Having served by Chen Yan's side for so many years, Jinfeng knew all too well when his master was genuinely angry.
In that instant, Jinfeng understood.
No matter how much he looked down on her, Fifth Miss Zheng was still betrothed to his master. She was the future young mistress of the Chen family.
His future mistress.
His disrespect toward Fifth Miss Zheng was a direct affront to his master's dignity.
His behavior could almost be described as a servant overstepping his bounds and bullying his master.
Cold sweat trickled down Jinfeng's temple as he hurriedly knelt on the ground, his tone softening immediately. "Young Master, Jinfeng knows he was wrong."
Chen Yan's voice was icy. "Should you be apologizing to me?"
Jinfeng promptly turned respectfully toward Ye Feishuang. "Fifth Miss Zheng, I was rude tonight. Please be magnanimous and overlook my offense. Don't hold it against someone like me."
Ye Feishuang felt a complex mix of emotions.
An apology she had never received in her previous life had now come so abruptly.
So Chen Yan could also stand on her side…
Seeing her remain silent, Chen Yan assumed she was still upset.
That was understandable.
Imagine a young girl like her, traveling alone from a small place back to a prominent family like the Zhengs—her heart must be filled with anxiety and fear.
To be looked down upon by a servant on the journey, who knew what she would face upon returning to the Zheng family?
Chen Yan softened his tone, speaking with sincere regret. "Fifth Miss Zheng, it was my failure in discipline. In the future, I will strictly regulate my servants."
Then he introduced himself. "I am from the Chen family of Yingchuan, the third son, with the given name Yan."
Ye Feishuang looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. "It seems the young master I am betrothed to shares the same name."
Chen Yan replied, "That would be me."
The same conversation from her previous life replayed, leaving Ye Feishuang momentarily dazed.
Yet the circumstances were vastly different from before.
"So it's you, no wonder," Ye Feishuang smiled faintly. "No wonder this man showed me no basic respect. He looks down on me, thinking I'm not worthy of Young Master Chen."
Jinfeng hurriedly explained, "I was searching for the assassin who tried to kill my master! I was too anxious and lost my composure. I truly didn't mean to offend you, miss!"
Ye Feishuang was taken aback. Assassinate Chen Yan?
That man was being pursued by the authorities because he tried to assassinate Chen Yan?
Well, well.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Ye Feishuang immediately felt she had saved the right person.
Chen Yan cupped his hands in a polite salute, exuding grace and elegance. "I apologize for inadvertently offending you, miss. I hope you can forgive us. I am willing to compensate you. If you have any requests, please feel free to state them. I will do my utmost to fulfill them."
Ye Feishuang looked at him seriously. "Any request?"
Her dark eyes were clear and bright, tinged with a hint of shrewdness and cunning, full of life.
When Chen Yan observed people, he always started with their eyes.
His little fiancée truly had a pair of beautiful eyes.
Chen Yan lifted the corner of his lips, revealing a faint, elegant smile. "As long as it does not violate ethics or morality."
"Good," Ye Feishuang said decisively. "Young Master Chen, let's break off the engagement."
Hearing this, Jinfeng was stunned.
Break… break off the engagement?
Just moments ago, this Fifth Miss Zheng had been leveraging his master's authority to assert herself. He had already prepared himself for her clinging to his master like a stubborn burr in the future. Yet now she was proposing to break off the engagement?
One must know how many noble young ladies in Da Zhao dreamed day and night of marrying his master. And she wanted to break off the engagement?
Chen Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, studying the young lady before him once more.
She was still young, her features not yet fully matured, but already possessing an intelligent and graceful charm.
What was most remarkable was her composure and poise that seemed beyond her years, without a trace of pettiness.
Earlier, when she had used his name to dismiss the officers, she had been poised and steady, her reasoning clear.
If someone else had spoken of breaking off the engagement, it might have seemed like a ploy to play hard to get. But not her—her gaze was frank and sincere, truly wanting to end the engagement.
She was not quite what he had imagined a fiancée raised in the countryside would be like.
Chen Yan lowered his gaze. "Miss, our engagement was arranged by our elders years ago. It is not something we can simply cancel with a word."
"I hope Young Master Chen will think it over carefully. We are truly not well-matched," Ye Feishuang said. "Once the engagement is broken off, Young Master Chen can seek another beauty."
"I have devoted myself to my studies these years, preparing for the Metropolitan Examination, and have not considered matters of romance."
Ye Feishuang nearly blurted out—you're talking nonsense.
In her past life, every time Chen Yan got drunk, he would ramble on to her, and the way he looked at her would grow strange, as if he were seeing someone else through her.
Thus, Ye Feishuang suspected that Chen Yan might have someone he favored.
Once, she asked.
Chen Yan stared at her for a long time before saying, "Yes."
"But she is already dead."
"I killed her with my own hands."
What exactly happened between Chen Yan and the one he loved, Ye Feishuang did not know.
She only knew that now that she had proposed breaking off the engagement, Chen Yan should have agreed immediately, without hesitation. Why was he refusing?
She had never understood Chen Yan.
"Ahem, Young Master Chen," Ye Feishuang said with utmost seriousness. "I am illiterate, know nothing of music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, and have never learned embroidery or needlework. I am just a rough person, truly unsuited for you, and I do not wish to hold you back."
Chen Yan found it amusing.
This was the first time he had encountered someone who could so candidly expose their own shortcomings.
"Fifth Miss Zheng is still young. There will be plenty of time to learn slowly in the future."
Meaning he would not agree to break off the engagement.
"Fifth Miss Zheng should not belittle herself. At the very least, I find you very sincere, and I admire that."
Ye Feishuang: "…"
"Fifth Miss Zheng, I shall take my leave now," Chen Yan said, cupping his hands in farewell. "Until we meet again."
At that moment, Ye Feishuang did not yet know that when Chen Yan said "until we meet again," he truly meant they would meet again very soon.
Because Chen Yan's destination was the same as hers—the Zheng residence in Xingyang.
Chen Yan had originally planned to travel directly to Xingyang by boat, but the assassination attempt he encountered that day had changed his itinerary.
He disembarked at Mianzhou and switched to horseback.
This was much faster than Ye Feishuang's journey by water.
But since his mother had not yet arrived, Chen Yan did not visit the Zheng residence alone.
Nevertheless, news of his arrival in Xingyang spread, and he soon received an invitation to a banquet hosted by the young masters of the Zheng family.
After attending the banquet and drinking, the warm breeze left him slightly tipsy.
The banquet hall was noisy, so Chen Yan went to the garden and dozed off in a pavilion behind the rockery.
But the tranquility here was soon broken by a commotion.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and called over his attendant. "Go see who is making the noise."
The attendant returned quickly. "It is Sixth Young Lady and Ninth Young Master of the Zheng family. They say they want to teach Fifth Miss Zheng, who returned to the residence today, a lesson."
Chen Yan opened his eyes. "Teach her a lesson?"
The next moment, sensing something, he turned to look toward the side gate.
A slender figure in peach-pink entered the garden, led by an elderly maid. Sunlight fell upon her face, casting a healthy, luminous glow.
Recognizing the newcomer, Chen Yan's lips curved upward almost imperceptibly.
She was several days later than him.