Yan Xu, how much do you hate me?

The way that "come here" was said was very forceful, it didn't sound like anything good.

Although she didn't know what she had done wrong, Shen Yi was prepared to admit her mistake.

Yan Xu pointed to the hardware store: "You're doing renovations—"

Shen Yi blurted out, "I was wrong!"

The two spoke in unison, then looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

Is she asking about home renovation?

Why did he apologize?

Realizing he had made a mistake, Shen Yi blinked in shame, not daring to look at her.

Yan Xu became interested: "What did you do to offend me that you need to apologize for?"

As long as it's not deceiving her, anything is negotiable.

She hates deception the most, and she doesn't accept or even resent so-called white lies.

Seeing this, Shen Yi had no choice but to bring up the fact that he had kept it a secret from her all along.

He took out a silver hairpin from his pants pocket. Yan Xu noticed that the hairpin had shortened in his hand. He then gently placed it on the table, and the two hairpins of different lengths rolled around before finally stopping.

It broke.

"How did you break it?" Yan Xu wasn't angry; a broken silver hairpin could be reattached. She was simply curious. "How did it break when it was in your pocket?"

It wouldn't be surprising if the pants got a hole, but the pants were intact while the sharp hairpin broke.

It was incomprehensible; she couldn't understand it.

Shen Yi helped her recall: "I got up to find the teahouse owner, and I accidentally bumped into the corner of the table and it broke."

He hadn't expected the silver hairpin to be so fragile, breaking at the slightest touch.

Yan Xu picked up the hairpin, glanced at the sharp end, and saw that it was dangerous; it could easily cut flesh if one wasn't careful. "So you didn't say anything and just let it stay in your pants..."

It's not that he doesn't want to talk, it's that he's afraid to.

Afraid that Yan Xu would find out he had broken her things and push him away again, he didn't want to go back to square one after finally closing the distance a little.

In this one-sided pursuit of love, Shen Yi could only be extremely careful.

Yan Xu saw that he was silent, like a child who had done something wrong and was waiting to be criticized, standing quietly in front of her.

"It's okay, no need to apologize. I'll get it repaired another day and it'll be fine." Yan Xu continued to ask the question she hadn't finished earlier, "When will your renovation be finished? It feels like those workers are redoing it again."

Yesterday I saw the workers assembling the shelves, but today they're taking them down to paint the walls, starting all over again.

Shen Yi: "I changed the renovation plan, and the workers are redoing it. This time it will probably take about a month."

"..."

This tiny hardware store actually takes a month.

He probably spent all his money on renovations. It's quite extravagant for a good person to renovate twice in a row.

Yan Xu: "Then how will you live from now on? I can lend you money if you need it in an emergency."

Consider it as offsetting a previous debt of gratitude.

After careful consideration, Shen Yi volunteered: "Does Zhenyunxuan need any part-time workers? I'd like to work here for a month to earn some extra money."

Seemingly afraid she would disagree, he added, "I can accept a lower salary than them, no matter how much less."

After all, there are many jobs he can't do.

"..." Yan Xu said with a serious expression, "But I don't accept it. Zhenyunxuan is not short of manpower."

She had already conceded and let him stay at Zhenyunxuan for a few days, but now she wants to work here directly.

No!

Absolutely not!

The closer two people are and the more time they spend together, the more variables there are and the less controllable they become.

While he could still control the situation, Yan Xu wanted to nip the relationship in the bud: "There must be plenty of part-time jobs available at the scenic area. You should be able to find one. Even if you don't, I can lend you money. Anyway, Zhenyunxuan is out of the question."

Shen Yi is short of money.

This was the only way she knew and could help him.

But he didn't accept it.

Xiao Yuanyang, who had been sitting in the lounge playing on his phone, was getting restless.

He advised, "Brother Long, let it go."

It's unprecedented that the pampered young master Shen was rejected when he wanted to do a part-time job, and now someone actually wants to borrow money from Shen Yi.

Money!

His Shen family was so poor that all they had left was money; it was considered a favor if no one asked them for a loan.

Brother Long is the same; why did he have to pretend to be a bankrupt, poor boss? When Yan Xu finds out he was lying to her, the two of them will definitely have a falling out.

Shen Yi had no interest in dealing with Xiao Yuanyang; her mind was filled with the thought of being rejected by her again.

She wouldn't even take a part-time job, and she wasn't willing to lower her salary. She just wanted to push him far away. Did she really not want to be with him?

What kind of monster is he that she dislikes so much?

Yan Xu... how much must you hate me?

He asked one last time, earnestly, "Is there absolutely no room for negotiation? Not even a sliver of room for discussion? You won't even accept a pay cut?"

Even though he knew he would most likely get the same answer, he just wouldn't give up.

That's how people are; as long as they have a sliver of hope, they'll desperately try to use that hope as a bargaining chip, not realizing that the other party doesn't care at all.

Xiao Tong couldn't stand it anymore and tugged at Yan Xu's sleeve: "Sister Yan Xu, just say yes to your brother-in-law. It's only a month, it's not long. Your brother-in-law can protect you."

protect her.

