Chapter 29: Both Strange and Infuriating

The next morning.

Chuntao jogged along, panting heavily until she finally came to a halt, bracing her hands against her knees and gasping for air.

"I can't anymore, Miss..." After a long moment of catching her breath, she said intermittently, "I really can't run anymore, Miss..."

Seeing this, Chen Xingmiao hurried forward, gently patting her back with an apologetic smile on her face.

"Miss, no one is chasing us, why are you running?" Chuntao asked, full of confusion.

Uh... Was she supposed to tell her that she was running because she had kissed Xiao Ziyu yesterday and was now nervous and embarrassed about seeing him?

Chen Xingmiao twitched the corner of her mouth, a sudden idea flashing through her mind.

"I was afraid the stationery shop would close if we arrived too late. Let's go, let's hurry."

To prevent Chuntao from prying further, Chen Xingmiao took her arm and headed toward a shop with a sign advertising the "Four Treasures of the Study."

"Shopkeeper, bring me all the best calligraphy brushes you have in the store!"

Before she had even stepped over the threshold, a clear, resonant voice reached her from inside, followed immediately by the shopkeeper's eager, "Coming right up!"

Chen Xingmiao peeked inside—

A man stood there, dressed in a long, jet-black silk robe embroidered with intricate cloud patterns, the hem trimmed with golden thread. Beyond that, he wore a gold-inlaid belt around his waist. Every aspect of his appearance shouted two words: "Filthy rich."

No way. This was the first time since she had transmigrated that she had encountered a tycoon of this era.

Chen Xingmiao looked him up and down.

The contrast was far too great compared to the first time she had seen Xiao Ziyu... but since she had run into him, it must be time to advance the plot!

"Xiaoliu! Xiaoliu! Xiaoliu!"

Yet, even after calling out several times in her mind, she heard no response from the system. Strange, where had that Xiaoliu run off to this time?

"Miss... Miss!"

Only when Chuntao raised her voice on the final call was Chen Xingmiao finally snapped back from her thoughts.

"Ah? Chuntao, what is it?" Chen Xingmiao asked, looking blankly at her.

Chuntao sighed helplessly, her eyes filled with concern. "Miss, you’ve been zoning out quite often lately. Could it be a lingering effect from when you fell into the water?"

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, looking as if she were about to burst into tears from worry.

"No, no, I was just thinking about what all we needed to buy to take back," she quickly explained.

This Chuntao was truly concerned for the original owner, just... a bit impatient.

***

Chen Xingmiao led Chuntao to the counter. "Shopkeeper, one set of the Four Treasures of the Study, the best you have."

The shopkeeper looked up, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. He glanced instinctively at the man who had just placed his order, then offered an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but all the fine brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones in this shop have already been reserved by this gentleman."

"All... reserved?" She widened her eyes, almost thinking she had misheard. Good heavens, just how many people do you have in your household?

"Shopkeeper, have them delivered to this address." The man, seemingly oblivious to the woman's growing irritation, handed a slip of paper to the shopkeeper.

Chen Xingmiao took a deep breath, turned around, and forced a smile. "Handsome, could you sell me a few sets? May good karma follow you all your life."

The man raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly as he coldly spat out two words: "Not for sale."

This guy was really something...

Chen Xingmiao’s mouth twitched slightly, the smile she had worked so hard to produce freezing on her face.

The man leaned back slightly, hands casually clasped behind his back, his chin tilted upward. He wore a reckless, arrogant smile, his eyebrows arched high.

He really was the definition of someone asking for a punch...

Chen Xingmiao took a deep breath, telling herself to stay calm and collected.

"Handsome, please, make an exception! I beg you!"

She pressed her palms together in front of her chest in a gesture of sincere entreaty, her fingertips lightly touching, her head bowed slightly and her eyes half-lowered.

Seeing her like this, the man chuckled, leaned in, and peered at her with an amused expression before gently brushing her hands aside.

"You really want them?"

Chen Xingmiao raised her eyes, locked gazes with him for a fleeting moment, and then nodded vigorously.

"Alright." The man paused, stood up straight, and stretched languidly. "However, I'm feeling a bit hungry. I wonder, Miss..."

Dressed so luxuriously and still looking for a free meal?

Chen Xingmiao understood instantly. There was no such thing as a free lunch, but for the sake of the little villain and her own survival, she would endure it!

"I'll treat you to a meal. What would you like to eat?"

"You're generous, Miss." The man smiled in appreciation and turned to the shopkeeper. "Shopkeeper, give her a few sets. Put it on my tab."

On his tab?!

Chen Xingmiao's eyes lit up, and the man's image in her mind instantly improved several times over. A meal in exchange for several sets of top-quality stationery—that was definitely a bargain.

***

"Chuntao, take these things home first. I'll head back after I finish eating with this gentleman," Chen Xingmiao said, turning to Chuntao.

Chuntao nodded, carefully picked up the packed stationery, and turned to leave.

"Follow me." A faint smile remained on the man's lips as he strode forward.

She was taken aback for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and hurried to keep pace with him.

Chen Xingmiao had expected him to choose a high-end restaurant and order a feast of delicacies, but to her surprise, they ended up at an unremarkable wonton stall on the side of the road.

"Madam, two bowls of wontons, please—one without cilantro," the man said with familiarity.

Cilantro? Was cilantro popular in ancient times too?

"I also don't—" she began, but the man cut her off before she could finish.

"That one is for you." The man gave her a half-smile, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

???

Was he saying... that the bowl without cilantro was for her?

Soon, the proprietress efficiently brought over two steaming bowls of wontons. The man casually pushed the bowl without cilantro toward Chen Xingmiao.

"How did you know I don't eat cilantro?" Chen Xingmiao asked, puzzled.

The man shrugged, his tone light. "Most young ladies aren't too fond of the stuff. Just a guess."

Put that way, it seemed plausible...

Chen Xingmiao nodded slightly and didn't ask further. After that, the two sat in silence. Moments later, both bowls of steaming wontons were wiped clean.

Chen Xingmiao pulled out her coin purse to pay, but the man beat her to it, dropping a silver piece on the table.

"Keep the change, Madam," he said crisply.

The old woman took the silver, her eyes crinkling into slits as she thanked him repeatedly.

"You weren't..." She looked stunned, the words catching in her throat as she stared at the man with utter confusion.

The man didn't seem to care, arching an eyebrow with a playful smirk. "I don't recall ever saying I wanted you to treat me to a meal. I just said I was hungry."