There were no pleasantries, no using the past as a preamble.
Ji Hanyi thought that Shen Si likely wouldn’t care for such things anyway. She knew even better that he wouldn’t appreciate her using this jade pendant to plead with him. Perhaps, back then, it had only been a casual promise on his part. Her coming today was also to return the item to its rightful owner, to reassure him that she would never trouble him with this jade again.
Shen Si’s peripheral vision remained fixed on the figure in dark blue. He watched her kneeling on the floor, the green jade pendants on her fair earlobes swaying against her jaw. Since her head was lowered, his gaze moved upward, scrutinizing her without concealment.
Her jet-black hair was styled in a matronly bun, adorned with a fan-shaped floral hairpin. The conservative, high-collared robe with its subtle patterns tightly concealed every inch of skin on her slender neck, revealing only a faint hint of pale flesh. The turquoise necklace around her neck rested on the floor before her, and her long eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks, betraying her unease.
Even after several years, her skin remained snow-white and her figure exquisite. Though she was wrapped in thick, heavy fabric, it still traced a charming, alluring curve. She possessed a natural, unconscious seductiveness; as a married woman, her slightly fuller silhouette added a sense of restrained maturity.
Shen Si withdrew his gaze. He did not wish to let his eyes linger on her any longer, nor did he want his thoughts to be further consumed by her—even though his peripheral vision remained entirely focused on her.
He set his brush onto its rack and glanced at the jade pendant resting quietly on the desk. After a long silence, he spoke. “Madam Xie, you truly should not have come to see me.”
Shen Si was not intentionally making things difficult for Ji Hanyi; by all accounts, she truly should not have come. Emotionally, she was now a daughter-in-law of the Xie family. It wasn’t that Xie Yuheng lacked the power to help her, yet she had turned to another man, which was improper. Reasonably, as the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, his duty was to supervise the hundred officials. For her to plead for his help regarding her cousin was essentially asking him to abuse his position and neglect his duties.
His cold, heartless voice cast a layer of frost over Ji Hanyi’s heart. She understood the weight of his words; she truly should not have come.
But she had no one else to turn to. Behind her lay a mess she had yet to sweep away, and her only support was her maternal grandfather’s family. If she were to leave the Xie family, they were her only refuge. Helping Gu Xun was a way to secure her own future.
Ji Hanyi looked up, her gaze meeting Shen Si’s downward stare. He looked aloof and devoid of emotion, as if he were looking at someone of no consequence. Her heart tightened inexplicably as she voiced her desperation in a raspy tone. “Because… I have no one else to turn to.”
Shen Si looked at Ji Hanyi’s reddening eyes. When she lifted her head, the bright light flooded her face. Her fair skin was flushed from the warmth of the room, and the light danced upon her delicate nose, drawing one’s gaze toward her small, cherry-red lips.
She possessed an allure that was a blend of pure innocence and seductive fullness—the same vivid, erotic nightmare that haunted his dreams. He did not like her naturally enchanting face, and he liked her seemingly affectionate eyes even less. Whenever she looked at someone, her eyes seemed to ripple like spring water, as if she held deep feelings for everyone she met.
Naturally, he despised the idea of her looking at anyone else that way. But at this moment, what he disliked most was her presence here. He had resisted everything related to her, yet after all these years, she had sought him out of her own accord.
Shen Si’s eyes darkened slightly at her words, and a faint, cold, and indifferent smile played on his lips. He relaxed his posture, leaning back against his chair. His noble, refined face remained an unreadable abyss. Toying with a glass sphere in his hand, he spoke calmly. “What Madam Xie means is that, other than me, you have no one else to turn to for help. Is that correct?”
Ji Hanyi’s heart tightened as she nodded.
Shen Si arched an eyebrow. “Is the Xie family so incapable of helping you? Just how significant is this matter that it warrants you kneeling here before me?”
His words were dispassionate, yet they felt like a dagger slowly carving into her heart. Here, before Shen Si, the reality that her life in the Xie family was unhappy was being effortlessly laid bare.
She found it impossible to admit to him that her husband did not love her—that she had never even held a place in his heart. Such a confession would only make her feel even more like she had been ground into the dust before him. She was truly a pathetic creature. She was no longer the Ji Hanyi of old; she had no home, no father, her closest kin were distant, and her husband was unfaithful. Perhaps she truly was incompetent.
Silence filled the warm room. Shen Si did not demand an answer. He watched her lowered head and her trembling earrings; she looked humiliated, a sight that would make anyone feel pity.
Shen Si pursed his lips. He thought to himself that he really shouldn’t have agreed to see her. For him to meet with a married woman was absurd. But as his gaze fell on her again, he saw her eyes shimmering with unshed tears before she closed them.
He rose from his chair, his long fingers picking up the jade pendant from the desk. He walked over to her and leaned down. Her soft, warm fragrance enveloped him. Up close, he could see every detail more clearly.
Droplets from the melted snow dampened her shoulders, and a stray lock of hair clung to her jaw. Her gaze was frantic and helpless, and the sway of her green jade earrings only emphasized the length of her slender neck. Her plain, understated clothing did nothing to hide the delicacy beneath her brows; instead, it highlighted a fragility that made one want to crush her.
Ji Hanyi had always been soft and delicate; he knew firsthand just how soft her body could be.
He crouched down. Even in such a position, he maintained a cold, aristocratic air, casting a chilling shadow over Ji Hanyi. Startled, she instinctively tried to shrink back.
Shen Si had always carried an aura that warned others not to approach; even when he was the one drawing near, people would reflexively shy away. Perhaps it was fear, or perhaps it was an uncontrollable sense of inferiority that could only be masked by withdrawal.
Shen Si noted her every movement. He reached out, offering the jade pendant to her. His long fingers were like polished jade themselves, and a scent of cold tea wafted from his sleeves. The pendant resting in his palm seemed all the more precious for it.
His eyes remained fixed on her expression. “I will grant you only one thing. Are you certain you want me to help your cousin?”
The heavy weight of despair in Ji Hanyi’s heart lifted instantly upon hearing those words; she understood that he was willing to help.
She looked up quickly, her eyes meeting his. Masking the fear she felt toward him, she nodded gratefully. “I ask only this one thing of you, Lord Shen. I will never come to trouble you again.”
As she moved to lower her head in gratitude, her chin was suddenly tilted up by a cool finger.
A dense, cold fragrance hit her as she looked up in alarm. However, as she met Shen Si’s gaze, his eyes were like unmelting ice—distant and expressionless. There wasn’t a trace of any other emotion, which caused Ji Hanyi a moment of self-consciousness, feeling ashamed for the stray thought she had just harbored.
It was true; Shen Si had always seemed devoid of human passion. Even if he suddenly performed such a slightly ambiguous gesture, he surely had his reasons. There was no way he could have any other intentions toward her.