The moment she looked up, she was startled by the deep, dark pupils of Yun Cheng, her heart pounding. The emotion in his eyes was like black magma buried deep underground—thick, sticky, and dense.
She had seen a similar look before—in Tao Wenkan.
Whenever desire stirred and his breath grew ragged, he would gaze at her with that same murky look, and then he would kiss her senseless, the two of them tumbling together onto the bed.
But Yun Cheng… she dared not even think further.
"You truly cannot see it? But you've already guessed the reason, haven't you?" He pressed on, question after question, refusing to let her escape reality.
Shao Zhen parted her lips, intending to push his words back. But she was a step too late—she could not stop him from saying: "Lady Shao, I hold feelings for you."
It was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. The young woman's eyes stopped moving altogether, while her heart did the opposite—thumping and crashing against her chest so violently that her very soul seemed about to fly out of her body.
Yun Cheng held feelings for her? How could that be? And when had such feelings even begun?
Was he not merely looking after her out of consideration for Tao Wenkan?
He was a gentleman of jade-like virtue, renowned and respected—a jade mountain she looked up to but never dreamed of climbing.
How could he possibly come to like someone as ordinary and weak as her? And besides, she was a married woman—once the wife of his closest friend.
She was unremarkable in talent and tarnished in reputation. How could she possibly deserve his affection?
In her mind, he and Miss Shen Li, the legitimate daughter of the Shen clan of Chenwang, were the ones meant to be together—a perfect pair of golden boy and jade girl.
Yet at the same time, another voice—a contradictory one—spoke clearly in her heart: if he did not hold feelings for her, then why had he held her hand this morning to carefully apply medicine to her wounds? And why would he say such shocking words now?
"Young Master Yun, I'm afraid you've made a mistake."
A thousand thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. She speculated that perhaps Yun Cheng was too young, had too little contact with women in his daily life, and thus could not distinguish his own feelings.
Even if he had developed some slight interest in her, it was most likely nothing more than a passing whim. Perhaps after some time, he would regret it and grow weary. In any case, as someone with more experience, she could not allow him—who ought to remain lofty and pure—to become entangled with a woman like her.
He was her benefactor. She absolutely could not stand by and watch him take a wrong step, dragged down by her.
"I know you mean well, and I am deeply grateful…" Shao Zhen was nearly incoherent. "But I'll pretend you never said any of this today. Don't worry—I won't take it to heart."
With that, she made to step back, to put distance between them.
But Yun Cheng's brow was stubborn, and his fingers curled and tightened, refusing to let her pull away.
The palm pressed against her arm was so hot it seared her, making her tremble slightly. The scene at the banquet seemed to replay before her eyes. Shao Zhen was truly frightened, feeling that he had become so unfamiliar.
As if she were meeting him for the first time.
"Young Master Yun! Please conduct yourself with propriety! We should not be doing this."
She pushed him away, though in consideration of his past kindness, she did not use much force.
The string in Shao Zhen's mind and her body alike were stretched to their breaking point.
At this moment, the slightest stir of wind or rustle of grass would make her crumble completely.
The young woman's thoroughly resistant gaze and actions stirred the caged beast within Yun Cheng. She had shown Tao Wenkan boundless tolerance and complete obedience, yet when it came to him, she refused without a moment's hesitation—as if he were a flood or a ferocious beast.
Why? Was he not even better than a dead man?
But his surging anger and jealousy dissipated like a wisp of smoke the moment he saw the rims of her eyes slowly turning red.
He did not wish to make her cry.
Even though Shao Zhen's crying was neither noisy nor ugly, his subconscious refused to see her shed tears. Those tears—fragile enough to shatter at a touch, leaving no trace behind—were like sharp awls stabbing into his eyes, causing him unbearable discomfort.
Even Yun Cheng himself found it incredible that a mere woman could so easily rein in his emotions when they were on the verge of spiraling out of control.
This was entirely beyond his original expectations. She should have been a bird in his palm; she should have yielded to his will.
Yun Cheng sensed a vague danger—an invisible danger directly ahead of him, emanating from this frail, slender young woman.
