Chapter 37: Embarrassing Moments

When the door opened, a light blue dress came into view, with faintly shimmering butterfly patterns on the hem.

On her single twisted bun, she adorned it with a single hairpin, and jade dangled gracefully.

Shen Shurong smiled; she was just as she remembered, fond of simplicity.

Seeing everyone standing at the door, the woman was slightly surprised, then lowered her head and curtsied, “Li Shuang greets the Yongjia Junzhu, and greetings to cousin.”

Shen Shurong suppressed her joy, but her voice still carried excitement, “Hello, Miss Li.”

Xie Yunzhao was disturbed by the interruption. Though displeased, he remained polite. “Cousin, please come in and have a seat.”

Li Shuang, along with her maid, entered, followed by Qingzhu and Yinzhi to serve tea, leaving the door open.

Xie Yunzhao and Shen Shurong sat on opposite sides of the couch, while Li Shuang took a seat on the nearby chair.

As Shen Shurong looked at the square table in the middle, she suddenly felt pleased; otherwise, she would be laughed at.

Xie Yunzhao assessed Li Shuang, noting her frail health and her plain attire. Even as a child, he could tell she wouldn’t grow tall.

Unlike Rongrong, who was spoiled by the Grand Princess but was not weak; she had even climbed trees with him in secret.

“Cousin, you’re not feeling well; you shouldn’t have come so early.”

Li Shuang’s health was indeed fragile, and her voice was soft and low. “I heard that cousin was injured, so I thought I should come visit first, but it got a bit late yesterday.”

Shen Shurong sipped her tea, marveling at how polite this girl was.

Xie Yunzhao waved his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing; this little injury will be healed soon.”

Li Shuang smiled, “I heard that cousin was injured while protecting the Junzhu. She is also grateful to you; last night she even sent someone with medicinal supplements.”

Shen Shurong felt a bit embarrassed. How did Li Shuang know about last night’s events?

Hearing her words, Xie Yunzhao’s smile faded. “The Junzhu is my fiancée; she can send whatever she wants whenever she wants. There’s nothing to discuss about this.”

Li Shuang’s face stiffened, and she immediately blushed, lowering her head and saying softly, “What cousin said is indeed the most normal thing.”

Shen Shurong shot him a glare, warning him not to scare the young girl.

Xie Yunzhao felt displeased. Rongrong had pushed through layers of obstacles to see him, yet that damned Xie Yunzheng had said something about saving her, and now Li Shuang was expressing her gratitude.

But seeing Rongrong glare at him, he shut his mouth.

Shen Shurong tried to smooth things over, pointing to the plate of pastries beside her, “Miss Li, try this cherry pastry; it’s quite delicious.”

“Thank you, Junzhu.” Li Shuang nodded, “I remember that eldest cousin loves cherry pastries. When I was little, I would go with cousin to my home…”

“Just eat it.” Xie Yunzhao squinted. Why bring up that dead man? “Cousin seems to talk more than when she was little.”

Li Shuang quickly brought the cherry pastry to her lips and took a bite.

Shen Shurong shot him another glare. If it weren’t for the square table in between, she would have pinched him. How could he treat her good friend like this?

While she didn’t like mentioning Xie Yunzheng either, Li Shuang did, and he was being domineering by not allowing it. “It’s better for a girl to be lively than to be reserved.”

Xie Yunzhao watched her eat, and when Li Shuang had just finished one piece, she met his intense gaze, feeling pressured.

With a stiff resolve, she picked up another piece and took a bite. “Thank you, Junzhu; it’s really delicious.”

Xie Yunzhao withdrew his gaze. This was more like it.

Smiling at Shen Shurong, he said, “Rongrong should eat too. The food at Xu’s is good, but breakfast isn’t as good as at Fujuquan. I’ll take you there another day.”

Shen Shurong smiled, “Thank you, Brother Yunzhao; you know these places well.”

“There are still many fun places. Once I’m better, I’ll take you around.”

“Great, then I can also take Brother Yunzhao to the royal hot springs.”

“Speaking of hot springs, I heard from my mother that there was a time you were mischievous. When the Commandery Princess Consort left for a bit, you hid and scared her into thinking you had sunk to the bottom.”

Shen Shurong raised her fan to cover her entire face. “How would the Duchess know? I told my mother not to say anything.”

“Your father was so scared that he ran over from another pool…” He laughed heartily, “Haha!”

“Stop laughing!” Shen Shurong swatted him with her fan. “You had more embarrassing moments when you were young; don’t blame me for being merciless!”

Xie Yunzhao was not afraid; he actually wanted to hear how much Rongrong remembered. “Go ahead, say anything!”

“I remember one time you climbed a tree…” Shen Shurong began but then paused.

Xie Yunzhao’s mind began to wander, and as he thought about it, his face gradually turned red. “You can’t say that!” Was she going to mention the time he had an accident while climbing a tree?

He was five years old then, and the more the adults forbade him from doing things, the more he rebelled. But he didn’t remember her being there!

Besides, she was only three years old at the time; it seemed impossible for her to remember.

Shen Shurong covered her face with laughter, recalling the time when, at seven, he was climbing a tree to raid a bird’s nest. The Duke of Lu passed by and shouted loudly, scaring him so much that he fell straight from the tree, landing on a patch of weeds that poked him.

She had been right under the tree, and the delight of a child’s mischief was evident on her face as she laughed for a long time, even mimicking him by walking while holding his rear.

Thinking back, she realized that she had also been quite mischievous as a child; it felt like such a long time ago.

Looking at Shen Shurong’s smile, Xie Yunzhao began to feel dry-mouthed again. They had almost kissed earlier, and now the atmosphere was…

The girl in the chair picked up her teacup to drink.

Xie Yunzhao turned to look at her, puzzled. “Why is my cousin still here?”

The hand holding the teacup froze.

Shen Shurong wanted to pinch him. How could he speak like that?

Moreover, she had just arrived.

Xie Yunzhao didn’t think so. This was his cousin’s courtyard, and at sixteen, she should have left after a polite glance.

Li Shuang looked up at Xie Yunzhao. Seeing him persist with that question, she did not stand to take her leave but softly said, “I find your conversation interesting.”

Interesting enough to keep listening? Didn’t she see that his future fiancée was present? Did she not understand the need to give them space?

For the first time, Xie Yunzhao understood what it meant to be clueless; he had always been the one to hear it from others.

“Why don’t you go play with your eldest cousin?” Xie Yunzhao lost his patience, pointing to the pastries beside Li Shuang. “Didn’t you say he likes cherry pastries? Take some with you.”

Li Shuang couldn’t sit still any longer; she quickly stood up, picked up the pastries, and said, “Li Shuang takes her leave.”

As she turned, Shen Shurong saw that her eyes had turned red.

She wanted to say something to salvage the situation, but thinking of the unreliable person beside her, she gave up.

Besides, Xie Yunzheng was not someone she could meet easily. She would be happy to have this opportunity.

Shen Shurong gazed at the young girl’s retreating figure, and Xie Yunzhao frowned. She shouldn’t have been allowed in.

Rongrong shot him a glare.

Standing up, she said, “Everyone, out.” She personally walked over to close the door.

Before Li Shuang could step out of the courtyard, she turned her head and saw the door that had been open now closing tightly, just like before she arrived.

A lonely man and woman alone in a room…

Xie Yunzhao walked over, feeling that it was not quite appropriate now, lacking the atmosphere. “Rongrong.”

Shen Shurong stared at him. “Is this how you treat a young girl?”

What’s wrong with that?

Xie Yunzhao held her hand. “Can you sit by the bed for a while?”