Sharing Dreams with My Bestie's Cousin

Chapter 35: His close female confidante

Chapter 35: His close female confidante

Wen Zhi calmly replied to him, “I’m not good-looking, but you’re uniquely ugly.”

“…”

I should have known not to tell the truth.

Half a minute later, Shang Hexing hung up the phone with an unchanged expression.

He put his phone down by his side, his fingers twirling his hair but not letting go, and he said lightly, “Indeed, she is a beauty.”

As he said this, he looked up at Wen Zhi.

Their gaze met briefly, and Wen Zhi felt her heart twang like a plucked string.

…He had heard everything she just said to Shang Jing.

Shang Jing didn’t see the moment of eye contact between them, and was currently recalling which beauty his older brother might recognize.

A long-absent face suddenly emerged in his mind.

He got it!

“Xie Weiyue!”

After Shang Jing said the name, he seemed triumphant, “The beauty must be Xie Weiyue! I’m right, aren’t I, big brother?”

It just so happened that Xie Weiyue came to Jinping Mansion today; perhaps big brother had already met Xie Weiyue!

Wen Zhi turned her head and curiously asked Shang Jing, “Who is Xie Weiyue?”

Shang Jing: “She’s of course big brother’s closest female confidant.”

Shang Hexing’s brow furrowed lightly.

Wen Zhi pursed her lips tightly, not asking further.

When Shang Jing saw Wen Zhi’s reaction, he laughed joyfully, “‘Xie Wei Qin’ the four great families acknowledge her as the foremost beauty, Xie Weiyue, haven’t you heard of her before?”

Wen Zhi responded indifferently, “No.”

She had heard of her, but forgotten. Shang Jing’s reminder made her recall.

“Xie Weiyue is such a beauty that even big brother recognizes her. If you saw her, you would likely feel inferior, but no worries, you two are incomparable,” Shang Jing said with a tone of telling the harsh truth.

Wen Zhi ignored him.

The Jin Junmei tea in her hand no longer smelled inviting.

She didn’t drink it, just set it aside with a cold look.

“Have you said enough?” Shang Hexing glared at Shang Jing, his cool gaze carrying a hint of warning.

The carefree smile on Shang Jing’s face immediately disappeared: “Big brother.”

Shang Hexing leaned back, “Wen Zhi will stay for lunch, you can do as you please, we’ll discuss other matters this afternoon.”

Shang Jing was astonished: “Aren’t we going to Baixi Manor today?”

Shang Hexing countered, “Can you get in?”

“Of course I can’t,” Shang Jing shook his head, muttering, “I thought, with your status, you could get in.”

“Baixi Manor doesn’t show favor to anyone from Bai City, isn’t that common knowledge?” Shang Hexing said nonchalantly.

Shang Jing resigned himself: “I understand now.”

He could tell that his older brother was holding back in his words, perhaps he could get in, but it wasn’t convenient to let him know how.

No matter, he still had Wen Zhi.

Wen Zhi had agreed to help him get into Baixi Manor.

“Let’s just have lunch here and go back later then,” Shang Jing pretended to compromise.

But Wen Zhi said, “I’m not having lunch here.”

Shang Jing looked at her.

Shang Hexing also looked at her.

Wen Zhi kept a straight face, lifting her hand to push up her glasses: “I have other things to attend to, I need to go back.”

Shang Jing quickly agreed, “Oh right, she has other things, I’ll go back with her.”

Fearing that Wen Zhi might slip up about their deal, he spoke loudly, and then quietly asked her, “What else do you have to do?”

“I…”

Before Wen Zhi could answer, Shang Hexing’s voice came—

“Alright, let’s go back.”

He stood up, picked up his phone, and walked leisurely towards Wen Zhi.

Wen Zhi looked up, watching him intently.

His gaze was downward, but it didn’t oppress her: “I was just going to go back too, you can ride in my car.”

“What about me? What about me?” Shang Jing, fearing being left out.

Shang Hexing’s peripheral vision swept over him, “You didn’t drive here?”

