"So it was you."

  A handsome young man walked out of the bamboo forest, wearing a long ivory-white brocade robe with silver silk trim, which made him look elegant and slender compared to that naive and simple bun.

  He walked up to Shen Miao and stopped in front of her, looking down at her with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

  The young man's head was extremely high, and Shen Miao barely reached his chest. He looked at her with a mischievous smile, as if looking at a child, but because of his handsome face, it didn't make people feel disgusted at all. If it were an ordinary girl, she would probably be nervous and blushing by now.

  However, Shen Miao was not the real Dou Xiang, she swept a glance at him and didn't speak.

  The young man, however, hooked his lips into a smile, and somehow had acquired a delicate short knife in his hand. He pointed the scabbard end at himself, using the hilt to lift Shen Miao's chin, forcing her to raise her head.

  Shen Miao had no choice but to cast her gaze towards him.

  The young man, about eighteen or nineteen years old, had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes that seemed to hold autumn water. His smile was ambiguous, making him look very charming. However, the depth of his gaze sent chills down one's spine, for it was a pair of sharp eyes that could almost see through to the bottom of one's heart. A person like this, even if their exterior is carefree and frivolous, may have an inner heart as cold as ice, making it difficult for others to penetrate.

  She took a deep breath and stepped back, letting the hilt of the dagger leave her chin. She said warmly: "Thank you, Young Master Xie."

  Xie Jinghang smiled and said in a tone that was hard to discern: "Do you know me?"

  "In the capital, who doesn't know the great name of Young Master Xie Xiaohou?" Shen Miao said calmly. This sentence seemed to have some sarcastic meaning in it, but when she said it, it was surprisingly serious, making it hard for people to discern her tone.

  "I don't know you." Xie Jinghang glanced at her, then glanced at the trembling Tangtang on the ground: "It was you who let Su Minglang pass on a message to the Su family."

  "What's the message?" Shen Miao looked at him, and suddenly smiled slightly: "It's just teaching him a way to avoid being scolded by his father, diverting attention. Why use the phrase 'passing on a message'? Young Master Hou is thinking too much."

  "Think too much?" The young man muttered a few words, suddenly pounced forward, almost pushing Shen Miao against the huge tree trunk behind her. He looked ambiguous, but his tone was very clear: "If I don't think more, I would have been deceived by you."

  Shen Miao furrowed her brow.

  Although Ming Qi was not too strict about the relationship between men and women, such behavior by an unmarried couple in broad daylight was indeed a loss of etiquette. Especially outside Guangwen Hall, where many noble young masters gathered, if they were seen, she didn't mind ruining her own reputation, but feared that Shen Xin would be humiliated because of her. In her previous life, the Shen family had been destroyed because of her, and only now did she see her parents' painstaking efforts, reborn to protect the family, how could she allow others to say anything bad about the Shen family? Moreover, it was all because of her.

  At this, Shen Miao couldn't help but feel a bit impatient and said: "Thank you, Young Master Xie, for taking the trouble to ask questions, what exactly do you want to do?"

  Xie Jinghang gazed at the girl in front of him.

  He has always had a keen intuition about everything, and some things can be seen from the surface. These are all honed in over a decade of life, having killed people on the battlefield, the intrigue and struggle beneath the surface of the capital, and the hidden calculations in the back palace. He didn't grow up to be so arrogant just by luck. Among the many noble families' sons, there have never been fewer who die each year for various reasons.

  He never takes anything lightly.

  Su Minglang's words, Su Mingfen wouldn't think of anything else, and Old Master Su also thought it was his son inadvertently reminding him. In his opinion, however, it wasn't the case - the timing was too cleverly grasped, and true coincidences in this world were too rare. Many superficial coincidences were actually man-made.

  He can be sure that someone is instructing Su Minglang to say this, but what the purpose is, is unknown.

  He plans to meet this person.

  But when he actually met this person, it was beyond his expectation.

  Xie Jinghang originally thought that the person who could say such profound words must be a young master from a prestigious family or a young man about to enter officialdom. Perhaps it was to win over the Su family, or perhaps it was to lure them into a trap. However, when he saw this person, he almost thought it was Su Minglang intentionally causing trouble. It wasn't until the girl called out to Su Minglang that he confirmed it was indeed him.

  The girl in front of him was not tall, barely reaching his chest. Her face was not particularly striking, at most it could be said to be cute. She looked like she was only eleven or twelve years old, with a double-bun hairstyle, round face, round eyes, small lips, and stood there awkwardly, like a little deer lost in the woods. Yet, she stood up straight and elegantly, speaking slowly and deliberately, as if she were a noblewoman from the palace. Could it be that she wanted to be an empress? If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Xie Jinghang would have almost choked on his own saliva.

  Look up and down, left and right, it's just a yellow-haired girl.

  Until I said a few words with her.

  Her face was childish, but her tone was calm and composed. Not only did she not show a hint of panic, but she also seemed somewhat impatient. This was the first time for Xie Xiaojun. Other women would have blushed bright red when he got this close, but she was pale and uninteresting.

  It's probably because I'm too young and don't understand anything yet. But why did I understand what Su said?

  He had one hand propped against the tree trunk behind Shen Miao, and from the outside, it seemed like he was going to encircle Shen Miao in his arms. Xie Jinghang lowered his head, leaning very close to Shen Miao.

  "You're not afraid of me."

  "Little Master Hou is not a man-eating monster, what's there to be afraid of?" Shen Miao said calmly: "If there's nothing else, I'll head back to the academy first." She then turned to leave.

  "Halt." Xie Jing raised his hand, and Shen Miao's hair brushed past his palm, ticklish as if ants were crawling over it. He withdrew his hand, took a few steps back to lean against the tree, crossed his arms over his chest, and resumed his nonchalant demeanor.

  "Remind Su Jia, what is your purpose?"

  His words are as sharp as his eyes, never concealing the piercing intensity within, directly stirring yet containing infinite depth.

  Shen Miao sighed softly in her heart.

  Xie Jinghang is even smarter than she imagined. Su Minglang can find this place with just one sentence, and after finding it, he can also ask about the purpose. In his previous life, he only said that there were mountains and valleys in his chest, but now it seems that he is also a person who thinks clearly.

  When dealing with clever people, how can one conceal their true intentions? Unfortunately, she never thought of concealing them.

  Nothing else, just self-protection.

  After saying this, she gave a slight bow to Xie Jingying and turned away without paying attention to anyone else.

  Six words, Xie Jinghang will understand.

  Behind her, the young man curled up his lips and played with the short knife in his hand.

  "What's Su Minglang's name?"

  Digression

  Mumu da, little master Hou how is it?