“Oh? Qingyan is here, come in quickly.” Xie Wenyuan rarely showed such a genial smile. “Have you come to bring your father more good news?”
“I dare not claim the credit,” Xie Qingyan replied with a slight bow as she presented the latest account book. “Father, please take a look. This is the net profit for this month.”
Xie Wenyuan took it and had barely glanced at the numbers when his hand trembled.
“Good… good! Excellent!” he exclaimed, repeating himself three times in delight.
Seizing the moment, Xie Qingyan spoke as if casually, “Father, Curio Pavilion is only the first step. I heard from Mr. Thirteen that the shop owner is quite interested in opening branch stores in neighboring counties.”
Xie Wenyuan’s breath caught the word neighboring counties.
“If this can be achieved,” Xie Qingyan continued slowly, “then Leping County, as the location of the main store, will inevitably become a commercial hub among several counties. At that time, Father’s achievements…”
Xie Wenyuan stood up in excitement, his earlier hesitation already melting away.
“However…” Xie Qingyan shifted her tone, “some broader plans cannot be explained in just a few words. If I am to lay out a strategy for the entire Jiangnan region, I must speak with the shop owner in person before making decisions.”
She lowered her gaze slightly. “Discussing through Mr. Thirteen is proper, but… it lacks efficiency. If delays arise because of this back and forth, and it affects Father’s year-end evaluation…”
That final sentence struck precisely at Xie Wenyuan’s weak point.
He began pacing restlessly across the study.
After this month’s evaluation, he had tasted success. If Curio Pavilion continued to thrive, and it was his daughter who had built it, the credit would naturally fall to him. By year’s end, he might even secure an “Excellent.”
Because of this, his attitude toward Xie Qingyan appearing in public was no longer as rigid as before.
“The shop owner… is certainly no ordinary man,” he muttered after a long pause.
“And since Curio Pavilion was established by your own hand, and the entire county already knows it… then you… meeting him to discuss important matters is… not entirely improper.”
At last, he made up his mind.
“But you must remember this!” His expression turned stern again. “It must be in a public place, in broad daylight!”
“And there must be a third person present. You must not give others grounds for gossip! I will send Steward Wang to stand by, serving tea if needed. You are not to cross any boundaries, lest it damage the Xie family’s reputation again!”
“This daughter understands,” Xie Qingyan said with a deep bow, a glint of calculation flashing in her eyes.
When Zhao Chengze heard that Xie Qingyan intended to meet him face to face going forward, he was in the middle of trying on a newly tailored brocade robe from the embroidery workshop.
He froze. Then a surge of joy flooded his heart.
She had taken the initiative to meet him again!
“Quick! Thirteen!” he suddenly became flustered. “Where is that ebony mask? Find it and clean it!”
“And this outfit! Is it too ostentatious?” He tugged at the gold-threaded robe he was wearing. “Change it! Change to the moon-white one… no, that looks too affected. The black one, wear the black one, it looks more steady!”
He had to ensure everything was flawless.
He wanted her to meet the shop owner, yet not see through Zhao Chengze entirely. He still wanted to retain a trace of mystery.
The next afternoon.
In a private room on the second floor of Curio Pavilion.
This was the VIP reception area. The street-facing windows were wide open, and the bustling noise from below filled the air, satisfying Xie Wenyuan’s requirement of a public setting.
Xie Qingyan sat calmly beside the tea table.
Today she dressed simply, wearing a pale blue ruqun without makeup, like a lotus rising fresh from clear water.
Steward Wang stood respectfully behind her, watching carefully, not daring to miss a single detail.
Heavy footsteps sounded from the stairway.
Xie Qingyan lifted her gaze.
Zhao Chengze strode in.
He wore a black brocade robe with subtle patterns, a jade belt at his waist, tall and imposing.
What stood out most was the ebony mask covering the upper half of his face.
Its craftsmanship was exquisite, revealing only his sharply defined jawline and elegantly curved lips.
They stood three paces apart, studying one another.
Xie Qingyan frowned slightly.
A mask?
Her confusion was quickly replaced by a trace of mocking clarity.
So calculating.
She had finally secured a face-to-face meeting, yet he came prepared like this.
She showed her true face, while he hid behind concealment.
She stood in the light, while he remained in the shadows.
She had intended to observe his reactions directly, but this mask had once again ruined her plan.
It was almost as if this shop owner knew exactly what she intended to do.
Meanwhile, Zhao Chengze was, for the first time in full awareness, seeing her clearly at such close range.
His former adversary now appeared like this.
A delicate, youthful face, still carrying traces of innocence. At sixteen, her figure had yet to fully mature, slender enough to seem fragile.
A strange sense of delight rose within him.
This was Xie Qingyan’s appearance.
Yet the moment he saw her eyes, he recognized her.
Those were not the eyes of a sixteen-year-old girl.
There was no panic, no shyness, only the calm detachment, scrutiny, and unfathomable depth of an adult mind.
It was her. Without a doubt.
“Shop owner.”
Xie Qingyan spoke first, breaking the silence.
She did not rush into business. Instead, her gaze fixed directly on his mask.
“Why do you always appear wearing a mask?”
Her voice was soft, yet every word was clear and edged with sharp intent, impossible to evade.
Steward Wang sucked in a breath. This was a personal matter, how could she ask it so directly?
Zhao Chengze had not expected this question and was momentarily stunned.
After a brief pause, inspiration struck.
When he spoke again, his originally steady voice turned low and hoarse, tinged with restrained sorrow.
“Miss Xie… does it trouble you?”
He gave a faint, bitter smile, lifting a hand to touch the edge of the mask as if brushing against an old scar.
He sighed softly and began to fabricate his story.
“In my youth, my family suffered a great calamity. A merciless fire destroyed everything…”
“I was fortunate to survive, but… my face was left scarred.”
He turned slightly, letting the light from the window illuminate his perfectly contoured jaw.
“Grotesque in appearance, unfit to be seen.”
He even lowered his eyes at the right moment, revealing just the right amount of “insecurity.”
“I fear… I might startle you.”
Xie Qingyan watched him perform in silence.
She did not believe a single word.
The skin on his exposed jaw was smooth and flawless. What kind of fire could burn only the upper half of a face?
Moreover, his bearing, that innate sense of superiority and control, was etched into his very bones. It had nothing to do with insecurity.
And those eyes behind the mask, sharp and bright, showed not a trace of gloom.
A lie.
Xie Qingyan sneered inwardly.
Outwardly, however, she remained composed, slowly lifting her teacup.
“I see.”
Her voice revealed neither approval nor doubt.
“If it is such a painful past, then I was indeed presumptuous.”