Chapter 10

The smile like jade froze on her face, gradually fading away

Hmm?

As Ru Yu leisurely followed Shao Jiyan into the house, she had just stepped through the door when Shao Jiyan suddenly asked, "Have you been to the Shen residence?"

"What are you going to see? Are you going to see Miss Shen?" Shao Jiyan questioned.

An unprecedented silence filled the atmosphere indoors, creating an awkward tension

Ru Yu was startled and stammered, "I... I just went to take a look..."

Ru Yu was taken aback, her eyes dimming, and she bit her lip without responding

As soon as Shao spoke, he felt a hint of awkwardness in his words, which only made the situation more uncomfortable. He decided to remain silent, simply wiped his hands, and went behind the screen to take off his outer garment. He had been socializing all day and was quite fatigued, now only wanting to lie down and sleep. In the past, he would not have needed to pay attention to Ruyue; he would simply go to bed, and she would not have taken it to heart, drifting off to do her own thing outside. However, at this moment, it seemed as if they were in a quarrel; she had come with great difficulty, and it would not be right to ignore her completely. Therefore, he only sat on the bed for a while before getting up again, walking over to the desk and casually picking up a book to flip through.

Shao Jiyan put down the book and turned to look at her

As the jade-like eyes flickered, she lowered her head and fell silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "Did you tell her?"

Besides them, there are Shen Moxuan and a few other friends. Shao Jiyan gazed at her jade-like complexion and said, "Ah, you haven't come these past few days, so I haven't had the chance to tell you. Shen Moxuan is a new friend I made, the son of Shen Denian, the Minister Shen, and he is also the brother of that Miss Shen. We had a banquet at his home today"

"Like jade." Shao Jiyan called out to her from behind, saying: "At first, I didn't think it through myself, but now I understand. I have made up my mind; I must marry Miss Shen. I have never thought you were foolish; I find you very innocent and lovely. I want to be friends with you, good friends."

"Do not hide, I see you," Shao Jiyan said, his voice somewhat annoyed due to his suspicion towards Ruyu.

As if deflated, Ru Yu lowered her head and muttered softly while tugging at her sleeve: "This one is red... it turns out that one is purple..."

Ru Yu was taken aback, shrinking back as if she had done something wrong, and exclaimed, "How did you know?"

Shao Jiyan suddenly felt something stuck in his throat, unable to rise or fall, causing him great discomfort. He forced a smile, as awkward as jade, and said: "I am not joking; I wish to marry Miss Shen as my wife"

"It was agreed to drink less; alcohol is not a good thing," said Ru Yu softly.

"Hmm, I will drink less in the future." Shao Jiyan turned his head to glance at Ruyu, smiled, and pretended to read again.

Shao Jiyan waited for Ruyu's response, but she merely pouted and looked at him for a while. Suddenly, she stood up and walked away. When she reached the door, she paused, turned her back to him, and said with a sense of grievance: "You are lying. You said it was just a joke earlier, but today you say it's true. One moment it's real, the next it's fake. You are taking advantage of my dullness. I won't pay attention to you anymore." After saying this, she attempted to float away.

Shao Jiyan, however, could not smile and deliberately provoked, "Are you avoiding me because you have done something shameful?"

Ah? As Ru Yu was somewhat lost in thought, tugging at the corner of her clothes, she heard Shao Jiyan calling her and quickly looked up at him, blinking her large eyes, and replied, "It is with Brother Feng and Brother Chen, right..."

Shao Jiyan flipped through the book a couple of times but could not continue reading at all, instead sitting there in a daze, staring at a page of the book.

Perhaps she was frightened by his tone, and as a result, Ru Yu remained hidden behind the tree, unwilling to come out. However, due to her not being slender enough, she ultimately could not conceal herself, with her arms and backside exposed, which appeared somewhat amusing

Shao Jiyan was infuriated, intending to scold her properly, but upon seeing her anxious and pitiful demeanor, he felt somewhat reluctant. He merely sat in the chair with a stern face, staring at her in silence.

Shao Jiyan regretted it; as soon as the words left his mouth, he felt remorse. However, the words had already been spoken, and it was like spilled water that could not be retrieved. He could only watch as Ruyu stared at him with wide eyes, covering her heart and shedding tears. After a moment of dazed acknowledgment, she nodded slightly and turned to leave.

