Chapter 19 Establishing a Contract

Xiao Xin sat silently in the carriage.

His complexion had improved slightly, but it was far from cheerful. Outside, the clatter of wheels, the footsteps of pedestrians, and the cries of street vendors blended into a cacophony. He merely kept his head bowed, staring at his boots, his palms resting on his knees. His fingers were long and bony, their tips pressing into the silk fabric of his robe. His back remained ramrod straight, stiff as a spear.

Xu Rong waited patiently beside him. After a long while, Xiao Xin finally looked up, his gaze sweeping toward her: “Why aren’t you angry?”

Xu Rong hadn’t expected this to be his first concern. After a moment’s thought, she replied, “Because anger makes you age.”

Xiao Xin glared at her, utterly baffled.

Xu Rong laughed and waved her hand. “Second Young Master Xiao, I was joking. I’m not angry, probably because it’s you. To be honest, when I heard Old Madam Zhang wanted to ‘correct disorder and restore order’ between me and Xiao Lun, I was a little angry.”

Xiao Xin’s eyes widened further, the narrow ends of his eyes stretching open in even greater disbelief. “You—what do you mean by that?”

Xu Rong was puzzled. “What? I was just saying you have better character than Xiao Lun. If I were matched with someone like him, I’d definitely be unwilling—”

Suddenly, she realized where the misunderstanding lay and hurriedly added, “Not that I’d be willing if it were you. I didn’t mean it that way. Don’t misunderstand.”

Xiao Xin turned his face away. “Stop talking.”

With all this talk of “meaning” and “matching,” she was only making it worse.

Xu Rong chuckled. “Alright. And don’t you be angry either.”

Xiao Xin let out a faint, almost imperceptible snort. He didn’t respond, but the diversion had indeed dissipated much of the gloom in his heart.

His tense posture relaxed slightly as he leaned back against the carriage wall. “Miss Xu, whatever you wanted to talk to me about, go ahead.”

Xu Rong had been waiting for this. She leaned slightly toward him and lowered her voice. “Second Young Master Xiao, given the circumstances, I think we should adapt to the situation.”

The bustling street outside, with its constant flow of traffic, was actually a better place for a private conversation than a teahouse’s secluded room. Even if someone could hear them speaking, they wouldn’t make out the words.

Xiao Xin: “Hmm?”

Xu Rong asked him, “Second Young Master Xiao, do you know the root cause of why we’ve ended up in this situation?”

This successfully reignited Xiao Xin’s temper. His brows furrowed into a small mountain range, the sharpness between them rising steadily until it brimmed with resentment. Then he spoke: “Because I’m powerless.”

That’s why he had to listen to others, why he was at their mercy—a living person, yet as trapped as a paper puppet in a shadow play.

Xu Rong smiled approvingly. “Yes. And no.”

Being wronged and humiliated was never the victim’s fault. But to face such adversity without blaming fate or others, and still recognize one’s own shortcomings—that was a rare quality.

“Second Young Master Xiao, you’re not truly powerless. You just need time.”

Poverty in youth isn’t true poverty, and hardship in youth isn’t true hardship. At this age, helplessness is natural; it’s normal to be empty-handed and unable to stand against others.

Even for her, the price of returning to her youth was the loss of all her hard-earned achievements. If she had been reborn into the Xiao Family, she might not have done any better than him.

Xiao Xin was taken aback. His lips parted slightly as if to speak, but no words came out. Gradually, the tension in his brow eased.

Xu Rong continued, “Second Young Master Xiao, do you know what I need?”

Xiao Xin asked, “What?”

He was genuinely curious because he truly couldn’t see through Xu Rong and thus had no idea what she needed.

With a solemn expression, Xu Rong said, “Money.”

Xiao Xin: “…”

He was stunned speechless by the simplicity, bluntness, and superficiality of that single word.

“In this lifetime, I have no intention of marrying again,” Xu Rong said earnestly.

In fact, not just in this lifetime—she hadn’t even considered it in her previous one. She had friends from the orphanage whom she kept in touch with as an adult. They generally fell into two categories: one group desperately sought to fill the void of the family they never had, rushing into marriage; the other, abandoned by their parents, not only lacked desire for a family but distrusted it, their distrust breeding outright rejection.

