Chapter 18: Witnessing the moment Pei Dongzhou held Shen Shuyi in his arms...

Page 1/3

Shen Shuyi watched Sun Wang walk away, her face full of smiles, completely unaware that the Pei brothers had arrived. It was Ajian who first noticed the Crown Prince Pei and Third Young Master Pei standing not far off; she gently tugged on Shen Shuyi’s sleeve and whispered, “Miss, the Crown Prince and Third Young Master are here.”

Hearing this, Shen Shuyi turned to see Crown Prince Pei and Pei Xizhou approaching. They must have just arrived and hadn’t seen Sun Wang’s face.

“Greetings to you, my two cousins,” Shen Shuyi stepped forward and respectfully bowed to the Pei brothers.

Pei Xizhou glanced toward the direction the man had left but saw no sign of him.

Just now, Shen Shuyi had smiled so brightly at that man—could he be her lover?

“Who was the man just now that Miss seemed reluctant to part from?” Pei Xizhou, rarely curious, asked.

Shen Shuyi thought to herself, “A lecher sees lust everywhere; what reluctance?”

“That young gentleman fainted earlier. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing, so I helped him,” she explained calmly.

Indeed, Sun Wang had merely fainted. She and Ajian had just dragged him away from the riverside when he regained consciousness. Still, she had gained some acquaintance with him, which made obtaining medicine from him much easier.

Before leaving, Sun Wang had handed her several packets of medicine. She needed to return to the Marquis’s estate to test their effects before making her move on Pei Dongzhou.

Time was running short; she could not afford another mistake.

Pei Xizhou believed Shen Shuyi’s explanation, but Pei Dongzhou continued staring in the direction the man had departed, deep in thought.

Why did he feel this matter was not so simple?

“It’s getting late; I should return to the Marquis’s estate. You two cousins, please take care,” Shen Shuyi said, not wanting to linger with any male leads outside of mission time.

She bowed to the Pei brothers and was about to pass by them when a sudden dizziness overcame her.

She shook her head but couldn’t control herself; her body swayed and began to fall to the side.

Pei Xizhou saw her lurching toward him and, thinking she was struck by infatuation again, quickly stepped aside. Unexpectedly, a hand reached out from beside him, just catching Shen Shuyi—and that hand belonged to the older brother, outwardly refined but in truth cold-hearted.

He found the scene strange.

Previously, the Crown Prince always dodged Shen Shuyi faster than anyone else; had he taken the wrong medicine today?

Page 2/3

Shen Shuyi was dizzy but not unconscious. She leaned weakly against Pei Dongzhou, quietly murmuring, “Th-thank you, Cousin Crown Prince. I—I’m fine…”

She fervently hoped he wouldn’t think she was throwing herself at him; she truly was physically weak.

She reached out toward the stunned Ajian nearby, gasping, “Ajian, come help me.”

Ajian had thought her mistress was using this as a ploy to charm the Pei brothers and was dumbfounded until Shen Shuyi’s call made her realize she wasn’t faking illness.

She hurried forward to support her lady, and the Crown Prince passed Shen Shuyi into her arms.

His grip was rough, nearly causing her to fall.

Seeing this, Pei Dongzhou reached out to steady her again. Knowing it was improper, he coldly scolded, “If you can’t even support her properly, what use are you?!”

The remark was clearly directed at Ajian.

“It’s not Ajian’s fault; I’m just too heavy,” Shen Shuyi quickly took the blame to protect her maid.

Pei Dongzhou glanced at the unsteady Shen Shuyi and said to Ajian, “Why aren’t you helping your lady to the carriage yet?!”

Ajian hurriedly replied, “This servant will manage.”

She steadied Shen Shuyi gently and said, “I will escort Miss to the carriage.”

Shen Shuyi’s head spun; she forced herself upright as the two staggered forward.

Only then did Pei Xizhou confirm Shen Shuyi was truly ill.

He had heard of her frail health and that she was not destined for longevity. He sighed, “No wonder even our iron-hearted eldest brother felt pity. With her body so weak, who knows when she’ll…”

“Third brother, don’t speak recklessly. Try not to let Grandmother know, or she’ll worry,” Pei Dongzhou said as he followed the pair ahead.

Pei Xizhou silently followed as well, finding the pair ahead quite peculiar. Especially Shen Shuyi—she was ill, unsteady on her feet, yet still managing to joke.

“I feel as if I’m drunk. My legs won’t obey me… Poor Ajian, I must be so heavy. Will I crush your small frame?” Shen Shuyi said.

Ajian, on the verge of tears, laughed through her sobs, “I’m not as weak as you, Miss.”

“But it’s not good for a young girl like you to be too strong,” Shen Shuyi sighed, growing sentimental. “Tonight is the Qiqiao Festival. There should be many beautiful, fun lanterns to see, but I didn’t even get a chance to enjoy them.”

Page 3/3

“I’ll take you to see the lanterns next time,” Ajian said softly.

“You have to understand, what’s missed can never be relived. The lanterns we see next time will never be the same as tonight’s… Hey, don’t sway, I’m dizzy,” Shen Shuyi said, feeling as if she were walking on cotton, each step making the world blur.

If she failed to complete her mission in the next few days, she would have no further chance to see the lantern festival.

“I’m not swaying…” Ajian suddenly corrected herself, “It’s my fault. I won’t sway anymore.”

“Are you about to cry? I’m not dead, so why cry? I promise I’ll get better in a few days. I feel like a curse—a curse that will last a thousand years. Have you heard that before?” Shen Shuyi kept babbling, trying to cheer herself on.

Unfortunately, her dizziness worsened until she could no longer hold on, her consciousness fading.

Ajian was pinned under the unconscious Shen Shuyi, unable to move. She wanted to seek help from the Pei brothers but dared not.

Pei Xizhou noticed that the once-chatty Shen Shuyi had suddenly fallen silent and knew the situation was grave. This was a matter of life and death.

The Crown Prince was unreliable; he cared little for his reputation. Even if others saw him carrying Shen Shuyi, it wouldn’t matter much to him.

His only concern was preserving Shen Shuyi’s good name.

After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped forward to lift her, only to find Crown Prince Pei was faster—he took Shen Shuyi from Ajian’s arms and headed toward the street where the Pei family’s carriage was waiting.

Just then, Xia Nianchu arrived. Seeing Pei Dongzhou carrying Shen Shuyi, her eyes filled with fury. “Cousin Crown Prince, how could you…”

Pei Dongzhou seemed not to notice her and climbed into the carriage with Shen Shuyi.

Earlier, to avoid suspicion, he had refused to share a carriage with her, but now he boarded the carriage with Shen Shuyi without hesitation.

Xia Nianchu was momentarily at a loss for how to react, watching helplessly as the carriage carrying Pei Dongzhou and Shen Shuyi slowly disappeared from view.

Pei Xizhou was equally baffled. He never expected the usually reputation-conscious Crown Prince to act this way.

He only feared that if this scene were seen, no amount of justification from the Crown Prince would clear the misunderstanding.

He even suspected this might be Shen Shuyi’s calculated sacrifice.

If so, the tactic was exceedingly effective.