Chapter 9

Everything around seemed to be at a standstill, and Cheng Nanyu stood in the original place, feeling that Song Yushu was particularly different at this moment. as if there was something she hadn’t noticed before.

“Brother, where…?”

Cheng Nanyu slowly extended his hand, pointing towards Shen Rulan, who was being supported by Cheng Huayan. She seemed scared, her voice trembling slightly.

Song Yushu didn’t follow Cheng Nanyu’s gesture towards Shen Rulan. Instead, he straightened up and approached the girl with a worried expression. With his right hand, he gently held Cheng Nanyu’s hand that was pointing towards Shen Rulan, wrapping it softly, his voice gentle.

“It’s dislocated already.”

With that said, he pulled Cheng Nanyu, who hadn’t reacted yet, and walked away, leaving behind those present to speak or not.

By the time Cheng Nanyu reacted, Song Yushu had already led her far away from everyone. Looking back, she noticed Cheng Huayan’s worried expression and Cheng Huafeng’s smiling face. His smile seemed too familiar, like it had always been there. Cheng Huafeng’s smile had always been comforting, but at this moment, it felt oddly discomforting.

Although her older brother had hurt Shen Rulan and was pulling her away, Cheng Huafeng was still smiling.

It turned out that this smile wasn’t always benevolent.

Not looking back, she turned her head to scrutinize her brother’s profile. At times like these, she couldn’t quite understand this person. The two of them, as siblings, were too unfamiliar. Sometimes her brother’s actions brought them closer, while other times they felt distant, as if the distance between them changed constantly, without reason.

“Sister, why so quiet?”

Cheng Nanyu was absorbed in her thoughts, but Song Yushu interrupted her, questioning why she was silent. Cheng Nanyu’s brother slowly turned to her, his eyes and smile carrying a hint of amusement, even lifting his hand to rub her eyes.

Just a moment ago, his brother’s icy gaze could freeze others, but now he had turned like this.

“Uh-huh.”

His smile seemed to carry a hint of irony, leaning against the carriage wall as if it were boneless. The curtain of the window swayed lightly, brushing against him, but he seemed unfazed, his gaze fixed on Cheng Nanyu, his smile even broader.

Somehow, they had ended up inside the carriage without her noticing.

“Thank you for helping me teach Miss Shen, brother.”

Her sincere gratitude, despite their previous disagreements, showed that his brother was qualified in some ways, at least in dealing with outsiders. Regardless, she should be thanked for it.

Cheng Nanyu lowered her head slightly, feeling a bit nervous. She wasn’t sure if her brother would accept such simple gratitude or if she should find out what he liked and give it to him.

While she was lost in thought, trying to figure out what her brother might like, she unexpectedly heard hearty and genuine laughter.

Cheng Nanyu looked up and saw Song Yushu smiling at her, leaning against the carriage wall.

“Sister is too serious. I helped because I found Miss Shen’s expression amusing.”

This sentence shattered all the thoughts Cheng Nanyu had been brewing. Just a moment ago, although her brother’s attitude was annoying, he was still protecting her. Who would have thought that he was just playing around?

This guy has issues.

Mujin sat outside the carriage, startled by Song Yushu’s laughter and words. She glanced back at Feng, who was driving the carriage, with a hint of reproach.

This demon of a brother—why does he always involve others?

Inside the carriage, Cheng Nanyu turned her head in frustration, avoiding any further unpleasant interactions with Song Yushu. She decided to cleanse her eyes and stared at the decorations hanging on the carriage wall instead, ignoring Song Yushu. Seeing her turn her head, Song Yushu didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he quietly sat down, not uttering another word to Cheng Nanyu.

This made Cheng Nanyu even more puzzled. Clearly, she was the one who had been wronged, yet he had just laughed at her. How quickly the temperature of this carriage had changed.

Face-changing, huh

Not wanting to dwell on the previous unpleasantness, she forcibly cleared her mind, pretending to be interested in the surroundings. She lifted the curtain and glanced outside, trying to ignore the awkwardness of the carriage. Inside the carriage sat a person she ignored deliberately. She didn’t know what her brother was thinking, but she felt suffocated.

