On this side of the screen.
Xiao Jingyuan remained frozen in place, his fingertips clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, his chest heaving violently.
That palpitation, that familiarity, that bone-deep sense of dissonance churned wildly within him, threatening to tear him apart.
“Brother Jingyuan…” Su Manrou was frightened by his current state and whispered, “Are… are you alright?”
Xiao Jingyuan slowly withdrew his gaze, his dark eyes cold and unfathomable, the oppressive aura around him terrifyingly low.
He did not speak, only pressed his thin lips together tightly before turning and walking out.
“Lord Marquis?” Uncle Zhang hurried forward.
“This lord has matters to attend to today,” Xiao Jingyuan’s voice was as cold as ice. “This lord will return.”
With those words, he strode out of Nianqing Ge, his dark figure disappearing at the street corner.
Su Manrou was momentarily stunned before quickly following. “Brother Jingyuan, wait for me! We haven’t even met Shen Gongzi yet!”
No one responded.
Only the retreating figure of his broad back.
……
The group returned to the Jiangnan Posthouse.
As soon as Xiao Jingyuan entered, he shut himself in the study, his oppressive aura dark and intimidating.
The shadow guard Ah Er stood outside the door, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Inside the room, Xiao Jingyuan stood by the window, his fingertips repeatedly rubbing a jade pendant, his eyes churning with malice and suspicion.
The figure behind the screen.
That sound of footsteps.
That presence.
Like a poisonous thorn, deeply embedded in his heart, impossible to remove, impossible to shake off.
The more he thought about it, the more it resembled.
The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became.
Shen Miao…
Is it really you?
He dared not dwell on it, yet he could not stop himself from thinking.
This feeling of being completely under the other’s control while remaining utterly unaware drove him nearly to fury.
“Investigate,” he said coldly. “Keep a close watch on Nianqing Ge, keep a close watch on that Shen Gongzi. Report every move he makes, every word he speaks, every time he goes out, every person he meets—all of it to this lord!”
“Yes!” Outside the door, Ah Er immediately accepted the order.
……
At the same time, in the guest room of the posthouse.
Su Manrou paced back and forth in the room, her face livid, her makeup slightly distorted with anger.
They didn’t meet him!
They actually didn’t meet him!
That elusive Shen Gongzi actually avoided them!
The more she thought about it, the more unwilling she became; the more she thought about it, the more her anger burned.
But at the flower-viewing banquet, the clothing from Nianqing Ge had been breathtaking, and she had longed to buy it all.
Yet when they arrived, not only did they fail to meet the mastermind, but they were also turned away by a mere shopkeeper.
Coupled with the humiliation her cousin Liu Rumei had suffered in Jiangnan, old and new grievances surged together, driving her almost to madness.
“Why!” She slammed the table fiercely. “Why can someone of unknown origin be so celebrated in Jiangnan?”
“Why can his shop be so sought after by everyone?”
“Why does he dare to disrespect me!”
The maid stood to the side, too frightened to speak.
A flash of ruthlessness crossed Su Manrou’s eyes.
Xiao Jingyuan, due to his status, had many considerations to keep in mind, but she did not.
Since Xiao Jingyuan was currently occupied in the study and would not interfere with her…
She might as well… secretly go to Nianqing Ge again.
This time, she would not be polite.
“Prepare the carriage,” Su Manrou said coldly. “I am going out.”
“Miss, the Lord Marquis ordered that you are not to go out casually…”
“I said prepare the carriage!” Su Manrou snapped sharply. “If anything happens, I will take responsibility. It has nothing to do with you!”
“Yes, Miss.” The maid did not dare to disobey and hurriedly went to make arrangements.
……
Half an hour later.
Su Manrou, clad in tight-fitting attire, slipped past the posthouse guards and, accompanied by several personal guards and maidservants, once again arrived silently at the entrance of Nianqing Ge on Zhuque Street.
This time, she showed no courtesy whatsoever.
“Smash it all!” The moment she stepped into the shop, Su Manrou harshly gave the order.
She intended to teach this Shen Gongzi a lesson.
To see if he would still dare to flaunt his power in front of her.
“Tear all the clothes here to shreds! Knock over all the shelves! Destroy this wretched shop!”
“Yes,” the guards replied, immediately taking action.
“Bang—”
“Crash—”
The sounds of shelves toppling, porcelain shattering, and fabric tearing instantly echoed throughout Nianqing Ge.
Customers who had been selecting clothes were terrified out of their wits, screaming as they fled outside.
“Murder! The shop is being smashed!”
“Run for your lives!”
Chaos erupted in the shop in an instant.
Uncle Zhang’s face turned pale with shock as he hurried forward. “Miss! In broad daylight, how dare you smash the shop? Do you have no regard for the law?!”
“The law?” Su Manrou sneered, her face filled with arrogance and tyranny. “In Jiangnan, I am the law! I am the daughter of the Su Vice Minister from the capital, the future wife of the Marquis of Jing’an. Who dares to stop me from smashing a wretched shop like this?”
“Isn’t Shen Gongzi very impressive? Isn’t he very glorious? Doesn’t he dare to bully my cousin?”
“Today, I will smash his shop! Let him know what happens when he offends Su Manrou!”
Growing angrier as she spoke, she stepped forward herself, grabbed a priceless Cloud Brocade Splendid Attire, and viciously tore it in half.
“I’ll let you sell! I’ll let you be popular! I’ll let the whole city praise you!”
“I want to see how you can still be glorious after your shop is smashed and your clothes are destroyed!”
The shop was left in complete disarray.
Splendid attire torn to shreds, shelves collapsed, embroidered works scattered across the floor—threads, fabrics, and broken porcelain were everywhere.
The once elegant and luxurious Nianqing Ge had instantly turned into a ruin.
Uncle Zhang trembled with rage but was firmly held back by the guards, unable to move.
“You… you will regret this!”
“Shen Gongzi will never let you off!”
“Never let me off?” Su Manrou scoffed. “I’d like to see what he can do to me!”
…
In the private room on the second floor of Nianqing Ge.
Shen Miao sat by the window, holding a cup of hot tea. The rising steam obscured the expression beneath her silver mask.
The sounds of the shop being smashed, the angry shouts, and the screams from downstairs clearly reached her ears.
Zhao Chengyu stood beside her, an aura of hostility swirling around him. Beneath his white robes, he could barely suppress his killing intent.
“A Shen, I’ll go down and handle this,” he said coldly. “Anyone who dares to cause trouble in Nianqing Ge—I’ll make sure she never leaves Zhuque Street.”
With that, he turned to go downstairs.
“Wait,” Shen Miao spoke softly, her voice calm and composed, without a hint of disturbance.
She raised her hand and gently pressed it against his arm, stopping him.
Zhao Chengyu turned back, his eyes filled with confusion. “A Shen?”
Shen Miao looked down at the arrogant and tyrannical figure below, her gaze icy as she spoke faintly, “Let her smash.”
Zhao Chengyu was taken aback. “Let her smash?”
“Yes,” Shen Miao took a light sip of her hot tea, her tone unnervingly calm. “If she wants to smash, let her smash to her heart’s content.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry,” Shen Miao’s lips curled into a faint, chilling smile. “The harder she smashes, the more she’ll have to pay later.”
“Su Manrou…” she softly uttered the name, her eyes piercingly cold.
In my past life, you and Liu Rumei joined forces to smash my Shen residence, destroy my family’s livelihood, and tarnish my innocence.
In this life, I didn’t seek you out, yet you delivered yourself right to my doorstep.