Yes, if it weren't for her, he wouldn't have gotten into a conflict with the drunk customer last time, and she even got his shoes dirty.

Upon hearing the word "protect," Yan Xu became even more determined in his decision.

She didn't want to be a burden to him.

"No." Yan Xu looked at Shen Yi expressionlessly. She could sense his disappointment, but she couldn't waver. "In the future, try to come to Zhenyunxuan less often, otherwise the guests will mistake you for a staff member."

This time, Yan Xu not only refused Shen Yi's part-time job, but also wouldn't let him step into the Zhenyunxuan.

Shen Yi has been pampered and treated like a rich young master for over twenty years. When did his self-esteem drop to this level?

His pride, which he was so proud of, was trampled underfoot by her, crushed again and again.

Xiao Yuanyang began to feel sorry for his brother, who was a single mother, as his first attempt to pursue a woman ended in rejection.

"Fine!" Shen Yi hardened her heart, defiantly declaring, "I will never come to Zhenyun Pavilion again, not even if you ask me to."

After saying that, he turned around and strode away from the gate of Zhenyunxuan.

When Yan Xu saw that he was angry, he felt relieved.

He probably won't get close to her again, and he won't waste any more time on her. That's good, that's how it should be.

She kept telling herself this until she accepted the outcome.

Rushing out of Zhenyun Pavilion, Shen Yi was seething with anger and had nowhere to vent it.

This woman is so heartless!

Today is our one-month wedding anniversary, after all.

Actually, the hairpin wasn't broken at the teahouse. He wanted to find a reason to give her the hairpin he had made, but things turned out this way, so how could he give it to her now...?

"You are... Shen Yi, the eldest young master of the Shen family?" A strange female voice called his name.

Shen Yi glanced sideways impatiently, wondering who was so blind as to run right into his line of fire.

Upon seeing the person, surprise flashed in Shen Yi's eyes, but only for a moment: "You..."

The person calling his name was Yan Xu's younger sister, Yan Yan. What was she doing here?

And she knows him?

Shen Yi's eyes were icy, and his tone was harsh: "Do you know me?"

Yan Yan nodded affectedly, her voice high-pitched: "I saw you at a party with friends before, but why are you in such a remote county all by yourself? Do you need me to keep you company during the Torch Festival? We can keep each other company."

With brow bones similar to Yan Xu's, he exuded an air of cheapness that was as low as dust.

What a waste of those cool and aloof brow bones.

Shen Yi disliked the woman in front of him, but he couldn't let her get close to Zhenyun Pavilion, which was only a few hundred meters away.

At that moment, Yan Xu was busy in the shop, completely unaware that the person he was hiding from was just a few hundred meters away.

Shen Yi pointed to the other end of the county town: "Go to the south of Yunzhao County, this place is haunted, don't stay there."

Yan Yan was a little frightened. In her eyes, Shen Yi represented the authority of the upper class, and what he said must be correct.

Yan Yan nodded quickly, "Then I won't go, thank you for the reminder, Young Master Shen. But since we're so destined to meet, how about we exchange contact information, so that in the future—"

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Yi left, leaving Yan Yan awkwardly standing there.

She doesn't even deserve his contact information!

Especially when he saw a face that resembled Yan Xu making affected expressions and speaking in a disgusting voice, every move seemed to be an insult to Yan Xu and a provocation to him.

Yan Yan reached out to try and stop him to talk some more, but she was afraid of being too offensive, so she followed him from a distance.

To be able to bump into Young Master Shen in such a remote county town shows that they are destined to be together.

Maybe it was fate that brought them together. She must seize the opportunity. If she can marry into the Shen family, let's see who dares to call her an illegitimate daughter, especially Yan Xu. Let's see how she escapes then.

Shen Yi and she had only exchanged a few words, yet she was already imagining marriage...

Thankfully, he didn't have mind-reading abilities, otherwise Shen Yi would probably have gotten his ears dirty.

......

The atmosphere at Zhenyunxuan was somewhat somber.

Xiao Tong pouted, "Sister Yan Xu, it's not that I want to speak up for my brother-in-law, but he really treats you very well. What if he really gets heartbroken and leaves you one day? Where will you find such a good and handsome brother-in-law?"

She was worried for Yan Xu.

I'm also worried about Yan Xu and Shen Yi's marriage.

Yan Xu said casually, "Yan Zheng took your snacks to the backyard."

"What?!" Xiao Tong immediately rushed to the backyard, instantly forgetting what had just happened. "Yan Zheng, give me back my snacks!"

She sat down next to Xiao Yuanyang and sighed with relief, "Thank you for spending more time with him later. You don't need to come here anymore."

Xiao Yuanyang knew without even thinking who "he" referred to.

If she cares about Shen Yi, then why does she act so heartlessly?

Xiao Yuanyang had wanted to ask her something for a long time, and this time he finally couldn't help but ask: "Why don't you like him? Just because he's poor?"