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

The changing room is located on the east side of the garden. It is a separate courtyard specifically for the female members of the household to change clothes and rest.

Xie Wanyi's aunt is the current mistress of the Wang family, and she is very familiar with everything in the mansion.

Several crabapple trees are planted in the courtyard, and the flowers are in full bloom, with petals falling in profusion.

Xie Wanyi changed into a pale yellow dress, which was brighter than the light blue one she had worn before. She tidied her hair in front of the bronze mirror, turned around, and smiled at Xi Lingxian and the other woman.

"Thank you for accompanying me, Miss Xi," she said softly. "There are so many people today, and I was quite nervous being alone. With you and Miss Shen here, I feel much more at ease."

Xi Lingxian stood by the window, watching the crabapple blossoms falling in the courtyard, and turned her head upon hearing this.

Looking at Xie Wanyi's gentle smiling face, she suddenly felt a little bored.

"Miss Xie," she began, "Qingdai and I are inseparable; there is no one else here."

Xie Wanyi's smile faltered slightly.

"Miss Xie, if you have something to say, please speak frankly. Always beating around the bush is troublesome and exhausting."

Xie Wanyi's smile gradually faded.

"Miss Xi is indeed a clever person."

Xie Wanyi took two steps forward, her gaze sweeping up and down before finally settling on Ling Xian's face.

"Miss Xi is so beautiful," she said, her tone tinged with admiration. "With such beauty, not to mention men, even I find it hard to look away."

She smiled, a meaningful glint in her eyes: "But some things, looks alone aren't enough."

Xi Lingxian's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Miss Xi is confident in her beauty and must have had no shortage of men who admire and follow her since she was a child. She thinks that all men in the world are shallow men who are lustful. Unfortunately, Brother Qingyu is not like that."

"Miss Xi, I'm just trying to be helpful. Please don't do anything that will make you a laughingstock. A young lady should be modest and self-respecting. Even if you have a sweetheart, you should keep it to yourself. How can you openly proclaim it? People might not say anything to your face, but behind your back they'll talk about how you're frivolous, shameless, and lacking in manners."

Xi Lingxian looked at Xie Wanyi's gentle face and suddenly chuckled softly.

"Miss Xie, you have one face in public and another in private. Did you hone your ability to change faces in Sichuan?"

Xie Wanyi's lips twitched slightly, then she chuckled, "I meant well, Miss Xi, please don't misunderstand."

Lingxian looked somewhat helpless. "Miss Xie, I really don't understand. Although your Xie family and the Wang family are neighbors, it seems that it's not your place as a cousin from your maternal uncle's side to interfere in Young Master Wang's marriage. Besides, Young Master Wang and I are just having a whim, and nothing is even going to happen yet. But why do you seem so worried, Miss Xie?"

Xie Wanyi's expression changed slightly. "My cousin and I grew up together. I know his personality best. My cousin is very self-disciplined and respectful of etiquette. Miss Xi is cheerful, generous and unpretentious. This is not a bad thing, but she is completely different from my cousin. As the eldest son of the Wang family, my cousin's every word and action is under the spotlight. I have taken my cousin as my role model since I was a child and admire him very much. I will never allow anyone to become a stain on his white robe."

Shen Qingdai scoffed, then laughed in exasperation.

"Miss Xie, you have quite the nerve. Anyone who didn't know better would think your Xie family was so much more powerful than the Xi family!"

Xie Wanyi's face darkened abruptly when her sore spot was touched.

If the Xie family weren't currently lacking in central authority, why would her uncle have remained so secretive about her marriage to her cousin?

Originally, it was a good thing that would strengthen family ties, but the head of the Wang family was ultimately driven by self-interest.

Xie Wanyi hated it, but hating it was useless.

She has to prove herself.

"I sincerely want what's best for Miss Xi. My cousin is not suitable for her, and he doesn't like her either. Why should she humiliate herself by associating with a man?"

