Chapter 10 Jealousy “You made shoes for him?”

Chapter 10 Jealousy: "You made shoes for him?"

The rosy, fair, and radiant face, smiling sweetly and obediently, momentarily stunned Shen Jichen as if he had stepped into another lifetime.

The youth standing before Yue Rongrong, grinning like an idiot, appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen. Happily clutching a greased paper package, he took out an exquisite pastry, almost bringing it to Yue Rongrong's lips.

Suddenly, Shen Jichen's pupils constricted, frosting over with a layer of ice.

Wen Song's heart pounded like a drum, the corner of his mouth twitching. He dared not move, holding his breath. Just as he was about to speak, Shen Jichen abruptly rose and stepped out of the carriage. Wen Song hurriedly followed.

Amidst the bustling crowd, the two stood by the street. The young man said something that made her eyes widen in surprise, revealing a natural charm, then her eyes curved as laughter spilled out.

Shen Jichen's steps faltered, his breath suddenly catching. He quickened his pace, just in time to hear the pretty-faced brat, clutching the paper package, vow earnestly, "I will never let down Rong Rong's heartfelt efforts!"

With a loud "thud," the youth was violently knocked to the ground by a powerful force. Pastries from the greased paper package scattered everywhere, along with a pair of brand-new men's shoes. Yue Rongrong gasped in shock and froze. Shen Jichen had already brushed past her.

Wen Song's chasing footsteps came to an abrupt halt, stunned.

"Wei Hui!" Yue Rongrong snapped out of it and rushed to help him up. "Are you hurt?"

Wei Hui looked at his new shoes, now stained by the pastries, and heartbrokenly took them out, wiping them repeatedly. He stood up and shouted angrily, "Hey, how do you walk? You've dirtied my shoes!"

But when he looked up, he met a pair of eyes glinting with ice. He shuddered, straightened his back even more, and pulled Yue Rongrong behind him.

Shen Jichen stared at him expressionlessly, the corner of his mouth curving into a hint of coldness.

Yue Rongrong didn't want to prolong the confrontation. She looked at Wei Hui and urged, "Forget it, let's go back."

Wei Hui was still upset. "But he dirtied the new shoes you gave me." He held the paper package in his hands like a treasure. He hadn't even dared to wear the shoes yet, and now they were soiled by a stranger! And this person showed no remorse, acting all arrogant!

Shen Jichen's gaze turned frosty, his lips pressed into a severe, cold line. He stared motionlessly at Yue Rongrong, his voice low and dangerous. "You made shoes for him?"

Wei Hui said proudly, "So what? Not just shoes, but also a pouch..." Suddenly, he cut himself off and asked in surprise, "Do you know Rong Rong?"

Hearing him say "Rong Rong" so familiarly, Shen Jichen's face turned livid, extremely unpleasant. He suppressed his anger and shot him a cold, sharp glance, his voice frigid. "Did I ask you?"

Yue Rongrong thought Shen Jichen was being unreasonable and feared he might take his anger out on Wei Hui. She wanted to intervene and said carefully, "Marquis Shen, I've already been dismissed from Miss Jin's bridal embroidery work. Surely taking on other embroidery jobs doesn't require your approval, does it?"

She stated it formally, which made Shen Jichen's expression darken further.

So he was a customer of Jinxiu Lou. But Wei Hui was still fuming with anger, inexplicably disliking this peerlessly handsome nobleman!

"Do you know how much effort Rong Rong put into making these shoes for me!"

Yue Rongrong felt inexplicably nervous. "Wei Hui!"

Wei Hui straightened his back and faced Shen Jichen directly.

Shen Jichen's expression changed abruptly, his gaze at Wei Hui turning bone-chillingly cold.

Wei Hui couldn't hold his ground and took half a step back.

"Wen Song." Shen Jichen's voice was icy as he extended his palm.

Wen Song immediately handed him a pouch, placing it in his hand. Shen Jichen gripped it, stepped closer to Wei Hui, and said in a low, chilling tone, "Is this enough?" As soon as he finished speaking, the pouch filled with silver suddenly fell to the ground.

It was an overbearing act that easily crushed Wei Hui beneath his feet. Wei Hui stiffened, his face burned with humiliation. The onlookers who had gathered around were also stunned.

Yue Rongrong's face darkened, anger simmered in her heart. Wei Hui, feeling insulted, was about to charge forward but was desperately restrained by Yue Rongrong. "Let's go."

"Rong Rong!" Suddenly, he paused, seeing Yue Rongrong shake her head at him, her face pale as paper. His heart ached, and he clenched the shoes tightly, protecting Yue Rongrong as they left.

Wei Hui tried to cheer her up: "I've been studying hard. Next month's imperial exam, I'll surely rank in the top three! Then I'll take you to Shangong Fang for pastries."

Shangong Fang was a pastry shop that didn't serve the public, only supplying officials.

Shen Jichen's figure seemed frozen, his exquisite, cold face hardened into ice. After a long moment, he turned and strode toward Qingyang Lou.

Wen Song glanced at Yue Rongrong walking away, then back at Shen Jichen, and then at the lonely pouch on the ground. He wanted to pick it up but didn't dare. Finally, he gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and hurried after Shen Jichen.

As soon as they entered the private room, the several people seated inside wore varied expressions. He Minxuan joked, "Marquis Shen, Little Imperial Uncle, so generous with your handouts. I'm a bit short on funds lately—how about giving me some silver to spend too?"

