have something important to say, but he still felt somewhat uneasy.
So he leaned closer and cleared his throat casually: "Take me with you next time."
A smile appeared in Shen Tangning's eyes, and she said calmly, "Didn't you say you weren't jealous?"
"I'm not jealous!" he said seriously. "I'm doing this for your safety. Those kinds of places are a mixed bag, so having me along provides extra security."
Shen Tangning pondered for a moment: "Sure, if you don't mind the trouble."
Chi Yan felt relieved and leaned closer with a smile, asking in a consultative tone, "So, do I still have to sleep in the study tonight?"
She subtly curled her lips, didn't answer, and walked past him into the house.
He followed closely behind her, trying to persuade her, "The bed in the study is so hard, it's not comfortable to sleep on at all."
"Besides, you're afraid of the cold. How can you sleep at night without me warming the bed?"
Ba Liang rested his chin on his hand and pondered, "If I remember correctly, it seems like it's already summer. Do we still need to warm the bed?"
Xue Qing's expression was numb: "Heh, does the young master really think the young lady would believe such nonsense?"
"..."
As it turns out, her young lady actually believed this nonsense.
——
Yu Shu saw Yuan Zhao again three days later.
This time, the lady did not come. He guessed that she came from an important family and that what she asked them to do was probably not simple.
But as the saying goes, fortune favors the bold, and he felt he could take a gamble.
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