Ye Xi spread her hands helplessly and said,
"Sir, don't judge me by my appearance. In fact, my situation is not much different from that of a trafficked person. However, my case is quite different from the ordinary ones, which is why I'm in this situation now."
"Ah—"
Shen Zhou didn't say much. He directly took out a bamboo - shaped wooden pendant from his bosom and handed it to Ye Xi.
"I wonder how much the young lady remembers about her childhood. Do you recognize this?"
"I don't remember anything..."
Ye Xi shook her head, took the wooden pendant from Shen Zhou and examined it carefully.
The wooden pendant was obviously carved by someone. The workmanship was rough, but the surface was very smooth, faintly glistening with an oily sheen, indicating that it had been frequently taken out for appreciation. It was just made of ordinary pine wood, which could be found everywhere. There were no marks on it. Ye Xi handed it back to Shen Zhou and said,
"I don't recognize this either."
The smile in Shen Zhou's eyes faded visibly. He pursed his lips but didn't take the pendant Ye Xi was offering back. He said,
"Do you remember when you came to the capital? The young lady may not believe it, but I always feel that you are an old acquaintance."
When?
"About thirteen or fourteen years ago," Ye Xi replied.
According to the voice of Qian Fangxue she heard at that time, she was about three years old when the mysterious person sent her to the Ye family. There was no exact age, and her birth date was probably fake. She could only make a rough guess. After all, the Ye family wouldn't hold a birthday party for a tool to ward off bad luck like her. She didn't know why they even claimed both inside and outside the family that she and Ye Jueyao were twins.
Although there were indeed twins with different looks, the difference in appearance between her and Ye Jueyao was too obvious at that time. Maybe it was to save her face or the Ye family covered it up too well. Ye Xi had never heard any rumors in all these years.
Suddenly, Shen Zhou's peach - blossom eyes lit up. He got excited all of a sudden.
"This time, this time... How could there be such a coincidence in the world?"
"Yingying, you... You... The ancient well, the nunnery, the maltose. You said there were so many different kinds of sugar in the world, and you wanted to taste each one. You said you would take me with you. You said..."
"Pretty brother, don't die. Yingying will give you all her sugar. Yingying likes you. Yingying... likes pretty brother the most..."
"You... You don't remember anything, do you..."
Seeing Ye Xi's confused expression, Shen Zhou's voice became lower and lower.
"Forget it," Shen Zhou sighed softly. His voice was full of sorrow.
"This pendant was originally given to me by Yingying. Today, I'll return it to her. As time goes by..."
Maybe one day, Yingying, you'll remember me.
Seeing Shen Zhou so downcast, Ye Xi felt quite embarrassed. She really had no impression of what Shen Zhou was talking about. Maybe she really wasn't that Miss Yingying.
But what if she was?
After all, she really had no memory of her childhood. It wasn't just this part about Shen Zhou, but also about all other people and things.
She silently glanced at Shen Zhou and then at the wooden pendant in her hand. Ye Xi was instantly caught in a tangle.
The pendant wasn't valuable. In fact, it was quite cheap. There was no big deal in accepting it. But Shen Zhou was a man. If he gave her something, Yi Yuan would surely be jealous. If she was really that Miss Yingying, then this wooden pendant might very well be given to her by her biological parents. Maybe it was the crucial token to recognize her biological parents...
Seeing Ye Xi hesitating, Shen Zhou raised his hand and pretended to push back Ye Xi's out - stretched fair hand.
"Take it. It was originally yours. It's just returning to its rightful owner..."
Suddenly, there was a whooshing sound. A tree branch shot through between Shen Zhou and Ye Xi, barely forcing back Shen Zhou's hand that was about to touch Ye Xi.
Everyone was startled. They turned their heads and saw Yi Yuan standing with his hands behind his back not far away.
The two of them looked at each other, both full of hostility.
Mian Xiao laughed sincerely.
"Oops, sorry, sorry. Our prince saw a very good - looking lotus pod with big and plump lotus seeds. He wanted to pick it for our future princess. He was just a bit too quick. Please forgive us."
As he was speaking, they walked up. Lin An on the side lightly tapped his toes and really fished out a lotus pod from the nearby lake.
The lotus seeds were really big and round, very cute. Sai Xing, who had less self - restraint behind them, almost burst out laughing.
"Prince Yu'an."
"Mr. Shen."
Yi Yuan's voice was cold and sharp, while Shen Zhou's was clear and melodious. Although it was just a normal greeting, it seemed as if sparks were flying invisibly.
Ye Xi glanced at Yi Yuan helplessly. Knowing that the two of them were likely to clash, she quickly put away the bamboo - shaped wooden pendant and said,
"Thank you, Mr. Shen, for your generous gift. It's getting late. I'll take my leave now."
After saying that, she turned around and slipped away, leaving the two people who were shooting angry looks at each other in place.
"Prince Yu'an is really deeply in love with his future princess," seeing Ye Xi rushing away, Shen Zhou's smile didn't reach his eyes at all.
"He came all the way here to pick a lotus pod for the princess."
"We are indeed deeply in love," Yi Yuan nodded generously.
"Picking a lotus pod is nothing. What's more important is her feelings for me. She would sacrifice herself for me, and this will never change even through reincarnation. Mr. Shen is handsome and talented. I wonder if you've ever met such a girl?"
Mian Xiao and Lin An thought: Our prince has such a poisonous tongue!
But Shen Zhou remained calm.
"I'm not as lucky as the prince. However, the world is unpredictable. The prince mustn't be careless."
An invisible smoke of war filled the air. The two of them traded barbs back and forth, neither getting the upper hand. They left in a huff.
"Sir..."
Sheng Yu hadn't seen Shen Zhou so angry and suffering a silent loss for many years. He even didn't quite understand why Shen Zhou was so at odds with Yi Yuan. For a moment, he hesitated whether he should talk about what Prime Minister Shen had told him.
"Speak," Shen Zhou was in a bad mood. Seeing Sheng Yu still hesitating, his patience was instantly exhausted. His usually clear voice now only carried an endless cold and killing intent.
"Yes," Sheng Yu shivered and immediately reported quickly,
"The prime minister said that the task of finding the trace of the Slow - floating Fairy should be suspended for now. The second young lady of the Yun family will arrive in the capital today. He asked the sir to be prepared and must capture her."
"Got it."
Pain and struggle flashed in Shen Zhou's eyes. He closed his eyes wearily.
Why, why at this moment... After more than ten years, he had finally, finally found his Yingying.
But he had to please another woman.
"How much have you found out about Yingying?"
Shen Zhou slowly opened his eyes and asked.
"I'm incompetent," Sheng Yu bowed in shame.
"Miss Yingying seems to have appeared out of thin air. No one in the whole capital seems to know about a girl with such a face. I haven't found any useful information after so many days."
"It doesn't matter," Shen Zhou waved his hand lightly. "Change the direction. Go and check on that Miss Xi."
If his guess was correct...