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

This was the first time Jiang Sese had seen Xie Yao since the incident at the hot spring villa.

The Xie Yao standing before Jiang Sese now had all the frivolous and dissolute air about him gone.

It's true that her whole demeanor has changed.

He used to seem like just a playboy who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun.

Now there's an indescribable quality to his eyes and brows.

Jiang Sese thought, "Maybe this is what happens after you've studied."

When Xie Yao saw Jiang Sese, his steps visibly paused for a moment, but only for a second before he regained his usual composure and said in a barely audible voice, "...Sister-in-law."

The two words, spoken lightly, seemed as if they had been crushed between the lips and teeth before being uttered.

Jiang Sese also came to her senses and nodded slightly in return, "Third brother."

"Are you here to pay your respects to your mother? She's inside."

Xie Yao looked at her intently, a hint of longing in his eyes, and silently nodded, "Mm."

There was a moment of silence between them.

Jiang Sese suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

After all, Xie Yao had said he liked her before... Although she didn't take it seriously, and Xie Yao himself had already let bygones be bygones, she still felt a little uncomfortable standing face to face with him at this moment.

Jiang Sese was about to say, "Then you should go in quickly," but then felt that it sounded like she was kicking someone out. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to end things in a more relaxed way, so she said with a grin, "By the way, I haven't congratulated my third brother on becoming the third-ranked scholar yet. I haven't had a chance to say it to his face. My third brother is really amazing!"

Xie Yao, who had been looking down, twitched almost imperceptibly between his brows when he heard the words "third-place scholar," and a faint hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

But then she finished speaking—

Xie Yao was slightly taken aback, raised his eyelids, and his usually cold and deep peach blossom eyes suddenly seemed to light up as if something had been ignited within them. His voice carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement: "...Really?"

"You really think... the third-ranked scholar is also very impressive?"

Hearing Xie Yao's highly uncertain tone, Jiang Sese took a breath in disbelief and nodded vigorously without hesitation, saying, "Of course it's true! He's the third-ranked scholar! Third in the first class, third in the whole country! I never knew you were so good at studying! Oh, you didn't seem to study much before, but you came back as the third-ranked scholar in the exam. How did you get such a high score?"

Even the third-ranked scholar isn't satisfied? If the students who failed the exam knew this, they'd probably want to beat him up. Is this even human language?

Xie Yao finally showed a genuine smile: "Actually, I studied before, but I didn't put my heart into it. Later, I went to Changzhou and started learning from scratch with Mr. Gongsun. I had to get up at dawn every day and listen to lectures at dusk. The food at my teacher's house was too bland, you don't know. I got tanned and lost several pounds. It took me a long time to recover after I came back."

Xie Yao downplayed the hardships of his studies, his tone carrying the familiar playfulness and ease.

Jiang Sese thought about Xie Yao's dark and thin appearance and couldn't help but smile. It was a bright and radiant smile, just like always: "That must be really hard work."

It is indeed hard to imagine that such an uneducated person could have such perseverance.

Although it's a good thing, Jiang Sese is also curious as to why it's different from what's in the book.

Xie Yao gave a slight smirk: "Did you work hard...?"

At that time, I just wished I could suffer even more.

Suffering needs to be shared.

If one thing is bitter, then it's bitter to the core; if two things are bitter, the pain is spread out. So, when you encounter too many bitter things, you become numb and can no longer perceive the taste of bitterness.

People who are constantly suffering don't realize how bitter they are.

Xie Yao gazed tenderly at Jiang Sese, smiled faintly, and spoke in his usual soft, murmured tone, as always that of a playboy: "Do you know what orpiment is?"

"Orpiment?" Jiang Sese blinked, the first thing that popped into her mind was the idiom "to speak nonsense without thinking." After thinking for a moment, she said uncertainly, "Is it... used to correct typos?"

Xie Yao nodded slightly and smiled, "Once, when I was writing an essay, I got stuck halfway through. I kept revising a particular word or phrase, and each time I revised it, I would apply a layer of orpiment. Eventually, that spot dried completely and bulged up, like a small, hard lump of yellow earth."

Xie Yao's face darkened, and he imitated Mr. Gongsun's manner at the time, saying, "Mr. Gongsun picked up my manuscript and pointed to the raised piece of orpiment, jokingly saying, 'Your article is full of gold and jade inside, but the paper is covered with yellow earth, just like fertile fields that have not been cultivated and are overgrown with weeds.'"

Jiang Sese laughed: "The metaphor of fertile land not being cultivated is excellent."

"Yes." Xie Yao also smiled, a faint self-mockery appearing in his eyes. "From then on, I would think carefully before putting pen to paper, and dare not scribble or make changes randomly anymore. The teacher said that writing is like being a person: make clear choices and never regret your decisions."

"That's true." Jiang Sese nodded, but secretly sighed in her heart.

Xie Yao used to do whatever he wanted, never caring about choices.

Now I understand the principle of "once a move is made, there's no going back," and this change truly comes from the core of my being.

Jiang Sese finally couldn't resist and, taking advantage of the relaxed atmosphere, asked with eyes full of gossip, "So why did you suddenly want to take the imperial examination?"

for you.

Looking into Jiang Sese's clear and beautiful eyes, Xie Yao almost blurted out.

But he can't.

His heart seemed to be cooking in a pan of oil, but he only showed a faint, charming smile on his face. Xie Yao smiled and said, "What man doesn't love fame and fortune? I just used to be too stupid and didn't understand."

Jiang Sese nodded, agreeing that there was indeed some truth to what she said.

Just like who wouldn't want to get into Tsinghua or Peking University?

At this point, Jiang Sese felt there wasn't much more to say. Besides, it wasn't convenient for her to chat with her brother-in-law any longer, so she could only end with this sentence: "Then you must become a good official in the future."

Xie Yao nodded: "Okay."

Shui Hong's figure gradually disappeared into the distance.

Xie Yao stood there watching her walk away. The relaxed and carefree demeanor he had just displayed faded away like a thin mist blown away by the wind, leaving him looking somewhat dazed and pale.