Chapter 7: The Jade Bead He Gave Her

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The farce was gradually drawing to a close.

Liu Yan asked somewhat sulkily, "Miss, why didn’t you bring out the jewelry that Fourth Miss gave to show Second Young Master? She said it was a gift to make amends, but I think she just threw all sorts of useless junk into our courtyard."

"Even if I showed it to him, he would just think that Shen Wannian’s generosity in giving me those things was a blessing from heaven. I can’t win against that," Shen Yuan said, having completely understood Shen Lang’s nature.

He was that kind of person.

"Are you still in pain? Should I call the doctor?" Shen Yuan recalled the full force of Shen Lang’s kick; Liu Yan had been on the ground for a long time before she managed to get up, so she must have been hurt badly.

"I’ve been doing hard labor for years; my body can take it!" Liu Yan dusted off the dirt from her clothes. Thinking of what Shen Lang said before leaving, she looked a little worried and asked Shen Yuan, "Are we just going to let this go?"

Shen Yuan’s lips curled faintly. "If we let it go, wouldn’t that betray Shen Wannian’s good intentions?"

Leaving the Shen estate was only a matter of time.

But with Shen Wannian’s hands stained with the Jiang family’s blood, it was not so easy to stay uninvolved.

Jinxiu Garden.

By the time Shen Lang hurried over, Shen Wannian had already slowly awakened.

"Second Brother, please don’t blame Sister! It’s all my fault—wrong of me to take it upon myself to go apologize to Sister on behalf of Yu’er..."

Green Luo had already informed Shen Lang of the conflict between Shen Yu and Shen Yuan.

He sat by the bedside, gently patting Shen Wannian’s hand and softly comforting her, "You were frightened after falling into the water. Rest well and don’t think about anything else. As for Shen Yuan… you know she’s improper; just avoid her from now on."

Shen Wannian forced herself to sit up, her face pale and bloodless, which made Shen Lang’s heart ache even more.

"I heard from Mother that Sister wants to marry and that she asked Mother to find a suitable match for her."

Shen Lang’s brows twitched. "Really?"

"Mother told me herself. How could it be false?" Shen Wannian’s tone was slow, as if deliberately pausing to study Shen Lang’s expression before continuing, "I was just thinking… Sister has been drifting outside for so many years. No one knows what she has been through. If Father and Mother find her a match of equal status, even if she is not welcomed by her in-laws in the future, it’s ultimately her own matter. But if for some reason it harms our Shen family’s reputation, wouldn’t that be… a loss greater than the gain?"

Shen Lang wondered how an unmarried girl could think so far ahead.

Upon reflection, he realized she made a lot of sense.

He had often suspected that Shen Yuan’s drastic change in temperament must have come from some misfortune.

The last thread of sibling affection he had left prevented him from dwelling on it, but it didn’t mean Shen Yuan hadn’t suffered.

Every young man in the capital was proud and haughty. If they only discovered Shen Yuan’s blemish after marrying her, it would be the greatest blow to the Shen family, also tarnishing Wannian’s reputation!

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"Second Brother, why are you silent?"

Seeing Shen Lang remain quiet for so long, Shen Wannian felt uneasy. She feared he might detect her dislike for Shen Yuan.

Now that she was the Fourth Miss of the Shen family, she had to appear magnanimous to be worthy of her noble status.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Shen Lang offered a comforting smile, "I’m just thinking, why do you care so much about Shen Yuan’s marriage? But then again, your worries are not unfounded. Only someone as heartless as Shen Yuan wouldn’t care about the Shen family’s reputation. She’d rather see us suffer!"

The first half of his words made Shen Wannian’s heart skip a beat, but hearing the latter half, she relaxed.

"I will mention her marriage to Mother myself. But you, with Mother’s birthday approaching, must recover quickly. Don’t let Commander Pei see you and worry."

Commander Pei?

Shen Wannian suddenly remembered Mother’s birthday was coming soon. Pei Ji, as a junior relative and connected to the Shen family, would surely attend.

Thinking of his cold and noble appearance, Shen Wannian’s heart pounded wildly.

If she became the Commander's wife, all the noble daughters in the capital would envy her!

By then, Shen Yuan might be carelessly married off to some nobody and never rise again!

Recalling Shen Yuan’s words to her, Shen Wannian felt inexplicably anxious.

If nothing had gone wrong, Shen Yuan should have died long ago in the fire with those destitute Jiang family members and never returned!

Shen Wannian wasn’t sure if Shen Yuan knew something.

In any case, she couldn’t stay at the estate and become a threat to herself!

As autumn deepened, the day of Madam Chen’s birthday arrived in the blink of an eye.

Though she did not want to make a fuss, she thought that since Shen Yuan had just returned and was eager to find a match, this was a good chance to show her off to the ladies.

In Qiushui Courtyard.

Liu Yan rummaged through boxes and finally found a dress worthy of the occasion.

Since Shen Yuan’s return, Madam Chen had bought a lot of silk and fabric but hadn’t handed them out.

Liu Yan asked the steward, who said the Fourth Miss liked the style of the silks and had borrowed them to compare, and hadn’t returned them yet.

Shen Yuan knew Shen Wannian was doing this on purpose.

She glanced sideways at the somewhat faded brocade dress and said lightly, "I’ll wear that one."

"Miss, do you want to wear a hairpin?"

Since it was a happy occasion, dressing too plainly might invite disapproval.

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Before Shen Yuan could answer, Liu Yan pulled out two gold-threaded sandalwood hairpins inlaid with jade beads from the makeup box. "I think the jade beads match the brocade dress better. What do you think, Miss?"

The handcrafted jade-inlaid hairpins were exquisite and novel in style.

Only Shen Yuan knew they had been made three years ago.

They were crafted by that person’s own hands.

Shen Yuan wanted to refuse, but there were no other suitable ornaments in the box. As for the pile of worthless trinkets Shen Wannian had given her, she had other uses for them.

"Help me put them on."

At that moment, a maid came to report that Fourth Miss invited Third Miss to the Liuyun Pavilion for a visit.

Since the incident of falling into the water a few days ago, Shen Yuan hadn’t seen Shen Wannian again, and Shen Lang surprisingly hadn’t mentioned it either.

Today, the estate was filled with distinguished guests, mostly Shen Wannian’s sisters. She would inevitably try to slander Shen Yuan in front of them.

"Fourth Miss surely means no good. Should we refuse the invitation, Miss?" Liu Yan suggested.

"Refusing once is possible, but not a second time. I have to face this. Constantly retreating isn’t a solution."

Shen Yuan calmly applied lipstick, adding color to her pale face.

Though her lips curved in a faint smile, there was a trace of cold detachment beneath it.

The Liuyun Pavilion was located behind the front hall, surrounded by curtains, a place for the ladies to enjoy the scenery.

When Shen Yuan arrived gracefully, the guests were already chatting, and a stage had been set up, lively and bustling.

"Ah, Sister is here?"

Shen Wannian wore a newly made jade silk dress embroidered with auspicious clouds, looking sweet and lovely.

Her voice was bright as she hurried down the steps to greet Shen Yuan, but her eyes subtly glanced toward the left side of the Liuyun Pavilion where the stage’s viewing area was, searching for Pei Ji’s figure.

Shen Yuan discreetly avoided her and walked straight into the pavilion.

Inside, several noble young ladies from the capital were seated.

"Look, our Wannian kindly went down to welcome her, yet she wouldn’t even give her face?"

The most elaborately dressed woman covered her mouth and smiled, clearly surprised as she glanced at Shen Yuan.