"Uh, you..."
Faced with the wine glass handed to her, Shen Qingming was montarily at a loss, especially when she saw Shen Yueying’s lancholic eyes, making her uneasy and unsure whether to raise the glass in return or say sothing polite. Her mind went blank.
To be honest, Shen Qingming was sowhat afraid of Shen Yueying.
In so ways, Shen Qingming always felt she owed her sothing...
Back then, her father Li Fengyun swept across Shen City with his sword, not only capturing Shen Yue’e’s heart but also causing Shen Yueying to fall deeply in love. However, after a competition, Shen Yueying ended up with a broken heart and hasn’t loved anyone in the twenty years since, remaining single to this day.
Although, on the other hand, Shen Yueying, as the Deputy City Lord, held a status higher than several of her brothers, those familiar with the events of the past all lanted that she was only using work to numb herself, never truly finding release. Shen Qingming agreed with this, considering that the second Deputy City Lord of Shen City was addicted to romance novels during her leisure ti and even beca the head of the fan fiction section. The effort she put into this was truly tear-inducing...
The culprit that caused such a great woman to fall to this state was none other than Shen Qingming’s biological parents. As their child now in Shen City, sitting beside Shen Yueying, what did this an to Shen Yueying?
Thinking this, Shen Qingming even wanted to say sorry to her.
However, was it really her place to say sorry? Would saying sorry improve Shen Yueying’s mood, or would it make her feel even more humiliated?
Baffled and embarrassed emotions filled the girl’s heart. Shen Qingming even thought that if Ah Jiu were here, his emotional intelligence and social skills would at least help her avoid making the wrong choice on the spot...
During her wild thoughts, Shen Yueying had already taken the initiative to clink glasses with Shen Qingming and then drained her glass, saying softly, "Qingming, thank you for all your hard work during this ti... these years."
"It’s... it’s alright..." Shen Qingming didn’t know how to respond, so she awkwardly raised her glass and drank to hide her embarrassnt.
Shen Yueying didn’t mind the girl’s awkward reaction, smiled, and asked, "Do you like Shen City?"
Shen Qingming replied, "Yes, I really like it. This city... it’s very vibrant, and the people are very enthusiastic."
Shen Yueying said, "If you like it, feel free to visit often, or even live here. After all, this place is also your ho."
Shen Qingming looked up in astonishnt.
From her perspective, there was no teasing in those sincere and deep eyes.
This was truly unexpected, and Shen Qingming had to raise her glass once more.
What did she an by that? This is also my ho... should not be sarcastic, right?
After pondering, Shen Yueying continued, "Looking back on the past, it all seems so absurd, childish, and laughable. But a montary folly led to lifelong regret... In fact, everyone has been regretting their impulsiveness over the years, but even with regret in their hearts, everyone maintained the inertia of hatred because there was never an opportunity to break that inertia—until now, with your arrival."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingming finally confird that the other party sincerely wanted to resolve past hatreds.
Although unexpected and sowhat difficult to comprehend, Shen Qingming still managed to smile tily, lifted her glass for the third ti, and seriously said, "This is also my mother’s last wish."
"Yue’e too?... As expected, with her disposition, she must have long since let go of those unpleasant mories. She was always more carefree than any of us." Shen Yueying spoke with a lancholy heart, feeling so sha when recalling past events.
"How was your mother during her years in Shen City?"
Shen Qingming thought for a mont and said, "She was alright. Although her health was poor, I always rember her with a smile on her face."
"Yes, she always had a smile before." As Shen Yueying spoke, her mind drifted back to the past, to when Yue’e always wore a faint smile in the Outer Courtyard, always kind and polite to everyone.
However, as her younger sister, Shen Yueying rembered clearly that Sister once said to smile at those who lacked the intellect for proper conversation to avoid entanglent and waste of ti. So every ti Shen Yueying saw Sister smiling at others, she couldn’t help but imagine her sister lightly calling soone an idiot.
But facing her own daughter, it should have been a genuine smile.
At the sa ti, looking at Shen Qingming’s face, which looked sowhat like her sister’s yet purer and more adorable, Shen Yueying’s feelings of love and guilt intensified.
If not for those past events, this child should have grown in a better family environnt, not subject to bullying from a father who knew nothing of the world beyond Swordsmanship and a stepmother who was just a little girl. As soone with Shen Family’s blood, the brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts should have rushed to defend her already. Yet, Shen Qingming endured so much suffering and, even at almost fifteen years old, was still so small and thin, with no signs of developnt in areas where a girl’s body typically becos fuller. She seed nothing like Shen Yue’e, who was tall and not at all frail, but exactly like Li Fengyun and Lu Xin’s child!
Shen Qingming sensed sothing, covered her chest with her hand, and looked at Shen Yueying suspiciously, "What’s wrong?"
Shen Yueying shook her head nonchalantly: "If there’s anything in the future, feel free to co to . I wronged your mother back then, and now I can’t make it up to her... So for your matters, I’ll help you to the end no matter the cost. This is my promise to you."
