Li Shinian was too lazy to respond to Yan Xiangmaâs nonsense, with her hands folded, she told him bluntly: âSpeak, what do you want?â
âI donât want anything. Today, the sun is shining, and the mild spring breeze is beautiful. I just came out to admire the landscape to find inspiration to write poems. I did not expect to run into youââAre you about to go back home?â
âYouâre not going to say youâre going the same way too, are you?â Li Shinian sneered. He has been âgoing the same wayâ dozens of times already. All the students in the school already thought that Yan Xiangma is her prince charming and ideal man.
âI am going the same way.â Yan Xiangma said in an obvious tone: âLu mansion is on Xuanwu Street, and our Yan Mansion is also on Xuanwu Street. Just that one is at the east of the street and the other at the West side. Youâre going back, and Iâm also going back, is that not going the same way? Donât tell me because you want to go back, then you wonât let others walk on Xuanwu Street? Are you that bossy?â
âFine. Youâre going home, are you? Li Shinian pointed to the dirt road ahead, as she said: âGo. You go in front.â
âHey, arenât you too bossy? You even have to decide whether I go home or not and when Iâm going home. Donât tell meââyou like me?â Yan Xiangma drew his handsome face closer as he said with a mischievous smile.
âAre you leaving or not? If youâre not, then Iâll go. Donât follow me.â
âLi Shinian, who do you think I am? Do you think I, Yan Young Master, will agree to that rude request?â Yan Xiangma, with a loud âpakâ, opened his folding fan and said brazenly.
ââââ
âBig sister Shinianâââ Xiao Huan gently tugged at Li Shinianâs sleeve. âYan Young master has good intentions, if he wants to follow, then let him follow us. It doesnât matter what we do, donât you agree?â
âYes Shinian, weâre leaving by the back gate, what if we run into a bad personââ Let Yan Young Master walk you home?â
âYan Young Master, you also live on Xuanwu Street, I heard that those living there must be rich or nobles, itâs obvious that Yan Young Master is from a prestigious familyâââ
After Li Shinian came to Tiandu and entered Imperial View High School, Yan Xiangma has been inseparable from her, closely following her everywhere.
Everyday, when Li Shinian was ready to go home, she found Yan Xiangmaâs shadow waiting outside. Sometimes she deliberately stayed behind, hoping that Yan Xiangma would think that she had left already. Unfortunately, Yan Xiangma has never been fooled; no matter how late she stayed behind, he waited till then.
Li Shinian also tried to leave from other places, such as the schoolâs back gateââThe result was not what she wanted.
This guy was a ghost, no matter where she ran to, he jumped out from nowhere.
Also, with the time spent together, Yan Xiangma failed to tame Li Shinian, this small Mustang; however the boy-crazy girls on Li Shinianâs side were all subdued.
In their words: âI have never seen such a lowly yet refined man that makes people want to pounce over and kiss his handsome face.â
If you want to please the goddess, you should first take care of her maids.
Donât ask the silly question that why all goddesses have a little maid.
Evidently, Yan Xiangma has successfully taken this first step.
âThank you. Thank you beautiful little sisterâââ Yan Xiangma bowed at the several girls and expressed his thanks with a charming smile. âTomorrow at noon at Spring Gazing Restaurant, Iâll treat everyone to roast goose.â
âThank you Yan Young Master.â
âWow, Yan Young Master has to spend money again.â
âYan Young Master is not only handsome but generousâââ
Li Shinian, unable to stand listening to them flattering each other, walked in front. She must hurry home, to not let her parents wait at home.
Yan Xiangma cupped one hand in the other, made a wink at the girls, and walked toward Li Shinian in large strides.
Not wanting Yan Xiangma catch up to her, Li Shinian began to speed up her pace.
Yan Xiangma was calm and composed, walked leisurely and unhurried, like the calm wind, along Li Shinianâs side.
The two competed fiercely for a while, until they cast a glance behind, only to see the girls have already disappeared out of sight.
âAh, Xiao Huanâââ Li Shinian cried anxiously, wanting to turn back to look for them.
âNo need to look for them.â Yan Xiangma said with a smile. âThey wonât follow.â
âYan Xiangmaâââ
âYes, Iâm here.â
âWhat do you want?â
âOh heavens, am I not obvious? Canât you see?â Yan Xiangma said with dumbfounded look of surprise. âI donât have much experience with this sort of things. Am I too shy and reserved? Or should I tell you in personâââ
âDonât.â Li Shinian interrupted: âDonât speak, even if you do I wonât listen, even if I listen, I wonât agree.â
âI just want to find a place to pee, is that not allowed?â
ââââ
âForget it. I will not if you donât agree. Iâll endure it. Yan Xiangma said in a low voice. âA manâs ability to hold in his urine is determined by his kidney capability, today you can be testimony to that fact.â
âYan Xiangmaâââ
Yan Xiangma said with a chuckle: âShinian, why are you living in the Lu Mansion? What is your familyâs relationship with the Lu family?â
âWhat does my relationship with the Lu family has to do with you?â
âI just asked out of curiosity.â Yan Xiangmaâs face suddenly darkened with worry, but he kept his smile as he asked: âHave you had any contact with Li Muyang recently?â
Li Shinian fixed Yan Xiangma with a wary stare. âYan Xiangma, you came to find me to gather information?â
Li Shinian has been in Tiandu for a period of time now, and had heard the rumours that her brother had killed a very important person of the Cui family. Of course, she did not believe it.
