Xuan Yuanjue deliberately lagged behind a few steps. When no one was paying attention, he walked up to Shen Li and said, "I'll be waiting for you at the Xuan Yuan Pavilion at Shenshi tomorrow!"
Glancing at Shen Li, who was clearly feeling a bit guilty, Xuan Yuanjue threatened, "If you dare not come, just give it a try!"
Only after Xuan Yuanjue got into the carriage did Shen Li dare to say, "Humph! I'll give it a try then! Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
Jiao Yue looked at Shen Li, who was acting like a child, with amusement and "kindly" reminded her.
"Miss, the young master of the Xuan Yuan family has left!"
"Humph! Let him go then! He even threatened me! Does he think I'm easy to bully? I'm not going! I won't go tomorrow!"
Jiao Yue curled the corner of her mouth and went along with her words, "Yes, we won't go tomorrow!"
Inside the carriage, Xuan Yuanjue reclined casually on the carriage seat. Thinking of the little thing's performance today, he was truly taken aback. He never expected that she could be so sharp - tongued.
Originally, when he heard the news, he was worried that she might be bullied, so he rushed over in a hurry. But unexpectedly, she handled the situation with ease and didn't need his worry at all.
Facing Shen Junming's anger, the relentless pressure from the Fourth Prince, and a cousin who liked to play the victim, she showed no sign of timidity. She achieved her goal with composure.
However, he never thought that today, not only did he watch her wonderful performance, but he also accidentally learned a remarkable truth.
What Shen Miao? She clearly used a fake name to deceive him. He felt so foolish for worrying about her. It was really a waste of his good intentions.
The next day, right after lunch, Jiao Yue noticed that Shen Li was acting strange.
"Miss! You're holding the book upside - down!"
"Ah!" Shen Li woke up with a start. Realizing her mistake, she quickly turned the book the right way.
"Miss! Why don't you go and take a rest?"
Jiao Yue knew that her young lady didn't like reading. Every time she saw those words, she would complain of a headache. Before, she even pretended to be sick several times to avoid the tutor's classes.
After waking up from the near - drowning incident last time, her personality had changed a bit, and she would read some books on weekdays. But in Jiao Yue's opinion, her young lady's dislike for reading hadn't changed at all. That's why she was holding the book upside - down.
"Jiao Yue, what time is it now?"
"It's just past Weishi!"
"So soon!"
Shen Li said the last sentence very softly. Jiao Yue didn't catch it clearly. "Miss, do you want to take a nap?"
On weekdays, Shen Li would take a one - hour nap, so Jiao Yue asked this question.
Shen Li nodded and let Jiao Yue help her change clothes and lie on the bed. Usually, Shen Li would fall asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow, but today she tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.
After half an hour like this, Shen Li resigned herself to sitting up on the bed. She pounded the pillow in annoyance and cursed Xuan Yuanjue, who had been disturbing her mind, before she finally calmed down.
Shen Li changed into a small - sleeved green dress with coiled cuffs. She lightly traced her eyebrows and didn't even apply lipstick. Then she took Jiao Yue and rushed to the Xuan Yuan Pavilion by carriage.
As soon as she entered, Xuan Yuanjue gave Shen Li a sidelong glance and snorted, "I thought you were too scared to come!"
Shen Li's expression froze for a moment and then quickly returned to normal. "How could that be? And I'm not late!"
Xuan Yuanjue poured himself a cup of tea and said indifferently, "Tell me! Why did you lie to me that your name was Shen Miao?"
On the way here, Shen Li had pumped herself up countless times. But now, facing Xuan Yuanjue's interrogation, she still felt a bit guilty.
"The first time I met you, you bullied me. Of course, I thought you were a bad guy, so I instinctively told you the name Shen Miao!"
Shen Li pouted aggrievedly. "I'm just a girl. Of course, I was thinking about self - protection. What's wrong with that? Besides, you've bullied me more than once. Is it so wrong for me to lie to you once? Is it?"
The more Shen Li talked, the more confident she became, and her voice grew louder. It actually left Xuan Yuanjue stunned.
"I just thought you were special, so I wanted to ask your name. I didn't mean to bully you on purpose!"
"You still say you didn't bully me on purpose! Last time when I was injured, you made fun of me. And the time before that, when I was making lanterns, you even snatched it from me!"
"With all these, you still say you didn't bully me on purpose?" Shen Li pressed on, questioning Xuan Yuanjue.
Xuan Yuanjue gave a sheepish smile. "Well! I just regarded you as a friend. Friends don't need to care about these trivial things!"
Shen Li wasn't impressed with his answer at all. She folded her arms across her chest and turned her back to ignore him.
"Since that's the case, I've bullied you, and you've lied to me. How about calling it even between us?" Xuan Yuanjue asked tentatively.
Shen Li neither agreed nor disagreed. She just let Xuan Yuanjue apologize and make amends before she "reluctantly" agreed.
"Shen Li, do you regard me as a friend?"
Seeing Shen Li nod, Xuan Yuanjue took the opportunity to say, "Shouldn't friends be honest with each other? Then I'll ask you, apart from the name thing, do you have anything else to hide from me?"
Shen Li felt a pang of panic in her heart, but on the surface, she calmly shook her head, deliberately ignoring the fact that she was reborn.
Afraid that Xuan Yuanjue would continue, Shen Li quickly changed the subject.
"Thank you for speaking up for me yesterday!"
In that situation yesterday, with three princes and the favored Princess Heyuan present, he still stood up to refute the Fourth Prince's words and prevent the Fourth Prince from framing her. Shen Li was truly grateful to him from the bottom of her heart.
In her previous life, although she finally married the man she loved, helped Xiao Hanzhi ascend to the throne, and became the mother of the nation as the empress, even though she had a high status and was highly skilled in martial arts, she still felt inferior in her heart. She had no other friends, so she couldn't recognize Shen Miao's true nature.
She harmed herself, her child, and the entire Shen family.
In this new life, she thought she would never meet a true friend again. But unexpectedly, there was someone who would stand up to protect her and fight for her.
Xuan Yuanjue waved his hand and said, "Didn't I say that we're friends? It's just a small favor among friends. You don't need to take it to heart."
"Friends should help each other! If you need help in the future, you must tell me! I should even thank you!"
Xuan Yuanjue let out a big laugh. "Hahaha! You'll probably be disappointed then! I'm well - versed in both literature and martial arts. How could I ever need your help? Don't worry!"
After they talked for a while, Shen Li took Jiao Yue and left.
Xuan Yuanjue stood by the second - floor window. Watching Shen Li get into the carriage, he suddenly remembered that he had come today to settle accounts with Shen Li. How come, after all the talking, he was the one who got dizzy and even went to apologize to her?
This little thing was indeed sharp - tongued and eloquent. He had clearly fallen into her trap today.