Chapter 29: Her Fiancé

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The man's indifference was nothing like what she had expected.

Her expression stiffened for a moment.

A trace of embarrassment and discomfort crossed her face, but after a pause, she forced herself to lower her gaze, her long lashes casting delicate shadows beneath her eyes.

"I just wanted to thank you properly."

Her voice was soft and plaintive, almost feather-light, brushing past the heart's defenses.

Any other man, watching her now, would surely find it impossible to remain unmoved; who could bear to meet such a look with cold detachment?

Feng Chenxin, standing nearby, watched with a darkened face.

Even Jiang Buyan found the situation curious.

Shouldn’t he have been the one to save her?

Though Lu Yunzhou and his group had indeed intervened earlier, it had been clear their concern was for Jiang Buyan; the aggressors had weapons, and Lu Yunzhou had stepped in to keep Jiang Buyan from harm.

Their actions were not purely for the girl's sake.

So, in truth, she had no real need to thank him.

Lu Yunzhou lifted his gaze to her, the corners of his lips faintly upturned. Only now did he take in the girl's features: refined and delicate, yet her reddened eyes betrayed the emotions she strove to hide. His movements were nonchalant, yet his hands, pale and slender, tapped idly, his gestures elegant.

"No need to thank me," he said. "Helping you was no trouble at all."

His slow, lazy drawl made it sound as though he were recounting an utterly insignificant event, his gaze inscrutable.

The girl's brows drew together in confusion.

She could not quite grasp his meaning.

Then she saw him lower his head, his eyes idly sweeping over the crimson stain of wine on the ground. His thin lips parted, and in a tone of chilly detachment, he spoke to the girl still trying to curry favor before him.

"Our wine."

If she failed to understand him now, the rudeness would be hers.

Is that so? Jiang Buyan frowned.

It did seem so!

Lu Yunzhou was making it clear—his intervention had not been for her sake.

Rather, it was because the men who had bullied her had knocked over their wine; that was what compelled him to step in.

There, in the corridor of the exclusive club, shrouded in dim lighting, the man emanated an aloof and noble air. Clad in a sharply tailored black suit, his ascetic, striking features drew envy and awe.

Such elegance and beauty would stand out anywhere, but in the capital, Lu Yunzhou, the scion of the Lu family, was famed for his indifference—untouched by desire, unmoved by women.

Gu Suizhou, ever perceptive, noticed the hint of impatience in Lu Yunzhou’s eyes. Known for his gentle nature and aversion to meddling, he uncharacteristically stepped forward, his voice warm as he tried to ease the tension.

"Don’t mind him, little one. My friend has always been this way."

Perhaps because he was a physician, Gu Suizhou possessed a gentle, refined air—amiable and disciplined.

With Gu Suizhou’s timely intervention, the girl managed to lift her gaze, her eyes coming to rest on him.

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Her expression was still one of aggrieved vulnerability.

"Your hand is injured?" Gu Suizhou frowned.

He hadn’t noticed until now, but as he approached, he saw blood on one of the girl's arms.

It must have happened when the wine bottle was shattered earlier, the glass cutting her skin.

The wound was not deep, but it bled continuously.

The girl had borne it in silence.

Gu Suizhou kindly offered, "Let me tend to that for you."

This was the Imperial View Club, not some ordinary bar; its clientele were all people of wealth and status.

Either the young sons of the capital's elite, or the city's distinguished ladies.

Many of the capital’s most prominent figures frequented this place.

Moreover, tonight the Imperial View would host a grand auction, and guests had arrived long before the event.

After taking the elevator to the VIP suite, the black-tinted glass revealed a sweeping view of the club below.

The circular glass railing offered a vantage point over the corridor scenes far beneath.

"What’s going on?" someone asked.

"Take a look," Sheng Ting replied.

A young woman, having followed to the upstairs balcony, extended slender, porcelain fingers, handing over a glass of red wine.

"That adopted daughter of the Shen family is quite the schemer."

To think she’d come to the Imperial View to corner Lu Yunzhou, using such tactics—she really was desperate.

Behind her, a girl in a backless black gown bent her eyes in a smile, peering down; the shifting lights of the club played across her almond-shaped eyes, lending them a faint blush.

"Ten years gone, and if nothing else, her acting has certainly improved."

This little show of suffering was surely premeditated.

Otherwise, could anyone believe she was just a pure, innocent girl?

People who came to the Imperial View were never without status.

She couldn’t possibly be so foolish as to run into someone right at the entrance to a VIP suite.

"Did you know she’s back in the country?"

Sheng Ting glanced at the girl beside her, her enchanting eyes tinged with a hint of chill.

"Grandfather gave his consent," Shen Chaoxi replied. "After all, it’s been ten years, and with Grandfather’s birthday in two days, her return is only natural."

But as she spoke, her gaze remained fixed on the girl standing downstairs before several men, her own eyes tranquil, her lips lifted in a faint smile.

In the calm glow and shadow of the club, her pale face seemed even more ethereal, like a delicate blossom frozen in snow.

Fragile, yet with an otherworldly allure—utterly cold.

The reason Sheng Ting asked was because of what happened ten years ago.

If not for her, the Shen family would never have faced disaster.

Nor would Shen Chaoxi have suffered as she had; the thought made Sheng Ting’s face darken.

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Shen Xin, the orphan adopted and sheltered by the Shen family.

Ten years ago, one day, she had been sent abroad by the old master Shen.

Though some pleaded for her, seeing his own granddaughter suffer, the old man’s greatest mercy had been to spare the girl’s life—sending her away, raising her abroad at the family’s expense.

Never did Sheng Ting expect that Shen Xin’s first act upon returning would be to come to the Imperial View and seek out Shen Chaoxi’s fiancé.

"She’s aiming for two birds with one stone." It was a double gain.

Shen Chaoxi let out a cold laugh.

With the auction about to begin, Shen Xin had clearly come with a purpose—just like her.

To seek out the treasure Grandfather cherished most.

To atone for the mistakes she had made.

If she could win Grandfather’s forgiveness, she would still be the Shen family’s young lady.

Still hoping to enjoy all the privileges that came with the Shen name.

"By the way, is what you want truly here tonight?"

Sheng Ting let the matter of Shen Xin drop, remembering they had come on business.

"Yes," Shen Chaoxi replied seriously. "That half-finished scroll, the Western Zhou chess manual, is something Grandfather has always sought."

"Unfortunately, all these years, the Shen family has only ever possessed half the scroll. It’s incomplete." Thankfully, she had heard news.

The other half of the Western Zhou scroll would appear at tonight’s auction.

"Chaoxi, you’re still not fully recovered, yet you’ve come out to seek this treasure."

"If your brother finds out, don’t expect me to cover for you."

Sheng Ting’s tone was teasing, her eyes bright with laughter.

"Ah Yuan is still in the Fourteen States; he won’t return so soon."

Shen Chaoxi lifted her gaze to Sheng Ting, her eyes icy as snow.

Then, a faint smile touched her lips, her voice gentle.

"Besides, even if he does return, my injury is hardly your doing. There’s nothing for him to blame you for."

"You said it yourself!"

Sheng Ting bit her lip, her eyes shining as she feigned a plaintive protest.

"Don’t let your monk-like brother put a curse on me again."

She truly feared him.

Shen Chaoxi shook her head with a soft laugh.

"Is my brother really so frightening?"