Chapter 19: Young Man

"So it was you."

A handsome young man emerged from the bamboo grove, also wearing ivory-white brocade robes with silver thread trim. Unlike the pure white little rice ball, the garment looked extraordinarily elegant and slender on his tall frame.

He stopped before Shen Miao, looking down at her from his considerable height, his gaze filled with inquiry.

This young man was extremely tall—Shen Miao barely reached his chest. Like examining a small child, the corner of his mouth habitually curled into a mischievous smile. Yet because of his handsome features, it wasn't displeasing at all. An ordinary young girl might already have a racing heart and flushed cheeks.

However, Shen Miao was certainly not truly in the flower of youth. She glanced at him without speaking.

The young man smiled, and somehow a delicate short blade had materialized in his hand. He pointed the sheathed end toward himself and used the hilt to lift Shen Miao's chin, forcing her to look up.

Shen Miao had no choice but to meet his eyes.

The young man appeared sixteen or seventeen, with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes. His gaze seemed to contain autumn waters, and his half-smiling expression was captivating. Yet deep within those eyes lay coldness—sharp eyes that could almost pierce through to one's heart. Such a person, no matter how carefree his exterior, probably possessed a heart as impenetrable as a block of ice.

She drew a deep breath, stepped back to free her chin from the blade's hilt, and said politely, "Young Marquis Xie."

Xie Jingxing laughed, his tone ambiguous. "You know me?"

"Everyone in the capital knows Young Marquis Xie's name," Shen Miao replied calmly. The words carried a hint of sarcasm, yet delivered in her flat tone, they sounded extraordinarily proper—making her intent impossible to discern.

"I don't know you." Xie Jingxing glanced at her, then at the trembling rice ball nearby. "It was you who had Su Minglang deliver a message to the Su family."

"Deliver a message?" Shen Miao looked at him, a slight smile touching her lips. "I merely taught him a way to avoid his father's scolding, simply to divert attention. How does that constitute delivering a message? Young Marquis is overthinking."

"Overthinking?" The young man savored the word playfully, then suddenly moved closer, nearly pressing Shen Miao against the massive tree trunk behind her. His expression remained ambiguous, but his tone sharpened with clarity. "If I hadn't thought more deeply, I would have been deceived by you."

Shen Miao frowned.

Though Ming Qi wasn't overly strict about interactions between men and women, such behavior between unmarried young people in broad daylight truly lacked propriety. Especially outside Guangwen Hall, teeming with nobles' children—if someone saw them... She didn't mind ruining her own reputation, but she feared bringing disgrace upon Shen Xin. In her previous life, the Shen family was destroyed because of her. Only then had she understood her parents' devotion. In this second life, she would protect her family—how could she allow others to slander the Shen name? Especially not because of her.

With this thought, Shen Miao grew somewhat impatient. "Young Marquis Xie, what exactly do you want with this accusation?"

Xie Jingxing studied the young girl before him.

He'd always possessed extraordinarily keen intuition about everything. From surface appearances alone, he could detect underlying currents. This instinct had been honed over more than a decade—killing on battlefields, navigating treacherous struggles beneath Dingjing's surface, surviving plots from those with malicious intent in the inner quarters. He hadn't grown to his current age so brazenly through luck alone. Among Ming Qi's many noble children, those who'd perished for various reasons were hardly few.

He never took anything lightly.

Su Minglang's words—Su Mingfeng wouldn't have made further associations, and Old Master Su believed them merely his son's inadvertent reminder. But for him, it was different. The timing was too perfect. True coincidences in this world were exceedingly rare. Many apparent coincidences were deliberate.

He could determine that someone had prompted Su Minglang to speak those words, but the purpose remained unknown.

He'd planned to meet this person.

Yet when he did, it surprised him greatly.

Xie Jingxing had originally assumed that someone capable of such meaningful words, attending Guangwen Hall, must be the son of some court official or a youth preparing for office. Perhaps seeking to win over the Su family, perhaps as strategic maneuvering. But upon seeing this person, he'd almost believed Su Minglang was deliberately misbehaving. Only when the young girl called out to Su Minglang did he confirm his suspicions were correct.

The girl before him wasn't tall, barely reaching his chest. Her face couldn't be called beautiful—at most, cute. She looked only eleven or twelve, hair arranged in a double bun. Round face, round eyes, small lips. Standing there, she resembled a little deer lost in the forest. Yet she stood straight and dignified, speaking each word slowly, as though she were a matron trained in palace protocol. Did she aspire to become empress? If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Xie Jingxing might have choked on disbelief.

Looking her up and down, left and right—she was just a young girl.

Until after he'd exchanged a few sentences with her.

Her face was childish, but her tone was steady. Not only did she show no panic, she seemed somewhat impatient. For Young Marquis Xie, this was unprecedented. Other girls, approached like this, would already be blushing furiously. Yet her expression remained bland, truly uninteresting.

Perhaps she was too young and understood nothing. But then why did she know how to communicate with the Su family?

He placed one hand on the tree trunk behind Shen Miao, nearly encircling her from an outside perspective. Xie Jingxing lowered his head, drawing very close.

"You're not afraid of me."

"Young Marquis is not a man-eating monster—what is there to fear?" Shen Miao replied calmly. "If there's nothing else, I'll return to class now." She moved to leave.

"Stop." Xie Jingxing raised his hand. Shen Miao's hair brushed past his palm, causing an itchy sensation like ants crawling. He withdrew his hand, stepped back, and leaned against the tree, folding his arms across his chest, returning to his previous carefree demeanor.

"What was your purpose in warning the Su family?"

His words were as sharp as his gaze, never concealing their piercing directness, yet containing infinite deeper meaning.

Shen Miao sighed inwardly.

Xie Jingxing was even cleverer than she'd imagined. From Su Minglang's single sentence, he'd tracked her down. And having found her, he could ask about her purpose. In her previous life, she'd only known him as a man of great vision. Now she saw he also possessed penetrating insight.

How does one hide true intentions when dealing with a clever person? Unfortunately, she'd never intended to hide.

"Nothing special. Just self-preservation."

After speaking these words, she gave Xie Jingxing a slight curtsy, ignoring everything else, and turned to leave.

Six words—Xie Jingxing would understand.

Behind her, the young man's lips curved into a smile, fingers playing with the short blade in his hand.

"Su Minglang, what is her name?"

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