If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

The carriage rumbled along the banks of the Qinhuai River and turned into Wuyi Lane.

The residences of the Wang and Xie families were both located here, in Wuyi Lane, a symbol of their family status and prestige.

Xi Lingxian lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked outside.

At the entrance of the alley stands a tall ebony gate, with ebony pillars, exuding a magnificent aura.

Inside the box, a wide stone-paved path allows four horses to ride abreast; high walls stretch on both sides, with white walls and black tiles, and green bamboo peeks out from inside the walls, casting sparse shadows.

The residences of aristocratic families are naturally different from ordinary alleys and lanes, and the places they visit are a world unto themselves.

The carriage traveled about an arrow's distance before stopping in front of a mansion.

The mansion gate has five bays, a hip roof, and upturned eaves at both ends of the main ridge. Above the gate hangs a plaque with the words "Xie Mansion".

There were servants in blue robes waiting at the door. As soon as the carriage came to a stop, they rushed forward to greet it.

Xi Song dismounted and handed the reins to the doorman; then, out of the corner of Xi Hui's eye, he reluctantly helped Xi Lingxian out of the carriage.

Xi Yao and Xi Hui looked up and saw this scene. They exchanged a glance and raised their eyebrows.

The servants of the Xie family bowed and said respectfully, "Greetings to all the ladies and gentlemen. Please follow me."

The servant leading the way passed through the thousand-yuan gate and led them toward the second gate; the second gate was a three-room gate, and inside the gate was another courtyard, where a magnificent hall stood majestically, with a hip roof and a high-set eaves, and the three large characters "Laiyan Hall" were written on the plaque under the eaves.

At the end of the corridor was an exquisite and magnificent courtyard; several crabapple trees were planted in the courtyard, and the flowers were in full bloom. There were three main rooms, and the doors and windows were all carved with intertwined floral patterns, and bamboo curtains of the same style hung on them.

The servant leading the way stopped in the corridor. "Madam, the eldest daughter of the Xi family has arrived."

Immediately, a maid lifted the curtain and came out with a smile.

Madam Cui, the second wife of Xie, sat at the head of the table. Upon seeing Lingxian, her eyes reddened slightly. She grasped Lingxian's hand, her eyes filled with gratitude. "My child, thank you so much. If it weren't for your help that day, my Ting'er would probably..."

Lingxian nodded: "Madam is too kind. That day was just a coincidence. Sister Wanting is a lucky person and will turn bad luck into good."

Xi Yao bowed gracefully: "Yao'er greets the Second Madam and pays her respects."

Wiping away her tears with her handkerchief, Cui quickly smiled and said, "Miss Xi is here too. I was so happy that I became rude."

Xi Yao said softly, "Sister Wanting is out of danger, you, as her mother, must be very happy. I wonder if Sister Wanting was frightened in any way?"

Madam Cui pulled Xi Lingxian to sit down and instructed a maid to call the young lady out.

Before long, Xie Wanting was led out by her maid. The girl, about eleven or twelve years old, was wearing a light yellow summer dress and had a round, oval face. She was fair-skinned and lovely.

Upon seeing Lingxian, her eyes welled up with tears, and she rushed over to bow in greeting.

"Sister Xi, I will never forget your life-saving grace."

Xi Lingxian helped her up and said with a smile, "Sister, there's no need for such formality. Were you frightened or chilled that day?"

Hsieh Wanting sniffed, "I caught a bit of a cold, but I'm all better now."

As they were talking, a series of light footsteps suddenly came from outside.

"Madam, the eldest and third young ladies have arrived."

Cui's smile faltered slightly, but quickly returned to normal. She put down her teacup and smiled at Xi Lingxian, "It's the two nieces from the eldest branch who have arrived. I've specially invited a few close relatives and friends to today's banquet. It's more lively for you young ladies to have fun together."

Ling Xian nodded, her gaze falling towards the doorway.

The curtain was lifted, and two young girls stepped into the hall one after the other.

The woman walking in front was about sixteen or seventeen years old. She had beautiful features and a gentle temperament. She wore a moon-white dress and a magnolia hairpin in her hair. Her whole appearance was simple and elegant. She walked with ease and greeted Cui Shi. After that, she turned her gaze to Ling Xian and smiled just the right amount of smile.

This is Xie Wanyi.

Lingxian looked at her, and a ripple of emotion welled up in her heart.

In her previous life, she married into the Wang family. Being unfamiliar with the place and the people, Xie Wanyi, her neighbor and the daughter of a family friend, acted more like the mistress of the house than she did. Every time Xie Wanyi visited, her gentleness and thoughtfulness, along with the "unintentional" words she uttered, would cause an argument between her and Wang Jue.

After this happened repeatedly, Wang Jue simply decided to avoid her since she couldn't afford to offend her. She was disliked by her husband and lacked any semblance of a well-bred lady, becoming a laughingstock in everyone's eyes.

Whether it was because the stab she gave to Xi Yao before her death in her previous life had vented most of her resentment or something else, when Xi Lingxian saw Xie Wanyi again, she felt an unprecedented peace in her heart, and she was even too lazy to feel hatred.

Moreover, there is one thing that must be admitted: in both lifetimes, she seems to have never seen Xie Wanyi lose her composure.

In my memory, she was always gentle, dignified, and smiling, no matter when; no wonder Wang Jue was fond of his childhood sweetheart, such a woman was indeed more suitable to be the mistress of the Langya Wang clan than her.

"The two young ladies from the Wang family have arrived."

Wang Shuhui and Wang Shuyuan are both Wang Jue's biological younger sisters.

After exchanging greetings and pleasantries, everyone took their seats.

"Miss Xi," Xie Wanyi suddenly turned her head and asked with a smile, "I heard that you caught a cold after falling into the water that day. Are you fully recovered now?"

Lingxian looked up and met those gentle eyes. "Thank you for your concern, Miss. I'm fine now."

"That's good." Xie Wanyi nodded, then sighed. "There were many people drowning that day. I heard that Miss Xi saved several people. She really did a great job. If I could swim, I could also save people. Unfortunately, I have been weak since I was a child. My father only allowed me to study and do needlework. He never allowed me to do anything else."

As she spoke, she lowered her eyes, a hint of guilt and shame in them.

Living an extra life definitely makes you smarter.

If this were her previous life, Xi Lingxian felt she wouldn't have been able to understand the underlying meaning at all.

She blinked. "That's a real pity. My father has never restricted me. From childhood to adulthood, as long as I like something, my father will never let me have it."

Xie Wanyi's expression froze for a moment, then vanished.

She smiled gently and said, "I've long heard that Sister Xi is the apple of Master Xi's eye, so she must have learned all of Master Xi's skills."

Xie Wanru chimed in, "Sister, you don't need to learn those skills; someone will come to your rescue."

Xie Wanyi lowered her eyes shyly and smiled gently, "That day, I really owe it to Brother Qingyu. Otherwise, I really don't know what would have happened to me."

As she spoke, a faint blush rose to her cheeks.

Wang Jue's younger sister, Wang Shuhui, also laughed and said, "Sister Wanyi and my brother grew up together. This kind of friendship is unmatched. If my brother doesn't save you, who else would he save?"

Xie Wanyi glared at her, "Brother Qingyu's act of saving people was a chivalrous act, you are not allowed to talk nonsense."

Xi Lingxian picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and inadvertently met Xie Wanting's gaze.

The little girl looked at her, her eyes filled with a complex emotion.

Lingxian smiled.

She had experienced many such things in her past life; this was nothing compared to what she had gone through.