Fairy, you call this repaying a debt of gratitude?

Then Qin Yunshang turned to Wen Xuantong and asked, "Uncle Wen, what do you think?"

Wen Xuantong coughed twice. "Of course... it's entirely up to Miss Qin."

Shen Wei turned to look at Yu Tang, "Go and inform your brother of the information we just received, so that he can take precautions."

After giving instructions to Wen Yutang, he turned back to Wen Xuantong and bowed slightly, saying, "Master Wen, please excuse me."

Watching the two walk away side by side, Wen Xuantong glanced at Wen Yutang, who was still sulking beside him, and couldn't help but lower his voice to ask, "Yutang, does he know Miss Qin?"

"have no idea."

Wen Yutang snorted, whether out of dissatisfaction with Wen Xuantong or something else, and then turned and left.

"Hey, Yutang! Don't go!" Seeing this, Wen Xuantong quickly took two steps after her, asking urgently.

"What information were you just talking about? And what does it concern?"

......

......

On the other side, Shen Wei followed Qin Yunshang into her guest room.

The room was elegantly decorated, with a pot of elegant black orchids on the table. In addition to the faint fragrance of orchids, there was also a unique fragrance that belonged to a young girl.

"Anhe, bring some of the best tea leaves."

Anhe should be the name of her personal maid, but he had no recollection of this maid, so she must have only been with Qin Yunshang for the past few years.

After the two sat down, a maid in a blue dress came slowly with a tea tray and poured a cup of hot tea for each of them with gentle and skillful movements.

While pouring tea, An He couldn't help but steal a few more glances at Shen Wei, thinking to herself:

Is this the person Miss has been longing for and searching for all these years?

He was so handsome...

No wonder Miss has been searching for so many years.

After An He left, Qin Yunshang's gaze swept over Shen Wei's body. She saw that he was not injured, but he had a more weathered look after running around for the past two days.

She recalled what Wen Yutang had said in front of the mansion gate and couldn't help but sigh.

"You still love playing the hero so much."

"It's not about playing the hero, it's just doing my part. I can't do any more."

"You still love to argue, just like you did when you were a kid."

Shen Wei's hand holding the teacup paused almost imperceptibly for a moment. This kind of nagging, didactic talk sounded just like what his mother would say on a daily basis.

It just goes to show how much a girl can change as she grows up.

The Qin Yunshang before my eyes has not only lost the childishness of her childhood, but also the cuteness that came from her aloofness has completely disappeared. She exudes a cold and aloof aura that keeps strangers at bay, and even her personality has changed drastically.

Where did that little girl, who used to timidly follow behind him, clutching his clothes tightly with her tiny hands, and asking him in a soft, sweet voice, "Brother, where are we going to play now?" go?

Women are indeed unpredictable creatures.

Seeing that Shen Wei hadn't answered for a while, Qin Yunshang seemed to realize that what she had said was somewhat inappropriate.

But she continued to speak.

"What, do you think I'm different from before? That I'm not cute anymore if I don't obey you completely?"

"No......"

"Hmph, isn't this all because of a certain guy?" Qin Yunshang snorted lightly, "Not a single letter has been sent all these years..."

If I don't become tougher, how can I uphold the power my father has placed on me, and how can I be able to search for you everywhere?

He didn't know what had happened to her over the years, and that she needed to become tougher in order to take over the power her father had left her.

Qin Yunshang's tone softened, her gaze falling on the sword at Shen Wei's waist, and she added softly,

"Actually, that's the only thing you haven't changed about; everything else has changed a lot. If it weren't for the sword you're still carrying at your waist, I might not have recognized you."

As she said this, the image of Shen Wei's icy demeanor on the day of their reunion flashed through her mind, a stark contrast to the boy who had protected and doted on her in her childhood.

Thinking of this, most of the resentment in Qin Yunshang's heart dissipated. She knew that Shen Wei must have suffered unimaginable hardships and torments to become like this.

After a moment of silence, she brought up the topic again.