Shen Jichen suppressed his anger and snapped, "Get lost!"

He Minxuan chuckled and sat back down.

Ye Shuyi, her eyes curved in laughter, leaned against Han Zixian's shoulder. "Someone's steaming mad."

Han Zixian and Zheng Xuchao couldn't help but laugh.

＊＊

When Yue Rongrong returned to Yunjin Yuan, she saw a group of people gathered around Ren Hanzhen, teasing her.

Du Yan ran over excitedly and incredulously hugged her. "Han Zhen! You're saying the Marquis personally brought you back?!"

Yue Rongrong's heart shook.

Ren Hanzhen was very flustered and embarrassed, her face blushing red as she murmured timidly, "Keep your voice down."

"Ah!" A scream erupted, and the people around them broke into excited chatter.

"Heavens! Han Zhen, you're so lucky! The Marquis has taken a liking to you!"

"That's the Shen family's Marquis Shen from Wangjing Gate! The eldest son of the Grand Princess, the Little Imperial Uncle! You've only been there a day, and he already fancies you?"

Du Yan shot a triumphant glance at Yue Rongrong. "It seems heaven favors some. Some people exhausted all schemes to seduce Liang Shaoqing, but it's been two days now and Liang Shaoqing hasn't shown up. Even Marquis Shen's job has been returned to its original owner. It goes to show, what isn't yours can't be taken even if you try to snatch it…"

Someone passing by stepped on Yue Rongrong's foot—it was an embroiderer from Du Yan's group. She acted surprised without any apology. "Sorry."

Yue Rongrong, too angry to let it slide, stepped back on her foot and forced a smile. "It's fine."

Du Yan laughed until she bent over. "Someone's throwing a fit out of humiliation!"

Zhong Yu linked arms with Yue Rongrong and laughed. "Why don't you all hurry up and curry favor? Han Zhen is about to become the Marquis's wife!"

Ren Hanzhen's face instantly turned pale. She hurriedly stopped the jokes and shot a cold glance at Zhong Yu, who was walking away arm-in-arm with Yue Rongrong.

Some things could be grasped at shadows, but once spoken aloud, it might bring catastrophic disaster. At least, it wasn't the right time yet.

Zhen Xi flicked her handkerchief in anger. "The way Du Yan acted so arrogantly just now, you'd think Ren Hanzhen was going to become the Marquis's wife tomorrow. And Ren Hanzhen herself—so what if she rode in the Marquis's carriage? What's there to be so proud of? So annoying!"

Zhong Yu said nonchalantly, "Well, she certainly has reason to be proud."

Zhen Xi turned around and earnestly gripped Yue Rongrong's shoulders. "Rong Rong, do you think the Marquis really fancies her?!"

Yue Rongrong, dizzy from being shaken, suppressed the irritation in her heart and said, "How should I know!"

Zhen Xi finally released her grip, noticing Yue Rongrong’s face had turned a little pale from all the shaking, and felt a twinge of guilt.

Zhong Yu glanced at Yue Rongrong twice and asked, "Rong Rong, what’s wrong? You seem a bit down."

Yue Rongrong looked up, put on a big grin, and patted the bulging purse at her waist. "Not at all! Mrs. Wei gave me a huge reward today!"

Zhen Xi was still muttering, "How could the Marquis take a liking to her! What’s so great about her?"

Zhong Yu actually began analyzing it. "She speaks softly and gently, like still water, and she’s quite pretty. It’s natural for men to like her."

Zhen Xi scoffed lightly. "But don’t you think she’s so fake?"

Zhong Yu said, "Regardless, that’s her business. Whether the Marquis truly is into her or not, even if he does, it might not necessarily be a good thing."

The next day, the courtyard of Cloud Brocade Manor was crowded with people, all waiting for Ren Hanzhen to come out. Ren Hanzhen had woken up early that day and spent over an hour getting ready before stepping out amidst everyone’s send-off.

The courtyard finally quieted down, and Yue Rongrong’s heart sank. After a moment, she took a deep breath, jumped off the bed, got ready, and headed to the embroidery workshop with Zhen Xi and Zhong Yu.

Zhong Yu’s gaze paused, and she raised an eyebrow. "Well, would you look at that—Young Master Cheng's here," she said in a very low voice, audible only to Yue Rongrong and Zhen Xi. "Doesn’t he know Han Zhen isn’t here today?"

Zhen Xi remarked, "Even when Han Zhen was here, he didn’t come every day. Actually… Rong Rong," her expression suddenly turned thoughtful, and after a moment of reflection, her eyes widened. "It seems like whenever Rong Rong isn’t here, he doesn’t come either! Oh my god!"

Yue Rongrong got chills and pushed her. "Don’t tell creepy stuff first thing in the morning!"

Zhong Yu said, "Stop talking nonsense. Han Zhen isn’t here, but Du Yan is. Young Master Cheng has always been friendly with them."

Suddenly, the shopkeeper came rushing in, calling out "Rong Rong" as soon as he entered, startling Yue Rongrong. Before she could react, the shopkeeper had already stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and pulled her right outside.

Author's Note:

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Wen Song spread out all the evidence he'd collected on the Marquis’s desk, completing the task in one go: "Don’t worry, Marquis! This guy’s relationship with your wife is purer than distilled water!"

Shen Jichen gave him a cold look, but as he looked over the pile of documents, the frosty expression on his face softened slightly.

Wen Song: [Smirking][Smirking]