When Chen Xi came to, his right hand had already touched the little girl’s cheek. He couldn’t help feeling somewhat embarrassed, but the next moment he regained his composure. When had he ever become obsessed with a woman?
However, since he had touched her, Chen Xi didn’t want to appear to have done it intentionally or unintentionally. He didn’t need to. He said calmly, "Zhen Mi? Quite a good facial countenance indeed."
Zhen Mi’s face flushed. Although young, she knew well that her appearance was not to be touched by others. Being a treasured daughter of the Zhen Family and the most beloved of her generation, she felt Chen Xi’s forwardness as a slight, naturally inciting the anger of others in the Zhen Family, their earlier gentleness gone, as they charged at him directly.
"Zilong, show some courtesy," Chen Xi, hearing footsteps behind him and without turning back, said. With these people, trying to take Zhao Yun down was simply a joke.
"Repeat the expression you just had," Chen Xi commanded, staring at Zhen Mi.
"Ah!" Zhen Mi looked at Chen Xi, puzzled.
"Repeat the expression you just had," Chen Xi repeated, completely disregarding Zhen Mi’s confusion.
Zhen Mi had no idea what Chen Xi was talking about.
"Shall I repeat it again?" Chen Xi, slightly frustrated, said, "Hurry and do it again, one more time!"
Zhen Mi was startled by Chen Xi’s agitated demeanor, her eyes clouding with unshed tears that swirled around her gaze.
Chen Xi slowly closed his eyes, not wishing to reveal his other side. When he opened them again, he had regained his calm and, taking out some white silk, he tossed it to Zhen Mi, "Fortune and misfortune are truly... Zizhong, fetch a chair and let her sit."
Soon, Mi Zhu ordered someone to bring a chair over, placing it beside Chen Xi, and then asked Zhen Mi to take a seat.
"My mother said that one should have a proper sitting posture. Young Master Chen, your current posture doesn’t resemble that of an aristocratic son," Zhen Mi said with fresh composure, eyeing the chair Mi Zhu had ordered to be brought over. She did not sit down but looked at Chen Xi with an easy grace, completely devoid of her previous fear. She could clearly sense that the man before her harbored no ill will toward her.
"Bring in a couch and remove the chair," Chen Xi said calmly and then stood up, signalling to have the items moved. Soon, a couch was carried in, and Chen Xi knelt with regal ease at the center of the Zhen Family’s living room.
"The host and guest positions are not in order, which is not good practice," Zhen Mi observed, watching him change to a couch and sit calmly, his wooden folding fan placed horizontally on the right side of the couch. His entire demeanor was refined and polite, except for the part about sitting right at the center of the main hall.
"Such a similar temperament, such similar actions," Chen Xi’s eyes held a touch of nostalgia as he looked at Zhen Mi, as if he hadn’t heard her comment. The nostalgic look quickly faded, leaving clarity behind. He sighed and said, "Tell your mother, in consideration of you, the Zhen Family has dodged a disaster. Let’s call it even for this time. Zizhong, leave behind the box of land deeds and promissory notes and let’s go."
Having said that, Chen Xi got up, ready to leave with Zhao Yun and Mi Zhu. As he reached the doorway, he involuntarily looked back at Zhen Mi, hoping to see the expression he yearned for. Unfortunately, all he saw was bafflement, and with a sigh, he strode out of the Zhen residence.
"Zichuan, what on earth are you doing?" After they left the Zhen Family, Mi Zhu asked in a panic, having been unable to inquire while they were there. Now that they had left, Mi Zhu was utterly frantic, "We finally caught such an opportunity, and just when we were about to close the net, why suddenly let go? This will not only fail to make the Zhen Family grateful, but it will also make people think you’re foolish!"
Similarly, Zhao Yun also looked at Chen Xi with a puzzled face but did not speak. He had already witnessed Chen Xi’s miraculous deeds too many times.
"It’s nothing; we’ve done what we needed to do, and the rest doesn’t matter," said Chen Xi indifferently, "As far as the situation is concerned, we’ve done everything we should have. Whether or not we take the last step doesn’t really matter."
"I’m talking about you; how could you be so infatuated!" Mi Zhu said somewhat angrily. Even though Chen Xi had arranged this whole situation, as the executor, Mi Zhu had put in so much effort - but now you say to give up, and all my hard work is wasted.
"A little girl of eight or nine years old made me infatuated?" Chen Xi said disdainfully, "I’ve also seen your sister, Mi Zhen, but did you see any interest in me at that time? What’s important is not Zhen Mi herself, but her demeanor, her facial expression; otherwise, just in terms of appearance, Zhen Mi is on the same level as your sister."
"Now that you mention it..." Mi Zhu furrowed his brows. Chen Xi had indeed shown no care for beautiful women previously. At the New Year’s feast at the Mi Family, when Mi Zhu had his sister serve tea, Chen Xi was just as indifferent and not at all excited to see a beautiful girl. To put it precisely, he was too lazy even to comment.
"It’s not what you’re thinking; we’ll leave this matter as it is," Chen Xi shook his head and said. He didn’t want to come to Jizhou again, nor did he want to see Zhen Mi again. The expression he remembered was still hard to forget to this day.
"Huh?" Zhang Clan looked around the main hall’s couch with a puzzled expression at the maids, "Where did Chen Zichuan and the others go?"
"Reporting to madam, Young Master Chen has already left. However, the land deeds and the IOUs have been left behind. He asked us to tell you that he is letting this matter go on account of the young miss. After saying this, he left," said the maid, equally curious, as everyone present had witnessed the prior situation.
Zhang Clan had a maid recount the whole event in detail, and she too was puzzled afterward. She had no idea when Chen Xi and Zhen Mi had ever interacted. Given Chen Xi’s previously displayed confidence and arrogance, how could it be possible for Zhen Mi to direct him? It was simply inconceivable.
Whether she believed it or not, Chen Zichuan had indeed left behind the box of land deeds and IOUs worth over a billion in currency, which meant Chen Xi really didn’t intend to pursue the matter further. He was giving up regardless of whether there was a return on his previous investment or not.
[What is Chen Zichuan trying to do? At such an opportune moment, not to take advantage, and to actually change his mind and abandon the great opportunity to take over the Zhen Family due to a few words from Mi’er – could something have gone wrong?] Zhang Clan thought with furrowed brows. As for what Chen Xi had said about "letting it go on account of Zhen Mi’s face," Zhang Clan didn’t believe a word of it.
"Forget it. Since he has given up, this trouble has passed. Later, I’ll ask Mi’er what happened," Zhang Clan thought hard but couldn’t figure it out and decided to stop pondering it. The ready money just needed to be taken; as for the reason, it was better not to care.
Just as Zhang Clan was about to return the dowry originally meant for Zhen Mi, a servant came over, "Madam, Ju Gong seeks an audience."
"Ju Gongyu..." A cold light flashed in Zhang Clan’s eyes. Compared to Chen Xi, the actions of the Yuan Family and the Aristocratic Families of Hebei truly made Zhang Clan’s teeth cold. But now that the crisis had passed, she didn’t mind settling accounts with all the families of Jizhou - this time, it wasn’t the Zhen Family’s fault!
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