Xu Rong was the third type. Born with a gaping void, she had grown accustomed to it over time. To her, the absence was completeness, and she no longer believed she needed anything more.

Xiao Xin couldn’t possibly know this. He misunderstood her words, glancing at her—somewhat awkwardly—and said, “Miss Xu, my elder brother may be no good, but there are decent men in the world. You needn’t be so extreme.”

For him, this was an uncharacteristically conciliatory remark. In the past, he would never have engaged in such a personal conversation with Xu Rong.

“Perhaps,” Xu Rong smiled appreciatively. “But it likely has nothing to do with me.”

There was no good way to continue that line of discussion, nor was it appropriate for Xiao Xin to delve deeper into her views on marriage. After a brief silence, he asked, “Then what do you mean?”

“Second Young Master Xiao, you need time, and I need money,” Xu Rong patiently laid it out for him. “We’ve already collaborated once before—though it failed, it wasn’t our fault. On the contrary, in my view, it should have established a foundation of mutual trust between us, don’t you agree?”

Xiao Xin’s eyebrows rose and fell—what kind of reasoning was this? Instinctively, he found it odd, yet within that oddity lay a freshness and persuasiveness. Slowly, he nodded. “I suppose so.”

“Then, with this foundation, we have the possibility of taking our cooperation to the next level,” Xu Rong continued methodically. “For example, on the surface, we comply with Madam Xiao’s wishes, but privately, we draft another contract.”

Xiao Xin: “—What contract?”

“To break free from the Marquis of Changxing’s Mansion’s control, you can’t remain within its walls. Your original approach wasn’t wrong,” Xu Rong affirmed first. “But leaving without a word and with nothing to your name would come at too great a cost, and success would be unlikely.”

“If you have enough time and put in enough effort, there’s another path in this world—one that’s open and honorable. Once you set foot on it, no one can stop you.”

Xiao Xin’s lips moved silently, forming words.

Xu Rong didn’t catch it, blinking. “What?”

Xiao Xin crossed his arms and looked up at the carriage ceiling.

What he had said was: Here we go again.

This mystifying Miss Xu.

Yet he couldn’t deny the quickening heartbeat beneath his arms—even without her saying more, that single sentence had already stirred him.

Perhaps it was because no one had ever spoken to him like this before. Or perhaps it was because a similar thought had once flickered through his mind—abandoned halfway, yet never truly gone.

Xu Rong didn’t get a clear answer, but judging by his expression, she knew there was potential. She didn’t press for details and continued, “Relying solely on your family isn’t a good choice, but cutting ties completely isn’t either—at least not now. Second Young Master Xiao, compared to ordinary people, you have many inherent advantages whether in scholarly or martial pursuits. Since you can’t escape this fate, why not make good use of it? Once you’ve secured your own future, won’t everything be much more convenient then?”

“By the way,” she added after her long speech, “I never asked—are you studying literature or martial arts?”

Actually, she had brought it up before, more than once, but Xiao Xin had never responded to the topic.

This time, Xiao Xin’s gaze flickered slightly before he finally answered stiffly, “…Literature.”

Having a direction was enough. Xu Rong wasn’t picky. She nodded and went on with her plan: “Second Young Master Xiao, though I don’t know you well, I can tell you’re intelligent. With your talent and diligence, another three to five years of hard work should be enough to establish yourself. By then, we’ll both still be young. After our cooperation ends, we can go our separate ways. You’ll be free to marry a noble lady—nothing will be delayed.”

As she spoke the first half, Xiao Xin’s gaze remained somewhat distant. When she mentioned “three to five years,” the carriage wheel hit a small stone, jolting slightly. His pupils trembled in response, and his lips parted as if to interrupt, but he ultimately stayed silent.

Xu Rong noticed but, being no mind reader, couldn’t pinpoint which part of her proposal had unsettled him. Assuming he was startled by the suggestion itself, she pressed on: “Second Young Master Xiao—”

“I understand,” Xiao Xin suddenly cut her off, taking the initiative to ask, “You’re suggesting we enter a false marriage?”