After a moment of silence, she brought up the topic that had been lingering in her mind for so long, her tone tentative and cautious: "You...you really won't come back to the capital with me?"

"Return."

Qin Yunshang's face froze for a moment.

"real?"

"Really, but not now." Shen Wei nodded gently.

The truth behind my family's massacre, and some unresolved grudges, all need to be resolved before I can return to the capital with you in peace. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to you, to me, or... anyone else.

Qin Yunshang nodded. Even though the matter was far from being settled, she was very happy just to hear such a promise from him.

She picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and hid half her face behind the rim, but you could still see that her cheeks were slightly flushed. Her voice held a hint of shyness as she softly said…

"Also... you can't disregard certain promises just because they were made when we were children."

Shen Wei was stunned for a moment, and the past scenes instantly flooded his mind. He knew what she meant by the promise.

Qin Yunshang was the youngest child in the Qin family. She had two older sisters, the eldest of whom was introverted.

The eldest sister was quiet and reserved, and rarely got close to her. Only the second sister was lively and cheerful, and often liked to tease her. She was the closest person to her besides Shen Wei.

But a few years after her birth, her second sister was getting married.

The marriage was a perfect match, and the two were deeply in love. The whole household was filled with joy, and people came to offer their congratulations in an endless stream. Everyone was happy for Qin Yunshang's second sister.

Only Qin Yunshang, alone, hid in a corner of the garden in the mansion, head down, eyes red, out of place with the surrounding noise.

In her opinion, marriage was not a good thing at all. After her second sister got married, she would leave her and would never be able to play with her like before.

Shen Wei had no choice but to run over and comfort her, "Even though your second sister is married, it's not like you won't see her anymore. You can still go visit her, and she'll still treat you the same way she always did."

"But she'll have a baby." Qin Yunshang raised her tear-streaked face, her voice choked with sobs, "Then, I won't be the closest person to her anymore. She'll only love the baby, not me."

Shen Wei was amused and somewhat helpless by her childish way of thinking, so he had to try a different approach to comfort her:

"But Second Sister will be very happy. She will marry the man she has loved since she was a child. They will stay together forever and never be separated again. It is a wonderful thing."

"Happiness...?" Qin Yunshang blinked her red eyes, repeating the word as if she understood, then looked up at Shen Wei with a determined gaze, "Then I want to marry Brother Lu, and I want to be happy too."

At the time, he thought it was just a casual remark from a young girl, but he couldn't resist her persistent pleading, so he reluctantly agreed.

Moreover, both sets of parents had high hopes for the couple, and to outsiders, it was only natural that they would get married after establishing their engagement.

"Natural arithmetic".

"You're not allowed to lie to me again." Qin Yunshang stared into his eyes, remaining silent for a moment before speaking.

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"We agreed to continue playing chess the next day when we went back that day, but you disappeared the next day."

Qin Yunshang knew that he was not to blame for this, but for some reason, whenever she was by his side, she couldn't help but act a little spoiled, as if she wanted to make up for all the companionship she had missed in the past ten years.

Shen Wei knew what Qin Yunshang was referring to, but he knew he owed her too much, so he could only patiently coax her:

"Okay, okay, it was my fault. I shouldn't have lied to you, but that was the last time. I promise I'll never lie to you again, okay?"

Qin Yunshang gave him a dismissive glance.

I hope you'll keep your word.

Seeing that her expression had softened, Shen Wei seized the opportunity to ask, "So what did you mean when you called me here saying you had something important to discuss?"

"Actually, it's nothing important." Qin Yunshang took a sip of tea, a hint of a smile in her eyes, her tone casual. "I just don't like Uncle Wen's sarcastic remarks about you, so I wanted to pull you over here to avoid it."

Shen Wei was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting this answer, his face full of astonishment.

Seeing his dazed expression, Qin Yunshang couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Of course it's not that simple."

Shen Wei realized what was happening, then gave a wry smile. He had a feeling that Qin Yunshang really enjoyed seeing him make a fool of himself.

Is this considered punishment for him?