Guan Zhongjin had barely taken a step back when Shen Mo’an suddenly called out.
“Wait!” He stopped.
So much for escaping.
Shen Mo’an wasn’t interested in him anymore anyway.
He turned toward Bai Yanzhou, still looking as though he couldn’t quite believe what he had just heard.
“Fiancée?” His voice rose.
“Lan’er is his fiancée?” Guan Zhongjin gave him an awkward smile.
“…Yes.” “How is that possible?” Shen Mo’an looked Bai Yanzhou up and down, and the longer he looked, the less pleased he became.
“No.” His face darkened.
“I don’t agree.” Bai Yanzhou had still been taking in the fact that Shen Qinglan was apparently the girl he had been engaged to all these years.
Hearing Shen Mo’an’s objection, he looked over without saying anything.
That calm look alone was enough to irritate Shen Mo’an.
“What kind of look is that?” Bai Yanzhou raised an eyebrow.
“Did I say anything?” “You—” “Enough.” Shen Yuxing cut them off before another fight could start.
Shen Mo’an reluctantly kept quiet, though he continued glaring at Bai Yanzhou as if the man might steal his sister away the moment he looked elsewhere.
Guan Zhongjin watched him for a moment and couldn’t resist muttering, “It’s not as though your disagreement changes anything.” Shen Mo’an immediately turned toward him.
“What did you say?” “Nothing.” Guan Zhongjin wisely moved farther away.
He had already said too much this morning.
For once, the courtyard became quiet.
Bai Yanzhou looked toward Shen Qinglan.
He had known for years that his family had arranged a marriage for him when he was young, but he had never paid much attention to it.
He spent most of his time away from home, and the engagement had always seemed like something distant—an agreement made by the older generation that had little to do with his present life.
He had never bothered asking who the girl was or what she was like.
He certainly hadn’t expected her to be Shen Qinglan.
His gaze remained on her as he thought back over the past two days.
The first time he saw her in the alley, she had already been injured but still refused to back down.
Even after being poisoned, she had treated her own wound without so much as flinching.
Then there was last night.
Somehow, a simple visit had ended with the two of them sitting together and eating the goose he had roasted.
And now he had just discovered that the troublesome girl was his fiancée.
Bai Yanzhou had expected the news to bother him.
Strangely, it didn’t.
Once the initial surprise passed, he found that he wasn’t against the idea at all.
If the person he was supposed to marry was Shen Qinglan…
Well, perhaps the engagement wasn’t as troublesome as he had always imagined.
Shen Qinglan, meanwhile, was having very different thoughts.
The more she considered the engagement, the better it sounded.
She had been trying to find a way to search for her biological parents, but leaving home was almost impossible with Shen Yuxing and Shen Mo’an watching over her.
Her father spoiled her, and her brother was even worse.
If she wanted to go anywhere remotely dangerous, the answer would almost certainly be no.
But having a fiancé changed things.
Especially when that fiancé happened to be Bai Yanzhou.
Shen Qinglan glanced up at him.
He was highly skilled in martial arts, traveled often, and had shadow guards who were clearly far from ordinary.
More importantly, he didn’t seem like the sort of person who would follow her around all day telling her what she could and couldn’t do.
If she had a legitimate reason to spend more time with the Bai family, getting away from Shen Mo’an’s constant supervision would become much easier.
And if Bai Yanzhou left Baining Town again…
Perhaps she could go with him.
He might even be able to help her find her biological parents.
The more Shen Qinglan thought about it, the harder it became to hide her smile.
Unfortunately, Shen Yuxing noticed.
He had been watching his daughter ever since Guan Zhongjin let the engagement slip, and her reaction made less sense by the second.
She wasn’t angry.
She wasn’t even upset that no one had told her.
She looked happy.
Shen Yuxing followed her gaze and found Bai Yanzhou standing at the other end of it.
Then he looked back at his daughter.
A strange possibility occurred to him.
Did Lan’er like him?
Shen Yuxing frowned.
When had that happened?
They hadn’t even known each other for long.
More importantly, how had he failed to notice?
Before he could make sense of it, Bai Yanzhou stepped down from the roof and landed in the courtyard.
He walked over to Shen Qinglan and stopped a few steps away.
She looked up at him.
“You seem happy,” he said.
Shen Qinglan blinked and touched her face.
“Is it that obvious?” “Very.” She cleared her throat and tried to hide her smile.
“I’m not that happy.” “Then why are you smiling?” Shen Qinglan had no answer for that.
She studied him for a moment before deciding there was no point pretending.
“Bai Yanzhou.” “Hm?” “Zhongjin just said I’m your fiancée.” Bai Yanzhou waited.
“So?” A mischievous look appeared in her eyes.
“Fiancé.” Bai Yanzhou paused.
It was brief, but Shen Qinglan caught it.
Her smile immediately widened.
So he could be caught off guard after all.
Bai Yanzhou narrowed his eyes slightly.
“That came rather naturally.” “I’ll have to call you that sooner or later.” She said it so matter-of-factly that Bai Yanzhou couldn’t help studying her more closely.
Something was wrong.
She had accepted the engagement far too easily.
She hadn’t asked when it was arranged or why no one had told her.
She wasn’t embarrassed either.
If anything, she seemed unusually pleased with the whole situation.
After everything he had learned about Shen Qinglan over the past two days, Bai Yanzhou knew better than to believe she was smiling for no reason.
Then her expression became even sweeter.
That confirmed it.
“What do you want?” he asked.
Shen Qinglan blinked innocently.
“What makes you think I want something?” “Your face.” “My face?” “You look like you’re planning something.” Shen Qinglan wasn’t offended in the slightest.
Since he had already figured it out, there was no reason to keep pretending.
“Well, since you’re my fiancé now…” She smiled at him.
“There are some things you can’t just ignore anymore, right?” Bai Yanzhou folded his arms.
“Such as?” Shen Qinglan’s eyes lit up.
That was exactly the question she had been waiting for.
She opened her mouth.
“Lan’er.” Her brother’s voice came from behind her.
Shen Qinglan stopped.
“What exactly do you want him to help you with?” She turned around.
At some point, Shen Mo’an had come down from the roof and was now standing behind them, watching Bai Yanzhou with obvious suspicion.
Shen Qinglan sighed.
She had only just discovered that she had a fiancé and was already thinking of all the ways it might make her life easier.
Apparently, she had celebrated too soon.
Getting past her brother was still going to be the hardest part.