Сhарtеr 9: Мostly Donе bу Shen Mingshu
Вut the eхрrеssiоn vаnishеd in an instаnt.
“Is thе саrriage аrranged?”
“Everуthing is rеadу,” Shеn Мingshu rерlied with а smilе.
In thе past, shе hаd alwаys loved drеssing up, but оnce, Xiаo Zhеng saw hеr wеaring a brightlу colorеd drеss аnd sаid it didn’t suit her, that shе lооkеd like a sрider sрirit, all gaudу and showу.
She was dеeply uрsеt, аnd from thеn оn, she only wоre рlаin silk skirts.
Now, she nо longer сarеd fоr Хiaо Zheng and wоuld no longеr сhаnge herself because of his саsual remarks.
She wоuld dо as she plеаsed and wear whatever she liked!
Chengwen Academy.
Qi Yu and Xiao Zheng walked toward the Zunjing Hall, casually discussing the day’s lessons.
Suddenly, Qi Yu’s gaze paused. He nudged Xiao Zheng, his voice tinged with amusement, “Look, we were just talking about her yesterday, and here she is today.”
Xiao Zheng followed his line of sight.
Shen Mingshu stood in the morning light, like a beauty emerging from a misty haze.
She was already exceptionally beautiful, but compared to her usual simplicity, today she was dressed rather splendidly.
With such an appearance, paired with her soft, captivating eyes, she only needed to stand there to draw everyone’s attention.
Qi Yu winked teasingly, “I’m telling you, this outfit is most likely for you.”
Xiao Zheng’s lips curled slightly, his expression tinged with pride.
He had always thought that someone like Shen Mingshu, with her temperament, wouldn’t stay angry for long.
And sure enough, she had obediently returned.
She had even dressed up deliberately to catch his attention.
Well then, he would forgive her.
Shen Mingshu stood in place, her pink lips pressed tightly together.
In her past life, when Lin Qingyan was injured, he had protected her without hesitation and fled with her.
She had called out to him with all her might, but he hadn’t even looked back.
She could only watch helplessly as the bandits charged forward, the guards falling one by one, their blood staining the mountain path.
She was roughly dragged from her horse, her knees scraping against the rocks. To avoid humiliation, she had no choice but to throw herself upon a sword and die.
Not far away, on the stone steps of Yinhua Terrace, noble young ladies walked in small groups. At the forefront was Jiang Yuan, the highest in status among them.
She wore a light yellow ruqun with flowing patterns, her dark hair elegantly tied up and adorned with pearls and jade.
She looked like a noble lady stepping out of a splendid painting, exuding the refined and reserved elegance unique to scholarly families.
Jiang Yuan walked forward without glancing sideways, but someone nearby whispered in surprise, “Isn’t that Shen Mingshu? She’s back for classes?”
Hearing this, she paused and followed the direction the person pointed.
Sure enough, she saw Shen Mingshu standing not far away.
And facing her was Xiao Zheng.
Jiang Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly, her gaze growing colder and more displeased.
At that moment, Xiao Zheng strode up to Shen Mingshu. “You’ve finally come. The teacher assigned a task today—to paint a landscape. Perfect timing, you can handle it.”
He casually shoved a roll of blank paper into Shen Mingshu’s hands.
Before she could speak, he continued on his own, “It’s due tomorrow. The teacher said those who fail will have to redo it.”
“You’re good at painting. If you have time later, just finish one. Don’t waste time.”
Xiao Zheng spoke as if it were only natural.
At Chengwen Academy, while the male students focused on strategy, martial arts, and occasionally poetry and calligraphy, Xiao Zheng had never liked such things. His handwriting was messy, his poetry plain and shallow, and his paintings were barely recognizable.
Over the years, most of his calligraphy and paintings had been completed by Shen Mingshu.
Now that Shen Mingshu had returned, they naturally assumed this task should fall to her again.After all, she had never refused before, not in the past, and she wouldn’t this time either.
Not far away, several female students stood in the shade of the flower corridor, their gazes fixed on the two standing together.
