Second Marriage

Translator: tarararawr

Editor: Larkspur

Chapter 19

What she said was baffling. Even if Ye Shen did something like murder or arson and was exposed, he would still stay calm and collected. But today, his actions were exposed by a little girl, he felt a little bit incompetent.

He couldn’t explain his emotions, so he could only keep a straight face and stare at her.

Xiao Youning raised her head and waited a long time for his response. She caught the astonishment that flashed in his eyes for a second, and a soft part of her heart was firmly poked.

See, the Daoist Priest was a kind of person that was cold on the outside and warm on the inside. She really did guess correctly.

It was impossible for Chen Li to do a good job in extorting the confessions within that amount of time. Someone helped her and asked him to hide it. In her current situation, there was no one else who could help her except for the Daoist Priest.

Therefore, she was able to quickly figure it out and was ready for him to not admit it.

Xiao Youning had been looking up at his face all this time and her neck was a little sore. This led her to the realization that Ye Shen was a little tall.

He was always dressed in plain robes and that looked baggy on him. It made his slender figure look so thin that she overlooked his true height.

Now that he was standing in front of her, she saw that he was a head taller than her.

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Xiao Youning tilted her head to move her stiff neck. But when she tilted her head, she unexpectedly saw the outline of his face more clearly.

He was always cold and aloof, and his facial features gave him an illusion of being unapproachable. However, from her present angle, she could see his straight eyelashes that were long and black, and even the outline of his chin seemed to have a soft arc.

The normally solemn young man became a lot gentler.

A surprised Xiao Youning didn’t want to blink.

Ye Shen was very sensitive to other people’s eyes. As long as he accompanied the emperor in the Imperial Court, he would always receive all kinds of looks. Over time, he could tell what the other person’s emotions were without looking up.

It’s just Xiao Youning’s emotions at this time… His deep eyes looked in the direction where Xiao Youning tilted his head. This one look made him frown.

Her eyes were bright and seemed deeply moved. There was also appreciation in them?

Her eyes were as pure as his appreciation for beauty.

“Ahem….” Ye Shen could not stop himself from coughing to make the little girl, who was still admiring him, regain her composure.

When Xiao Youning heard him, she suddenly woke up from the “beauty”. Before she had time to blush, her stomach rumbled loudly again.

It was too late. Her face suddenly became red and hot, like she was being roasted under the sun on a slab of rock for a long time.

The girl’s eyes flickered and her head hung down. She didn’t know what to do. If there was a hole in the ground next to her, then she would not hesitate to jump into it.

Ye Shen had never encountered such an embarrassing situation. He saw the little girl’s ears turn red all the way down her neck. He finally couldn’t help but sigh. “I’m late. I’ll invite you to a meal to apologize?”

After he spoke, he hesitated for a moment. Then, he raised his hand and gently patted her on the head.

He never considered other people’s emotions and could only exercise restraint when was in front of the emperor. Yet today, not only did he try to help her cover up her embarrassment but also tried to coax the little girl.

He had seen the elders pacify the young ones this way. By patting their head, patting their shoulders, and acting like they were rubbing a small animal. It could always make the younger ones feel better instantly.

So, there should be no problem with his actions.

After all, Xiao Youning was a generation younger than him.

However, Xiao Youning was not aware of these differences in seniority. When he touched her head, her body tensed all over. If it was not for her blushing face that could not be any redder, she would have looked like a red lantern at this time.

The Daoist Priest… was touching her like that when she was not a child and had already reached the marriageable age. Even if this was meant to make her feel better, it was a little strange since he was an adult man and she was a young lady.

Xiao Youning felt that she had lost her dignity for more than ten years on this day.

Fortunately, Ye Shen didn’t think too much of it. After withdrawing his hand, he turned around and walked to the gate. After a few steps, he realized that she wasn’t following him, so he turned back and called out to her.

The little girl then lowered her head, picked up her dress, and caught up to him.

Ye Shen looked at her small steps. The tiny tassel pendant on the dress swayed slightly. This soft feeling he felt inside was like the touch left on his hand after he patted her head.

The little girl’s hair was soft and fluffy… Ye Shen clenched his hand behind his back and kneaded his thumb in the palm of his hand. He did not know that he was kneading at.

Jian Yin and Yuan Guo stared at them the entire time, they couldn’t figure out what their masters had just experienced.

After going into Qingfeng Daoist Temple, Xiao Youning finally collected her thoughts after walking for a while. She looked around and became aware that Ye Shen was taking her along a path she didn’t recognize.

The trees on both sides of the path cast a thick shadow. The wind traveled through the leaves and produced a rustling noise. His wide sleeves lightly fluttered behind him.

The Daoist Priest was really familiar with this place. From just a moment ago to now, they had passed through several forks on the path.

But weren’t there only Daoist Nuns here? Why was a Daoist Priest familiar with the paths here?

Xiao Youning realized that she knew very little about Ye Shen.

Ye Shen had returned to his usual silent look. These questions should be spoken privately with him. It was not convenient for her to ask, so she just kept silent.

By the time they reached their destination, Xiao Youning had figured out that Ye Shen was taking her to a pavilion next to a rock garden. When she sat down, she saw that Jian Yin did not follow them.

“He went to get the food.” Ye Shen seemed to have the ability to pry into people’s minds. He knew what she was thinking about with one glance.

Xiao Youning nodded. She sat down and did not know why she felt uncomfortable. She stared at the stone table and did not know what to say.

Ye Shen naturally sensed it. He glanced at her and strangely wanted to sigh.

He actually did not know how to get along with such a little girl.

“Well, it was me who asked Jian Yin to follow Chen Li to find those people. He is one of my people. If you want to see me, then you can order Chen Li to find me at any time.”

In order to break the increasingly awkward atmosphere, he admitted that he had stepped in to help her.

Xiao Youning was shocked but smiled happily the next moment. Her eyes turned into crescent moons. “I knew it was the Daoist Priest!”

The atmosphere seemed to brighten up. After Xiao Youning spoke, she became more relaxed. She reached out and stroked the tassel pendant on her skirt and continued the conversation from when they were at the Daoist Temple’s gate.

“Actually, I didn’t wait long. Before I came here, I went to an older brother that I know and asked him to find out some information for me.”

Ye Shen’s expression that was relaxed immediately turned tense. His first reaction was that since she knew he had helped her, why did she go to others to inquire about anything?

“If you need any help in the future, then come to me.” Ye Shen spoke bluntly without knowing it.

Xiao Youning said “Oh” and then smiled sheepishly. “I’m always causing trouble to Daoist Priest. I was also asking him to help me find more information about my father and brother. He has some connections in the palace, so he is able to hear more information over there.”

No matter how powerful the Daoist Priest was, even if he preached to a cabinet minister or some other similar position, she couldn’t let him risk upsetting a nobleman for her.

Ye Shen was held back by the sentence that this person had some connections in the palace.

Was there anyone in the palace who could have a better connection than him?

However, he held the identity as a member of the Ye Family that made it impossible for him to tell the truth.