roccoschili Chapter 282 Pretending
Chapter 282 Pretending
Shen Fuhan hurried back to the Marquis's residence.
He dismounted and stepped onto the stairs, asking as he went, "Has the heir of the Duke of Qi arrived yet?"
The guards stationed outside the mansion gate quickly clasped their hands and replied, "Reporting to the Marquis, we have arrived, accompanied by Miss Pei Liu."
Shen Fuhan walked inside without saying a word.
Catching sight of the steward, he asked, "Where is the heir apparent of the Duke of Qi?"
The steward was startled and patted his chest before replying, "Your Excellency, the young master is in the flower hall."
When the Marquis returned at this time, he was still looking very aggressive. He hadn't seen the man clearly before and almost thought he was there to cause trouble.
"Where's Madame?"
"Madam is in the main courtyard, and so is the Sixth Miss."
Shen Fuhan nodded without showing any emotion, but inwardly he felt relieved.
It turns out they weren't in the same place.
He changed direction and went to entertain Pei Huaijin first.
He entered the flower hall, and Pei Huaijin looked up when he heard the voice. He was somewhat surprised to see that it was him.
"Brother Shen, what brings you back?"
Shen Fuhan sneered inwardly. This was his home; he couldn't come back.
He said calmly, "I left a file behind, so I came back to retrieve it. What brings you here, Your Highness?"
Pei Huaijin said gently, "It seems the Dali Temple isn't busy, Brother Shen actually came back in person."
Shen Fuhan narrowed his eyes slightly, his words carrying a hint of provocation.
Before he could speak, Pei Huaijin replied, "Xiao Jing said she missed Zhao Zhao, and since I had nothing else to do, I came with her."
Shen Fuhan said indifferently, "It seems that the young master is very confident about next year's imperial examination, hence his leisurely demeanor."
“I have learned what I needed to learn. I will do my best and leave the rest to fate.” Pei Huaijin smiled. “But why is Brother Shen still so distant from me? I told you last time that you can call me by my courtesy name, Tingqing.”
Shen Fuhan felt disgusted upon hearing those two words and couldn't bring himself to say them.
He sat down and said calmly, "Huaijin sounds better. How about I call you Huaijin from now on? It will also remind you to always be cautious."
His words were loaded with meaning, but Pei Huaijin's smile remained unchanged, as if he hadn't caught on.
"As long as it's not addressed as 'Crown Prince,' I'll listen to Brother Shen."
Shen Fuhan took a sip of tea and glanced at his calm and composed demeanor.
If Shen Fuhan hadn't known that he had ulterior motives towards A Yue, he would have almost been deceived.
It seems that Pei Huaijin is not as gentle and refined as he appears; perhaps he is quite cunning.
With Pei Huaijin's erudition, he will surely pass the imperial examinations next year.
If they share the same political views, that's naturally good; if they don't, they'll definitely be a formidable rival.
Upon reflection, Pei Huaijin had never appeared in his dreams.
Logically speaking, if Pei Huaijin had distinguished himself in the court and among the people, he should have mentioned him in the dream when he resigned from his post, so that the emperor would give him an important position.
Do they have differing political views?
Just as I was pondering this matter, I heard laughter and cheerful voices outside.
"Baby Zhao Zhao, how can you be so cute and well-behaved?"
Pei Shijing's delighted voice came over, mixed with Zhao Zhao's laughter.
Shen Fuhan put down his teacup and looked at Pei Huaijin.
Compared to the excitement he felt when he saw Zhao Zhao last time, he was much calmer this time, standing up slowly with a warm smile on his face.
Shen Fuhan scoffed inwardly, putting on an act.
He also stood up and looked at Wen Jiayue.
Wen Jiayue asked in surprise, "My lord, why are you back?"
Fortunately, he spoke to him first, and Shen Fuhan's expression softened slightly. He repeated the excuse he had just given Pei Huaijin.
Wen Jiayue casually said, "Why did you have to come back in person, Lord Marquis? You could have just had Sibai come and get it."
Shen Fuhan's forehead veins throbbed; the two of them were truly in sync.
