Chapter 69 Help Me Seduce a Man

"Father, was it Madam Cheng who told you?"

After Xie Yanzhi's excitement subsided, a sudden thought struck him, and he turned his head to ask.

Xie Tingyun's previously calm face turned somewhat red.

"It really was? Father, you actually ask others for advice? And from a country woman at that..."

Xie Yanzhi did not finish his sentence because Xie Tingyun had furrowed his brows once again.

"She is your elder brother's mother-in-law, mind your manners."

"I know, I know, I'm just making a point." Xie Yanzhi said with a tut, as if he had discovered a new continent, "Father, you always said I've changed, but you've changed quite a bit yourself!"

Xie Tingyun glanced at him, and Xie Yanzhi shrugged: "Take right now, for instance. If I had spoken to you like this in the past, I would have already received the ruler."

"Besides, Father, you actually accepted that girl Jiang Hao as well."

As his own son, Xie Yanzhi naturally understood Xie Tingyun's preference for boys over girls, especially in academics, believing that boys were better able to settle their minds.

This was the very reason why he had only accepted male pupils at the start.

"It was merely an exchange for a question she asked when requesting leave yesterday." Xie Tingyun looked away and said indifferently.

Xie Yanzhi let out a scoff and muttered under his breath, "If you weren't willing, no favor in the world could have squeezed anyone in. If you were truly this easy to talk to, we wouldn't have been exiled to this bitter, freezing place."

Seeing Xie Tingyun's expression grow increasingly dark, Xie Yanzhi knew he had spoken out of turn, so he quickly covered his mouth and retreated outside.

"Father! I'm going to sleep!"

The door closed with a creak, and the room plunged back into silence, save for the flickering candlelight.

Xie Tingyun stared into empty space, his gaze eventually landing on the piles of books on the wooden desk.

The heavy burden in his heart remained unabated.

Had he truly been wrong?

---

When Cheng Yuan woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

She stood in a daze for a long time before scrambling out of bed to get dressed. By the time she finished washing up and hurried to the front shop, business was already bustling. Several young girls were moving briskly among the tables—delivering cakes, wiping surfaces, and calling out dish names, making everything appear remarkably well-ordered.

Upon entering the back kitchen, Xie Changzhi was indeed busy inside.

He lowered his head to slice fruit, assuming the person who had entered was one of the young girls, and said in a calm, loud voice: "Bring me that bowl."

When he reached out to take the bowl, his movements paused. Raising his head, his brows and eyes softened instantly, "Elder Sister Yuan, morning."

Cheng Yuan felt somewhat displeased and instinctively pouted. "Why didn't you wake me? I slept until this hour, it's almost time for the noon meal."

Xie Changzhi pressed his lips together with a smile: "There are enough hands in the shop, we can manage. Elder Sister Yuan was tired, so she should rest a bit longer."

He pinched a bright red piece of fruit and fed it to her lips.

Cheng Yuan opened her mouth and bit down, the sweet and tart flavor of the strawberry instantly filling her mouth. She felt her entire mood lift for the better.

"I have things to attend to after I finish eating, you'll come out with me."

"Alright." Xie Changzhi did not ask further, nodding obediently.

He did not ask, but Cheng Yuan felt the need to explain in advance.

"I'm going to find Lu Bai."

Xie Changzhi's hand slicing the fruit trembled, narrowly missing his finger.

He curled his fingers slightly, lifted his gaze, his eyes calm.

"Why go find him? If Elder Sister Yuan has matters to attend to, you can let me do them."

"What a coincidence, this matter requires him specifically," Cheng Yuan couldn't help laughing, intentionally provoking him.

Sure enough, a blush crept up Xie Changzhi's cheeks, presumably out of anger.

Cheng Yuan stopped teasing him and said directly, "I'm going to find him and ask him out, but naturally I can't keep him in check on my own, so I can only knock him unconscious. Or did you expect me to carry him on my back myself?"

