Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

The maids quickly withdrew, leaving only Qing Shuang and Shu Tong standing a few steps away, while Hong Dou and Lü E stood further away, waiting quietly with their hands at the end of the corridor.

Jiang Sese moved step by step to the stone table and sat down carefully.

The stone bench beneath her was icy cold, but it couldn't suppress the unease in her heart.

Jiang Sese cautiously raised her eyes, meeting Xie Jue's calm gaze, and whispered, "Big Cousin..."

A sound like a cat's meow.

Xie Jue raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. "So timid, yet you dare to come to Tingsong Courtyard?"

Xie Jue leaned back in his chair with a relaxed posture, his slender fingers unconsciously stroking the glass cup he had just used, his gaze calmly fixed on Jiang Sese's face.

The little girl had clear and pure eyes, but her face was also captivatingly beautiful.

Xie Jue calmly withdrew his gaze and said, "You came to see me because of Wu Weizhen?"

Jiang Sese's heart skipped a beat.

Jiang Sese dared not beat around the bush in front of Xie Jue. According to the description in the book, every move in this mansion was under Xie Jue's watchful eye.

Would she dare lie to him? She might be dragged out and beaten to death on the spot.

Jiang Sese nodded and said, "Cousin, Young Master Wu is a good person, but I don't want to marry him."

Xie Jue stopped stroking the rim of the cup and asked, "Why are you unwilling?"

Wu Weizhen is a good person with good character and talent, but his parents and grandmother are not easy to get along with.

Therefore, Xie Jue did not make a decision for Jiang Sese.

She simply asked Qing Shuang to find two maids and reveal this to Jiang Sese.

As for how Jiang Sese will choose, that's her business.

But Xie Jue believed that if Jiang Sese was a smart person, she wouldn't choose to marry Wu Weizhen. And the only person in the mansion who could help her was him.

So Xie Jue gave the order that if Jiang Sese came, she should be allowed to come in directly.

If she doesn't come, then forget it.

Jiang Sese felt a tightness in her heart under Xie Jue's gaze, and secretly pinched her palm with her fingertips.

Countless excuses flashed through his mind, but none of them would be good excuses in front of Xie Jue.

Forget it, I'd better be honest to save my life.

Jiang Sese lowered her eyes and stammered, "Because...because the person I'm looking for isn't him."

Xie Jue's lips twitched slightly upwards as he pressed on, "Then who is your beloved?"

Jiang Sese's mind went blank for a moment, and her cheeks suddenly burned hot. I don't have anyone I like!

Big brother, why aren't you playing by the rules?

Is it appropriate to ask a young lady such private thoughts face to face?

Damn it, how is she supposed to answer this?!

Jiang Sese's mind was racing, when suddenly a brilliant idea struck her, and she asked, "Why does Big Cousin want to know?"

Xie Jue said quietly, "I don't want to know."

Jiang Sese: ...Look at you, you're pretending again.

Why ask if you don't want to know?

Jiang Sese tried to steer the conversation back to Wu Weizhen, but Xie Jue suddenly said, "Since there's nothing else, would you like to play a game of Go with me, Cousin Jiang?"

As he spoke, Xie Jue turned to Qing Shuang and instructed, "Go to the study and get that set of..."

Jiang Sese quickly interrupted Xie Jue: "...Big Cousin, I don't know how to play chess."

Standing a few steps away, Qing Shuang and Shu Tong, whose faces were usually calm, both showed expressions of astonishment and fear.

To everyone's surprise, the young lady didn't know how to play chess.

What horrified me was that she actually dared to interrupt the eldest young master!