Xie Yunzheng taking the initiative to speak to her was highly unusual.
Given his temperament, he should have treated her as if she were air.
Ji Mingzhu’s heart tightened, but her voice remained calm and steady. “Shi-zi-ye, you jest.”
Xie Yunzheng took half a step forward. “Do you dislike me?”
“No.”
She answered quickly.
The mouth could lie, but subtle body movements could not deceive.
She was clearly resistant—her eyes avoided his, and her feet retreated slightly.
A malicious thought arose in Xie Yunzheng’s mind. He suddenly wanted to see how she would react if he pierced through her surface pretense.
“If you don’t dislike me, then why are you retreating?”
“Shi-zi-ye is noble and esteemed. I fear I might offend you.”
“Is that really the reason?”
Xie Yunzheng pressed forward step by step, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm.
Ji Mingzhu tugged at the corner of her mouth. “I am not acquainted with Shi-zi-ye. Before your return to the capital, I had never even seen your face. Why would I dislike you for no reason?”
This was also something Xie Yunzheng couldn’t understand.
His memory was sharp, and he was certain that before the family banquet, he had never crossed paths with Ji Mingzhu.
So where did her emotions come from?
Realizing what he was thinking, Xie Yunzheng’s expression cooled slightly.
Whether Ji Mingzhu liked him or disliked him, what did it have to do with him?
His current questioning of Ji Mingzhu only made him seem ridiculous.
He frowned inwardly, thinking: It’s all because of Xi Yu’s nonsense, affecting me. With her experience from her past life, Ji Mingzhu was highly sensitive to his emotions.
Seeing that he was about to turn cold, she quickly curtsied. “Shi-zi-ye, the Old Matriarch is waiting for me. I must take my leave.”
With that, she stepped through the courtyard gate.
Now, she only wished for one thing—for the New Year to arrive quickly.
Once the New Year passed, she could follow her second brother to Yangzhou.
…
Upon hearing the maid’s report that Xie Yunzheng was outside Hewutang, the Old Matriarch immediately sent someone to invite him in.
“It’s so cold outside, and he’s seriously injured. How can he be left freezing in the snow? Hurry and bring him in!”
In her urgency, the Old Matriarch’s voice rose.
Ji Mingzhu’s steps faltered slightly.
Given Xie Yunzheng’s earlier behavior, he wouldn’t enter Hewutang and meet her again.
But with the elder’s command, the situation changed.
Ji Mingzhu felt a sense of despair. Could it be that she truly couldn’t avoid Xie Yunzheng?
Nanny Wang thought to herself, Shi-zi-ye actually took the initiative to speak to the young lady!
What did this mean?
Could it be love at first sight?
Among all the young ladies in the world, aside from the eldest daughter of the Du Family who had married far away, she had never seen anyone who could hold a conversation with Shi-zi-ye.
And the words he had spoken earlier were also strange.
Talking about dislike or not dislike—it sounded quite ambiguous.
Nanny Wang discreetly observed Ji Mingzhu.
Her skin was as fair as snow, her cheeks like peaches, her lips cherry-red, her nose delicate, her brows like crescent moons, and her large, beautiful eyes clear as water. Her face was smaller than a palm, without a single flaw.
Her waist and limbs were slender, yet her figure was full and graceful.
Not only men, but even women couldn’t look away.
Nanny Wang’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Shi-zi-ye had taken a liking to the young lady?
Otherwise, there was no explanation for why Shi-zi-ye would speak to her like that.
If the young lady’s family, the General’s estate, hadn’t fallen into decline, they might have been a good match.
But now, the young lady was an orphan, living under someone else’s roof. How could she be worthy of the powerful Shi-zi-ye?
At most, she could be his concubine!
Nanny Wang grew anxious. She had to report this to the Old Matriarch and Junzhu Niangniang. They must not ruin Shi-zi-ye’s good marriage prospects.
“Miss Cousin, I’ll go in to announce your arrival. Please wait a moment.”
Ji Mingzhu looked meaningfully at Nanny Wang, who had already hurried inside.
The cold wind blew against her face, clearing Ji Mingzhu’s mind considerably.
