Qiao Yin was led by Xie Yu’an, hand in hand, to an elegant private room on the second floor of the Star-Gazing Tower.
“So you’re the owner of this Star-Gazing Tower? Then you must be quite wealthy. Why doesn’t your residence even have a gatekeeper? No one answered when I knocked.”
Xie Yu’an looked at her innocent expression, which didn’t seem feigned, and a faint, bitter smile appeared on his handsome, relaxed face.
So she really didn’t recognize him.
“There will be one tomorrow.”
“What?”
“A gatekeeper.”
Qiao Yin was momentarily stunned, then her lips curved into a wide smile.
Oh my, who exactly is pursuing whom here?
Today’s Xie Yu’an was still as easygoing as ever. It seemed last night’s incident hadn’t affected him.
The situation was favorable, and the future looked bright.
Qiao Yin felt her motivation surge again. “Does this mean you’re inviting me to visit you at your home anytime?”
She understood the principle that a girl should be reserved, but time waited for no one—she needed to win over Xie Yu’an sooner rather than later.
Xie Yu’an didn’t deny it. “It’s hardly proper etiquette for the Xie Family to let Second Miss Qiao keep climbing over walls.”
Qiao Yin pressed her advantage. “What else is part of the Xie Family’s etiquette?”
Qiao Yin looked up at him with eager eyes, and Xie Yu’an’s lips curved slightly.
“Another part of the Xie Family’s etiquette is: ‘When a young lady goes to the trouble of buying pastries, even dirtying her embroidered shoes, they must be eaten immediately.'”
Qiao Yin couldn’t stop smiling, her heart filled with the joy and satisfaction of being acknowledged. This was one of the few truly pleasant experiences she’d had since arriving in this world.
Qiao Yin quickly opened the packet of pastries and placed them on the table.
Meanwhile, Xie Yu’an had the kitchen send up a table full of dishes and invited Qiao Yin to take a seat.
Looking at the spread of food, each dish a favorite of hers, Qiao Yin was pleasantly surprised.
“No wonder your Star-Gazing Tower is ranked first in the capital! The service is so precise and attentive—you even remember regular customers’ preferences!”
Back when Lu Jinzhi and the others held poetry gatherings here, she couldn’t participate. But to please Lu Jinzhi, she would secretly accompany him nearby, ready to meet any of his needs.
So, she was practically a regular here herself.
Without even lifting his eyelids, Xie Yu’an replied indifferently, “Hmm, if you like it, eat more. Consider it repayment for the pastries.”
Qiao Yin keenly sensed Xie Yu’an’s noticeably cooler tone and couldn’t help but tense up, her mind racing.
Had she said something wrong just now?
But even after reviewing everything, she couldn’t find any mistake.
If her words weren’t wrong, then perhaps her timing was.
Right—”No talking during meals, no speaking while resting.” Prominent families often had such rules.
Realizing her mistake, Qiao Yin immediately fell silent, obediently picking up her chopsticks to eat in small bites while secretly glancing at Xie Yu’an across the table.
She saw Xie Yu’an pick up one of the pastries she had bought and put it in his mouth.
Watching his focused expression as he savored it, Qiao Yin felt deeply gratified. Then it occurred to her: maybe it had just been her imagination earlier. Xie Yu’an was mature and steady—he didn’t seem like someone who would get upset over such a trivial matter.
After finishing the meal, Qiao Yin took the initiative to ask, “General Xie, does our agreement still stand?”
Xie Yu’an set down his chopsticks, rinsed his mouth with tea, and only then replied, “What agreement?”
“The one where I said I wanted to pursue you, and you nodded in approval.”
Xie Yu’an pondered for a moment. “If I said it no longer stands, would you give up?”Qiao Yin shook her head, speaking with fervor and passion, “Then you really don’t know me well. Resilience is a shining trait that coexists with my beauty.”
Xie Yu’an nodded slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Qiao Yin’s face. “I see it now. It truly is beautiful.”
As for the other obvious ‘virtue,’ Xie Yu’an had no desire to praise it—in fact, he wished it didn’t exist at all.
Qiao Yin’s face visibly flushed, and the corners of her lips involuntarily curled upward.
When she had been pursuing Lu Jinzhi before, she had always been the one taking the initiative. Unexpectedly, with Xie Yu’an, she found herself being flirted with in return every time.
