The antique girlfriend of a chaebol heir

Xie Shuyun swallowed, feeling a chill run down her spine. She quickly coughed lightly, trying to bring her brother back to his senses.

She whispered, "Brother, how about... I just give up on that painting?"

"A loss is a loss. Am I someone who can't accept defeat?"

Xie Shuheng's phoenix eyes still burned with intense interest, shining brightly.

"Miss Shen, let's have another one..."

"It's getting late."

Jiang Duo interrupted him.

He held Shen Ci's hand, completely enveloping her fingertips.

His gaze fell on Xie Shuheng's face, sweeping over him indifferently. "It's time to eat."

"It was my oversight."

Xie Shuheng still wore that flamboyant smile, but his eyes darkened, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, the ripples spreading out before quickly returning to calm.

"Ms. Shen, let's continue next time."

Shen Ci opened her mouth, but before she could utter a sound, her wrist was suddenly tightened.

Jiang Duo had already pulled her around.

"Youyou, wait for me."

Xie Shuyun caught up and naturally took Shen Ci's other arm.

"The chef here makes pretty good crab roe buns; you must try them later. My brother also had some fish specially air-freighted over today, caught in Hokkaido at dawn—it's incredibly delicious as sashimi..."

Jiang Duo, standing to the side, found her extremely noisy.

After finishing their meal, the young men and women went to the artificial lake in Xie Garden.

The lake is as wide as a mirror, reflecting the colorful mountains in the distance, with red, yellow and green hues intermingling, like an oil painting blurred by the autumn wind.

Several small boats had already been prepared by the lake. The boats were not large, but they were spacious. The cabins were lined with soft cushions, and a low table was placed in the middle, on which tea, wine and snacks were served.

Xie Shuyun pulled Shen Ci onto the first boat, with Xie Shuheng following closely behind, leaning lazily against the bow.

Jiang Duo was the last to come up and sat down next to Shen Ci, the two of them very close.

On another boat, Yin Kuozheng and Yu Xingye were talking to their female companions, their laughter coming from across the water, intermittent and faint.

Before long, the small boat drifted away from the shore.

The autumn breeze is refreshing, carrying the moisture of the lake and the fragrance of distant grass and trees.

The scenery along the way is very beautiful. The reeds on the shore sway in the wind, and occasionally water birds skim across the lake, their wings breaking the reflection and creating ripples.

This was Shen Ci's first time on a boat.

In her previous life, she was born into wealth and beauty, but confined to her boudoir. Every day, she could only see the sky in the four corners of the courtyard and hear the whispers of her maids and servants.

The Jiangnan region is rich in waterways, with a network of canals. Boats, painted barges, and pleasure boats shuttle between stone bridges and willow banks, a scene she had only ever read about in poems.

She was appreciating the scenery around her very attentively.

Xie Shuyun was saying something to her, but she only caught half of what she heard.

Her senses were completely occupied by this unfamiliar experience—the slight rocking of the boat, the sound of waves lapping against the bottom, the sunlight piercing through the clouds and falling like shattered gold on the lake, and the wind, that omnipresent, all-pervasive wind carrying the scent of distant lands.

She instinctively reached out her hand, her fingertips touching the wind sweeping past the ship's side, the coolness seeping into her skin.

Jiang Duo sat beside her, his gaze fixed on the outstretched hand she held out.

Fair-skinned, slender, with slightly curled fingertips, as if trying to catch something unseen.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, making the hand almost transparent, revealing the veins beneath the skin, as fragile as an autumn leaf.

And she was as swift as the wind.

Her hair was blown into disarray, her clothes fluttered gently, and her shoulders and back were straight, yet she exuded a strange lightness.

Jiang Duo suddenly felt as if she could slip through his fingers at any moment.

The thought came without warning, like a fine needle piercing his heart unexpectedly. Jiang Duo subconsciously gripped the ship's plank beside him, the wood grain digging into his palm and causing a dull pain.

Xie Shuyun was talking enthusiastically about all sorts of things when she suddenly felt a little dry. She pointed to a wine pot on the low table and enthusiastically recommended, "Youyou, this is a special wine from Xie Garden. The winemaker makes it from grapes grown in the garden. It's very sweet. Would you like to try some?"

