Xiao Chen's Adam's apple moved unconsciously, his dry mouth longing for the smooth, buttery forehead of the young girl before him.
Fortunately, his self-control was commendable, and after an initial moment of astonishment, he quickly reverted to his usual modest gentleman demeanor.
Nan Sheng felt that Xiao Chen's gaze when looking at Shen Qinghe was too intense. She subconsciously found it odd, although she couldn't quite put her finger on what was amiss.
Perhaps she simply disliked the depth of Xiao Chen's gaze when he looked at Shen Qinghe.
But if the person she liked was Yan Changsheng, why did she also feel such a strong possessiveness toward Xiao Chen?
Nan Sheng, noticing Shen Qinghe lingering and refusing to leave, found it annoying: "Does Miss Shen have any other matters?"
Shen Qinghe planned to stay by Nan Sheng's side all night, to prevent her from having a chance to touch the wine. Unable to find Shen Zhiyao, guarding Nan Sheng seemed to be the most viable strategy, if only she could make it through the night.
"Miss Nan's hairpin design is quite unique, may I borrow it for a closer look?" Shen Qinghe came up with a half-hearted excuse.
With an indifferent expression, Nan Sheng removed the green jade hairpin and handed it over to Shen Qinghe. "Here, Miss Shen, take a good look."
The green jade hairpin had a simple design, a single piece of bare jade without any additional decoration.
Shen Qinghe pretended to examine it, then feigned realization. "So it's this jade hairpin. The quality of the jade is exceptional, which makes it so unique. It flatters Miss Nan's delicate beauty. Allow me to study it a bit more."
Xiao Chen had held back for a while but eventually couldn't help but chuckle softly, clenching his fist.
Operating on the principle "as long as I'm not embarrassed, the embarrassment falls on others," Shen Qinghe pretended not to see Xiao Chen's amused moment.
She continued to feign studying the hairpin, purposefully not returning it to Nan Sheng.
Nan Sheng could no longer tolerate it and reached out her hand, "May I have my hairpin back, please?"
Reluctantly, Shen Qinghe handed the green jade hairpin to Xiao Chen. "Big Senior Brother, could you help? Please pin it up for Miss Nan."
If the male lead belonged to the female lead, then it was best to push them together, to entwine their fates and prevent them from troubling Shen Zhiyao.
Though Shen Zhiyao was a bit impulsive and hot-tempered, clear about love and hate, how come she ended up as the villains' mean side character, only to die such a tragic death?
Xiao Chen merely spread his hands like a helpless shopkeeper, "I've never pinned up a lady's hair, I cannot assist Miss Nan Sheng."
As he spoke these words, Shen Qinghe keenly noticed the dimming light in Nan Sheng's eyes.
This was becoming interesting. Nan Sheng had already started to feel something for Xiao Chen. Yan Changsheng, upon learning that Nan Sheng had so quickly taken a liking to another man, would surely have complex feelings.
When Nan Sheng looked up, she caught Shen Qinghe's knowing gaze. Disliking the way Shen Qinghe was looking at her, she stepped forward, took the green jade hairpin, and casually inserted it into her hair.
She turned to Xiao Chen with a radiant smile, hoping to leave the bothersome Shen Qinghe behind, "Brother Xiao, shall we take a walk over there?"
Without waiting for a response, she stepped ahead, certain that Xiao Chen would follow.
Indeed, Xiao Chen did follow behind her, their pace syncing perfectly; they appeared very much in tune.
Shen Qinghe followed Nan Sheng discreetly, intending not to annoy the main characters, but she had to save her foolish sister.
Just then, Yan Changsheng appeared. Tall and with a cold demeanor, his presence immediately attracted the attention of many cultivators.
Seeing Xiao Chen and Nan Sheng together, he furrowed his brow slightly and quickly approached them, effortlessly separating the two.
Throughout it all, he never noticed Shen Qinghe following behind.
For Shen Qinghe, such occurrences were no longer surprising. Ever since she learned she was destined to die early, she harbored no resentment, merely hoping Yan Changsheng and Nan Sheng would have a century of happiness together.