“Then I’ll boldly ask General Xie, when would be a good time for me to visit you without interfering with your official duties?”
“Anytime you wish.”
Huh?
Phrases like ‘anytime you wish’ or ‘at your beck and call’ were things she, as the one chasing after others, had always kept on the tip of her tongue. Today, she heard them from Xie Yu’an.
Qiao Yin was somewhat taken aback.
Xie Yu’an explained, “The official duties I was handling have come to a temporary conclusion. The court hasn’t assigned me any new responsibilities yet, so I’m on leave this month and staying at home. Miss Qiao, you can come find me anytime.”
Snapping back to reality, Qiao Yin’s mind raced. “I heard the osmanthus flowers at the Prime Minister’s Temple outside the city have all bloomed. I haven’t had a chance to see them since coming to the capital. Could you accompany me to take a look tomorrow?”
Xie Yu’an had already grown accustomed to Qiao Yin’s directness—a directness that even carried a sense of urgency he couldn’t quite decipher. Still, he didn’t mind.
“Alright. Tomorrow at Chen hour, at the East City Gate. I’ll be waiting.”
Huh?
Huh?
Was it really going this smoothly?
Qiao Yin couldn’t quite believe it, her expression slightly dazed.
Seeing this, Xie Yu’an asked, “Is it too early? Can you not get up? How about Chen hour and three quarters?”
“Yes, yes, that works. Chen hour and three quarters is fine.”
Qiao Yin nodded hurriedly, afraid the opportunity would slip away.
The two quickly settled on the time. Qiao Yin still wanted to inquire about Xie Yu’an’s preferences when the door was knocked, and a young man dressed like a guard walked in. He leaned close to Xie Yu’an’s ear and whispered a few words.
Xie Yu’an nodded, dismissing him, then looked up at Qiao Yin. “Have you had enough to eat? Would you like anything else?”
Although his tone was unhurried, Qiao Yin tactfully replied, “General Xie, if you have matters to attend to, please go ahead. I should be heading back as well.”
Xie Yu’an answered truthfully, “There is indeed something. The Crown Prince has summoned me, and it cannot be refused.”
Qiao Yin was startled. The Crown Prince had summoned him, yet he dared to linger here so leisurely. Having military achievements to his name really gave him confidence.
“Then you should go first. Don’t worry about me.”
“Alright. We’ll meet tomorrow then.”
Qiao Yin watched as Xie Yu’an stood up to leave, but he didn’t forget to pack the pastries she had bought and carry them in his hand. Her heart suddenly pounded fiercely twice.
By the time she regained her composure, Xie Yu’an had already gone downstairs.
Qiao Yin excitedly left the Star-Gazing Tower, where Bizhu and the carriage were already waiting at the entrance.
“Bizhu, let’s go to Yunyi Boutique. Tomorrow, I’m going to the Prime Minister’s Temple with Xie Yu’an to see the flowers. I want to dress beautifully.”
Bizhu pouted. “Miss, you still owe me three small silver fish.”
“Ah, ah, ah, I’ll pay you back next month when I get my allowance.”
Bizhu stared blankly at Qiao Yin, kindly reminding her, “Miss, your allowance has already been advanced for the next three years.”
Qiao Yin: …
It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head. Qiao Yin’s good mood plummeted to the depths.
It was all because of that money-loser Lu Jinzhi, who had wasted so much of her silver!
No, wait—it was that damned, lousy System’s fault![“You damn System, get out here! Because of your mistake, I wasted three years and eleven months of my life, and I wasted so much money. You owe me! If you don’t pay me back, I’ll report you right now!”]
As Qiao Yin knew, this damn System came from something called the Time-Space Administration Bureau. Just like every office worker, it carried certain Key Performance Indicators and feared the word “complaint” the most.
If she exposed its mistake in targeting the wrong person, this damn System would definitely be in deep trouble.
Qiao Yin threatened it, and sure enough, the damn System panicked, hurriedly saying, [“Host, don’t be impulsive, don’t be impulsive. I’ll return the money to you right now, right now.”]
As soon as the words fell, the carriage suddenly came to an abrupt stop. A voice from outside said:
“Second Miss Qiao, my Young Master asked us to return all these things to you.”