The marketplace was alive with noise.
Vendors called out loudly, children ran between stalls, and the scent of street food lingered in the air.
Xu Yuexin walked through it all quietly.
A thin veil covered half her face, concealing her identity. Her movements were calm, elegant, completely out of place among the bustling crowd.
She wasn’t here for anything.
She was thinking.
About the marriage.
And how exactly this marriage was going to change her fate.
Above
From a second-floor balcony of a teahouse—
Zhao Yanzhou stood silently, looking down at the street below.
He had no real interest in the crowd.
Until
He saw her.
Not her face.
Just a glimpse.
A figure moving calmly through chaos.
Graceful. Unbothered.
Different.
His gaze lingered.
Below—
Yuexin thought this would finally be a peaceful day for her. But fate had other plans.
A hand suddenly grabbed Yuexin’s wrist.
“Hey there, beautiful,” a man’s voice slithered out arrogantly. “You look like a fairy sent from the heavens.”
Yuexin didn’t even flinch.
“Let go.”
Her voice was calm. Flat.
But the man only tightened his grip.
“How can I let go of such beauty?” he smirked. “No one will save you here. You should feel fortunate you caught the eye of a scholar.”
The crowd began whispering.
“Don’t interfere…”
“He’s a scholar…”
“We’re just commoners…”
Yuexin’s eyes darkened behind the veil.
“…A mere scholar dares to grab me?”
The man’s expression twisted instantly.
“Mere scholar? Do you even know how difficult it is to become one?”
Then he leaned closer.
“Come with me. I’ll give you a life full of fortune.”
Silence.
Then—
“I’ll count to three.”
Her tone remained unchanged.
“Let go.”
He laughed loudly.
“Otherwise what? What can you possibly—”
“1…”
“…2…”
“…3.”
Before anyone could react—
She moved.
A sharp kick.
The man was sent crashing backward onto the ground.
Gasps erupted through the crowd. Claps erupted as he flew backwards.
Before he could even stand—
She stepped forward.
Her foot pressed firmly onto his chest, pinning him down.
She tilted her head slightly.
And laughed.
“Oh…”
“A mere scholar…”
“What can he do to me?”
The crowd fell silent.
Completely silent.
The same people who refused to interfere were now staring in shock.
The scholar’s face turned red with humiliation and rage.
“You—! You dare—!”
He tried to get up again—
She pressed harder.
Not enough to injure.
But enough to crush his pride.
“Didn’t you say no one would save me?” she asked casually.
A pause.
“Why don’t you save yourself first?”
A few people in the crowd couldn’t hold back their laughter anymore.
The scholar’s humiliation deepened.
“You don’t know who I am!” he shouted.
Yuexin leaned slightly closer, her voice soft—but cutting.
“And you don’t know who I am.”
Above—
Zhao Yanzhou watched everything.
Without moving.
Without speaking.
But his gaze… had changed.
She wasn’t delicate.
She wasn’t weak.
She wasn’t afraid.
She was far more interesting.
For the first time in a long while
Zhao Yanzhou felt something unfamiliar.
Interest.
Below—
The scholar finally scrambled away, humiliated beyond words.
The crowd slowly dispersed, whispering more than before.
But Yuexin?
She simply adjusted her sleeve.
As if nothing had happened.
Then
For a brief moment—
She looked up.
Toward the balcony.
Their eyes met.
Just for a second.
Through distance.
Through veil.
Through silence.
Zhao Yanzhou didn’t move.
But something in his chest… shifted.
Yuexin frowned slightly.
Strange man.
Then she turned away.
And left.
Above—
Zhao Yanzhou remained still.
Watching her disappear into the crowd.
The marketplace slowly returned to its usual rhythm after the commotion.
Xu Yuexin?
She had already moved on.
As if stepping on a man in public was just… a minor inconvenience.
She walked calmly through the street, her veil swaying lightly with her steps.
Then—
She paused.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Across the street, inside a teahouse by the window—
Two familiar figures.
Her secret spy in the disguise of her personal maid.
And…
Zhao Zixuan.
Military counselor of the Zhao Clan.
Yuexin blinked once.
Then twice.
Then—
She gasped dramatically.
Without hesitation, she walked straight into the teahouse.
Up the stairs.
And right to their table.
“Aren't you Zixuan, the military counsellor? And you Lian. What are you two doing here?”
Both of them froze.
Zhao Zixuan nearly choked on his tea.
Lian stiffened instantly.
Yuexin’s eyes widened slightly, then sparkled with mischief.
“Wait…”
A pause.
Her gaze moved between them slowly.
Then she leaned in.
“Don’t tell me you two—”
Before either of them could speak—
She raised her hand.