"You are lying." She glared at Shao Jiyan, somewhat displeased

Like jade, she neither raised her head nor made a sound, but sat silently in place with her head bowed

Hmm. "Ruyue nodded slightly.

Upon hearing the name "Miss Shen," a trace of surprise flickered across Yu's brow, but it quickly faded away, and she merely let out a soft "oh"

As Ru Yu lowered her head to look at herself, she pursed her lips and said softly with some anticipation, "I went to the ghost market with Feng Er the day before yesterday and bought a new outfit... Is it pretty?"

Shao Jiyan said angrily: "Are you still pretending to be foolish? You went to the Shen residence to scare Miss Shen, causing her to be bedridden. Does that not count as a wicked act? Or is it that this matter is insignificant to you? If you had no intention to harm her, you should understand that you are a ghost and she is a human. She cannot withstand your jokes and tricks. If you truly harbor malicious intent, then let me make it clear: my desire to marry her is my own decision and has nothing to do with her. There is no need for you to scare her. To put it bluntly, regardless of the fact that you and I are from different realms, even if you were a living woman, I would not like you!"

Shao Jiyan was still somewhat skeptical, but upon hearing Ruyu admit it in person, he couldn't help but feel angry and blurted out: "Who allowed you to go!"

Ru Yu cautiously gazed at Shao Jiyan's expression, unsure of how to please him. Biting her lip and pondering for a moment, she said: "I saw the topic of the Enke exam first, do you want to know?"

I am not lying. After I finish high school, I will go to propose to her parents." Shao Jiyan said

Ruyue looked at him for a while, then suddenly smiled foolishly and said, "I was just joking. At first, I misunderstood what I heard. Later, I figured it out; they were just teasing you. You don't really intend to marry Miss Shen as your wife."

"I can't tell," Shao Jiyan said, shaking his head. Seeing that Ru Yu clearly showed a look of disappointment, he hurriedly added, "Take a closer look; there are some differences, the sleeves are a bit wider..."

The two individuals repeated a conversation they had in the past, yet the joyful atmosphere of that time was entirely absent. The ambiance fell silent once more, leaving Shao Jiyan with a sense of inexplicable irritation, yet he still endured and stared blankly at the pages of the book.

Shao Jiyan looked up and down at Ru Yu and smiled, saying, "Is that so? So even ghosts have ghost markets, and they can also change into new clothes?"

With a frown like jade, she questioned, "Did you not notice?"

This pretentious demeanor of Ru Yu increasingly made Shao Jiyan feel that she had committed a wrongdoing, so he silently turned and entered the house, saying: "Let's talk inside."

After not seeing each other for several days, their sudden meeting inevitably led to a bit of awkwardness

"Have you been drinking?" Ru Yu raised her gaze to Shao Jiyan, breaking the silence first

Not at all! Like jade, it finally opened its mouth, after grinding for a while behind the tree, it emerged.

Shao Jiyan was taken aback, rendered speechless by the sudden question from Ru Yu, wanting to laugh but unable to do so

I have changed into new clothes After a while, like jade suddenly blurted out a sentence that was unrelated to the previous topic

After Shao Jiyan was taken aback, he suddenly became furious, standing up abruptly and coldly declaring: "Your attempts to curry favor with me are futile! I do not need you to show me any questions; I am capable of taking the exam on my own! Even if I were to fail, I would not resort to such despicable acts!"

Just when he was suffering from not knowing where to find Ruyu, who had disappeared for a few days, Ruyu herself came to visit. However, she did not enter as boldly and uninvited as before. Shao Jiyan, hearing the sound of someone lingering outside, instinctively called out, "Ruyu?" The noise outside immediately ceased.

Ru Yu had never seen Shao Jiyan get angry before, but now seeing his face filled with displeasure, she felt as if she had committed a grave mistake, and hurriedly said: "I am sorry, I am sorry, I will not go again!"

Ru Yu looked at him seriously and said, "Did you tell her that you want to marry her and make her your wife?"

Shao Jiyan waited for a moment, noticing that she had no further words or expressions, seemingly not very concerned. He continued, "In the middle, I went to the yard to sober up and take a walk, and happened to run into Miss Shen... What do you think, is it a coincidence or not?"

