Chapter 37

Xie Tingzhou’s expression remained calm and indifferent as he withdrew his gaze.

Shen Yu couldn’t help but be amazed.

Xie Tingzhou wasn’t just a reputation; even with just one admirer, it created such a small scene.

But Shen Yu obviously had it wrong.

Before lunch was finished, there was a sudden commotion outside the courtyard.

Uncle Zheng put down his chopsticks and went out to see. He saw a group of women already chatting lively at the doorstep.

The one leading them was Zhao Shun’s wife, who directly opened the half-height gate of the bamboo fence.

They came uninvited, and now they were all inside, too late to stop them.

Uncle Zheng stomped his foot in frustration, then turned to look at Xie Tingzhou and Shen Yu, nervously saying, “This, this, this…”

Uncle Zheng usually lived alone, rarely having visitors. He had never dealt with so many women in his life, and for a moment, he couldn’t even speak clearly.

“Oh, Uncle Zheng, are you still having lunch?” Zhao Shun’s wife, leading the group, spoke first.

“Yeah, we’re still having lunch.” Uncle Zheng just hoped they would leave soon. “Do you need something?”

Zhao Shun’s wife adjusted the pink flower in her hair and said, “Just came by for a casual visit.”

Zhao Shun’s wife’s gaze was stunning, already glued to Xie Tingzhou’s face, and when she saw Shen Yu beside him, her eyes brightened.

When she came yesterday, she only saw Xie Tingzhou, never expecting Uncle Zheng to have such good luck, losing a son but gaining two handsome nephews.

This village was remote, and you wouldn’t see any outsiders for a year or more. And now, there were two handsome men, naturally drawing attention.

Some came just out of curiosity, some dressed up flamboyantly, even bringing out the clothes they wore for New Year’s. Even Mrs. Liu from the end of the village was hobbling along with a cane.

That’s how it was in the village. Any little movement would spread like wildfire within the time it took to finish a meal.

Uncle Zheng stood at the door, not letting anyone in, while a group of women peered inside.

The rules in the Prince of Beilin’s mansion were strict, and no one dared to stare at Xie Tingzhou while he was eating.

Even the maids and servants had to bow their heads and not look around, let alone stare at him while eating.

Xie Tingzhou put down his chopsticks and stood up.

To return to his room, he needed to turn right after leaving the main hall, but the entrance was blocked.

This kind of thing, he didn’t need to do it himself. It was the duty of his attendant.

Shen Yu quickly scraped the rice out of the bowl, took a few steps forward, and went in front of him, calling out to the people at the door, “Excuse me, excuse me, everyone, my elder brother needs to rest.”

“The day is still early,” someone in the crowd said. “Why not sit down and rest? Where did the young master come from?”

The entrance was blocked, and the wind couldn’t even get in.

Shen Yu couldn’t use force, and she couldn’t let Xie Tingzhou be treated like a circus monkey here.

They were all neighbors, and Uncle Zheng would still need the villagers’ help in the future.

“Another day, another day.” Shen Yu had to be patient and shoo them away first. “We’ll prepare some fruits and snacks another day. Let’s all sit down and chat then.”

Uncle Zheng said irritably, “Exactly, you’re blocking my door. Someone might think you’re here to collect a debt.”

The woman who couldn’t push her way to the front yesterday shouted from the back, “Exactly, exactly, don’t let people say our village women don’t know manners.”

Seeing that the crowd was starting to waver, Shen Yu added fuel to the fire. “The weather isn’t good today. I see the tree at the entrance of the village is good. How about setting up fruits and tea there tomorrow evening, drinking tea with the sunset? It’ll be elegant.”

The village women didn’t understand elegance, but seeing two men who seemed like immortals, they naturally felt they were different from ordinary people.

The crowd made way for a one-person-wide path, and someone even said, “Then tomorrow it is. I’ll prepare some good tea.”

“People had already started assigning tasks, who was responsible for preparing what.”

Shen Yu glanced back at Xie Tingzhou and gestured for him to hurry up.

Someone behind the crowd pushed forward, and the person in front was pushed, about to fall onto Shen Yu’s injured arm.

Just as they were about to grab Shen Yu’s injured arm, Xie Tingzhou suddenly reached out to block them.

The woman fell onto Xie Tingzhou’s arm, her joyful expression freezing as she looked up at Xie Tingzhou’s face, her own face suddenly stiffening.

Xie Tingzhou looked at her mildly and said word by word, “Stand, steady, now.”

Meeting his gaze, the woman shivered, seeing murderous intent in his piercing eyes.

Xie Tingzhou and Shen Yu went back into the room and closed the door. Shen Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

After marrying Jiang Lian, she had also interacted with those high-ranking officials’ wives, attending several banquets and gatherings. Every time she went, she felt like time was crawling. Now she realized there were people beyond this world.

Listening to the women in the courtyard walking away, Shen Yu took the kettle from the table and went out.

A moment later, she came back with the kettle.

Shen Yu poured a bowl of tea, held it with both hands, and handed it to Xie Tingzhou. “Your Highness, please have some tea.”

Xie Tingzhou reached out and took the tea bowl.

There was a faint scent of tea in the air, not the best tea, but it was enough.

“Where did this tea come from?” Xie Tingzhou took a sip, finding the taste mediocre.

Shen Yu said, “I bought it in town yesterday.”

Xie Tingzhou took another sip and said, “Why buy tea? Do you have extra money?”

Shen Yu noticed that his bowl was almost empty, so she hurriedly refilled it for him, saying, “Your Highness always seems to furrow your brow slightly whenever you drink water, so I thought you might not be accustomed to the water here.”

Xie Tingzhou stared at her for a moment, his expression ambiguous, making Shen Yu feel uneasy all over.

“What’s so amusing, Your Highness?” Shen Yu asked.

Xie Tingzhou gently shook the tea bowl. The tea was dull in color and the lowest quality he had ever tasted.

He chuckled lightly, “I simply helped you deflect someone, and you keep calling me ‘Your Highness’ incessantly. In the past, you used to boldly address me as ‘you’.”

Like the big yellow dog in the courtyard, whoever treated him kindly, he would wag his tail at them, which was quite adorable.

Leaning closer, Xie Tingzhou asked, “Are you so easily won over?”

Under his intense gaze, Shen Yu unconsciously leaned back, saying confidently, “That’s because there was someone else present. Naturally, I couldn’t reveal Your Highness’s identity.”

“Is that so?” Xie Tingzhou set down the tea bowl and said, “Then when it was just the two of us last night, who told me to ‘sleep closer’?”

Shen Yu felt embarrassed. “Did I…?”

She thought about it carefully and realized that there was indeed such an incident.

Feeling very cold in the middle of the night, she unconsciously squeezed closer to Xie Tingzhou, causing him to move away. Eventually, she almost fell off the bed.

At that moment, Xie Tingzhou sighed in the darkness, and she seemed to have said something to him to come closer.

However, she was determined not to admit it.

“Could it be that Your Highness is mistaken because you were half asleep?” Shen Yu stubbornly refused to admit it.

Xie Tingzhou didn’t bother to argue with her. Changing the subject, he said, “You go to the tea party tomorrow by yourself.”

Only then did Shen Yu remember another big problem. She had spoken impulsively just to get the people to leave first.

Who knew those women weren’t easy to fool and directly set a date for her.

“I’m not going,” Shen Yu said.

Seeing his deeply furrowed brow, Xie Tingzhou fell silent for a moment. “Am I supposed to go then?”

Having the Prince of Beilin accompany a group of women to a tea party?

Hmm, that image… Shen Yu didn’t even dare to think about it.