Shang Jing nodded, “I did.”

Shang Hexing, “Then go back the way you came.”

“…”

A few minutes later, Wen Zhi got into the Red Flag L5.

This was her second time in this car.

She felt a bit resistant, but it was futile.

After the car started, it slowly drove away from the parking area of Jinping Mansion. Wen Zhi remained silent, her head tilted towards the window, absent-minded.

The driver concentrated on driving. Chen Jinhai, sitting in the passenger seat, was looking down at his phone. After reading a message, he turned back to report, “Mr. Shang, the owner of Baixi Manor has gone abroad.”

Shang Hexing’s expression remained calm, “As expected.”

Chen Jinhai was puzzled, “This Baixi Manor, I’ve heard, has changed many owners, each more mysterious than the last, and every inquiry leads to a dead end.”

Shang Hexing said sternly, “Check towards Hai City.”

Wen Zhi furrowed her brows, then quickly returned to calm.

Halfway through the journey, Wen Zhi still hadn’t spoken a word, and the atmosphere in the car was eerily quiet. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Initially, Wen Zhi didn’t notice, but as the car entered the main road and more buildings appeared, she had no interest in looking at them. Suddenly, from the reflection in the car window, she saw Shang Hexing’s face.

He had been watching her all along, silent, not even calling her name.

She turned around, meeting his gaze. Her heart thumped rapidly, and she quickly averted her face.

“Xie Weiyue is not my intimate female friend,” he suddenly said.

She was stunned for about five seconds, then turned her head again, and he was still watching her.

Wen Zhi roughly figured it out, scooted a bit closer to him, and asked while looking at him, “Is Xie Weiyue beautiful?”

Shang Hexing looked down and suddenly laughed, “What exactly do you want to ask?”

His features were distinctly exotic, imposing and stern when not smiling, but when he did, it was easy to become enchanted.

Wen Zhi bit her lower lip and asked him again, “Is Xie Weiyue beautiful?”

Shang Hexing said, “Rarely seen…”

Wen Zhi thought he was going to say, a rarely seen beauty.

However, his next words were, “Not familiar.”

Because it’s rarely seen, hence not familiar.

That was what he meant.

Years ago, the Xie Family was at its peak, and even the Shang family had to stay behind them, but now the Xie Family had fallen behind the Wei Family, a dynasty changed, which was lamentable.

Seeing Wen Zhi’s previously tensed face finally softened, Shang Hexing asked her, “Which fruit trees do you like?”

Wen Zhi was puzzled, looking perplexed.

Shang Hexing continued to ask her, “Do you like kumquats?”

Wen Zhi didn’t understand why he was asking this and said, “Kumquats aren’t in season right now.”

Shang Hexing responded, “If you like them, they can be in season.”

In an instant, Wen Zhi’s breath halted, her feelings indescribably subtle.

Shang Hexing’s fingertips were still entangled in her hair, from an angle she couldn’t see, “What else do you like? You tell me.”

Wen Zhi casually named a few, “Kumquats, lychees, sugarcane, mulberries.”

Shang Hexing, “That’s it?”

Wen Zhi shook her head, “That’s it.”

These weren’t particularly her favorites, just said off the top of her head, mainly because she didn’t know what he was up to.

The car drove into the old mansion, and just before Wen Zhi got out, Shang Hexing reminded her, “Close the windows when you nap.”

Wen Zhi asked why, and he said, “Soundproofing.”

Hearing that made Wen Zhi even more confused.

She returned to her room. Shang Jing didn’t come to find her, probably because it wasn’t convenient. Today’s lunch was delivered by someone else, someone Wen Zhi did not recognize, presumably a servant arranged by Zhao Qin.

After lunch, she went to take a nap.

Just before sleeping, she remembered Shang Hexing’s reminder, turned over to close the window. Afterwards, she slept uneasily for a while, always faintly hearing noises outside, as if something was being done.

Unable to sleep, she went to open the window to check.

Upon opening the window, she was stunned.