He looked into Shen Mingzhu's eyes and suddenly sighed. A hint of worry crept into his eyes. Shen Mingzhu was really...
Dull yet sharp. She was extremely sharp in everything except matters of the heart, but in matters of love, she was incredibly dull.
Xie Lang used to be curious why Zhou Chengyu was so calm, always seemingly in control and not very worried about other men around Shen Mingzhu.
It was because she was so dull that Zhou Chengyu had no worries. Moreover, the two of them were childhood sweethearts. Before the crown prince's accident, Zhou Chengyu might have occupied a special place in Shen Mingzhu's heart. Others didn't even have the chance or the qualification to enter her sight.
So Zhou Chengyu was extremely fearless. Maybe he never had other thoughts in his heart, never imagined that one day, if Shen Mingzhu saw through the halo of "childhood sweetheart" around him, he would be no different from other men.
Xie Lang gloated over the failure of his love rival and also felt an indescribable sense of gratitude.
Shen Mingzhu frowned. Her hand accidentally touched Xie Lang's sleeve when she heard a voice full of gloating.
[Hahaha, thanks to Zhou Chengyu for giving me a completely wrong example. Thank you!]
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
The ambiguous atmosphere dissipated unconsciously.
Shen Mingzhu finally looked up at Xie Lang. Her face was calm, but her hands curled up involuntarily. After a moment of silence, she continued, "Huh? When did I ever dare not look at you? When?"
As she spoke, Shen Mingzhu stood up and looked at Xie Lang. "Young Master Xie is really well - informed today. He even knows I'm here."
Xie Lang hadn't gotten the answer he wanted yet, so he frowned unconsciously and looked at Shen Mingzhu. He took a step forward slightly to block her way. "Not really. It's just that Your Highness came to this shop today, which happens to be next to mine. I was just looking at the ledger of my shop when I heard the commotion next door."
"Looking downstairs, I heard that Your Highness seemed to be next door. They even said that the shopkeeper next door was smart and found a handsome man to serve. " Xie Lang said with a half - smile, with some indescribable emotions. His eyes were fixed on Shen Mingzhu, making the calmness she had just regained fade a bit.
What a coincidence!
Shen Mingzhu was silent for a moment before looking at Xie Lang and saying, "It is really a coincidence today."
After that, there was suddenly a silence between them. For a moment, they didn't know what to say.
Shen Mingzhu didn't know what to say. At first, she thought Xie Lang had someone following her, so he knew her whereabouts. She was just about to take this opportunity to get rid of Xie Lang.
But she didn't expect that it was just her bad luck and she walked right into his hands.
Why did Xie Lang happen to have a shop next to hers? Did he have a lot of shops? And why did he just go to that one?
"Perhaps," Xie Lang looked at Shen Mingzhu with a faint smile on his lips. He continued, "Let me show Your Highness around the shop next door?"
Shen Mingzhu instinctively refused, but when she looked up and saw the expectation in Xie Lang's eyes, the words of refusal got stuck in her throat. Instead, she nodded against her will.
A faint smile appeared on Xie Lang's face. He stretched out his hand, palm up, and said to Shen Mingzhu, "Let's go."
Shen Mingzhu was stunned for a moment and then placed her hand in his.
Before leaving, Xie Lang looked back and cast a cold glance at Qingzhu. His eyes were as cold and sharp as a blade with a cold light, stabbing straight into Qingzhu.
When they stood in front of the shop next door, Shen Mingzhu looked at Xie Lang in surprise and said, "You opened a pastry shop in this prime location?"
So the owner behind this shop was Xie Lang?
When this shop first opened, it even sparked a discussion in the circle. Everyone was curious about who was so generous to open a pastry shop in this prime location.
It wasn't that a pastry shop was bad, it was just...
"Your Highness."
Xie Lang's soft call pulled Shen Mingzhu's thoughts back. She looked at Xie Lang, and there was still a hint of surprise in her eyes. "So it was you, the generous merchant from Yangzhou that everyone has been talking about?"
Xie Lang smiled lightly and said to Shen Mingzhu, "Sort of?"
Shen Mingzhu instinctively looked at the pastry shop in front of her, and surprise appeared in her eyes.
This...
What on earth was Xie Lang up to? By revealing that he was the owner of this shop, he was undoubtedly showing his cards to Shen Mingzhu. If Shen Mingzhu was determined, who knew how much information she could find by following this lead.
"Enough," Xie Lang sighed when he saw the thoughtful look in Shen Mingzhu's eyes. "We've finally come out. Don't think so much for now. At least come and taste the pastries in this shop."
Saying that, Xie Lang said to the shopkeeper, "Reserve a private room upstairs."
"Yes."
Then he looked at Shen Mingzhu and said, "Come on, come on. Today the chef in this shop has developed a new product. Your Highness is really lucky."
[It shouldn't taste bad. I just don't know if Shen Mingzhu will like it. If she doesn't, I can take the opportunity to ask what she likes and ask the chef to make those next time.]
Shen Mingzhu was attracted by the excitement in his eyes and nodded, following him.
As soon as they sat down, Xie Lang poured a cup of tea for Shen Mingzhu and introduced, "This is a great thing in the shop. It's the master chef's secret recipe from when he was in Yangzhou. It's especially good for relieving greasiness."
Shen Mingzhu took a sip and found it really good. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Xie Lang ask again, "Right? It tastes much better than the one next door, doesn't it?"
Then he poured another cup for Shen Mingzhu and pushed it to her.
[Isn't this better than that tea made by Lvshu? Right?]
Shen Mingzhu hesitated for a moment and then continued, "It's okay."
One should not speak ill of those from whom one has received favors.
Xie Lang saw Shen Mingzhu take a few more sips. It seemed that she really liked it, so he felt inexplicably relieved. Looking at Shen Mingzhu, he sighed, "Your Highness has good taste. You can tell the difference with just one sip."
Shen Mingzhu always felt that there was a hidden meaning in his words, but before she could think deeply, she saw the shopkeeper bring in the pastries with some assistants. After setting them down, they retreated, seemingly in great awe of Xie Lang.
"Have a try."
Xie Lang picked up a plum - shaped pastry and was about to feed it to Shen Mingzhu.
Shen Mingzhu glanced at him and said, "There's no need to be so polite. I'll do it myself."
Xie Lang smiled when he heard this and said, "Your Highness hasn't washed her hands yet."
"Aren't there chopsticks?"
Shen Mingzhu glanced at him and continued, "Isn't there any clean water?"
She thought Xie Lang would understand the meaning behind her words, but unexpectedly, the man in front of her sighed and said to Shen Mingzhu, "How did Your Highness know?"
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
"Forget it." Seeing Shen Mingzhu's look, Xie Lang's eyes dimmed a bit. He was just about to speak to the shopkeeper when, the next moment, Shen Mingzhu suddenly leaned forward and took a bite of the pastry he was holding in front of her.