Seeing Shen Ci nod, Xie Shuyun was about to reach for the wine pot when a hand with distinct knuckles reached out and covered it first.

"I'll do it."

Xie Shuheng spoke lazily, leaning forward and peering over the bow of the boat.

He picked up the wine jug, gently swirled it, and the amber liquid flowed into the white porcelain cup.

"This is similar to a fruit drink," he looked up, his gaze falling on Shen Ci's face, his phoenix eyes slightly upturned, a smile spreading from his eyes, "not too intoxicating."

After saying that, he personally took the wine glass, raised his hand, and handed it to Shen Ci.

"Thanks."

Shen Ci took a small sip of wine.

It has a sweet and refreshing taste, which is really good. The fruity aroma melts on the tongue, with the unique tartness of grapes, mild and not overpowering.

Xie Shuheng looked at her.

My gaze slowly moved from her lowered eyelashes to her slightly parted lips.

Her lips were very pale, and after being moistened by the wine, they had a glossy sheen, like flower petals in the morning dew.

And the spot where she was sipping her drink—the slightly damp curve of the rim—was where he had just held it.

"How is it?" Xie Shuyun leaned closer and asked impatiently.

"It tastes great."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Shuheng poured some more water into her cup.

"Brother," Xie Shuyun pushed her cup forward, "Jiang Duo and I still have empty cups."

Xie Shuheng then lazily filled their glasses as if he had just remembered.

"This is Miss Shen's first time visiting Xie Garden," he put down the wine pot, his phoenix eyes slightly raised, a smile spreading from his eyes, carrying a sense of matter-of-fact magnanimity, "I naturally have to take good care of her."

Xie Shuyun didn't notice anything amiss.

She was so engrossed in smelling the aroma of the wine that she even nodded in agreement, saying, "Brother, you've finally come to your senses."

Jiang Duo, however, glanced lightly at Xie Shuheng's face before his gaze fell on Shen Ci's refilled wine glass, his eyes darkening.

The wine has a mild flavor, but a strong aftertaste.

After two drinks, a blush gradually spread across Shen Ci's face, like the sunset spreading from the horizon to her cheeks.

The boat rocked gently, the water lapping against its hull. She even felt a little dizzy, as the lake and mountains before her were shrouded in a soft mist.

Xie Shuyun, who had a moderate alcohol tolerance, drank more than Shen Ci and was already speaking somewhat incoherently.

She slumped on the cushions, her face flushed, her voice slurred with drunkenness: "Youyou... how did you come to like Jiang Duo?"

She hiccuped and waved her hand, "You're so gentle and beautiful... you should find a gentle boyfriend... why did you choose this unpredictable guy..."

"Shuyun, shut up," Xie Shuheng whispered a reprimand from the side.

Shen Ci leaned against the ship's railing, feeling even more dizzy. The autumn wind brushed her face, but it couldn't dispel the heat welling up from the bottom of her heart.

Her gaze, however, involuntarily drifted to her side.

Jiang Duo sat there, his silhouette bathed in the pale gold of the autumn sun.

As expected of the male protagonist in the book, he is indeed handsome.

Xie Shuyun asked again, her voice stubborn and slurred with drunkenness: "Why? What is it about him that attracts you?"

Shen Ci opened his mouth.

As the effects of the alcohol surged, those clear-headed thoughts and rationality receded like the tide.

Looking at Jiang Duo's overly handsome profile, she suddenly blurted out—

"Because he's handsome and rich."

Xie Shuyun was stunned for a moment.

Then she suddenly burst into laughter, a clear, unrestrained laugh tinged with alcohol, echoing through the cabin: "Hahaha... Youyou... how can you be so honest..."

As she laughed, she suddenly stopped, tilted her head, looked at Shen Ci with hazy, drunken eyes, and lowered her voice.

"But I feel... you don't really like him... there's no pink bubble in your eyes when you look at him..."

Shen Ci leaned against the gunwale, his drunkenness deepening.

"Maybe..." she said softly, "I've realized I'm not short of money."