Chapter 267
Chapter 267
Xie Jin stood frozen, staring at the once-familiar figure ahead.
The woman who had always seemed quiet and inconspicuous in her eyes had suddenly appeared draped in wealth. Even among so much splendor, her clothing and jewelry were second to none.
That alone was understandable. What Xie Jin could not comprehend was why all those women surrounded Ji Hanyi.
She could make no sense of it.
What right did Ji Hanyi have? Had she entered the Shen Residence, prompting these women to cultivate her deliberately?
Even if she had entered the Shen Residence, she was only a concubine. Noble daughters from great families had always looked down upon concubines. They would never lower themselves to befriend one.
Then Second Young Lady Cui approached Ji Hanyi and spoke to her. Xie Jin felt that nothing before her could be real. Her eyes must be playing tricks.
She desperately wanted to seize Ji Hanyi and demand an explanation, to ask what schemes she had employed behind everyone’s backs.
But no one had invited Xie Jin to the flower hall at the Marquis of Pingnan’s Residence, and she dared not intrude. Only after Ji Hanyi’s figure disappeared into the distance did she turn away in a daze.
Ji Hanyi and her companions were indeed heading for the flower hall. They first strolled leisurely through the rear courtyard before making their way there.
Halfway along, however, they encountered two men approaching. Both were tall, broad-shouldered yet lean and handsome. One wore blue, the other black.
As they drew near, Ji Hanyi realized with surprise that the man in black was Shen Si.
Her gaze shifted to the man in blue beside him.
Compared with Shen Si’s faintly brooding, almost delicate beauty, the other man possessed a more commanding air. With bold brows, bright eyes, and a high nose, he was strikingly handsome-a face no one could easily forget.
Ji Hanyi had only an instant to wonder who he was before Qin Fuyu cried out in delight beside her. “Brother Cui!”
Ji Hanyi understood at once. This was the Heir to the Marquisate whom Qin Fuyu had watched from the tower.
She glanced at him twice more. It was only natural for a girl awakening to love to admire such a man.
But Cui Jinjun was nearly twenty-five and remained unmarried. Either he already carried someone in his heart, or he was exceptionally strong-willed and beyond his family’s control. Such a man would not let family pressure dictate his marriage. Moreover, whether in background or ability, Cui Jinjun was rare even in the capital. Qin Fuyu’s wholehearted devotion might end only in heartbreak.
Ji Hanyi watched Cui Jinjun’s expression when Qin Fuyu called to him. He merely offered a polite smile and stepped back. She understood then that Qin Fuyu’s affection was likely unrequited.
Unrequited love was the most exhausting thing in the world. Ji Hanyi liked Qin Fuyu and resolved to see whether she could advise her later.
There were many good men in the world. Somewhere, there would be one who cherished her. Qin Fuyu came from a loving family and was surrounded by people who adored her. She did not need to suffer such hurt.
Besides, from what Ji Hanyi could see, Cui Jinjun was hardly a man Qin Fuyu could easily sway.
Greetings sounded around her, and Ji Hanyi joined in. Then she suddenly felt a gaze fixed intently upon her. She looked up and met Shen Si’s dark eyes. Only then did she realize that, absorbed in observing Heir Cui, she had completely forgotten Shen Si was standing before her.
Shen Si’s gaze pressed down on her, deep and turbulent with displeasure. Afraid to meet it, Ji Hanyi turned her face slightly away. When a flash of white fabric entered her vision, some inexplicable impulse made her look toward Cui Chaoyun.
She did not know what she expected to see. It was not jealousy, nor any other emotion she could name. She simply wanted to see how two people who had nearly become betrothed would react upon meeting again.
Shen Si had once agreed to marry Cui Chaoyun. He was a man who decided everything for himself, so why had the betrothal never been settled? Was it truly because Cui Chaoyun had entered mourning while Shen Si urgently needed to marry to escape an imperial match?
Ji Hanyi told herself she had expected nothing and should long since have learned to let everything go. Yet she knew her heart was not as still as water.
She looked at Cui Chaoyun. The young woman kept her head slightly lowered, reserved and tranquil, revealing nothing.
Shen Si’s gaze, meanwhile, had never left Ji Hanyi. She had encountered her husband yet fixed all her attention on another man beside him.
He was the husband she had married scarcely a month ago, yet she stared openly at another man before his face.
When their eyes met, she showed not the slightest guilt or remorse. Instead, she turned to look at someone else. Shen Si’s expression gradually darkened. Perhaps his presence was only interrupting her enjoyment of other men.
He barely heard the greetings around him. Ji Hanyi had not looked his way again after that single glance. Very well. Excellent.
Shen Si always wore the cold face of a king of hell, so none of the women thought anything unusual. They merely found him as intimidating as rumor claimed.
Shen Si said nothing. Cui Jinjun, smiling beside him, exchanged several pleasantries. At last, his gaze settled on the silent Cui Chaoyun. “Second Sister is still unwell, and your chill has not subsided. You have attended guests all morning. Go rest this afternoon.”
The others looked at Cui Chaoyun. No wonder her face had remained pale; she truly did not look well. They urged her to rest rather than accompany them.
Cui Chaoyun hesitated. She still did not look at Cui Jinjun, but with everyone encouraging her, she could only agree. Then she turned to Ji Hanyi and asked softly, “Would Madam Shen come to my courtyard and offer some guidance on my landscape paintings?”
Ji Hanyi remembered Cui Chaoyun’s invitation before the banquet and that she had already accepted.
Somehow, Cui Chaoyun’s invitation to her courtyard now felt slightly strange, though Ji Hanyi could not say why.
Perhaps it was because Cui Chaoyun had nearly become betrothed to Shen Si, yet now seemed intent upon befriending his wife. Ji Hanyi had simply never imagined such a thing.
Even so, she naturally stepped to Cui Chaoyun’s side. “I would be delighted.”
Cui Chaoyun linked arms with her, smiling.
Shen Si watched the scene with an arched brow. Ji Hanyi behaved as though he did not exist. Anyone watching might think she had exchanged him for another husband; she had not spoken a single word to him upon meeting.
Seeing Ji Hanyi beside Cui Chaoyun, intent only on speaking quietly with her, Shen Si finally stepped forward. He stopped before Ji Hanyi and looked down at her. “I will come for you later.”