If the character Li Yuan in the novel was a master of drama, then Su Yan… Lin Qingxu looked up at the ornate sign above the entrance, which displayed the elegant characters “Linlang Yuxing” in a flowing script, and speculated that he was likely still in the latent stage of his dramatic tendencies.

Despite coming from a wealthy merchant family, Su Yan lacked the immense power and foolish followers that would typically accompany a person of his status. Even if he harbored a monster within, it shouldn’t cause too much of a stir, right?

Lin Qingxu reassured herself as she took a deep breath and stepped forward into a pivotal moment in her life.

To her surprise, Linlang Yuxing stood amidst the bustling marketplace, yet its ambiance was serene and refined.

Upon entering, a subtle scent of sandalwood enveloped her, bringing a sense of calm to her mind and body. The tension in her heart eased as if it had found a place to rest, gradually settling into tranquility.

She looked around, noticing the store’s solemn deep brown and gentle golden hues blending harmoniously. Pure wooden shelves adorned the surroundings, displaying a variety of jade ornaments.

There weren’t many customers in the shop; counting Lin Qingxu, there were only three.

One of them was completing a transaction, pulling out a wallet full of shiny silver ingots, making Lin Qingxu’s eyes widen in astonishment.

In her time in this ancient world, she had only seen scattered pieces of small silver, barely the size of a pebble. This was the first time she had encountered such large ingots!

The remaining customer, a young man dressed in elegant attire, noticed her look of wide-eyed wonder and kindly cleared his throat.

He appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, still in the process of growing, and he swayed slightly as he stood in front of a shelf, his gaze wandering instead of focusing on the goods before him.

Lin Qingxu was brought back to reality by his presence. Seeing his energetic demeanor, she stifled the urge to roll her eyes in annoyance at his meddling and pretended to be interested as she turned and walked to another shelf.

Clearly, Linlang Yuxing did not have the aggressive enthusiasm of modern salespeople, making it easy for customers to browse in peace. The staff remained silent, only responding when someone inquired or seemed uncertain about a product.

What made Lin Qingxu most comfortable was that their gazes didn’t cling to her like glue, making her feel trapped.

However, this attitude presented a significant problem: Lin Qingxu didn’t know how to proceed.

Madam Su had mentioned that Su Yan would be at Linlang Yuxing today, but as the young master, he surely wouldn’t be casually standing around the shop. So how was she supposed to find him?

Should she tell the manager that she was Su Yan’s fiancée and wanted to see what he looked like?

Or should she casually mention that she had something to discuss with the young master? But then, how would she explain herself once Su Yan appeared?

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Lin Qingxu’s face twisted in frustration. She hadn’t considered these issues before coming, but now that she was on the front lines, she realized that taking that first step was more challenging than she had anticipated!

“Miss, I’ve noticed you lingering here. Are you perhaps interested in the jade Buddha in front of you?”

Lin Qingxu was still sorting through her thoughts when a voice broke through, clearly belonging to a young man in the awkward phase of his voice change, sounding somewhat like a duck.

She was startled for a moment and turned to see that it was indeed the meddlesome young man.

As for the jade Buddha he mentioned.

Lin Qingxu glanced at the statue which was directly facing her. The jade Buddha had a round belly and a broad smile, and she pressed her lips together tightly in response.

Unfortunately, she had no interest in the statue.

The elegantly dressed young man had approached out of boredom, looking for someone amusing to interact with. Seeing her reaction, he was intrigued and pressed on. “If you truly like it, you could negotiate with the shopkeeper for a price. If your purse is a bit light, I have a good relationship with the owner and can surely get you a satisfactory deal!”

While the young man was engaging Lin Qingxu in conversation, the shopkeeper who had already seen a customer out, couldn’t help but twitch his lips as he discreetly watched the two.

The young master was once again finding trouble to stir. If nothing else, he might end up irritating the young lady across from him, and then he would have to clean up the mess!

Listening to the boy’s exaggeratedly serious remarks, Lin Qingxu finally couldn’t hold back and rolled her eyes at him, responding coldly. “No, thank you.”

After all, even if he had a good relationship with the jade shop, she was the fiancée of its young master.

However, the boy seemed to take delight in her reaction. With a grin, he was about to poke fun at her again when Lin Qingxu’s next words cut him off.

“Shut up!”

Lin Qingxu considered herself not the type to hold grudges, but did this little master know how annoying he was?

Lin Qingxu shot him another eye roll before quickly moving to the next shelf.

The boy was momentarily taken aback, his smile frozen in place. But after a few seconds of contemplation, his grin only grew wider.

His eyes sparkled as he watched Lin Qingxu, and without hesitation he doggedly followed her, chattering on. “I’m serious! The moment I saw you, I could tell you don’t have any money. Don’t worry; if you can’t pay now, you can always owe it. Just take your time to repay…”

Hearing this, the manager who had been quietly observing, rushed to intervene. “Hey, hey, Young Master Rong, please stop talking nonsense!”

Noticing the darkening expression on Lin Qingxu’s face, the manager felt a pang of anxiety and quickly added. “Don’t mind him, miss. This is my young master. He doesn’t mean any harm—he’s just a bit thoughtless!”

The boy raised an eyebrow. “Uncle Xu, you say that every time. I’m starting to think my ears might get calloused from hearing it!”

The manager simply rolled his eyes, too exasperated to respond.

Upon realizing Su Rong’s identity, Lin Qingxu felt her initial anger dissipate into calm.

