Chapter 143
Chapter 143
The moment Ji Hanyi stepped into the carriage, she was enveloped by the cool, subtle fragrance of agarwood that clung to Shen Si. The interior was dimly lit, with only an octagonal ivory lantern resting on the small table in the center. Shen Si sat opposite her. His black robes blended almost completely into the darkness, yet his presence remained impossible to ignore.
The carriage was lavishly decorated. Crafted from fine agarwood, it possessed the same refined elegance as Shen Si himself. Mother-of-pearl inlays covered the walls, glimmering faintly in the candlelight, while a panoramic Wangchuan landscape had been embroidered in silver thread across black Yue silk lining the interior.
Ji Hanyi kept her gaze fixed on the carriage wall, not daring to look toward Shen Si’s face. She could hardly make him out in the flickering light anyway, but she imagined his expression must be exceedingly stern at that moment.
Shen Si’s deep gaze rested on Ji Hanyi, who sat primly across from him. It seemed she had always been this restrained, but only in his presence.
Today, he had seen her chatting and laughing with another man, completely at ease. She was never like that with him.
She had never once smiled so freely in front of him.
Shen Si sat up a little straighter, bringing his face out of the shadows. Then he took out a sizable box from beside him and held it out to Ji Hanyi.
In the dim light, Ji Hanyi lowered her eyes to the box in his hands. The crane carved into the ivory lantern cast a wavering shadow across its surface, making Shen Si’s fingers resting upon it look exceptionally elegant.
Ji Hanyi asked curiously, “What is it?”
Shen Si looked at her. “Open it and see.”
Ji Hanyi accepted the box. It was somewhat heavy. She placed it on her lap and opened it, only to freeze at the sight of what lay inside.
The box was filled with neatly arranged packets of medicine.
Ji Hanyi had a vague idea of what they were for. She quickly looked up at Shen Si. “Lord Shen, I can’t accept this. I have money.”
After what had happened with Li Mingrou last time, Ji Hanyi had come into a considerable amount of silver. She was still comfortably provided for; at the very least, she could afford her mother’s medicine.
Shen Si glanced at her. “I asked Imperial Physician Chen about your mother’s illness. Her health is in very poor condition.”
“If you refuse this medicine, I have no one else to give it to.”
His voice was cool and left no room for argument. Ji Hanyi knew he was never one to joke, but she still felt unworthy of accepting such a gift.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the box. She looked at Shen Si and whispered, “I…”
Ji Hanyi drew a deep breath before continuing, “Lord Shen, thank you.”
Even as she said it, she felt guilty that such meager words were all she could offer. Her fingers curled even more tightly around the edge of the box.
Ji Hanyi was nervous because she had no idea what else she could say besides thank you. No words seemed enough to express her gratitude, and she had no idea how she could possibly repay him.
Shen Si lowered his gaze to the fingertips resting against the box. He could sense what she was feeling, and her thoughts were not difficult to guess.
His gaze slowly traveled upward until it settled on her lowered eyes.
Faint shadows lay beneath her eyelids and across the tip of her nose. Her rosy lips were pressed together, and the long lashes beneath her delicate brows trembled incessantly. This was how she looked whenever she was nervous.
Shen Si spared her further embarrassment, deliberately softening his voice. “Imperial Physician Chen reformulated this medicine especially for your mother. The cost is nothing to me. Your mother’s health comes first.”
At his words, Ji Hanyi’s fingers tightened slightly. At last, she mustered the courage to raise her head and meet Shen Si’s gaze. “How can I repay you, Lord Shen?”
Shen Si raised a brow as he regarded the solemn eyes gazing at him through the dim light. The warm glow softened her even further, while a few loosened strands of black hair framed her fair face, lending her a captivating, tender charm. His brow arched a little higher. “How could you repay me?”
Ji Hanyi’s face paled slightly at his question. She felt ashamed for having asked. What could she possibly offer Shen Si? She was still mired in hardship, with no idea what her own future held.
She was far too insignificant compared to Shen Si. He had probably found the question she’d asked rather laughable.
Her lashes trembled. Lowering her head, she said softly, “If there ever comes a day when I can be of help to you, Lord Shen, I’ll do anything you ask.”
Shen Si watched as Ji Hanyi bowed her head, revealing a glimpse of her slender, fair neck. Fine, soft strands of hair rested against her skin. There was a gentle loveliness about her, as warm and serene as a beautiful spring day, that stirred the heart.
Her sincerity, her humility, and the softness that came from deep within her all stirred something in him.
Shen Si’s gaze remained fixed on Ji Hanyi. His tall frame leaned forward slightly as he drew closer, his eyes falling on her lowered lashes. Her warm, delicate fragrance drifted through the dim carriage, faint yet unmistakable, filling his heart with a rising warmth.
His voice was slightly hoarse when he asked, “Anything?”
Ji Hanyi had not noticed Shen Si bending toward her. At the sound of his voice, she instinctively raised her head, only to meet a pair of eyes as dark as ink.
Those eyes were staring straight at her. Only then did she realize that his shadow had completely enveloped her. Her heart began pounding like a drum. Fighting back a tremor, Ji Hanyi nodded with utmost seriousness.
Shen Si smiled at the sight of her, then gave her another long, searching look. “Good.”
“Perhaps that day will come.”
After speaking, Shen Si gradually leaned back. He pointed to the small box on the table between them, his expression calm as he looked into Ji Hanyi’s eyes. “I brought it for you.”
Only then did Ji Hanyi look down at the small box on the table. She unfastened the silver clasp and saw two spun-sugar crystal cakes inside.
She stared at them in surprise, and a flood of memories rushed back all at once.
When she was little, every time she visited Shen Si’s study, a plate of crystal cakes would be waiting on the small table.
The spun-sugar coating shed a great many flakes, and no matter how carefully Ji Hanyi ate, some would always fall onto Shen Si’s desk. A man as fastidious as him naturally disliked that. Later, he made her finish eating outside before she was allowed in. Yet the next time she visited, there would still be a plate waiting on the table.
Ji Hanyi had once thought Shen Si was the one who liked them. There was always only one cake on the plate, making it look like something he had left unfinished. But they were her favorite, and only the cook at the Shen Residence could make them taste so delicious. Back then, for the sake of that single spun-sugar crystal cake, she would approach his desk no matter how afraid of him she was.
Seeing them again now brought all those memories flooding back. What surprised Ji Hanyi most was that Shen Si still remembered such a trivial thing.
She picked one up and carefully took a bite. It tasted exactly as she remembered, and for some reason, the past came surging back all at once.
Her father had still been alive and well then. After leaving the Shen Residence, he would take her to a restaurant, and afterward, they would choose beautiful jewelry for her mother together.
Those days had been so wonderful.
Ji Hanyi’s eyes quietly reddened. The mist gathering in them grew thicker and thicker, impossible to hold back.
Back then, in prison, her father had told her that no matter what hardships she encountered, she must not grieve. She must not dwell on him, and she certainly must not resent others for failing to lend a hand.
Life only moved forward. No matter how wonderful the past had been, it was still the past. She must not trap herself there and refuse to move on.
All these years, she had tried her best to keep moving forward. Even when she was sad or heartbroken, she never allowed herself to remain stuck in place. But the past was something she could never truly forget.
Shen Si watched her eyes redden, tiny points of light shimmering beneath her lashes. His expression stilled. Then, without a word, he reached out and lifted Ji Hanyi’s chin.