The student was teachable.

Xu Rong nodded eagerly.

“I gain time to study, and you gain—” Xiao Xin paused, thinking, “your dowry?”

He extrapolated well—full marks for summarization.

Xu Rong nodded again, her eyes bright with approval.

She had been right about him—smart and decisive. She wasn’t sure about his current academic progress, but with his foundation, it couldn’t be bad.

She was full of… where did all these bizarre ideas keep coming from?

Xiao Xin felt he should find this absurd, should refuse outright, should reprimand her immediately—

But in reality, his expression remained calm.

Hah. Absurd.

Was there anything more absurd than what they were doing?

He licked his lips, and the calm shattered like a fleeting illusion. Softly, he said, “Fine.”

He agreed just like that?

The success came too quickly, leaving Xu Rong surprised. “You accept?”

Xiao Xin glanced at her. “Yes. Should I draft a contract for you?”

Xu Rong nodded without hesitation. “Good. Two copies—one for each of us, signed and fingerprinted as proof.”

Xiao Xin didn’t object. He simply straightened his posture, clasped his hands over his knees, his gaze cold and deep. “Miss Xu, have you thought this through?”

If he reneged, if he harbored ill intentions—whether toward her or her dowry—she would be the one to suffer.

He knew she had her methods, but how could she dare?

Xu Rong affirmed, “Yes.”

This was a desperate measure, but also the most expedient path to her goal—a shortcut.

In the past, she would never have chosen this path—it wasn’t upright, it wasn’t harmonious, and it didn’t align with the core values she had been taught. She had trudged dutifully along the difficult path laid out for her by fate, building steps with sweat and trading hard work for tomorrow, diligent and conscientious—

Enough.

She couldn’t be bothered to go through it all again.

This time, she’d let someone else do it.

Xu Rong’s gaze in return was equally meaningful, and she offered encouragement with sincerity: “Second Young Master Xiao, as long as you strive diligently, rise with the rooster’s crow, and endure hardship in your studies, you will surely achieve success. The sooner you succeed in the imperial examination and establish your career, the sooner you’ll be rid of me. Perhaps it won’t take three or five years—maybe just one or two—”

Xiao Xin found the first part of her words somewhat reasonable, but by the end, he couldn’t hold back his anger. “It’s not that fast! The imperial examination isn’t held every year!”

Besides, even if it were, he wouldn’t be qualified to take it immediately.

“Oh, is that so?” Xu Rong tilted her head in thought. Right, she had spent all her time buried in study and work, with no room for irrelevant knowledge. Still, she did have some basic awareness and amended, “I was just expressing the sentiment that effort yields rewards, and fate should be in your hands, not heaven’s.”

Xiao Xin lowered his head and fell silent.

Xu Rong had already figured out his temperament—if he didn’t argue or roll his eyes at her, it meant he had taken her words to heart. And, surprisingly, he even seemed to enjoy hearing them.

For the rest of the journey, Xu Rong seized the moment to hammer home every motivational and studious platitude she could recall, chattering nonstop the entire way.

She was never interrupted.

Until the sounds of pedestrians and carriages outside gradually faded, the speed of the carriage slowed, and it came to a gentle halt.

Soon, someone came to lift the curtain.

It wasn’t Bai Fu but a maidservant who served Madam Xiao, her gaze sharp as it swept over Xu Rong and Xiao Xin. “Second Young Master, Miss Xu, please alight.”

Xiao Xin shot her a cold glance before stepping out first.

As he leaned out of the carriage and prepared to jump down, he narrowed his eyes at the vermilion gates of the Marquis of Ji’an Manor. Turning back, he finally spoke, but it was to confirm with her: “Miss Xu, do you truly trust me so much?”

Trust in his character.

Trust in his ability.

Xu Rong nodded with a smile. “I believe you won’t let me down—”

Our agreement.

With the Xiao Family’s people watching them like hawks, she left the last four words unspoken, pausing only to ensure Xiao Xin understood. Then she continued, “So, Second Young Master Xiao, do you believe in yourself?”

Xiao Xin jumped down from the carriage, cast a disdainful glance around, and said coldly, “Of course.”