After saying this, Shen Yueying felt a wave of relief wash over her, as if a Heart Demon that had oppressed her for twenty years suddenly vanished without a trace, making everything before her suddenly clear.
It turns out, letting go is such a relief... Looking back now, those obsessions from the past years are truly laughable.
But without so many years of ferntation, how could a person’s mind change so easily? In fact, when Shen Qingming and the others first arrived in Shen City, Shen Yueying still harbored hatred for the past in her heart.
Although it was mostly due to inertia, if the source of the inertia hadn’t changed, perhaps Shen Yueying would have continued down the original path of hatred until the end of her life.
Thinking of this, Shen Yueying’s heart moved, and she turned her gaze to Shen Ruoshi.
Her own change really stemd from Shen Ruoshi; if it hadn’t been for his attitude softening, she would not have suddenly woken up. Realizing that even the most stubborn father had let go of hatred made her question her own persistence, leading to the subsequent change.
In the end, compared to Sister Yue’e, who dared to openly defy her father and was willing to sever ties, Shen Yueying was still too cowardly...
However, just as Shen Yueying was overwheld with emotion, she suddenly heard Shen Ruoshi’s hearty laughter.
"Hahaha, as expected of the great young master of Golden Jade City, outstanding in both cultivation and temperant, a true talent of the era. At your age, I achieved perhaps twice as much as you. But for you to be only half beneath is already remarkable!"
Shen Yueying couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this. Truly her father, still unchanged at 100 years old, this overflowing confidence got him into quite a few disputes in his younger days.
On the other side, Zhao Jincheng wasn’t the least bit displeased, cupping his hands sincerely, "Lord City Lord, you flatter . My aptitude and comprehension are average, and it’s only with the guidance of a famous teacher that I’ve achieved a little. Compared to true extraordinary talents, my achievents are not worth ntioning."
Shen Ruoshi further praised, "A young person who isn’t arrogant or impatient is even harder to co by. At your age, I was perhaps a hundred tis more unruly, causing god knows how much trouble. You indeed have a good sister; at her age, my achievents were at most half of hers. To continue striving forward without arrogance, despite living in the shadow of such a person, truly embodies the phrase ’talent of the era’. What’s even rarer is that you’re also such a handso figure, truly wise and talented!"
"...The City Lord overpraises."
"According to the traditions of the Xiangzhou Cultivation Realm, encountering such a young talent of the era generally warrants gifting so token of appreciation. However, given the wealth of your Golden Jade Zhao family, there’s probably nothing here that you’d value... So, I shall offer you a marriage proposal instead."
Zhao Jincheng could hardly believe his ears: "Lord City Lord, you said... what?"
Shen Ruoshi laughed heartily and said, "I have a precious granddaughter who returned from Cyan Cloud City recently, of graceful bearing and gentle nature, a perfect match for a young talent of the era. Your tily arrival for my birthday celebration is a sign of fate. Such an exquisite match shouldn’t be missed, so let’s arrange the marriage within these few days!"
As soon as he finished this sentence, the entire birthday banquet fell silent, with over a hundred people in the inner hall turning their eyes in unison.
People looked at Shen Ruoshi, then at the wine jar in his hand, all simultaneously questioning in their hearts: What on earth is this wine that can make the usually tolerant Shen Ruoshi talk such nonsense?!
anwhile, Zhao Jincheng was at a loss, caught between laughter and tears. Though he could tell from Shen Ruoshi’s genuinely fervent gaze that he was sincerely trying to match him with that precious granddaughter, yet...
This was too abrupt, wasn’t it? Who gets proposed to after just a couple of drinks, let alone within a few days? Even if he were not the City Lord of Golden Jade City’s brother, a regular family wouldn’t handle marriage matters so hastily.
Moreover, that so-called precious granddaughter might be an unattainable beauty in Shen Ruoshi’s eyes, but to him, she might just be ordinary and unremarkable.
Under the long-standing influence of his City Lord sister, Zhao Jincheng genuinely hadn’t seen any so-called beauties for many years. All the much-praised beauties paled in comparison to his sister.
Of course, it’s not that Zhao Jincheng’s standards had beco impossibly high or that he’d beco srized with his sister. There are indeed won who et his aesthetic in this world, though due to certain reasons not to be disclosed, he couldn’t pursue love with them.
As he was considering how to politely refuse Shen Ruoshi’s absurd proposal, he heard Shen Ruoshi say again, "Look, she’s over there, isn’t she even more charming than I described?"
Instinctively looking in the direction Shen Ruoshi pointed, Zhao Jincheng finally saw Shen Qingming.
This was the first ti he had seen Shen Qingming in person.
Though the champion of the Cyan Cloud competition was already fad, Zhao Jincheng had only ever seen so rather unflattering portraits, never the living person.
Looking at the delicate girl at the main table with her black shiny hair, charming peach blossom eyes, slender willow eyebrows... most importantly, her tender, youthful face and petite figure dangling from the small round stool, Zhao Jincheng felt an overwhelming surge of passion.
The next mont, he found himself uncontrollably kneeling.
"Thank you, Grandfather, for the marriage proposal!"
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