“Stop the carriage.”

To prevent further suffocation, she called for the carriage to stop when they happened to pass by a shop.

“Mother likes the pastries in this shop. Brother, wait for me here in the carriage. I’ll buy something.”

Without waiting for Song Yushu’s response, she hastily lifted the curtain and hurried out of the carriage. Song Yushu bent down to exit the carriage.

She didn’t seem like she intended to buy anything. Instead, she seemed to be escaping with a slight smile on her lips.

Cheng Nanyu rarely visited this shop, as their estate always had excellent chefs. She didn’t often buy food from outside, so her excuse just now was merely a pretext.

Although it was a pastry shop, the shop’s interior was luxurious. The decorations suggested that the items sold here were of considerable value.

“What would you like to buy, Miss?”

The waiter, who had been wiping tables, immediately abandoned his cloth and rushed to the counter to assist Cheng Nanyu, appearing eager to please. Seeing that Cheng Nanyu seemed unsure, he started recommending the shop’s signature items one by one.

“We have various specialties like almond cakes, lucky fruits, and plum blossom pastries, and we’ve recently introduced layered pastries. The flavors are guaranteed to be unique in the whole capital city.”

The waiter rattled off a list of the shop’s specialties, which sounded tempting. Cheng Nanyu nodded in agreement. The displayed pastries looked irresistible, as if they were beckoning to her, begging her to take them home.

“Alright, I’ll have one of everything.”

It seemed rare for someone to buy all the items recommended by the waiter, so the waiter was ecstatic, unable to contain his joy. He bent over, squinting his eyes with pleasure.

“Alright, Miss, please wait a moment.”

The waiter quickly disappeared behind the curtain. Cheng Nanyu stood at the counter, looking around. In no time, the waiter returned with a delicately crafted wooden tray and set it down in front of Cheng Nanyu.

“Please have a seat and enjoy your tea. Your order will be ready shortly.”

Cheng Nanyu didn’t mind waiting. She lingered a bit longer, planning to meet Song Yushu later. She nodded at the waiter, who poured her some tea. Although she didn’t understand or particularly like tea, she accepted it politely. She rarely drank tea, especially not floral teas, so she didn’t know what kind of tea was in the cup.

“Mujin, what kind of tea is this? It smells wonderful.”

Mujin bent down and handed her a cup. She took a sniff of the aroma, smiled lightly, and replied,

“It’s Pu’er tea. If the princess likes it, I’ll have some prepared for you.”

Cheng Nanyu nodded slightly. She knew the name of the tea, but she rarely bothered with the names of such things. It wasn’t that important to her; she just drank it.

“Miss, your order is ready. They’re freshly baked. If you find any issues, I can help you repackage them.”

After a short while, the waiter returned with a tray displaying various pastries wrapped in oil paper. Cheng Nanyu examined them and found no issues. She nodded at the waiter, indicating that he could package them.

“Does the princess intend to finish all these pastries by herself?”

As the waiter handed her a package of pastries tied with a straw rope, a voice suddenly interrupted, clear and distinct. The voice was unfamiliar, and Cheng Nanyu, unsure of who stood behind her, hesitated to turn around. She stood there, stunned, as the person reached out and took the package Cheng Nanyu had ordered for herself. Only then did she swiftly turn around.

“Who dares to take something ordered by my lady?”

Mujin stood beside her, watching the man in the red robe. At first, she was puzzled, but then she realized that the man had snatched something meant for their mistress.

Cheng Nanyu turned around, and as her gaze fell upon the man in the stunning red silk outer garment, she was captivated.

In the capital, there was no shortage of handsome men, especially among the nobility, but each had their own appearance. Yet, this man’s appearance and attire were unlike any she had seen before.

The man wore a robe of fiery red, with even the tassels and linings in red.

He resembled a peacock adorned in the colors of the sunset.