11 Gu Xin, you are shameless.

Jiang Shuwan gently touched her own head and smiled, saying, “You don’t need to be so nervous. I’m not angry. From now on, say whatever you want—there’s no need to put on a facade in front of me.”

After everything that had happened in her previous life, she had come to see clearly who truly cared for her.

Liusu suddenly looked up, her eyes full of surprise as she gazed at Jiang Shuwan.

She was still the same rosy-lipped, fair-skinned young lady, but somehow, Liusu felt as if the person before her had changed—a feeling she couldn’t quite explain.

Yet, she welcomed this change and nodded with a smile.

Jiang Shuwan held a talisman she had obtained through prayer. “This talisman was sought out, though I’m not sure if it’s truly effective.”

“If the lady says it’s true, then it surely will be,” Liusu reassured her.

Jiang Shuwan’s tightly knit brows relaxed considerably.

Suddenly, her peripheral vision caught sight of a man standing beside her. She turned to look.

He was tall, about eight feet, dressed in a black brocade robe with a black inner garment, the layers crossing diagonally. He stood straight with hands clasped behind his back, strikingly handsome but emanating a cold, unapproachable aura.

The man fixed his gaze on her, his eyes deep and dark like an abyss, drawing one in irresistibly, as if into a profound void.

His presence was overwhelmingly powerful.

Jiang Shuwan frowned slightly. This was not the man she had seen yesterday, yet he seemed familiar—perhaps the same man she had glimpsed earlier at Cien Temple.

Realizing this man had been secretly following her, Jiang Shuwan’s expression hardened. “Young sir, you’ve been following me. What business do you have?”

Faced with the fierce young woman, the man couldn’t help but recall the girl who had just laughed like silver bells beneath the magnolia tree.

A faint smile curved his lips. “You look better when you’re smiling.”

His flippant, lewd remark made Jiang Shuwan step back. “Young sir, please watch your words. You don’t seem like a rogue or scoundrel, yet you behave so frivolously.”

The smile on the man’s lips faltered.

Watching this, Fengye silently admired Jiang Shuwan’s courage. It was the first time anyone had accused their young master of such behavior.

Jiang Shuwan saw the man’s face darken visibly. He radiated a chilling aura, as if frost surrounded him, causing her to take several more cautious steps backward.

The man’s gaze shifted to the yellow talisman in her hand. The coldness in his eyes lessened somewhat as he said calmly, “Miss, is that talisman meant for the Marquis of Pingning?”

Following his gaze, Jiang Shuwan saw the blessing pouch she had recently prayed for. Hastily, she slipped it into her sleeve.

She asked reflexively, “How do you know?”

“The Marquis of Pingning is dead. Why would you guard a widow in vain?” The man replied with a question rather than an answer.

Jiang Shuwan’s anger flared. “Watch your tongue. The Marquis fought bravely for the country; his body has yet to be found. No one can declare his fate prematurely.”

The man’s eyes grew even deeper and more inscrutable.

Jiang Shuwan shot him a fierce glare and strode ahead decisively.

Watching her angry retreating figure, the man smiled faintly. “The young lady is quite fierce.”

A nearby guard reminded him, “Young master, we should depart for Nanping County.”

The man replied flatly, “We’re not going.”

“Ah?” The guard was surprised.

With a sly smile, the man said, “I’m staying in the capital to take a second wife.”

The guard looked at him incredulously but dared not speak further.

Jiang Shuwan’s mood dampened by the man’s interruption, she walked on half-heartedly, knowing Liusu hadn’t been out shopping for a long time and feeling obliged to accompany her.

They strolled through the bustling streets, glancing at the various goods around them.

“Miss, it seems the Young Master Gu of the Pingning Marquisate is ahead,” Liusu suddenly tugged at Jiang Shuwan’s sleeve.

Jiang Shuwan looked in the direction Liusu indicated and saw Gu Xin dressed in a white brocade robe embroidered with pale magnolia blossoms on the chest, a patterned belt cinching his waist.

Irritation involuntarily flashed in Jiang Shuwan’s eyes.

What rotten luck—she seemed to run into him everywhere.

Gu Xin also spotted her and caught the disdain in her gaze, much to his surprise.

He remembered that in their previous life, although Jiang Shuwan was reserved around him, her eyes longed to be fixed upon him. Why did she now seem so indifferent?

Everything was different from the past life.

Thinking Jiang Shuwan was merely playing hard to get, Gu Xin was pleased with himself. Considering her beauty and wealth, he dismissed it lightly.

He stepped forward with a smile. “Sister Wan, we meet again.”

“What business do you have, Young Master?” Jiang Shuwan frowned slightly.

Gu Xin assumed she was angry about his affair with Lin Rou at the Jiang residence and patiently explained, “Sister Wan, I know you’re upset, but Lin Rou and I were only playing a part, a momentary lapse. If you agree to marry me, I won’t marry Lin Rou. She can’t do anything, nor threaten your status as the legitimate wife.”

Jiang Shuwan was amused by his shamelessness and laughed bitterly.

“Please watch your words,” she said, speechless. “This is your own business and has nothing to do with me. If you truly love someone and wish to marry her legitimately, once I become the Young Master’s mother, I will naturally consider it.”

Gu Xin’s face darkened with anger, but Jiang Shuwan didn’t spare him a glance and walked on resolutely.

“Jiang Shuwan, stop right there!” Gu Xin shouted in fury.

Jiang Shuwan halted.

Gu Xin turned to scold her, “Jiang Shuwan, even if you’re playing hard to get, this is going too far. I’ll be honest, my father is dead, and the Marquisate of Pingning will belong to me.”

He stepped closer. “Even if you refuse to marry me, once you enter the Marquisate, I will have you.”

Hearing such shameless words, Jiang Shuwan turned angrily to face him. “Gu Xin, you are utterly shameless.”

Gu Xin paid no mind to her insult and smiled smugly. “No matter what, you can’t escape my grasp.”

Jiang Shuwan clenched her fists, restraining herself with a deep breath. “Gu Xin, have you forgotten what Madam Gu said? As long as she lives, you won’t act recklessly.”

Gu Xin, who was usually afraid of Madam Gu, faltered at her mention, his smile wavering. He raised a finger at her, “You…”

Jiang Shuwan had no patience for such a shameless man and turned away.

Gu Xin cursed her loudly as she left.

Noticing that everyone had stopped to watch him, Gu Xin snapped shut his mouth and scowled fiercely, clenching his fists tightly. “What are you looking at? Get out of my way!”