The young girl wore a moon-white brocade fur jacket, elegant and understated. Her cloud-like hair was pinned up with a simple white jade pine-crane long hairpin, and her delicate, fair earlobes wore a pair of red jadeite drop earrings. The red and white set each other off beautifully.
Her face was fair and clean, her skin soft and fine, seeming almost able to reflect the morning sunlight.
On her oval face, her willow brows were long and elegant, and her beautiful eyes were like a pool of clear water, so bright and transparent they seemed able to see through a person’s heart. Between her brows lingered a refined scholarly air.
Beneath her small nose was a tiny mouth, her lips thin, the corners slightly upturned as if she were always smiling. She truly looked like a pearl glowing with luster, or fine jade shining with light.
Her figure was like a flowering tree covered in snow, giving the impression of gentleness like water and the clear halo of a crescent moon.
Just as the girl opened the door and looked up, she saw a young gentleman standing at her doorstep. Startled, she lowered her eyes and asked softly, “Who are you, young gentleman? What business do you have at the Duke of Luguo’s Estate so early in the morning?”
Her voice was like a mountain spring, sweet and clear, and like a breeze brushing across the face, indescribably pleasant.
This girl was Bai Zhao’s fiancée, Chen Shuyi.
After asking, Chen Shuyi raised her eyes and studied the young gentleman before her.
He did not look very old, and he wore a snow-blue formal robe with a green jade crown on his head. He stood tall and straight.
He was like a clear, cool pine tree, or a noble jade tree, his bearing refined and lofty with a touch of chill.
But somehow, this young gentleman looked a little familiar.
Chen Shuyi felt as if she had seen him somewhere before, but she could not remember at all.
By reason, this young gentleman had such handsome features and such a naturally noble bearing that anyone who saw him would likely find it hard to forget.
And she had been gifted with an excellent memory since childhood. If she had met him before, how could she not remember?
While Chen Shuyi was studying Bai Zhao, Bai Zhao was also slightly astonished by her appearance and bearing.
To be honest, he had seen quite a few beauties. Not to mention Jiang Wushuang, Jiang Mingzhu, and Hongluan, or even Chuntao and Qiulan… those beauties each had their own charm. Over the past two years alone in the martial world, he had truly passed through a sea of flowers.
Of course, Bai Zhao suspected that his mysterious master was also a great beauty. Although she always veiled her face when meeting him, just from those extremely beautiful eyes, he could tell that beneath the veil must be a face of devastating beauty.
Having seen so many beauties, this young girl still gave him a fresh and natural feeling, very comfortable to be around.
Moreover, although she was clearly not very old, she had the gentle, quiet, dignified, and generous bearing of a young lady from a distinguished family… likely the kind of girl raised from childhood in wealth and luxury.
Their gazes met, and both saw a hint of daze in the other’s eyes, as if they had once known someone very familiar but simply could not remember.
Chen Shuyi gathered herself, looked away, and felt a little shy.
“This young gentleman is so rude… how can he stare straight at a girl like that! And he still doesn’t answer, like a fool.”
Seeing that her Heir seemed to be staring blankly, Chuntao could not help but curl her lip.
“You said you didn’t like the Chen family young lady and wanted to break off the engagement. Look at you now, you’re already smitten, Heir! I told you the Chen family young lady was gentle and proper, educated and reasonable, and that she looked fresh and refined. The Heir will definitely like her!”
Chuntao tilted her head toward Qiulan on the steps not far away and muttered quietly, complaining about their Heir.
To this, Qiulan only wanted to say, “Silly Chuntao, have you forgotten our Heir is a master? At such a close distance, whispering is no different from speaking out loud!”
Hearing Chuntao’s complaint, Bai Zhao’s mouth twitched.
He was only distracted because he could not remember where he had seen this girl before. He was not staring blankly at all.
Still, staring so directly at someone was indeed a little rude. Bai Zhao gave an apologetic smile, cupped his hands slightly toward the girl before him, and said, “I apologize, young lady. I was being presumptuous.
Just now, I was struck by your appearance and bearing, and for a moment I lost myself. The only lines in my mind were: ‘A clear stream brings forth a lotus, naturally without ornament.’ I had no intention of offending you, young lady. Please forgive me.”
After saying this, Bai Zhao frantically apologized to Li Bai in his heart. Sorry, Teacher Li. We both have the character Bai in our names, so borrowing two of your lines shouldn’t make you blame a youngster, right?
Bai Zhao thought that since this girl looked like a literary young woman, giving her a couple of lines of poetry should make her let him off, right?
Chen Shuyi’s watery eyes flickered, her lashes trembled, and her face grew slightly warm.
She silently praised the young gentleman for his fine literary talent, and a trace of goodwill rose in her heart.
Chen Shuyi steadied her emotions and softly said, “What beautiful lines. Thank you for the compliment, young gentleman. Your literary talent is remarkable; I admire it. But I am not worthy of such praise from you. By the way, you still haven’t answered my question.”
Bai Zhao smiled and said, “You are too modest, young lady. My name is Bai Zhao, and I am the son of Prince of Zhenbei, Bai Yuan. Have you heard of me, young lady? I came here abruptly today to visit Minister Chen.”
Since the Duke of Luguo was still alive, Chen Wei had not yet inherited the title. The Chen family patriarch lived in a villa outside the city, and Chen Wei had only his wife and daughter. He did not want to trouble Emperor Qian to open a new residence for him, so he lived at the Duke of Luguo’s Estate.
When Chen Shuyi heard Bai Zhao say this, the face of the young man before her suddenly overlapped with the mischievous boy who had bullied her eight years ago. The little goodwill in her heart vanished instantly, and her expression immediately turned cold.
“Oh? So it’s the Bai Heir! The Bai Heir’s name is indeed familiar to me. After all, what happened in court a few days ago is no secret among the upper circles of Chang’an!
Seeing you today, you really are different from the rumors about you in the capital when you were young.”
Her voice was still gentle, but the tone of her words had cooled.
Bai Zhao was a little puzzled. Why had she suddenly changed her face?
A strange thought rose in his mind: Could this girl be Chen Shuyi?
That was right! She clearly looked like a proper young lady. Chen Wei only had one daughter, and since she was coming out of the Chen residence so early in the morning, she must have been heading out!
That little girl from back then had grown this beautiful? She had changed a lot. He remembered she had been the cute sort back then.
Having guessed the girl’s identity, Bai Zhao naturally understood why she had suddenly grown cold toward him. After all, he really had bullied her a bit back then.
Rubbing his nose awkwardly, Bai Zhao pretended not to know and asked, “May I ask the young lady’s name? What is your relation to Minister Chen? Could you help pass on a message?”
Chen Shuyi replied calmly, “The Bai Heir is truly forgetful. My name is Chen Shuyi, and Minister Chen is my father. Does the Bai Heir remember now?”
Bai Zhao knew he could no longer pretend not to recognize her. He could only answer with an awkward smile.
“Oh, so it’s Miss Chen. I remember, I remember. Haha, no wonder you looked so familiar and had such bearing. So you are the Chen family young lady. That is not strange at all, haha.”
Seeing that Bai Zhao did not mention what had happened back then at all, Chen Shuyi no longer wanted to bring it up either. Her coldness had only come because seeing Bai Zhao again had struck her with memories of the past, causing her to lose composure.
“This lecherous bastard. He was already so perverted when we were children, and now he praises me the moment we meet. He does seem more reasonable than he was as a child, but his nature is probably hard to change!”