Su Wan widened her eyes in surprise, her beautiful gaze brimming with disbelief.
“It’s you? The person from last time?”
She still seemed unaware of his name, as if she didn’t recognize him at all.
Chen Luosheng’s gaze lingered on her thoughtfully.
The emerald-green dress clung tightly to her waist, outlining a soft and slender curve—she was the young lady with the slimmest waist he had ever seen.
And also the most ill-mannered one.
“I have a name.”
Chen Luosheng coldly tossed out the words.
Su Wan’s dewy eyes once again revealed a hint of confusion.
“But I don’t know you.”
Her gaze was clear and innocent, and for a moment, Chen Luosheng couldn’t tell whether she was pretending or genuinely didn’t recognize him.
However, after only a brief hesitation, Chen Luosheng spoke.
“As an unmarried young lady, do you enjoy having others see your body? If you plan to walk back like this, your reputation will be completely ruined.”
Several ruffians from the teahouse had already chased after her, spewing vulgarities.
“Little beauty, don’t rush off. Stay and have a few cups of tea with us.”
“There’s a private room upstairs. We can have a good time together.”
These ruffians had arrived at just the right moment.
In truth, Su Wan was afraid her tactic of playing hard to get would fail again. She feared Chen San would turn and leave without caring for her.
But Chen San clearly had a bit more patience for a beauty he hadn’t yet tasted. He called out, “Chen Nian.”
The coachman driving the carriage immediately jumped down.
With his robust build, he took on the four ruffians single-handedly, beating them until they were bruised and battered. Before fleeing, the ruffians didn’t forget to leave a threat.
“You just wait! We’ll call for help and flip this carriage of yours!”
“Aren’t you coming up yet?”
The curtain fell as Chen Luosheng withdrew into the carriage.
If she didn’t get in now, there would be no future between her and Chen San.
Su Wan wisely boarded the carriage.
The carriage was spacious and comfortable, equipped with tea sets, snacks, a writing desk, and even brushes, ink, paper, and paintings.
“My dress is dirty. It might soil your carriage.”
Once inside, Su Wan spoke cautiously.
Chen Luosheng poured a cup of hot tea, placed it on the table, and glanced at her. “Would you like some?”
The steaming tea emitted a delicate fragrance.
Su Wan picked up the teacup, warming her hands with it before raising her chin to take a sip.
A few lingering droplets trickled from the corner of her lips down to her collarbone.
Chen Luosheng didn’t fixate on her collarbone; his gaze remained on the tip of her nose.
Her nose was elegant and straight, with a gentle curve. When she smiled, two small dimples appeared on her cheeks.
She had the most innocent face and the most alluring figure.
Tapping his fingers lightly on his knee, Chen Luosheng smiled—a rare occurrence.
“My surname is Chen, and my given name is Luosheng, meaning ‘with the descent of one thing, all things come to life.’”
Su Wan looked startled, then pursed her lips, revealing her snow-white teeth as she smiled gently. “My surname is Su, and my given name is Wan. My name has no special meaning—I was born later than the doctor predicted, so I was given this name.”
She was clearly full of lies, yet she had the ability to make them sound genuine.
Even the seasoned Chen Luosheng was captivated, mistaking her for an innocent young lady. Thus, when he spoke again, his tone carried a hint of teasing.
“Should I call you Wan Niang or Wan Mei?”Su Wan shook her head solemnly. “Neither is appropriate. I don’t know you, so you should just call me Su Wan.”
Chen Luosheng poured another cup of tea and handed it to her.
“Have another cup?”
Su Wan did not take it. “I’m no longer thirsty. Please take me to the Lu Mansion in the West Fourth Alley—I’m staying there temporarily.”
“Your dress is wet and dirty. I’ll take you somewhere else first so you can change.”
Chen Luosheng’s hand holding the cup still did not lower; the tea remained less than a centimeter from Su Wan.
The intense pressure made Su Wan extremely displeased.
Chen Luosheng! You’re such a chauvinist!
Su Wan screamed inwardly, yet she only smiled gently and obediently took the tea, holding it in her hands without drinking.
Chen Luosheng seemed to chuckle softly, then closed his eyes to rest.
The carriage carried them, heading to who knew where.
The atmosphere was quiet, so Su Wan decided to speak up to ease the tension.
She spoke as if to herself, “I need to return to the Lu Mansion before evening, or my sister will worry. My sister and brother-in-law dote on me and usually don’t let me go out alone.”
Chen Luosheng laughed. “The first time I saw you was at Madam Wei’s place. Your sister and brother-in-law dote on you, so they let you show your face in such a low-class setting to find a match?”
In Chen San’s mouth, Madam Wei’s Hundred Fruits Banquet had become a low-class place.
If Madam Wei were here, she would probably be furious.
Su Wan retorted, “I was dragged there by Jiayu that time. I didn’t want to find a match. Even if I marry in the future, I want to marry someone from Jiangnan.
I’m from Liuzhou, born in Jiangnan. My stomach is a southern stomach, unaccustomed to northern food.”
This was to make it clear that she had no intention of climbing the social ladder with the young masters of Shangjing City, and her encounters with Chen San were purely coincidental.
This was the truth and also explained why she had been at the matchmaking banquet yet didn’t recognize the famous Third Young Master Chen.
“It seems you really don’t know me.”
Chen Luosheng opened his eyes. He had a pair of sharp phoenix eyes, unlike Liang Chen’s overflowing, sentimental peach blossom eyes. His phoenix eyes slanted upward, revealing his dominance and wildness.
He chuckled lazily.
“You’ll remember me.”
“And you’ll come to like Shangjing because of me.”
These young masters, throughout history, have always been this arrogant.
Because of wealth and power, they were born standing higher than others.
While others struggled and strived for their goddesses, those goddesses fought to become their playthings.
Everything came too easily to them.
Thus, their desires were insatiable, always wanting more.
Su Wan had dealt with such people for half her life and knew what they liked—they enjoyed the process of chasing their prey.
Once they succeeded, they quickly grew bored.
Su Wan would never allow herself to become an ordinary plaything. She looked at Chen Luosheng with righteous determination.
A sudden inspiration flashed in her mind, and she quickly thought of Liang Chen.
A look of longing appeared on her face.
“Chen Luosheng, I’ll remember you because your name sounds nice, but I’ll never come to like Shangjing City.”
A rosy glow brushed her cheeks. At this moment, she resembled a small bird trembling its feathers, fluttering its wings, hoping to soar into the sky.
Her gaze grew distant, as if she could see the water towns of Jiangnan.
“What I love is Jinling City, with its mountains and rivers that I adore.”Her tone shifted again, this time to one of dejection and resentment: “I came to Upper Capital to…”
The abruptly halted words, paired with her tear-filled eyes, were enough for Chen Luosheng to imagine her story.
The sense of mystery and distance a woman brings can greatly ignite a man’s desire to conquer.
Su Wan could guarantee that Chen San would certainly remember her vividly now.