Qiu Lingxi followed her father to their seats.
Her gaze swept across the pavilion, pausing briefly on Zhao Zheng and Zhou Yanzhi. She gave them a slight nod in greeting.
When her eyes passed over Fang Ziheng, they lingered for a moment.
Fang Ziheng was pretending to drink tea.
The instant he felt her gaze on him, his hand trembled.
Tea splashed across half his sleeve.
Without changing expression, he calmly set down the teacup, rubbed at the wet sleeve, and acted as though nothing had happened.
Beside him, Zhao Zheng was trying so hard not to laugh that his face had turned red.
Qiu Lingxi noticed none of these small antics.
Her gaze finally settled on Shen Jinghong.
He was leaning casually against the railing, a teacup in hand, wearing his usual carefree, somewhat roguish smile.
Then she withdrew her gaze and sat properly in her seat.
Shen Dingjiang clapped his hands, signaling for the food to be served.
Maids filed into the pavilion carrying dish after dish, and the atmosphere immediately became lively.
“Come, come! Don’t stand on ceremony!”
Shen Dingjiang raised his wine cup.
“Today’s just a gathering among friends and family. No outsiders here. Eat well and drink well!”
Everyone raised their cups.
Shen Jinghong did the same.
But after barely touching the wine to his lips, he set the cup down.
Before leaving home, Liu Yunshuang had strictly forbidden him from drinking.
Though he wasn’t happy about it, memories of the Yicui Pavilion disaster were still fresh enough that he obediently complied.
Fang Ziheng, on the other hand, drank enthusiastically.
Cup after cup, toast after toast.
Yet throughout it all, his eyes kept drifting toward Qiu Lingxi.
Qiu Lingxi sat beside her father, quietly eating.
Occasionally she exchanged a few words with Zhao Zheng.
She was poised, straightforward, and generous in manner.
Fang Ziheng became so absorbed in watching her that he didn’t even hear Zhou Yanzhi speaking to him.
“Hey!”
Zhou Yanzhi gave him a shove.
“What are you staring at?”
Fang Ziheng snapped back to reality and coughed lightly.
“Nothing.”
Following his gaze, Zhou Yanzhi looked toward Qiu Lingxi and immediately understood.
Lowering his voice, he chuckled.
“Oh, so that’s it. I was wondering why you drenched yourself in perfume today.”
A faint blush appeared on Fang Ziheng’s face.
But he quickly recovered.
“Everyone appreciates beauty,” he said confidently.
“What’s wrong with looking? It’s not like it costs me a piece of flesh.”
“Right, right. Of course not.”
Zhou Yanzhi laughed and shook his head.
Zhao Zheng leaned in and whispered:
“Fang Ziheng, if you like her, why don’t you go talk to her? What’s the point of sneaking glances from over here?”
Fang Ziheng shot him a glare.
“Who said I like her? I simply admire her! Admire do you understand?”
“Sure, sure.”
Zhao Zheng nodded perfunctorily.
“You admire her so much your hand started shaking and you poured tea all over your sleeve.”
Fang Ziheng glanced down at the damp fabric.
At last, his face turned genuinely red.
Both Zhao Zheng and Zhou Yanzhi burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, Shen Jinghong sat nearby, unusually uninvolved in the banter.
Holding his teacup, he kept looking toward the garden entrance.
Every few moments, his eyes would drift there before returning.
Zhao Zheng eventually noticed.
Leaning closer, he asked:
“Jinghong, what’s wrong with you today? You seem distracted. What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.”
The answer came too quickly.
Zhao Zheng eyed him suspiciously.
He followed Shen Jinghong’s gaze toward the entrance but saw nothing unusual.
Eventually, he gave up and stopped asking.
After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the pavilion grew increasingly warm.
Qiu Hongyuan and Shen Dingjiang began reminiscing about their years on the frontier.
The two men talked enthusiastically, interrupting each other, pounding the table, and roaring with laughter.
Qiu Lingxi listened from beside them.
Every now and then she offered a comment or observation.
Her insights were sharp and well-reasoned.
Shen Dingjiang nodded repeatedly in approval.
“Lingxi is truly impressive.”
His praise was sincere.
“A tiger father truly has no dog of a daughter! You’re even more capable than your father was at your age!”
Qiu Lingxi smiled gracefully.
“Uncle Shen flatters me.”
Qiu Hongyuan laughed loudly and patted his daughter’s shoulder.
“This child takes after me she can never sit still.
“She practices martial arts every day at home.
“Her mother worries herself sick, always saying no proper young lady spends all day waving swords and spears around without even touching a sewing needle.”
“What use is sewing?”
Shen Dingjiang waved the concern aside.
“A general’s daughter should know martial arts!
“If our Jinghong had even half of Lingxi’s abilities, I’d be burning incense in gratitude to the heavens.”
Nearby, Shen Jinghong twitched at the corner of his mouth and silently lowered his head to drink tea.
Qiu Lingxi’s eyes swept over him.
She glanced his way and smiled slightly.
The smile contained a hint of amusement.
A hint of skepticism.
And a hint of:
I’ve heard all about your recent scandals.
Shen Jinghong found the look extremely uncomfortable and promptly turned his face away.
Fang Ziheng, however, caught the entire exchange.
Quietly, he filed the observation away.
Then he rose with a wine cup in hand and approached Qiu Hongyuan.
Offering a respectful bow, he said:
“Marquis Qiu, I am Fang Ziheng, son of Vice Minister Fang of the Ministry of Revenue. I have long admired your reputation and would like to offer you a toast.”
Qiu Hongyuan looked him over and smiled.
“The son of Minister Fang’s family? Excellent, excellent! Come, let’s drink!”
Holding the cup with both hands, Fang Ziheng drained it in one gulp.
His manners were respectful and impeccable.
After finishing, he naturally turned toward Qiu Lingxi and smiled.
“Miss Qiu, I’ve long heard of your reputation.”
Qiu Lingxi glanced at him and lifted her teacup.
“I’ll substitute tea for wine. Young Master Fang, please do as you wish.”
With that, she took a small sip.
“Of course, of course.”
Fang Ziheng nodded enthusiastically and returned to his seat.
Only after sitting down did he realize something horrifying.
He had forgotten to refill his cup.
The entire time he had been respectfully holding up an empty cup.
Zhao Zheng and Zhou Yanzhi stared at him in stunned silence.
Then they exchanged looks of utter disbelief.
Shen Jinghong, meanwhile, noticed none of it.
His attention remained fixed on the garden entrance.
Since the banquet had begun, he had looked in that direction at least twenty times.
Every time someone appeared, his eyes would brighten briefly.
And every time he recognized the newcomer, that light would fade again.
At last, Zhao Zheng couldn’t take it anymore.
He grabbed Shen Jinghong by the sleeve and lowered his voice.
“Jinghong… don’t you think Miss Qiu fits your requirements pretty well…?”