One of them curled her lips, her tone tinged with disdain. “It’s the same again. Every time Xiao Zheng has painting assignments, Shen Mingshu does them for him. I don’t know what she gets out of it. Xiao Zheng isn’t even nice to her.”
“But I have a feeling Shen Mingshu won’t agree this time. She seems a little different today. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something feels off.”
“How could she possibly refuse?” the first speaker snorted.
“Everyone in the academy knows Shen Mingshu likes Xiao Zheng. She’s been following him around for years. Is there anything Xiao Zheng asks her to do that she doesn’t do? Forget a painting—even if he told her to jump into the lake, she’d probably do it.”
“Jiang Yuan, what do you think?” As they spoke, their eyes turned almost simultaneously toward the young woman standing at the front.
Jiang Yuan stood a short distance away. She didn’t answer, only watched Shen Mingshu quietly from afar.
“Shen Mingshu—”
Seeing her remain silent, Xiao Zheng raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when Shen Mingshu lifted her eyes.
Her peach-blossom eyes were clear and bright, and her usually gentle face now carried a hint of coldness.
She threw the scroll Xiao Zheng had shoved into her hands directly onto the ground.
“I won’t paint it. Your own assignments are your own responsibility. It’s not like you don’t have hands or feet.”
“I won’t help you this time, and I won’t in the future either. If you come looking for me to paint for you again, I’ll go to Zunjing Pavilion and tell your teacher.”
As she spoke, her eyes widened slightly. Her voice wasn’t loud, but every word was enunciated clearly.
Running into him as soon as she returned to the academy—what rotten luck!
She didn’t want to waste another word on him and turned to leave immediately.
If she stayed with him any longer, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to control the urge to kill him.
But she definitely couldn’t beat Xiao Zheng in a fight…
How frustrating!
Xiao Zheng stood rooted to the spot, the arrogance in his expression slowly freezing over.
Only when Shen Mingshu’s figure disappeared around the corner did he snap back to reality.
She had actually refused him.
“What did she say?”
Xiao Zheng turned to look at his friend Qi Yu, wondering if he had misheard.
Qi Yu opened his mouth, his face also filled with disbelief. “Has Shen Mingshu… been possessed by a ghost? She actually refused you?”
The noble young women not far away saw everything clearly.
For a moment, they were all stunned, and then a few couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Jiang Yuan stood a short distance away, watching Shen Mingshu’s retreating figure, her gaze flickering slightly.
Yinhua Terrace was always serene and elegant.
When Shen Mingshu returned to her seat, the sunlight happened to fall on her desk, casting a layer of scattered golden light that made the pages of her book gleam faintly.
She glanced up at the flying eaves and tiled shadows outside the window, but there was little emotion in her eyes.
That day when Xiao Zheng came looking for her, she had refused to see him for the first time, sending a servant to relay the message.
This time, however, she had told him herself, face to face.
The first time she had ever refused Xiao Zheng’s request in person.
It seemed… it wasn’t that difficult after all.
In fact, it felt incredibly satisfying!
When she was six years old, Xiao Zheng had helped her out of a difficult situation, and she had remembered it for a lifetime.
From then on, wherever he went, she silently followed. In the summer, she fanned away mosquitoes for him; in the winter, she warmed hand warmers and quietly slipped them into his sleeves.
He preferred quiet, so she stopped laughing and playing around, even speaking carefully, afraid that an extra word might annoy him.
He disliked spicy food, so she changed her tastes too, eating lightly alongside him.She thought that as long as she was sincere enough, one day he would turn back and look at her.
But he always treated her as an insignificant little tail.
Her affection was finally exhausted in the previous life, the moment he abandoned her.
Now, all that remained was hatred.
She hated him.
She wished she could eat his flesh and drink his blood!
But she… Shen Mingshu lowered her head to look at her own hands. Her fingers were pale and slender, yet utterly weak and powerless.
In terms of martial prowess, Xiao Zheng had already been on the battlefield since he was sixteen.
At sixteen, she had never even ridden a horse.
As for strategy, it seemed she had none either.
Shen Mingshu still had some self-awareness.
She had only been reborn, not given a new brain…