Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Shen Shiji rarely showed such raw emotion in front of me.

Deep in his bones, he possessed the haughtiness of a noble scion, even if he usually masked it perfectly.

To him, I was merely a Little Beggar he had rescued from a pile of corpses.

Because of that, Shen Shiji had always been stingy with his trust.

But now, Shen Shiji stood right before me.

His eyes were rimmed with red, and his voice was thick with suppressed emotion.

“I found you.”

He truly made no effort to hide his strange behavior.

The habitually aloof Young Marquis Shen should not have gone out of his way to search for a Little Beggar from outside Yongzhou.

The gentleman praised by everyone in the Capital should not have stood by with cold indifference when his savior was in danger.

Only the Grand Tutor Shen of the future-the man who would endure humiliation as a Prince Consort before helping the New Emperor overthrow the old dynasty-would act like this.

I suddenly remembered the way Shen Shiji had answered Su Yuan with that simple “Alright.”

Subconsciously, I took half a step back, only to be blocked by Jiang Xiubai.

Shen Shiji’s body stiffened for a moment. “I am-”

“If you want to play at being long-lost relatives, save it for later,” Jiang Xiubai interrupted suddenly, his expression uncharacteristically cold.

He led me toward the carriage, his shoulder slamming hard into the Shen Shiji who was blocking the way. He let a casual remark drop: “What kind of grudge is this? Blocking the road like this… a person might think the Young Marquis is doing it on purpose, punishing a little girl by making her suffer a bit more!”

His tone was flippant.

But when I looked at Jiang Xiubai, I saw his lips pressed into a thin line, and his eyes held a ferocity I had never seen before.

For a fleeting moment, it was as if I were looking at the future god of slaughter, the young general who would be invincible on the battlefield.

Shen Shiji stumbled from the impact.

I didn’t know which of Jiang Xiubai’s words had struck a sensitive nerve, but the color drained from his face instantly. He looked paler and more fragile than I did, and I was the one with the injuries.

Finally, he stared blankly at my retreating figure. His lips trembled twice before he managed a low, whispered explanation: “I didn’t…”

But those words lacked any conviction.

I couldn’t help but glance back at Shen Shiji, thinking about how good he was at pretending.

He clearly loathed me to the core, yet now he put on this display of intense worry.

But what was he here for now?

I didn’t owe him anything anymore.

“Taken a liking to that pretty boy?”

Jiang Xiubai’s sudden question was startling.

He let out a cold sneer. “Your taste is truly atrocious.”

Seeing my bewildered look, Jiang Xiubai rubbed his forehead in frustration and finally shoved me into the carriage.

He snapped at me, “I’ll settle the score with you later!”

Before entering the carriage, I caught a glimpse of him looking down at his own physique with a satisfied expression. Then he muttered under his breath:

“That weak little frame… this Young Master could knock him out with a single punch. I don’t know what you see in him.

“Truly a brainless Wooden girl!”

His tone was fierce.

*I haven’t taken a liking to Shen Shiji,*

I answered silently in my heart.

*All I want is to stay alive.*