Su Rong was none other than Su Yan’s younger brother, which meant she would have plenty of opportunities to encounter him in the future—there was no need to rush.

Now that she knew Su Rong’s identity, he suddenly seemed more agreeable to her.

At the very least, compared to the scheming and unstable Li Yuan, the sharp-tongued yet quirky Su Rong was far more endearing.

As Lin Qingxu’s thoughts swirled, she was caught off guard when another character from her mind suddenly appeared.

“Brother, you finally came out!” The young man’s voice, still in its awkward phase, was filled with unreserved delight as he called toward the inner door.

Lin Qingxu’s heart skipped a beat reflexively, and her thoughts immediately snapped into focus. In an instant, she followed Su Rong’s gaze toward the source of the voice.

The moment Lin Qingxu’s gaze met that of the tall man standing at the front, both were momentarily stunned.

In her mind, she had envisioned various aspects of Su Yan’s character—cold, sinister, hypocritical, vile, and arrogant. She had locked him away in the deepest depths of her imagination, bound by countless chains. Yet, the instant he appeared, all those shackles shattered in an instant.

Lin Qingxu gazed at him, feeling as if the warmth of spring had enveloped her.

Su Yan was dressed in a deep indigo robe, cinched at the waist with a belt of moonlight blue. He wore a white jade pendant that matched his aura perfectly. Delicate patterns of bamboo and orchids adorned the collar, sleeves, and side of his waist making him appear as warm and inviting as jade.

He stood tall and upright, his features strikingly handsome, yet his presence was not overbearing. His gaze naturally fell on Lin Qingxu, but then it suddenly lingered.

In that moment, his warm aura shifted, and the space between his brows tightened slightly. Just as Lin Qingxu’s heart began to race, she saw him stride confidently toward her.

She fought the impulse to clutch her heart, staring dazedly as the distance between them diminished.

Finally, he stood before her.

“What are you doing here all alone? Where’s your mother?” Su Yan spoke, his voice low and gentle, unexpectedly stirring a flutter of excitement within her.

Su Rong, still standing beside Lin Qingxu looked utterly confused.

He glanced back and forth between Su Yan and Lin Qingxu, hesitating for a moment before finally stammering, “Brother, who is she?”

Lin Qingxu didn’t even hear Su Rong’s question, she was completely transfixed by Su Yan feeling her heart race wildly.

She tried to tilt her head back, lamenting her short stature as she realized she couldn’t even reach Su Yan’s shoulder. They were standing too close, forcing her to look up just to see his entire face.

Seeing her like this, Su Yan let out a soft laugh.

In that moment, his smile seemed to melt away the subtle tension in his eyes which faded like snow. He reached up and gently touched the top of her head, speaking softly. “She is your future sister-in-law.”

Su Rong was left in shock: “…” Crap, this must not be true!

The steward sighed and rubbed his forehead: “…” You are openly criticizing your future sister-in-law.

As Su Yan took her wrist and led her to a private room to sit down, Lin Qingxu’s heart continued to pound relentlessly.

She fought hard to suppress the impulse to continue swooning and to smile foolishly, forcing herself to look away.

Lin Qingxu was a true connoisseur of good looks and soothing voices. Whenever she encountered an attractive man, she would find it difficult to move, and when she heard a melodious voice, she would shamefully feel a rush of warmth coursing through her.

And, as luck would have it, Su Yan embodied both qualities!

“Qing’er, you still haven’t answered my question. Where is your mother?” Su Yan asked gently, offering her a small plate of pastries from the table.

He remembered that during the last festival when she visited the Su residence, she had enjoyed these soft, sweet treats. Although her attention was clearly focused on them, she hesitated to reach out and take one. It was only when her desire became too great that she would cautiously look at her mother for permission before quickly snatching a piece.

Afterward, he had specially arranged for several packages of pastries to be delivered to her the next day, only to receive a brief note of thanks from her mother.

“My mother went to the embroidery shop. I came with A’wan, and she’s waiting for me outside.” Lin Qingxu said, lowering her head as she tried to keep her voice steady, not wanting to reveal any wavering emotions.

In reality, as she listened to the captivating, magnetic tone of his voice, her heart fluttered uncontrollably.

Noticing that she hadn’t touched the pastries, Su Yan assumed she was simply too shy.

“Have you and A’wan had lunch yet?”

Lin Qingxu shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the table.

While they hadn’t had a proper meal, they had snacked on a variety of treats, leaving her quite full. Unfortunately, in the midst of her infatuation, she was reluctant to reveal such a rough side of herself.

Su Yan didn’t think too much of it. He gently took hold of her wrist and said. “Since you haven’t eaten, let me take you both to lunch. Is there anything you’d like to eat, Qing’er?”

Lin Qingxu shook her head again.

In truth, she didn’t want to eat anything at all. However, as she looked at the wrist Su Yan was holding, a smile she couldn’t suppress—a smile that felt like an aunt’s—crept onto her lips.

She simply couldn’t resist the allure of a handsome man!

When Su Yan led Lin Qingxu who appeared oblivious yet was secretly flustered, along with the hesitant Su Rong, to where Lin Qingwan was waiting, she was sitting on the roadside with a string of freshly bought candied hawthorns in one hand and a skewer of fragrant grilled meat in the other, her palms still holding several hawthorn seeds.

Lin Qingwan glanced up at them and thought. Seriously? She was about to burst from overeating!

>>>