Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 104 Masked Man

"Die there."

Shen Qingzhou felt a momentary daze, and the bleak autumn light transformed into winter snow.

As expected, all the coincidences were not just his imagination.

If he could come back after six years, why couldn't she?

He woke up after falling into the water in February, and so did she.

There were actually signs all along, but he chose to ignore them.

The glass was almost empty, but it was still sloshing around. He put it down and slowly slipped his hands into his sleeves.

A surge of emotion welled up inside him, causing him to look at the face before him again and again.

After six months of getting to know each other, the bright and lively fifteen-year-old girl gradually replaced the wretched and miserable girl from her previous life, who was consumed by hatred.

Only now, as she recounts that snowy night, do the two figures merge into one.

"...Anyway, that's how it is. I died together with Jiang. Although I dragged her down with me, I still feel like I lost out."

"I have sacrificed too much."

"Moreover, I don't want to live a good life like in my dream, where all I want is revenge."

Lu Jia spoke half-jokingly, and after a long silence, she leaned closer to Shen Qingzhou and asked, "You don't believe me, do you? Do you think I'm talking nonsense? Or are you scared by me?"

The girl's face was full of doubt, and upon closer inspection, there was also a slight hint of unease.

Shen Qingzhou couldn't help but raise his hand, gently stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. Her face was warm and vibrant.

At this age, her complexion is rosy and healthy, radiating vitality and energy. She is completely different from how she looked in her previous life.

He looked down at the ground, where the setting sun cast long, long shadows of the two of them, and the slightest movement looked like two vibrating musical strings.

How could he not believe it?

He had the same dream before.

Everything she had dreamed of, he had also seen.

They both dream of each other.

He said, "It really does feel real."

“Right,” Lu Jia, who had been waiting for a long time, finally straightened up after hearing this, “Even if you asked me to make it up, I couldn’t.”

Shen Qingzhou raised her eyes: "How much do you remember about that masked man you mentioned?"

"Him," Lu Jia recalled, "I only remember him as murderous and ruthless. In short, he was not easy to get along with."

"But his kung fu is quite good, maybe even better than yours."

After all, Lu Jia had witnessed him kill people with her own eyes; he was incredibly ruthless.

Qin Zhou was skilled in martial arts, but he had never killed anyone. In fact, he was gentle most of the time.

Shen Qingzhou asked, "If you saw him, would you recognize him?"

"It's a bit difficult. It was already pitch black, and in our haste to escape, we didn't have time to look around."

Lu Jia recalled that imposing figure and the imposing aura of that person charging into battle. It was indeed very impressive, but without seeing the face, it was all for naught.

"What about the voice?" Shen Qingzhou asked again. "You two have talked, so you should be able to recognize each other by the voice."

“Impossible,” Lu Jia glanced at him. “Try speaking while wearing a mask. Your voice will change.”

Shen Qingzhou sat for a while longer, then stood up and said, "It's getting dark, let's go back to our rooms and avoid catching a cold."

Lu Jia watched his retreating figure as he walked towards his residence, then glanced at the books left on the table, a sense of bewilderment rising within her. He had eagerly followed her, asking her questions, and now he was leaving so casually?
……

After dinner, Shen Qingzhou sat in the room for half the night. When He Qu returned, he was still staring blankly at the oil lamp.

He Qu patted his sleeves. "It took a lot of effort. The defenses of the Minister's residence are no joke. We found the study, and although there was no one inside, it was very difficult to get close. I had to gather two brothers to provide cover so we could get in."

Shen Qingzhou asked, "Did you find anything along the way?"

He Qu shook his head: "The most important person in the Lu family is Lu Jie. Now that he's back in the inner quarters, there's no one left to pay attention to."

Shen Qingzhou nodded, then glanced in the direction where Lu Jia lived and said, "Be more careful in the future. Once she returns to the Lu family, we'll find an excuse to leave."

He Qu glanced at it as well: "Please enlighten me, young master."

Under the oil lamp, Shen Qingzhou slowly twirled the silver hairpin in her hand: "She has seen my mask."

Lu Jia has not only seen Shen Qingzhou's mask, but she is also Lu Jie's daughter. All her efforts now are aimed at returning to the Lu family.

Behind Shen Qingzhou are many other people, all of whom are living, breathing human beings.

What he was doing was something he never revealed in his previous life until his death. Even his own father didn't know what he was doing. Despite such strict guarding, so many people still died, and in the end, he still couldn't escape death. Now that he finally has another chance to achieve his goal, how could he not be even more careful?

She was an unexpected surprise.

Shen Qingzhou never intended for Lu Jia to get involved in the court's power struggles, nor did he intend to meet her as a member of the Shen family.

It is precisely because I didn't want to that I have stayed by her side until now, and that I have helped her without any burden.

Because he is a "masked man," and she has memories of her past life, this is dangerous.

"My subordinates know."

During the brief moment of Shen Qingzhou's silence, He Qu also sighed.

……

The morning light enveloped the earth.

As usual, Yang Bonong prepared tea at dawn and carried it into the study, waiting to start the day's work with Lu Jie.

"Where did this come from?"

Lu Jie's voice came from the courtyard of the study as soon as he stepped out.

Immediately following was the anxious and bewildered reply from the guards watching the courtyard. "My lord, you are wise! We were not negligent in the slightest last night..."

Yang Bonong was stunned for a moment, then quickly stepped forward, just in time to catch Lu Jie stepping out from behind the curtain and handing him a letter.

Yang Bonong glanced at the guard on the ground, took the letter in his hand, and after reading it, his expression quickly became serious: "This was sent out in the name of the Lu family, but I have never seen this document before."

Lu Jie's affairs were all handled by him. This was a letter ordering the Shawan County government, under the jurisdiction of Tanzhou Prefecture, to handle a case, but he had never seen it before. Moreover, the letter was harshly worded, which was not their style at all.

"I see."

Lu Jie pulled the letter back.

Yang Bonong understood. "It's Madam."

Lu Jie slowly folded the letter, speaking in the same slow and deliberate manner: "Why Tanzhou?"

Yang Bonong shook his head; he was also puzzled.

“This place seems to be appearing frequently lately.” Lu Jie sat back down at his desk, tapping the tabletop lightly with his knuckles.

When he said that, Yang Bonong remembered it too.

"The strange girl at Xia'er Tower that day said she was also from Tanzhou Prefecture!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Jie stopped tapping his fingers on the table.