Chapter 34: Seen Through, Confession

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Seen Through, Confession

’Why are Xie Jinbai’s men watching you...’

Cui Lingyao couldn’t see her own expression, but she imagined it wasn’t a pleasant one.

Because the smile on the man opposite her vanished in an instant, and his gaze was filled with reassurance.

"Don’t be afraid."

He said those three words again.

This time, his tone was very soft, as if he were afraid of startling her.

"I didn’t mean anything else by it. I just think you need help, Yao—"

He trailed off, swallowing the rather intimate "Yaoyao" before pressing his lips together and saying, "I just want to help you."

In the open-air pavilion, airy and silent, the servants all waited at a distance. Only the sound of their voices remained.

Cui Lingyao was speechless for a long time.

She was too stunned.

’He said he wants to help me.’

’After revealing that Xie Jinbai’s men are watching me, he says he wants to help.’

’Does he... already know that I’m not Pei Shuyao?’

’And I’ve only been in Great Yue for two days?’

For a moment, Cui Lingyao felt a surge of panic.

It was a dread that sent a chill down her spine.

To have what she thought was her most hidden secret exposed in broad daylight, out in the open, and by a man she’d never met before.

Her knuckles, resting on the stone table, were trembling slightly. Shen Tingyu saw this and mentally chided himself for being so hasty and frightening her.

But his aunt was gravely ill, and she was about to be married off. How could there be time to take things slowly?

After giving her a few moments to compose herself, Shen Tingyu opened his mouth again. "You—"

"Wait!" Cui Lingyao cut him off, looking up at him to ask, "Who is Xie Jinbai?"

"..."

Shen Tingyu stared at her, speechless.

Cui Lingyao refused to take the bait, steeling herself to feign ignorance. "I really don’t know who Xie Jinbai is. Why would he send people to watch me? Cousin, you’re not just trying to scare me, are you?"

She had already calmed down and was now reacting to the bombshell he had just dropped.

The previous anxiety in her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes was gone.

...Instead, they reflected only his image.

Shen Tingyu felt his heart soften. "If you don’t want to admit it, I won’t force you."

He had never intended to demand a full and frank confession from her.

"I just... want to help you."

He said.

They were very pleasant words to hear.

But Cui Lingyao’s expression was unreadable. She said nothing, only staring at him.

Seeing her reaction, Shen Tingyu smiled. "Want to know why?"

He wasn’t the type to be overly helpful, proactively rushing to offer his ’help’ to her.

It was only natural for her to be on guard.

Their eyes met.

Shen Tingyu’s gaze flickered, and he gave her a gentle smile. "If I tell you, will you let your guard down a little?"

His words were verging on flirtatious.

Cui Lingyao frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"Shen Tingyu!"

She called out his full name.

Her voice was stern, each word enunciated clearly.

Few people ever called him by his full name. Shen Tingyu felt his chest tighten, and a powerful tremor left his limbs feeling numb.

He raised his eyes and stared directly at her face as she said, "If there’s something you want, you can say it plainly. You don’t need to use these sweet words to bait me."

She thought he had some ulterior motive for saying these things.

It involved Xie Jinbai.

It involved the political situation at court.

It involved the interests of the Duke Mansion.

But it would never be because he genuinely wanted to help her from the bottom of his heart.

It would have nothing to do with romantic love.

’She says I’m using sweet words to bait her.’

Shen Tingyu almost laughed. "Alright, I’ll tell you then."

He looked at the wary young woman across from him, a faint ripple in the depths of his eyes. "I am twenty-one this year. Five years ago, during the autumn hunt at the Di Ming Hunting Ground, a young lady saved my life. I have always wanted to find an opportunity to repay her, but alas..."

The smile on his face faded slightly as he pressed his lips together. "Unfortunately, she met an unworthy man, which led to her unexpected death. I never got the chance."

"...!!!"

Cui Lingyao’s pupils slowly widened.

She never would have imagined that, according to him, her ’past life’ had such a connection to him.

The Di Ming Hunting Ground five years ago... Back then, she had only been married to Xie Jinbai for a year. It was the height of their passionate love.

As a Princess Consort, she would naturally attend the Royal Family’s autumn hunt with her husband.

’But when did I ever save anyone?’

Five years ago, as Princess Consort Yu, she had been eighteen, while he was only sixteen.

Given his current looks, it wasn’t hard to imagine how eye-catching and striking he must have been as a sixteen-year-old boy.

Even if she’d had no romantic notions, with a face as unforgettable as his, there’s no way she would have zero recollection of it.

’Could he be lying to me?’

’Trying to bait me into talking?’

Cui Lingyao frowned, her expression a mixture of hesitation and unspoken words.

Wary, on guard.

Like a timid rabbit that had been carefully coaxed out of its burrow, ready to retreat at the slightest alarm.

Shen Tingyu waited for a moment, but when she didn’t make a sound, he could only continue.

"I know Pei Shuyao’s character quite well. She lost her father at a young age and was spoiled by my aunt. Her temperament is a mix of insecurity and arrogance, sensitivity and pride. The day the effects of the seductive powder wore off, I already sensed something was wrong."

To put her at ease, he took the initiative to be completely open, laying out every detail he had noticed, one by one.

He held nothing back.

Only then did Cui Lingyao realize how completely exposed she was in the eyes of someone so perceptive.

Every move she made, every gesture, was full of holes.

He didn’t even need her to speak. He had noticed the difference just from the ordinary way she walked.

She was flabbergasted, both shocked and anxious. "Is it really that obvious?... Then what about Zhiqiu and Mother..."

"It’s fine,"

Shen Tingyu said with a reassuring smile, "The situation is too bizarre. An ordinary person would never think in this direction. No matter how much you’ve changed, someone like Zhiqiu will only assume your personality has shifted. As for my aunt... she is bedridden and lacks the energy, so she’s even less likely to suspect you for no reason."

What truly confirmed her identity for him...

...was the news he received this morning.

Several elite Yulin Guards had been dispatched one after another, and they had entered his Shen Family estate.

They weren’t watching his grandfather, his father, or him.

Instead, they were all surrounding that small courtyard.

The scale of the operation was baffling.

But it perfectly matched the suspicion in his heart.

Cui Lingyao let out a long sigh of relief, but at the same time, she felt a sense of speechlessness.

’What does he mean, "An ordinary person would never think in this direction"?’

’Is he praising himself?’

’He must be, right?’

’Praising himself for being exceptionally brilliant, no ordinary man.’

Shen Tingyu didn’t know she was criticizing him in her head. Seeing that her words now hinted at a frank admission of her identity, his eyes brightened. "You can trust me. No matter what you want to do, you can trust me. I will do everything in my power to help you."

Cui Lingyao: "..."

"You don’t believe me?" Shen Tingyu pressed his lips together and said earnestly, "I do not make promises lightly. Since I have given you my word, I will absolutely not go back on it."

He was so sincere, so eager to help her solve her problems.

It left Cui Lingyao at a complete loss for words.

She gave him a strange look. "How can you help me?"

Right now, the most pressing problems she faced were Mrs. Shen’s grave illness and her need to see her daughter married, and the fact that Xie Jinbai’s men were watching her.

Which of those could he solve?

Could he marry her himself?

Or could he make Xie Jinbai drop his suspicions?