Chapter 5: The Second Daughter of The Shen’s Family
"And why should I agree to this?"
Xie Rong’s voice broke the silence.
Wang Gege’s scalp tingled. She had been so focused on convincing him not to send her away that she had completely forgotten one important detail.
Why would Xie Rong agree to such an arrangement in the first place?
That was a very good question.
Her mind went blank just for a few moments.
But fortunately for her, years of dealing with unreasonable clients, impossible deadlines, and managers who loved saying, "It’s just a small revision," had trained her to think under pressure.
Wang Gege quietly took a breath and began organizing her thoughts.
If she wanted Xie Rong to agree, then she needed to offer him something in return.
Wang Gege quickly reviewed everything he had said so far.
Xie Rong did not want a wife.
Fine.
She did not need to become one. At least not in the traditional sense.
After organizing her thoughts, she looked toward the blindfolded young master.
"Young Master Xie, if my understanding is correct, the problem is not the marriage itself."
She paused briefly, "The problem is that you do not wish to take a wife."
Xie Rong remained silent.
Taking that as permission to continue, Wang Gege pressed on, "In that case, I believe I can solve your problem."
A hint of surprise appeared on the faces of several guards.
"You can solve my problem?" Xie Rong asked.
"Yes." Wang Gege nodded confidently.
"You do not want a wife who interferes with your affairs, demands your attention, or expects you to fulfill the duties of a husband. Meanwhile, I have no interest in interfering with your affairs either."
After all, she was still trying to figure out how to survive in this world.
"The two of us can simply maintain appearances in front of outsiders. You would gain freedom from the pressure of future marriage arrangements, while I would avoid becoming the subject of endless gossip."
The more she spoke, the more reasonable the idea sounded.
To her, at least.
"Young Master Xie would still be able to live exactly as before, while everyone else would believe the marriage had already been settled."
Wang Gege hesitated before adding honestly, "In other words, you would gain a wife without actually having to deal with one."
The moment the words left her mouth, the surroundings fell silent.
Xie Rong simply stood where he was. His expression remained hidden behind the black silk cloth covering his eyes.
Unfortunately, Wang Gege’s own view was not much better.
The wedding veil hanging before her face made it impossible to see him clearly.
As a result, she could not tell whether he was considering her proposal, questioning her sanity, or wondering how the Shen family had managed to raise such a strange daughter.
The longer the silence lasted, the more nervous she became.
’Did I say something wrong?’
’No, that sounded reasonable.’
Another pause.
’Right?’
By the time the silence stretched on for several more breaths, Wang Gege was beginning to suspect that perhaps it had not sounded nearly as reasonable as she had originally thought.
Before she could react, like a gust of wind, Xie Rong moved.
A sharp sound rang through the air as he pulled the sword from the wall of the bridal sedan.
The movement was so swift that Wang Gege only felt a chill brush her skin before the cold tip of the blade stopped against her neck.
Her body immediately froze.
The surrounding guards lowered their heads at once. Not a single person dared to speak. Even the air seemed to become heavier.
"Who are you?" Xie Rong asked.
His voice remained calm.
Wang Gege’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest, "W-What?"
"You are not Shen Yurou, aren’t you?" He asked, still calm but everyone could feel the threat in it.
Wang Gege went rigid. Her scalp went numb.
For one horrifying heartbeat, her mind went completely blank.
’I’m dead. He knows... am I being too obvious?’
The cold edge of the sword pressed against her skin, and only then did she realize she had been holding her breath.
"Who... are you?"
When he failed to receive an answer, Xie Rong repeated the question.
Wang Gege’s mind raced frantically. Countless explanations flashed through her head, only to be discarded one after another.
Unfortunately, none of them sounded particularly convincing.
Then she noticed the sword move. The blade slowly withdrew from her neck.
Before Wang Gege could sigh in relief, the tip shifted upward and stopped beneath the edge of her wedding veil.
Her heart skipped a beat as the red fabric lifted slightly.
Wang Gege immediately understood his intention.
He was checking, checking whether the woman inside the bridal sedan was truly the person he expected.
The veil trembled slightly as the cold steel slipped beneath its edge.
Wang Gege’s eyes widened. Her survival instincts immediately began screaming.
At this distance, Xie Rong only needed to lift the veil to confirm her identity.
There was no point pretending anymore.
Before he could continue, Wang Gege suddenly reached out with one hand and caught the flat of the blade, the sharp edge grazing her palm as she carefully pushed it away from her face.
Then, as gently as possible, she pushed the sword away from her face, "I’m sorry for deceiving you, Young Master Xie."
The movement was awkward within the cramped bridal sedan.
Wang Gege immediately lowered her head and knelt, "I am the Second Daughter of the Shen family, Shen Taotao."
But the reaction she received was the sword abruptly withdrawn from her reach. The movement was so sudden that Wang Gege instinctively looked up.
Though the black silk still covered his eyes, Xie Rong’s hand had tightened around the hilt.
"What are you doing?!" The sharpness in his voice startled everyone present.
Even the guards looked stunned.
In the next instant, the sword was thrown onto the ground.
Whether Xie Rong had withdrawn it or simply snatched it away, Wang Gege could not tell.
She only knew that the cold steel that had been inches from her moments ago was gone.
And for the first time since meeting him, Xie Rong’s calm composure seemed to crack.
"Who told you to touch a blade?"