Sharing Dreams with My Bestie's Cousin

"Hexing,"

The similarly dressed Xie Weiyue, clad in a cheongsam, walked over.

The cheongsam she wore was pine green with gold threads interspersed among the green, a display of luxurious and vivid beauty that assaulted the senses.

Wen Zhi turned her head to glance at Shang Hexing and, after Xie Weiyue called him, he nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"Hexing, at last you’ve arrived. Elder Zhou has been talking about you, you should go and present yourself to him," Xie Weiyue’s tone was very natural, friendly without overstepping any boundaries. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"I was just about to go," Shang Hexing said, his tone however, slightly aloof. He then proceeded, leading Wen Zhi past them.

Xie Weiyue maintained her composure as she moved aside to make way, and when Wen Zhi passed in front of her, Xie Weiyue caught sight of the White Jade Hairpin on her head and suddenly called out to her, "Wen Zhi."

Wen Zhi stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Xie Weiyue, "Miss Xie has something to say?"

To an outsider, this scene would suggest that Xie Weiyue was probably about to assert her status as the ’main consort’ to examine Wen Zhi.

In fact, in the circles of aristocratic families, many already regarded Xie Weiyue and Shang Hexing as a couple destined to be married sooner or later. So when Shang Hexing brought Wen Zhi with him earlier, a part of the audience was watching with interest, especially since the protagonist Xie Weiyue was also present today.

Xie Weiyue’s bright eyes sparkled with amusement, "I think you must have unique insights into the various styles of cheongsams, and I would like to humbly ask for your guidance."

Wen Zhi of course understood Xie Weiyue’s intention, but even before she could say anything, Shang Hexing by her side directly declined for her, "It’s not convenient right now."

Xie Weiyue naturally understood what Shang Hexing meant by inconvenient.

He was taking Wen Zhi to meet Elder Zhou.

And what Xie Weiyue needed to do was to stop him from taking Wen Zhi to meet Elder Zhou.

Xie Weiyue’s expression revealed nothing out of the ordinary as she looked at Shang Hexing with a casual air, and teased with a jesting tone, "Hexing, are you worried that I might bully Wen Zhi?"

"Miss Xie is too humorous," Shang Hexing said, aware that many eyes were upon them, he responded with polite small talk.

To Xie Weiyue, however, his distant ’Miss Xie’ felt like a Soft Thorn pricking her heart, not painful or itchy, yet extremely uncomfortable.

She kept her composure, her smile undiminished, "Hexing, Wen Zhi and I get along very well. I have no reason to bully her, you..."

As she spoke, Xie Weiyue’s gaze turned toward Wen Zhi, asking with a smile, "Right, Wen Zhi?"

Under the watchful eyes of many, Wen Zhi returned the smile, "Yes."

Then Wen Zhi looked up at Shang Hexing and said, "It’s rare to see Miss Xie, so I will chat with her for a while, you go ahead."

Shang Hexing naturally did not feel comfortable leaving Wen Zhi behind, but Wen Zhi gently patted his arm, "I’ll take a walk with Miss Xie over there."

Shang Hexing understood the physical cue and told her, "I’m going to the main hall."

Wen Zhi nodded, "I know."

This display of affection as if no one else was present was witnessed by Xie Weiyue who, without rushing or joining in, waited until Shang Hexing had left before speaking, "I heard Mr. Zhou the Second brought over some rare birds of prey from abroad and is keeping them in the backyard. Wen Zhi, shall we take a look?"

Mr. Zhou the Second?

Zhou Congjie!

Wen Zhi knew who he was, and also knew about his interest in raising birds of prey.

Zhou Congjie was probably the most pointless son of the Zhou Family, uneducated and unruly. A few years ago, he claimed to go abroad for further education but returned only having ’gilded’ himself with trouble. He was either racing cars or shuttling between various sports clubs. Especially recently, in a baffling move, he spent a fortune importing birds of prey from overseas, infuriating Elder Zhou nearly to the point of roasting those birds!

"I thought we were going to discuss cheongsams?" Wen Zhi asked with a smile.

Xie Weiyue smiled, "Both are possible. I just thought you might not have seen such imposing birds of prey before and wanted you to witness them."

"Alright," Wen Zhi responded readily, "It seems like Miss Xie is quite familiar with this place. Then please, lead the way."

Xie Weiyue walked shoulder to shoulder with Wen Zhi, "I’m familiar because I used to come to the Zhou Family often with Hexing as a child. Mr. Zhou the Second has a very good relationship with Hexing and Wei You. We used to play together a lot back then."

Wen Zhi did not pick up on her comment, diverting the subject instead, "What kind of birds of prey did Mr. Zhou the Second raise?"

Xie Weiyue just smiled, not specifying, "You’ll find out soon enough."