Of course, that was under the condition that they would not cause harm to the Shen sisters.
Ironically, Yan Changsheng later picked up a glass of wine, intending to hand it to Nan Sheng. Shen Qinghe, adhering to the principle "better to wrongly kill a thousand than to spare even one," stepped forward and snatched the wine away.
Miss Nan Sheng and Xiao Chen both looked at her, and it was only then that Yan Changsheng saw Shen Qinghe was also there, a look of disgust crossing his face, "Qinghe, what are you up to now?"
With a smile, Shen Qinghe replied, "I'm thirsty!"
With those words, she covered her face with her sleeve, pretending to gulp down the drink in one go while pouring the wine into the folds of her sleeve.
With a slight effort, she dried the wine in her sleeve.
Afterward, she feigned coughing due to the wine, turning her face flush with color, as if it was truly the case.
Xiao Chen, thinking she couldn't hold her liquor, gently patted her delicate back. "Don't force yourself if you can't drink!"
Yan Changsheng knew Xiao Chen the best. On the surface, Xiao Chen seemed like a gentle and modest gentleman, but he was more unapproachable than anyone else. When had he ever seen Xiao Chen show such tenderness towards a woman?
Especially when the woman eliciting Xiao Chen's gentle side was Shen Qinghe.
His brow furrowed slightly, he suppressed the odd feeling in his heart.
"It's fine, I'll just treat it as water, to quench my thirst!"
Shen Qinghe kept up the pretense, coughing a few more times, her face and even her ear tips reddening.
Her eyes brimmed with water, as if thousands of stars had fallen into their depths.
Xiao Chen's hand still rested on her thin, delicate back, the butterfly bones beneath seeming real beneath the palm, causing his palm to tingle and burn.
This strange sensation made him move his hand away, feeling uncomfortable, and he dared not look at Shen Qinghe again.
From then on, Yan Changsheng deliberately countered Shen Qinghe, swiftly bringing another cup of wine for Miss Nan Sheng, which Shen Qinghe snatched away before repeating her trick.
"Shen Qinghe, enough is enough!" Yan Changsheng's disgust at Shen Qinghe's persistence grew.
"It's just a cup of wine, what's the big deal? Consider it as if I'm drinking to the joy of you two ahead of time," Shen Qinghe feigned a burp from the alcohol.
Yan Changsheng then got a few more cups of wine for Miss Nan Sheng, each one snagged by Shen Qinghe first.
Just at that moment, Shen Qinghe saw Shen Zhiyao lurking in the crowd, stealing glances at their group.
Worried that Shen Zhiyao would make more trouble, she pretended to have drunk too much, stumbled a bit, and lurched towards Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen promptly supported her, seeing her eyes blurry from the drink, he thought she was drunk.
"Qinghe, you've drunk too much, I'll take you back," said Xiao Chen as he tried to help her leave.
With her face flushed, the grey birthmark between Shen Qinghe's eyebrows seemed to come alive, "No, I still want to drink... "
Beneath his hand was her smooth wrist, the tingling sensation spreading from his palm to his limbs and bones.
Watching this scene, Yan Changsheng furrowed his eyebrows, "I'll take Qinghe back."
However, Xiao Chen blocked him, pulling Shen Qinghe into his embrace, taking on the role of the Big Senior Brother, "You take Miss Nan back, I'll take Qinghe to the Simple Residence Courtyard."
"Big Senior Brother, let me take Qinghe!" Not sure why, Yan Changsheng firmly grasped Shen Qinghe's waist, trying to pull her away from Xiao Chen.
But Xiao Chen wouldn't let go of Shen Qinghe, "Miss Nan is still waiting for the junior brother."
Yan Changsheng looked at Miss Nan Sheng, meeting her eyes that were brimming with grievance.
Then he looked at Shen Qinghe, who was mumbling and talking to herself, appearing adorably foolish, clearly drunk.
Remembering Xiao Chen's unusual behavior that day, he truly felt uneasy about leaving Shen Qinghe alone with Xiao Chen.
Deciding on the spot, he simply hoisted Shen Qinghe up horizontally in his arms.