“It’s alright.”
She turned dramatically.
“I understand.”
Then, lowering her voice just enough for them to hear.
“Lovebirds.”
And just like that—
She walked away.
Giggling.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Zhao Zixuan stared at the doorway.
“…Did she just—”
The maid buried her face in her hands.
“Miss is going to ruin my life…”
“Wait.” Zhao Zixuan frowned. “Why does it sound like I’m the problem here?”
She shot him a glare.
“You are the problem.”
He blinked.
“…Excuse me?”
Downstairs—
Yuexin was still smiling to herself.
Interesting.
Her personal spy meeting Zhao Clan’s military counselor?
That was not coincidence.
Not at all.
Her expression softened slightly.
But her thoughts sharpened.
Above:
From the balcony across the street—
Zhao Yanzhou had not left.
He had seen everything.
Including… that scene.
His gaze lowered slightly.
Zhao Zixuan.
His counselor.
Meeting a maid.
And that same woman…
The one from earlier.
Walking in like she owned the place.
His eyes narrowed faintly.
Interesting.
Below—
Yuexin stepped out of the teahouse, completely unaware she was being observed again.
She adjusted her veil slightly.
Then muttered under her breath:
“First a shameless scholar… now secret romance…”
A pause.
Then she smiled faintly.
“This day is getting entertaining."
She realized it was almost evening.
"Oh no! Father will scold me again if I don't return before evening."
Back at Xu manor:-
Xu Yuexin carefully lifted the hem of her dress, stepping lightly over the low wall of the backyard.
One step.
Two steps.
Almost there—
She dusted her sleeves, satisfied.
Perfect. No one saw anything.
“Yuexin.”
Her entire body froze.
Slowly… painfully slowly… she turned her head.
Xu Zhenrong stood at the doorway.
Arms crossed.
Expression unreadable.
Waiting.
“Uhh… hello, father?” she said with an awkward smile.
Silence.
Then—
“It’s almost night,” he said calmly. “Where did you go?”
Yuexin blinked.
“…Capital?” she answered, as if it were a question.
A pause.
Her father’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Capital?”
She nodded immediately, committing to it. “Yes. Capital.”
Another pause.
Then—
“And how,” he continued slowly, “did you reach the capital?”
Yuexin hesitated.
“…walking?”
Xu Zhenrong let out a quiet breath. Not angry. Just… deeply unimpressed.
“From the backyard wall?”
She glanced at the wall behind her.
“…It’s a shortcut?”
A long silence followed.
Then—
“Xu Yuexin.”
“Yes, father.”
“Do you take me for a fool?”
She smiled weakly. “I would never dare.”
“Explain,” he said simply.
She sighed, knowing there was no escaping this.
“…I went to see the capital,” she admitted.
“And?”
“And… maybe to have fun?,” she added quickly.
“Fun?” his brow lifted. "And did you have fun?”
She looked away.
“Not really..."
Xu Zhenrong hummed.
“Yet you still went.”
“Of course I did.” She lifted her chin slightly. “It was boring here.”
He nodded, "Fair point."
Yuexin rolled her eyes.
“Can I go inside now?”
“No.”
She froze.
“No?”
“No,” he repeated calmly. “You climbed out. You can climb back in properly.”
She stared at him.
“…Father.”
“Yes?”
“It’s my house.”
“And yet,” he replied smoothly, “you chose to enter it like a thief.”
A pause.
Then—
“Climb.”
She turned slowly toward the wall.
Then back at him.
Then back at the wall.
“…You’re serious?”
He didn’t answer.
Which meant he was.
Yuexin sighed dramatically.
“Sometimes,” she muttered while lifting her dress again, “I really question if I’m your biological daughter.”
“Climb properly,” he added. “Don’t embarrass the Xu Clan.”
She shot him a glare before climbing back over the wall, this time under his direct supervision.
As she landed again, slightly less gracefully—
A familiar voice rang out nearby.
“Oh? Elder Sister is training to become a thief now?”
Xu Tianhao appeared, leaning against a pillar, clearly enjoying the show.
Yuexin’s eye twitched.
“Do you want to die?”
He grinned. “You already used that line yesterday.”
She immediately grabbed a nearby stick.
“Come here. I will show you how to act like a thief .”
He ran.
She chased.
Their father watched the chaos unfold, completely unbothered.
Then, after a moment—
He spoke calmly:
“Yuexin.”
She stopped mid-chase.
“…Yes, father?”
He said, "You won't go out without our permission until your wedding day, understood?"
She protested, "Wedding is still 4 days away."
Her father shook his head, "Nope. Go back to your room."
She nodded, "Yes.."
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