How was that possible? He found it utterly ridiculous. She was as thin as a sheet of white paper—how could she possibly harm him?
But he did retreat, as if a leash had been slipped around his neck, his feet no longer under his own command. He spread his hands open to show he meant no harm, and said: "I'm sorry. Don't be afraid…"
Before he could finish, the young woman, who had just breathed a silent sigh of relief, suddenly went limp.
Fortunately, his reflexes were quick enough to catch her before she could collapse to the ground.
He called her name several times, but Shao Zhen showed no response. Only then did Yun Cheng shed his gentle facade, and in a fit of frustration, he roughly wiped away the damp traces at the corners of her eyes with his thumb.
Ha. Was she that afraid of him?
Shao Zhen did not wake until early the next morning. The maidservant told her that yesterday, she had fainted because she had endured too much shock and could not bear it.
Although her memories of last night came to an abrupt halt, the words Yun Cheng had spoken and the expression on his face as he said them left her heart in utter turmoil.
She still found it all too absurd—she and Yun Cheng had barely met a handful of times. Why would a gentleman of his standing take a liking to her?
After all, what stood between them was not merely the vast disparity in their family backgrounds, but also Tao Wenkan. How could he harbor feelings for his good brother's wife?
Her marriage to Tao Wenkan had ended hastily, draining much of her energy and spirit. Shao Zhen had never intended to remarry—at least not for a year or two.
How could she have imagined that a man would appear so soon, vowing with such conviction to marry her?
But had he actually said "marry"? Shao Zhen couldn't be certain. Her mind had been clouded at the time; she had likely misheard.
Yun Cheng was betrothed to Shen Li. How could he possibly marry her over the Shen family?
So, he must intend to take her as a concubine.
Shao Zhen's heart trembled, waves of bitterness spreading through her. Though she was fully aware of the chasm between them, she couldn't help but feel a sting of humiliation and sorrow at being so looked down upon.
She truly didn't know how to face Yun Cheng later, and even entertained the thought of fleeing this place at once.
But Xiaowen's matter still required his help…
Caught in this dilemma, she could not bring herself to choose. She paced back and forth around the bed, her thoughts tangling into an unbreakable knot.
After eating and drinking the nourishing medicinal broth, she managed to steady herself and decided to speak with Yun Cheng face to face, to clear things up and avoid further misunderstandings.
A full night had passed; surely Yun Cheng had calmed down by now.
Yet what she hadn't expected was that the first words out of his mouth upon seeing her were "I'm sorry."
Yun Cheng's long brows were slightly furrowed, the corners of his eyes drooping, looking anxious and at a loss—nothing like the cold, brooding man from last night, yet not quite the version of him she was familiar with either.
He was a man of refined elegance and noble bearing, and even if he were arrogant and looked down on others, it wouldn't seem out of place. But now, with his brows pressed together, he spoke to her in a low, earnest voice: "Miss Shao, I was too forward last night. I simply didn't know how to prove my sincerity to you…"
He, too, had thought long and hard through the night, his reason slowly returning.
He blamed himself for losing composure last night and frightening her. Otherwise, faced with a situation almost identical to that of years ago, how could she have refused the hand he was extending to show her a way out?
Just moments ago, Yun Cheng hadn't missed the wariness in Shao Zhen's eyes when he walked in.
Far from being angered, he was actually quite pleased. It showed she was no longer seeing him merely as "her husband Tao Wenkan's friend," but had begun to regard him as a man—an adult man with designs on her.
He didn't mind playing the gentleman for a few more days. Once he had devoured her whole and held her firmly in his grasp, he would gradually reveal his true nature.
Tao Wenkan was, after all, a dead man buried in the earth. How could he compete with him?
He and Shao Zhen had all the time in the world; he could afford to proceed slowly and methodically.
Shao Zhen was undoubtedly caught off guard, struck speechless with surprise.
She certainly wouldn't blame Yun Cheng—he hadn't actually done anything too extreme toward her.
Hearing him still persistently speak of his "sincerity," the young woman pressed her lips together, her heartbeat thrown into disarray.