Brother was such a good person, how would he kill someone?
Moreover, even if her brother really killed someone, then that person must be a bad person.
Because of this, ever since she came to Tiandu, she had not met up with Cui Xiaoxin.
In front of vengeance as deep as the bloody ocean, the bond between the old friends of Jiangan were incomparably weak.
The Yan family and the Cui family has a close relationship. Yan Xiangma and the deceased seem to be cousins. The reason he came here everyday and hover around her, was there other reasons?
The relationships in Tiandu are really complicated; Li Shinian, unfamiliar with the place and the people, felt a sense of strangeness and fear toward this huge city.
To her, the most bustling city in West Wind Kingdoms is an empty city. Because there is not a single person she could truly trust and have a heart-to-heart talk with.
Although only a student, she already could sense the oppressive feeling of a storm approaching and the troubles that lies ahead.
Fortunately, for the time being, the Lu family is standing in front, shielding her from the wind and rain. If the Lu family did not help them, most likely her little family of four would be torn apart in a split second by those civilized monsters.
Yan Xiangma reddened with anger, pointing his fan at Li Shinian and saying: âLi Shinian, who do you think I, Yan Xiangma, is? If I wanted to scout out information from you, I can just command someone to interrogate you. I can tell you that Iâm a famous hedonistic young master of Jiangnan city and I can do anything.â
Pffââ
Li Shinian giggled aloud.
âWhat are you laughing at? Iâm serious, Iâm really angry.â
Li Shinian stepped forward and patted Yan Xiangmaâs arm. âFine. I said something wrong. I apologise.â
Yan Xiangma was no longer angry, opened his folding fan, and gently moved it in a back and forth motion to his face. âYou believe me? You no longer suspect that Iâm a spy?â
âYouâre not that kind of person.â Li Shinian said with a smile. The young girl smiled sweetly, the bright sunlight shone on her face, giving her a kind of divine and gentle bright luster. âI feel like you wonât do that.â
âYouâre intuition is so accurate.â Yan Xiangma said admiringly.
The corner of Li Shinianâs lips quirked into a light smile. âThis is Tiandu, a place where everything is out of reach. We are unfamiliar with the people and the place, and can only live in other peopleâs house and canât protect ourselves. If you want to obtain something from me, with just a little scheming, I wouldnât be able to defend myselfââThere isnât a need for such huge efforts to stand watch every day at the school gate and climb onto the walls and the trees, right?â
Yan Xiangma smiled a bitter smile as he responded: âYou really understand me, my suffering is as high as a mountain, as vast as the seaâââ
âMy brother hasnât gotten in touch with me.â Li Shinian interrupted Yan Xiangmaâs venting. âItâs been a long time, but he hasnât sent us a letter or told someone to pass a message to us. He doesnât even know that weâre at Tiandu nowââI also donât know how my brother is now, I really miss him.â
Looking at the girlâs face skewed with unconcealed strong emotions of longing, Yan Xiangmaâs heart ached a little, but he forced a smile as he said comfortingly: âOf course your brother will be fine. Do you know that Starry Sky Academy is the most mysterious and most powerful school in the divine continent, I also wanted to go there, but the journey was too long, the school was too remote, so I was too lazyâââ
âYou were not admitted?â Li Shinian said disdainfully.
âYou guessed right again. You really are a worm in my stomach.â
âYouâre the worm.â
âWell, then Iâll be the worm in your stomach.â
âYan Xiangma, you disgusting fellowâââ
âIt wasnât me who said it, you said it first.â ââ
While quarrelling noisily, Yan Xiangma had already safely escorted Li Shinian to the entrance of Lu Mansion.
Yan Xiangma smiled, saying: âItâs inconvenient for me to go in, weâll separate here. âSee if weâre fateful enough to meet again tomorrow.â
Li Shinian curved her eyes, smiling happily as she said: âWe certainly wonât.â
âI donât believe it.â Yan Xiangma said firmly.
She waved to Yan Xiangma and said: âIâm going in. Goodbye.â
Yan Xiangma smiled and waved back, and then hummed a lively tune and headed down to the West of Xuanwu Street, where Yan Mansion is. That is where his family mansion is.
âYan Xiangma.â A carriage stopped at his side, and a dignified manâs voice called out: âGet in.â