Xi Lingxian had heard similar words countless times from Xie Wanyi in her previous life.

At that time, she was isolated and helpless in the Wang family. Her own mother-in-law, Xie, disliked her, and her two sisters-in-law were all supporters of Xie Wanyi. They felt that she had stolen Xie Wanyi's marriage and made things difficult for her at every turn.

Xie Wanyi, relying on the favor of her aunt and the trust of Wang Shuhui and others, even the servants preferred the Miss Xie they were more familiar with.

In many ways, Xie Wanyi was more like the Wang family's daughter-in-law than she was.

"Miss Xie, your deep and unwavering affection for Young Master Wang is admirable, but rest assured, I am not."

Xie Wanyi frowned slightly.

I don't really believe what she says.

"Miss Xi, you might fool others with those words, but you can't fool me. If you truly have no feelings for your cousin, why did you perform a sword dance at the banquet just now?"

"You're clearly using a feigned retreat as a tactic, clearly trying every possible way to make him see how good you are?"

Xie Wanyi's delicate face suddenly took on a sinister look.

"Xi Lingxian, I really underestimated you. I thought you were stupid before, but I didn't expect you to start playing mind games so quickly."

She spoke through gritted teeth, her gaze fixed fiercely on that vixen's face, wishing she could scratch it raw.

Xi Lingxian looked at her, and suddenly felt a sense of relief.

She's finally showing her true colors. How rare! In her previous life, she kept up the act until she married into the Wang family.

"Miss Xie, I'll say it again: it's your business if you like Wang Jue. If you're so capable, then get the Wang and Xie families to arrange a marriage between you sooner rather than later, instead of being suspicious and spouting nonsense at me."

Xie Wanyi's face alternated between pale and flushed, her neck stiff as she maintained her last shred of dignity. "We will naturally get married and engaged. After all, my cousin saved me the day I fell into the water, and we've already had physical intimacy, haven't we?"

Her smile was sinister, and Shen Qingdai felt a chill run down her spine.

Xi Lingxian found it boring, "Then I wish you two a happy marriage soon."

Wang Jue was such a femme fatale; she had learned that lesson in her past life.

Unless one is made of clay, no one in the position of Lady Wang can tolerate their husband being coveted by a constant stream of women.

Shen Qingdai put her arm around Xi Lingxian's shoulder, and the two of them left the room and walked slowly along the winding path towards Chenghui Hall.

"Fanfan, I don't think Jiankang is all that great. They've already treated you like an enemy before anything's even happened. It's ridiculous. If the Wang family really wanted to form another marriage alliance with the Xie family, they would have done it long ago. Why would they need a young woman to beg and plead with them?"

"Wait a minute..." Shen Qingdai was a little confused by the two paths in front of her. "Which path did we come from?"

The Wang family's inner residence was magnificent, but it was not welcoming to first-time visitors.

The area is too big; it's too easy to get lost.

Shen Qingdai didn't recognize her, but Xi Lingxian knew her inside and out.

He pointed to a path in the bamboo forest and said, "Go this way."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Don't believe me? Go and see for yourself!"

When she finally saw the familiar octagonal pavilion, Shen Qingdai looked at her with a surprised expression.

"Why are you acting like you're at home? Have you been here before?"

Xi Lingxian smiled. She couldn't explain why she was so familiar with the layout of the Wang family's inner quarters, so she could only keep it a secret.

Suddenly, footsteps came from deep within the bamboo forest ahead, neither hurried nor slow.

Shen Qingdai heard it too, and the two of them stopped in their tracks.

A figure slowly emerged from the shade of the green bamboo.

The man wore a bamboo-green brocade robe, with delicate features, a tall and slender figure, and an upright posture like a pine tree.

He walked calmly from the depths, like an immortal stepping out of a painting.

The shadows of the bamboo leaves fell on his face, creating a play of light and shadow that illuminated his clear, cool eyes and his handsome, otherworldly face.