But he calmly replied, "I came back whenever I wanted. Aren't you welcoming me?"
Wen Jiayue glanced at him, puzzled. This was his home; who gave her the right to say "welcome"?
She didn't respond to that question, but instead asked, "Has the Marquis had lunch yet?"
Shen Fuhan was about to say no, but then he thought that if he said no, he would definitely invite Pei Huaijin to eat together.
"I ate," he said calmly.
Wen Jiayue, without suspicion, nodded.
"Then Your Excellency should return to the Dali Temple. I can entertain the young master and the sixth young lady myself."
Shen Fuhan: "..."
Pei Huaijin really picked a good time!
He changed his tune, saying, "When guests come, I naturally have to entertain them."
"But the Dali Temple..."
“The Dali Temple isn’t busy,” Shen Fuhan said. “Going a little later won’t hurt.”
If she refuses again, he will really start to suspect that she is trying to get rid of him.
Fortunately, Wen Jiayue quickly replied, "Alright, as long as Your Excellency understands."
Shen Fuhan breathed a sigh of relief and immediately ordered the food to be served, wanting them to finish eating and leave as soon as possible.
Pei Huaijin observed the entire process without saying a word, a gentle smile always on his face.
Pei Shijing didn't care what they were saying at all; she was only focused on teasing Zhaozhao.
After sitting down, she even tried to take over the wet nurse's job, wanting to hold Zhao Zhao in her arms and feed her herself.
The wet nurse naturally tried to stop her; how could a young lady of such wealth do such things?
Pei Shijing pouted and said, "I'm not hungry. I'm full just looking at Zhaozhao. Let me hold her for a while."
The wet nurse dared not make the decision and looked to the lady.
Wen Jiayue laughed and said, "Okay, I'll hug you then, but let's make it clear first, if Zhaozhao gets your clothes dirty, I won't compensate you."
"Thank you, Madam Shen," Pei Shijing immediately hugged Zhaozhao and said with a smile, "I'm not afraid of getting her dirty, I have plenty of clothes anyway."
Wen Jiayue shook her head and chuckled.
"What does Zhao Zhao want to eat?" Pei Shijing asked, eager to try. "I'll feed you."
Zhao Zhao looked at the dishes on the table and pointed to the crab meat lion's head, which was the most beautifully presented dish.
Pei Shijing immediately picked it up and put it in Zhaozhao's small bowl.
“Our Zhaozhao also likes pretty things,” she said happily, “but in my opinion, Zhaozhao is the prettiest.”
Zhao Zhao was gnawing on a lion's head meatball when she heard the compliment and tilted her head back to kiss Pei Shijing.
Before Wen Jiayue could stop her, it was too late. She had just reached out her hand when she saw a ring of oil on Pei Shijing's face.
“Zhao Zhao…” Pei Shijing was stunned for a moment, then said with a smile, “You really don’t hold back.”
Wen Jiayue quickly took out her handkerchief, but Pei Shijing shook her head and looked at her brother.
"Brother, please help me wipe it off."
Pei Huaijin said helplessly, "Xiao Jing, this is outside, not..."
“I don’t care,” Pei Shijing said stubbornly, “You said you would take care of me, you can’t go back on your word.”
Wen Jiayue silently put the handkerchief back, not expecting Pei Shijing to be so clingy to him.
Everyone at the table was waiting for Pei Huaijin's reaction. Pei Shijing urged, "Hurry up, it's almost finished."
Pei Huaijin had no choice but to stand up and gently wipe the oil off her face.
"Thank you, brother."
She smiled at him and went back to taking care of Zhao Zhao.
Shen Fuhan curled his lips into a smile.
Pei Huaijin has such a clingy younger sister who is willful and spoiled, and who can't live without Pei Huaijin. He doesn't believe Wen Jiayue would be indifferent to this.
Thinking about it that way, it wouldn't be a bad thing for the brother and sister to come a few more times.
In any case, as long as he was present, Pei Huaijin and Wen Jiayue could hardly exchange more than a few words.
But upon seeing Pei Huaijin, he became furious and decided to let it go.