Xie Changzhi's breath caught, and he even dropped a piece of fruit onto the floor. "Of course not! I'll go, I'll go."

Cheng Yuan burst into a giggle, making Xie Changzhi realize he had been tricked again.

He lowered his head slightly, the tips of his ears turning red.

"Alright, alright. Miss Qi begged me to arrange for her to meet Lu Bai one last time. But I made an agreement with him that she can see him, but he cannot see her, so I have to put on a play."

Xie Changzhi raised his head, blinking his eyes with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

At this point, Cheng Yuan refused to elaborate further, simply pursing her lips and saying, "Rest assured, you won't make this trip in vain. I'll let you watch a good show!"

In the afternoon, heavy goose-feather snow began to fall again. But since there were matters to attend to, Cheng Yuan had no choice but to open her umbrella and push forward through the snow.

The next second, the umbrella was taken over by Xie Changzhi, who held it a little higher.

"Where are we going?"

"To the female lead of this play."

Cheng Yuan patted the bamboo basket on her back and said with complete confidence.

After turning several corners, the two of them stood before the gates of the Shen Manor.

"Sorry to trouble you." Cheng Yuan smiled.

"No trouble at all, no trouble! I remember you, Shopkeeper Cheng, it was me who delivered the congratulatory gift to your shop that day!"

The two guards at the door—one plump and one lean—were quite amiable.

After a short while, footsteps echoed, and Cheng Yuan locked eyes with Shen Youli.

A hint of confusion, a double hint of curiosity, mixed with a trace of disdain and anticipation.

Cheng Yuan swore that Shen Youli was truly the most suited woman to play a domineering CEO she had ever seen!

The two stared at each other at the threshold for a few seconds before Shen Youli slightly raised her chin.

"Come in. However, that man with you is not allowed inside."

She let out a cold scoff, though Xie Changzhi let it go in one ear and out the other. "Elder Sister Yuan, I'll wait for you outside."

As the snow was still falling heavily and the cold wind blew sharply, the guards invited him to take shelter under the eaves. After giving Xie Changzhi a couple of instructions, Cheng Yuan stepped into the courtyard.

Shen Youli walked with brisk steps, and Cheng Yuan had to almost jog to keep up.

The courtyard faced south and was a vast expanse of white. Upon stepping indoors, however, a wave of warmth rushed toward them. Cheng Yuan noticed that the charcoal braziers inside were burning brightly, and all the decorations were understated yet luxurious.

Shen Youli draped a mink fur over her shoulders, sat down, and pointed her chin at the teapot on the table.

"Pour your own water. Tell me what you're here for once you've finished drinking."

Cheng Yuan didn't stand on ceremony with her. Having frozen during the journey here, she poured a cup of hot tea to warm her hands. Aside from the comforting warmth of the water, the delicate and intoxicating fragrance of the tea leaves startled her slightly.

This was undoubtedly top-grade tea.

None of this escaped Shen Youli's notice. She scoffed without offering any introduction, lounging even more lazily in her seat.

"Before you tell me why you're here today, first taste the cake I've newly invented."

Cheng Yuan unstrapped her basket and retrieved two exquisitely crafted dark cakes from it—one garnished with fruit, the other with various toppings.

Shen Youli's gaze toward her grew even less favorable.

"No one offers courtesies for nothing; they either have a plot or are up to no good. What on earth are you trying to do?"

Despite her eyes repeatedly straying toward the chocolate cake, Shen Youli still reprimanded her.

Cheng Yuan smiled and pushed the plate holding the cake a little closer.

"Actually, it's nothing major. I just wanted to ask you for a favor—though it's nothing illegal like murder or arson."

Shen Youli wore an expression that said "as I expected," raising her hand to casually pick up a piece of cake.

"It's just... I'd like to ask you to help me pretend to seduce a man."

Shen Youli's hand trembled, causing the small slice of cake she had just cut to drop to the floor.