Chapter 10: Cousin, You Had Best Go Back

The night was cool and clear as water. Shen Zhi Ning recalled every movement of Pei Zhi during the gathering, her heart heavy with unease. She sent Yu Zhu ahead and went alone to the garden to catch some fresh air.

The moon was veiled by dark clouds, the air damp and oppressive, like a massive stone pressing on her chest.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning tore through the clouds, illuminating the vast sky.

Boom—

A distant thunder rumbled, and the heavy rain began.

Shen Zhi Ning sat inside the pavilion, only realizing the rain had started when the soft patter reached her ears. She looked around, noticing there was nothing nearby to shelter her from the downpour.

As she hesitated whether to dash back to Fang Fei Court, sparks flying, or wait for the rain to pass, a familiar pine and cypress scent teased her nostrils.

She stood and gazed into the distance. Pei Zhi appeared before her, holding an oil-paper umbrella.

They stood apart, neither speaking first.

Seeing Pei Zhi’s gentlemanly demeanor only vexed Shen Zhi Ning further. Rather than standing awkwardly, she thought it better to run through the rain and return to Fang Fei Court more swiftly.

Without hesitation, she pulled her cloak over her head, ready to move.

Just as she stepped out of the pavilion, a cold sensation swept over her back, followed by a cascade of raindrops. She looked up to see the clouds roiling, the rain intensifying.

“Seriously? Heaven, don’t play tricks on me like this!”

Glancing down at her soaked shoes and socks, then at Pei Zhi, safe under the umbrella, she couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

In an instant, thunder cracked across the sky, lightning slicing through the darkness, and the rain poured in torrents.

Driven by the belief that one should seize any advantage, Shen Zhi Ning slipped under Pei Zhi’s umbrella just as the storm hit.

A chill crept through her.

There is a saying: when you eat from someone’s hand, you must not speak ill; when you receive help, you owe kindness. Shen Zhi Ning understood this better than anyone.

She stood obediently beneath the umbrella, lifting her face sweetly. “Cousin, you truly have refined taste—to listen to the rain at night. Other noble sons wouldn’t have such a scholar’s grace as you do.”

Shen Zhi Ning felt she had mastered the art of flattery… yet Pei Zhi remained aloof, cold and distant, silently gazing down at her.

Perhaps from being caught in the rain, her slightly tilted face still glistened with droplets. Her black hair clung damply to her neck, and even her cherry lips bore a few beads of water.

Though the shadow of the umbrella concealed part of her face, her fox-like, enchanting eyes sparkled in the darkness, drawing one deeper into their depths.

Pei Zhi had long heard of Shen Zhi Ning’s reputation.

Back in the capital, it was said that the daughter of the Yun’an County magistrate was beautiful but unrestrained, often leading men to ruin themselves financially and abandon their families. Even the son of the Qingzhou prefect had cried to his mother, begging to marry her after just one glance.

Yet this girl rejected the prefect’s son and threw his betrothal gifts at the gate, causing his mother to fall ill with rage.

Moreover, Shen Zhi Ning had recently fled her residence in secret. Thinking of his cousin’s numerous scandalous affairs, Pei Zhi frowned deeply.

“The rain is easing. If my cousin can still walk, she should return on her own,” he said coldly.

Shen Zhi Ning had not expected her flattering words to have no effect at all.

He truly embodied the image of a man of lofty virtue.

Pei Zhi’s gaze was icy, his voice frosted with disdain. “If you hurry now, cousin, you won’t get drenched much.”

His indifferent tone stung her pride fiercely.

“What on earth is he thinking? If I praise him, it’s wrong; if I don’t, it’s wrong. He acts like he’s some emperor! I only borrowed his umbrella to avoid the rain. Why does he make it seem like I’m harboring improper thoughts about him?”

Her face darkened.

She rarely complimented anyone, especially not Pei Zhi.

If time could rewind, she would have kicked away from under his umbrella the moment before, rather than stubbornly standing there. It would have been better to get wet and return home—just a few days of headache and fever at worst.

Pei Zhi’s words continued to prick her shame, and her tone grew colder. “No need to trouble you, cousin. I’ll return on my own. But you… don’t go out so late again. It would give strangers the wrong idea.”

With that, Shen Zhi Ning turned and left without looking back, disregarding her soaked shoes and cloak.

At that moment, her only wish was for Pei Zhi to leave the Shen residence, far away from her.

The rain fell fiercely, its roar drowning out Shen Zhi Ning’s memories of the previous night. She only remembered Pei Zhi’s disdainful expression under the umbrella and the chilling suffocation of rain striking her face.

“Miss, you’re finally awake. I’ve made some warm ginger soup with brown sugar. Please have some,” Yu Zhu said gently.

Rubbing her eyes, Shen Zhi Ning sat up, her head pounding.

Yu Zhu blew softly on the spoonful of soup from the bowl and concernedly brought it to her lips. “Miss, why did you come back soaking wet last night? Didn’t young master have an umbrella? Why didn’t he escort you home?”

Thinking of Pei Zhi’s reaction, Shen Zhi Ning clenched her fingers in frustration.

“Yu Zhu, don’t mention young master around me anymore. He’s never truly one of the Shen family. Once he leaves, the Shen residence will have nothing to do with him.”

Though Yu Zhu was unaware of what had transpired between Miss and young master the night before, she sensed her growing dislike for him.

Shen Zhi Ning drank the ginger soup in one gulp and slowly closed her eyes.

Indeed, he was like a jade Buddha—forever devoid of joy or sorrow, strictly adhering to propriety. Pei Zhi carried within him an unconscious air of aristocratic superiority.

He was like a snow lotus blooming high on a mountain—so distant, so untouchable...

Promises are easily made, but the human heart is a deep chasm difficult to traverse.

As the chill faded and the sun warmed the day, Lan Yinfang happily returned to the Shen residence from the capital, bearing a set of ruby jewelry. Yet she found the young master shut away in the study, looking noticeably thinner.

The moment Pei Zhi opened the door, Luo Xue knelt immediately.

“It’s all my fault for returning late and failing to care for the young master properly. You’ve lost weight, sir!”

Though a man himself, Luo Xue shed a few playful tears upon seeing Pei Zhi’s emaciated state.

“Enough. Did you bring the items back?” Pei Zhi asked, tall and slender, his downcast eyes sharp with cold detachment.