Chapter 9: Proposal Accepted!
"How are you so sure?"
The heavy atmosphere lingered in the room.
Xie Rong remained calm. He slowly adjusted his sleeve before answering, "Isn’t it obvious?"
Wang Gege blinked.
"You are Shen Taotao." His voice was steady, as though he were merely stating a fact. "You have her face."
A brief pause followed, before he continued, "You could not possibly be anyone else."
The answer left Wang Gege momentarily speechless. For some reason, she had expected something more complicated. Perhaps evidence or some detailed investigation.
Instead, the man sitting before her had arrived at the simplest conclusion possible.
Because she looked like Shen Taotao. Therefore, she was Shen Taotao.
To be fair, that was perfectly reasonable. This was an ancient world. There were no strange systems.
No magical devices capable of identifying transmigrators.
Under such circumstances, who would ever suspect that the person standing before them was someone from another world?
The more Wang Gege thought about it, the more reassured she felt. In fact, Xie Rong’s answer had unknowingly solved one of her biggest concerns.
As long as she occupied Shen Taotao’s body, everyone would naturally assume she was Shen Taotao.
No one would suddenly point at her and accuse her of being an imposter. At least, that was what common sense suggested.
A small sense of relief immediately settled in her chest.
"Then..." Wang Gege hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been bothering her since yesterday.
"Does Young Master Xie truly not mind that I am Shen Taotao instead of Shen Yurou?"
The room became quiet once again.
Wang Gege found herself genuinely curious about the answer. After all, Shen Yurou had been the bride originally promised to the Xie family. She was merely the replacement sent at the last minute.
No matter how she thought about it, most people would be unhappy. At the very least, they would feel deceived and Xie Rong’s reaction had been surprisingly calm. Maybe... too calm?
Even now, he showed no sign of anger when Shen Yurou’s name was mentioned. It was almost as though the identity of the bride had never mattered to him in the first place.
"It makes no difference." Xie Rong’s answer came calmly.
Wang Gege blinked. "No difference?"
"Whether it was Miss Shen Yurou or Miss Shen Taotao," His voice remained as steady as ever, "The result would have been the same."
The room fell silent.
For some reason, that answer felt even colder than if he had simply admitted he disliked the arrangement. After all, indifference was often far more difficult to deal with than anger.
Wang Gege found herself staring at him for a moment. She had expected dissatisfaction, annoyance or maybe resentment toward the Shen family.
Instead, Xie Rong sounded as though the entire matter was of little importance to him.
The realization felt strangely unsettling.
Meanwhile, Xie Rong continued. "Besides..."
Wang Gege immediately became alert.
Yesterday’s conversation had been far too brief for Wang Gege to understand Xie Rong’s habits, but something about the way he paused before speaking still made her instinctively wary.
"You made a proposal yesterday." He looked straight ahead, like he was looking at her.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Sure enough, Xie Rong continued, "You said that as long as you remained in the Xie residence, you would not trouble me."
Wang Gege froze before slowly nodding, registering his words.
"I also recall you saying that you only needed a place to stay." His tone remained perfectly calm.
Wang Gege listened without the slightest intention of interrupting him.
Unfortunately for her, Xie Rong possessed an excellent memory and seemed determined to recount every word she had said that day.
To be fair, she had meant every word of it.
After all, her goal in this ancient world had never been particularly ambitious. She did not dream of becoming an empress, nor did she have any interest in fighting for power and status. If she could spend her days living comfortably in a wealthy household, eating well, sleeping well, and avoiding unnecessary trouble, she would already consider herself successful.
From that perspective, her proposal yesterday had been perfectly reasonable.
She would have a place to stay and Xie Rong would not have to deal with a wife he never wanted.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
"You further suggested that we maintain the marriage in name only."
Wang Gege nodded almost immediately, "I did."
There was no embarrassment in admitting it, and she still believed it was an excellent suggestion.
A brief silence followed.
Then Xie Rong said calmly, "In that case, nothing needs to change."
Wang Gege stared at him. The black silk covering his eyes concealed most of his expression. No matter how hard she looked, she could not tell what he was thinking.
As a result, her attention gradually drifted elsewhere.
Her gaze drifted from the straight bridge of his nose to the sharp line of his jaw, and before she realized it, it had settled on his lips.
Wang Gege blinked. Perhaps it was because his eyes were hidden, but the more she looked, the more she felt that everything else about his appearance was unfairly perfect.
"Are you listening?" Xie Rong’s voice suddenly pulled her back to reality.
"Uh—ah, yes." Caught red-handed, Wang Gege immediately straightened her back.
Then, realizing it would be rude to remain sitting on the bed while speaking with him, she carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.
"When... Young Master says that nothing needs to change..." She hesitated briefly, "You mean the arrangement from yesterday?"
A brief silence followed before Xie Rong gave a slight nod.
Wang Gege’s eyes immediately brightened. Without hesitation, she stepped forward and bowed, "Thank you, Young Master Xie."
The gratitude in her voice was entirely sincere because he had just solved one of her biggest concerns since arriving in this world.
Meanwhile, Xie Rong rose from his seat. His movements remained as calm and unhurried as ever as he lightly adjusted his sleeve. "Then remember your promise."
Wang Gege raised her head slightly, confusion flickering across her face.
Xie Rong’s expression remained unreadable beneath the black silk, "Do not involve yourself in my affairs."
His voice was neither cold nor warm. It was simply a reminder.
"In return, no one in the Xie residence will trouble you."