She had already reached Ji-ji age; perhaps it was time to consider marriage.
First, to dispel the Old Matriarch and Junzhu Niangniang’s wariness.
Second, if not for marriage, her aunt probably wouldn’t agree to let her leave the Xie family.
Third, she could completely distance herself from Xie Yunzheng.
Having experienced that failed marriage in her previous life, Ji Mingzhu now only wanted to find a gentle and considerate husband.
He didn’t need to be accomplished in both literary and martial arts, nor did he need to possess celestial beauty. As long as he was upright, kind-hearted, and devoted to her alone, that would suffice.
They say marriage follows parental orders and matchmaker arrangements.
Her aunt would certainly consider her marital prospects for her.
Not only would she consider family background and character, but she probably also couldn’t bear to see her marry far away.
Ji Mingzhu had grown somewhat weary of Jingcheng.
To be trapped again in deep courtyards and grand mansions as in her previous life—
disliked by elders, unloved by her husband, even mocked behind her back by servants—she would surely go mad.
Looking back now, Ji Mingzhu still felt chills all over.
Those days filled with despair—she didn’t want to experience them a second time.
If she could travel far and happen to meet a suitable person, she wouldn’t return to Jingcheng.
So thought Ji Mingzhu.
When Xie Yunzheng arrived, he saw Ji Mingzhu standing at the doorway, braving the cold wind.
Perhaps because her skin was too delicate, her nose had turned bright red, and her eyes were slightly reddened.
Pitiful and fragile, utterly vulnerable.
Realizing he had once again focused his attention on Ji Mingzhu, Xie Yunzheng’s aura turned even colder.
The memory of his mother’s hysterical reaction over a decade ago when his father took a concubine remained vivid before his eyes.
Romantic affection was poison; Xie Yunzheng absolutely forbade himself from indulging in it.
Otherwise, the next one to go mad might be him.
The man strode past Ji Mingzhu, stirring a gust of cold wind.
Ji Mingzhu hugged her hand warmer tighter. This man was truly temperamental.
She hadn’t provoked him, so why was he releasing cold air to freeze people?
Always wearing a cold expression all day, as if others owed him ten thousand taels of gold.
Was he not mentally ill?
The man suddenly turned back, his sharp gaze falling directly on Ji Mingzhu with an assessing air.
Ji Mingzhu’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly lowered her eyes.
Xie Yunzheng was sensitive to gazes; in her previous life, he could always pick her out from a crowd at a glance.
Back then, she thought she was special and had been happy about it for a long time.
Only later did she learn that no matter who it was, as long as they looked at him with focused attention, he could sense it.
“Miss Cousin, please!”
Ji Mingzhu composed herself and followed Nanny Wang inside.
By now, Xie Yunzheng had already taken his seat, and a maid was serving him tea.
Ji Mingzhu curtsied, “Greetings to the Old Matriarch and Junzhu Niangniang.”
She then turned slightly and curtsied to Xie Yunzheng, “Greetings to Shi-zi-ye.”
The latter kept his eyes lowered, toying with a jade pendant in his palm as if unaware of her presence.
Similar scenes had occurred countless times in her previous life.
Ji Mingzhu was already numb to it, her heart not stirring in the slightest.
Nor would she grieve over him anymore.
After all, she was a guest; it wouldn’t do to embarrass her.
Otherwise, if word got out, outsiders might think the Xie family petty and intolerant, unable to accommodate a lonely orphan girl.
The Old Matriarch lifted her eyelids slightly and said indifferently, “Take a seat.”
“Shaoyao, serve tea to Miss Cousin.”
Ji Mingzhu nodded and sat in the lower seat.
Princess Anhe’s gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them.
A Zheng was rather cold towards Ji Mingzhu, showing no sign of that kind of interest.
But for no reason at all, why would he strike up a conversation with Ji Mingzhu?
Could it be that something else had happened without her knowledge?
The Jun-zhu’s smile faded from her face.
The lower and more despicable a person was, the more they would stop at nothing to climb higher.
With Ji Mingzhu’s dangerously alluring looks, it wasn’t impossible for her to learn the tricks of a seductress and try to entice A Zheng!