“Let’s go straight in. I want to see for myself what this Shen Gongzi looks like, daring to act so arrogantly.”
Xiao Jingyuan did not respond, merely lifting his steps and walking toward Nianqing Ge.
His stride was steady, his presence imposing.
As soon as they stepped into the shop, the bustling customers who had been selecting clothes fell silent, instinctively turning their gazes toward them.
The man’s demeanor was too extraordinary; his noble bearing was far beyond that of any wealthy merchant in Jiangnan. With sharp, cold eyes and an intimidating aura, it was clear at a glance that he was a prominent figure from the capital.
The shopkeeper, Uncle Zhang, hurried forward and bowed respectfully. “Esteemed guests, please come inside. May I ask if you are here to select ready-made garments or to place a custom order?”
Su Manrou lifted her chin, her tone haughty. “We’re not here to buy clothes. Have your Shen Gongzi come out to see us.”
Uncle Zhang’s expression remained unchanged, still respectful and courteous. “My apologies, miss. Shen Gongzi is currently attending to important matters in the backyard and is unable to receive guests. If you have any needs, I can handle them fully on his behalf.”
“Unable to receive guests?” Su Manrou immediately raised her voice. “I think he’s just too afraid to show his face! A coward who hides in the shadows dares to call himself a gentleman in Jiangnan?”
“Please watch your words, miss,” Uncle Zhang’s tone grew slightly stern. “Shen Gongzi is highly respected by the people of Jiangnan. I ask that you show some restraint.”
“You—”
Just as Su Manrou was about to erupt, Xiao Jingyuan gave her a cool glance.
That look, cold and authoritative, instantly silenced her.
Xiao Jingyuan’s gaze swept across the shop as he spoke slowly, his voice deep and magnetic yet carrying an undeniable pressure. “This Marquis can wait.”
Uncle Zhang’s heart tightened.
A Marquis?
This person was actually a Marquis?
Not daring to be negligent, he quickly replied, “Please wait a moment, Marquis. I will send someone to inform him immediately.”
With that, he immediately dispatched someone to the backyard to notify Shen Miao.
…
At that moment, in the quiet room of Nianqing Ge’s backyard.
Shen Miao sat by the window, holding a scroll of blueprints in her hand. Her fingertips lightly traced the patterns on it, her expression calm and undisturbed.
Zhao Chengyu sat opposite her, brewing tea for her. The fragrance of the tea wafted gently, warm and elegant.
“Gongzi, two distinguished guests have arrived at the front, asking to see Shen Gongzi,” a servant bowed as he entered, reporting in a low voice. “One claims to be a Marquis, and the other is a woman.”
“A Marquis?” Zhao Chengyu’s hand paused slightly as he brewed the tea. He looked up at Shen Miao, a flicker of coldness passing through his eyes. “From the capital?”
Shen Miao’s hand, holding the blueprint, stilled. She set it down and walked to the windowsill, looking toward the shop.
There stood Xiao Jingyuan in his dark brocade robe, and Su Manrou, dressed in flamboyant attire.
Excellent, you’ve both come.
It truly doesn’t disappoint the long preparations I’ve made for you.
Zhao Chengyu came to her side and also looked toward the shop. “Do you need me to send them away?”
Shen Miao raised her eyes, her gaze clear and shallow, showing not the slightest ripple. She merely shook her head faintly. “No need.”
She set down the blueprint in her hand, stood up, and straightened her cyan-green brocade robe. “I’ll go to the front hall.”
“You’re going to see them?” Zhao Chengyu was slightly taken aback.
“Not to meet them,” Shen Miao’s lips curved into a faint, cold arc. “Just… to take a look.”
These two were her enemies across two lifetimes. Since they had come, she would go and see them.
Zhao Chengyu instantly understood her meaning.
Not letting him see her true face, yet making him feel her presence.
So close yet worlds apart, brushing past each other.
Letting him be within reach, yet unable to grasp her, unable to fathom her, leaving him restless with unease and filled with doubts.
That was the most heart-wrenching torment.
“Wait here.” Shen Miao strode outward, her posture upright, her steps unhurried.
A silver mask covered her face, revealing only a beautifully defined jawline and cool lips. Her entire aura was aloof and indifferent, yet it concealed an unfathomable sharpness.
She did not take the main entrance of the front hall, but instead walked along the covered corridor on the side, passing through a moon gate. This allowed her to pass behind the screen at the side of the reception hall.
Just one more step, and she would appear.
Yet deliberately, she stopped halfway.
…
Inside the front hall.
Xiao Jingyuan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping heavily over the luxurious garments in the shop.
Brocade, mermaid silk, gold-woven fabric, embroidered threads… each was exquisite, each was beautiful.
The styles were novel and unique, possessing both elegance and character, far beyond what ordinary embroidery workshops could produce.
Especially those few high-end custom garments meant to impress, crafted using the long-lost technique of double-sided gold weaving. Under the sunlight, golden light shimmered, opulent and dazzling, yet not garish.
Xiao Jingyuan’s fingers tightened slightly.
Such skill, such vision, such taste…
For some inexplicable reason, it made his heart lurch violently.
It was strikingly similar to a figure deep in his memory, one he had deliberately tried to forget.
Impossible.
He immediately suppressed that absurd thought.
Shen Miao had long since drowned in the river, her body lost without a trace.
This Shen Gongzi before him was a man, a merchant, the mastermind stirring up Jiangnan.
He had nothing to do with that infatuated woman who had loved him and whom he had pushed into the abyss.
But the more he suppressed it, the more that unease in his heart spread wildly.
Just then—
A very light, very faint sound of footsteps slowly approached from the other side of the screen.
Light, steady, unhurried.
Carrying a kind of calmness etched into the bones.
Xiao Jingyuan’s body stiffened abruptly at that moment.
An extremely subtle, extremely familiar, yet utterly unfamiliar presence quietly drifted over, separated only by a thin screen.
Not a fragrance.
Not an imposing aura.
It was a kind of… bone-deep chill.
Exactly like the presence he remembered from countless late nights, when Shen Miao would stand behind him, quietly watching.
Exactly the same.
Xiao Jingyuan’s breath hitched sharply.
A tempest instantly surged in his dark eyes, and the blood in his veins seemed to freeze in that moment.
Almost instinctively, he turned and looked toward the direction of the screen.
His movement was so fast he couldn’t even control it himself.
Su Manrou was startled. “Brother Jingyuan, what’s wrong?”
Xiao Jingyuan ignored her, his gaze fixed intently on that carved screen.
His breathing was tense, his heartbeat out of control, every nerve in his body screaming.
He could sense it.
That person was right behind it.
Less than three steps away.
Within arm’s reach.
If he just reached out and lifted the screen, he would see the other’s face.
He would know exactly who this Shen Gongzi was.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
The air grew terrifyingly stagnant.
…
On the other side of the screen.
Shen Miao paused slightly in her steps.
She could clearly feel the oppressive aura coming from the other side of the screen, could feel Xiao Jingyuan’s gaze, sharp as a blade, almost piercing through the screen.
She could even imagine his expression at this moment—tense, suspicious, uneasy, sinister.
The corner of Shen Miao’s lips lifted into a cold, mocking curve.
Xiao Jingyuan.
You never guessed, did you?
The Shen Gongzi you’ve been pursuing day and night, the one unsettling your mind, is right before your eyes.
Right within your reach.
She did not pause, did not look back, nor did she make any unnecessary sound. Maintaining her composed and calm pace, she slowly walked past, step by step, disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Her presence faded away.
The sound of her footsteps grew distant.
No trace, no shadow.