Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I shot to my feet in fright.

Then I immediately cursed myself-Xie Jinghong wasn’t the academy prefect anymore. What was I so scared of him for?

But when I swept a glance out of the corner of my eye…

Mm. Everyone else was standing too.

That made me feel slightly less humiliated.

I tried to stare back at him with some backbone, but the moment our eyes met, I lasted barely a breath before I was defeated-

Terrifying! The instant I saw that face, I remembered the agony of being caught skipping class for two days in a row that year and being forced to copy the academy rules twenty whole times until I wailed for my parents.

Stiffly, I dragged my gaze away and looked at Third Brother.

“Third Brother, wh-why are you here?”

Third Brother adjusted his expression, clearly trying very hard not to look so awkward.

“Er… Mother said you were here amusing yourself and told me to bring you home on my way.”

I hurriedly refused.

“You go back first, Brother. Tonight we still have-”

“Yaoyao, you should go home,” Yan Fei cut me off without the slightest loyalty. “I just remembered I have matters to attend to at home. Let’s not gather tonight.”

The others all chimed in agreement. Yan Fei’s younger sister and my close friend, Yan Wan, went so far as to shove me straight out the door.

“Oh, hurry up and take the old fog-cough, I mean, Master Xie is visiting your home. How can you be so neglectful? Go on, go home. We’ll make plans another time.”

The other two wastrels kept saying, “Yes, exactly,” while walking over and shutting the door right in my face.

They even bolted it.

I glared at the door. “…”

What a bunch of disloyal little villains!

But I never expected that my brother would be the most disloyal one of all.

He actually stuffed Xie Jinghong into my carriage!

I pushed open the window and was about to jump.

The young man sitting with impeccable posture suddenly spoke.

“Lady Yao.”

“Wh-what do you want?”

I clung tightly to the window frame and looked over with more bluster than courage. “I’m telling you, I’m not afraid of you anymore. If you punish me by making me copy books again, there is absolutely no way I will obey!!”

Xie Jinghong froze for a moment.

A faint ripple seemed to pass through his eyes.

But before I could see it clearly, he gently turned his gaze away, his sharply defined jaw pulled taut. “I am merely an unranked commoner now. Naturally, I would never dare presume myself worthy of a lady from the Grand Treasury household. This visit to the capital was truly born of necessity.”

My hands loosened from the window frame.

“My grandfather was an upright official. In his earlier years in Chen Commandery, he offended the local powerful families. Now that our family has fallen from power, every step has become difficult.”

Xie Jinghong’s expression remained calm. Beneath his voice, there was a hint of self-mockery and embarrassment. “To tell you the truth… it was only after someone from the Grand Treasury household paid a visit that my younger sister was spared from being forcibly married to that wastrel of the Cai Clan.”

I drew back my other hand as well.

“Then Miss Xie, is she now…”

“Thanks to your elder brother, the Cai Clan no longer dares to harass my sister.”

Xie Jinghong turned his eyes back to me, his lashes, dark as raven feathers, trembling softly.

“I know I am unworthy of being matched with you. I only hope you can give me two months. I will have my family find a reliable household as quickly as possible and marry my sister into it. After that, I will return to Chen Commandery and never trouble you again.”

My body settled back onto the cushioned stool too. “I see… Then, um, it’s fine if you stay a few more months. A young lady’s marriage is a major matter. You must be very careful in choosing.”

He paused.

The tension along his jaw suddenly softened a little.

“Thank you.”