After that, Yu did not appear for several consecutive days. With the experience from the last time, Shao Jiyan only thought that she was throwing a tantrum and perhaps felt a bit embarrassed. He just thought that after a few days, she would come to terms with it, and perhaps everything would be fine.

Shao Jiyan glanced at Ru Yu and, pretending to be relaxed, said as he entered the room: "You’re here?"

As if in a daze, Ru Yu was about to speak, but was interrupted by Shao Jiyan, who said: "At first, I thought you were simple and kind, but I was mistaken! The evil deeds you have committed are not something an honest girl could do!"

"Yes, he went out for social engagements during the day." Shao Jiyan did not turn around, but inwardly he let out a sigh of relief; at last, there was some conversation.

He only mentioned his intention to marry Miss Shen, and thus became even more enthusiastic in befriending Shen Moxuan. He was naturally adept at reading people's expressions, and since Shen Moxuan was someone who appreciated talent, they quickly became confidants. Although he had visited the residence twice, he had not had the opportunity to meet Miss Shen again. He found it strange that Miss Shen, who clearly had feelings for him, did not seek a chance to 'coincidentally encounter' him, especially knowing he was at the residence. Before long, he received news that Miss Shen had been bedridden due to illness, which was said to have been caused by a fright from encountering a ghost. He found it strange that Miss Shen, who clearly had feelings for him, did not seek a chance to 'coincidentally encounter' him, especially knowing he was at the residence. Before long, he received news that Miss Shen had been bedridden due to illness, which was said to have been caused by a fright from encountering a ghost.

Shao Jiyan knew without a doubt that it was Ruyu, yet he did not see her enter. He hurriedly opened the door and happened to catch Ruyu flustered as she hurriedly hid behind the large tree in the courtyard

As Yu realized she was crying, tears had already flowed to the corners of her mouth, tasting nothing, only feeling a bit breathless. She felt as if someone had torn her clothes in front of her, yet she did not feel any shame or embarrassment; it was as if someone had slapped her twice in the face, but her cheeks did not feel hot. Instead, it felt as if something had pierced her chest, making her feel as if it had penetrated her, and she instinctively covered her heart with her hand, fearing that she might split apart from that spot.

With a nose as delicate as jade, she said with a hint of grievance: "What wrong have I done?"

Shao Jiyan felt increasingly guilty and reluctant as he thought about it. He thought it would be better to clarify things with her while her feelings were still shallow, so he said: "Do you want to know who I drank with today?"

Ah, is that so? Shao Jiyan realized and said, "But to me, your clothes all look the same, lacking any color..." After a moment's thought, he added somewhat intentionally, "It seems that we are indeed different between humans and ghosts..."

Ru Yu stood still without moving for a long time, then finally sniffed and said softly: "Who would want to be friends with a lowly and deceitful scoundrel like you." After saying this, she turned her head and floated out through the door without looking back

Shao Jiyan averted his gaze, feeling as if he had done something wrong and becoming uneasy. How could he not realize that Ru Yu had subtly developed feelings for him? He knew this was entirely his fault. He was fully aware that she had been an unmarried woman in her lifetime, yet he still teased her from time to time, engaging in those suggestive and ambiguous jokes that could easily stir her emotions. How could he not provoke such feelings in her? He understood that the paths of the living and the dead were different, treating their closeness and laughter as mere entertainment for himself, without considering her feelings at all. He was fully aware that she had been an unmarried woman in her lifetime, yet he still teased her from time to time, engaging in those suggestive and ambiguous jokes that could easily stir her emotions. How could he not provoke such feelings in her? He understood that the paths of the living and the dead were different, treating their closeness and laughter as mere entertainment for himself, without considering her feelings at all.

Miss Shen's encounter with ghosts was merely a rumor, and he did not dare to inquire too deeply with Shen Moxuan. However, from the information that inadvertently slipped through his words, it seemed somewhat suspicious. Shao Jiyan suddenly thought of Ruyu; he knew that Ruyu was very kind and innocent, and would never commit any harmful acts. Yet, he also felt that if a woman's jealousy were to arise, it would be truly difficult to guarantee that she would not do something.

During these days of companionship, her pure and kind nature, like jade, was noticed by him. He could not help but think that if he had not encountered her, or if he had not been so selfish in seeking amusement and passing time with her, she would surely have lived a simple and happy life as before, and would not have experienced this sense of desolation.