"I do not doubt Young Master Yun's sincerity," she said firmly, word by word. "But I feel that the two of us are not suited for each other. You have shown me great kindness—how could I let you neglect a worthy lady for my sake?"
"Nor am I willing to be a hidden mistress kept in the shadows, or a concubine."
She could not surrender this pride and self-respect—it was the only line she could hold.
Even if Lady Shen seemed to be a tolerant and sensible woman who would likely be easy to get along with, Shao Zhen could not bear to be at their beck and call after marriage, watching them live in perfect harmony while she waited alone in her room day after day for whatever scraps of attention Yun Cheng deigned to give her.
Call her self-important, call her delusional—either way, she simply was unwilling.
She rattled off several reasons for refusal in one breath, hoping Yun Cheng would back off and that things between them could return to being clean and proper.
"And so I would never dare to presume so high as to accept this marriage."
Yun Cheng was nearly amused into exasperation. After all he had said, she hadn't even grasped the most basic point.
A hidden mistress? A bed servant? What did she take him for—a beast like Wang Qi?
Then he reconsidered: he and Wang Qi weren't all that different, really. Both were scoundrels who had been captivated by her beauty.
"Miss Shao," he said with a deliberate sigh, "you still haven't understood my feelings."
Shao Zhen looked at him in confusion.
Had she not made herself clear enough?
His tone suggested he was at his wit's end with her, his gaze fixed intently upon her: "From the very beginning, what I've wanted is to marry you as my wife—to welcome you into the Yun estate as the matriarch of the Yun clan, the future mistress of the Yun household."
The matriarch of the Yun clan, the mistress of the Yun household—these two titles weighed more than a thousand pounds, yet he spoke them as if they were the most ordinary of things.
Shao Zhen's head spun once again, and she blinked dizzily, giving Yun Cheng the perfect opening to lead her along by the nose. "Zhen-niang, I know this must be rather sudden for you. I'm willing to give you three days to think it over carefully. After three days, you can give me your final answer—how does that sound?"
"I'll see to ransoming Xiaowen for you as soon as possible and help you retrieve your travel pass, but that's a separate matter. I'm not trying to hold this over your head to make you agree. You needn't feel burdened."
The young lord's words were nothing short of considerate, measured and proper, so much so that Shao Zhen couldn't bring herself to say no.
At the moment, her head was burning and her heart pounded like a drum—this truly wasn't the best time for deliberation.
She clutched at the hem of her robes and finally said yes.
Hearing her answer, Yun Cheng, who had successfully executed his delaying tactic, relaxed his brow and curved his lips. This rare smile was like an autumn moon emerging from the mist, dazzling Shao Zhen's eyes so thoroughly that even after he left, she still floated as if treading on clouds, and it took her a long while to snap out of it.
When Jiu Jian saw Yun Cheng emerge from her room, the young lord's face darkened against the light—a coldness utterly unlike the demeanor he'd shown Shao Zhen.
He lowered his head and called out, "Master."
Even now, Jiu Jian could hardly believe that Yun Cheng had truly taken a liking to this Lady Shao, even entertaining the thought of making her his wife. But he also knew his master's nature—once he'd made up his mind, there was no changing it.
After wrestling with himself for a moment, he spoke up. "Master, how do you plan to handle the old patriarch?"
Yun Cheng replied with indifference, "You know as well as I do—Grandfather is already the old patriarch."
Jiu Jian's heart tightened at those words. He lowered his gaze and gave a slight nod. He had originally been a capable subordinate assigned to Yun Cheng by Yun Wenhu, serving both sides. In that instant, he finally made his true decision, drawing a clear line with the past and affirming in his heart whom he would serve for the rest of his life.
"Post men to guard all four corners of the residence. Don't let her sneak out. If there's any slip-up, I'll hold you personally accountable."
He had given Shao Zhen room to think, but that didn't conflict with his refusal to let her leave.
The reason he had come to Min'an Prefecture in Ruzhou was a detour made on a whim—for her sake.
He always handled matters with swift decisiveness and no love for delay. A mountain of intelligence reports from Yingdu was still piled on his desk awaiting his return. Once he'd rooted out those cancers, they wouldn't be staying in Min'an for more than a few days.