Unintentional Surprise (GL) - Chapter 20

Wen Dinglan had only been speaking on a whim—she hadn’t expected Jiang Shunyao to actually go along with her words.

By acknowledging that the ten cartloads of gifts were a betrothal offering, everything suddenly took on a different meaning.

Che Kuiyuan didn’t grasp the subtle implications and shouted in protest, “Fine! Let’s say—it is a betrothal gift! Didn’t you return it anyway?”

Wen Dinglan deliberately blurred truth and falsehood, reiterating, “I didn’t reject it, nor did I return it. On the contrary, I accepted it.”

Her words were vague, laced with ambiguity.

Even Jiang Shunyao became confused.

Wen Dinglan promptly explained, “The top scholar sent betrothal gifts to Fuxian Lingyin Pavilion. I accepted them—so I became the woman he intends to marry in a proper ceremony. These ten carts of gifts are now mine. So what’s wrong with sending my own belongings ahead to the scholar’s residence?”

Something that made no sense, once uttered from her lips, somehow became entirely reasonable.

Che Kuiyuan was so furious he began banging away at the golden zither. He didn’t care if it got scratched or dented.

But Wen Dinglan was still not satisfied.

Because even after hearing all that, Che Kuiyuan still showed no intention of leaving.

Clearly, she needed to administer a stronger dose.

Her hand, originally just resting on Jiang Shunyao’s arm, began to glide, circling around his back. Not content with how lightly they touched, she tightened the embrace.

Jiang Shunyao let her do as she pleased, frozen on the spot, not daring to look down at the seductive woman pressed against him.

He accidentally caught Che Kuiyuan’s jealous, venomous glare—and foolishly smiled back at him.

That finally did it—Che Kuiyuan was so overwhelmed by the romantic spectacle, he almost fainted.

Staying any longer would just be asking for humiliation.

He scrambled clumsily to his feet from the stone-paved ground, clutching that golden zither no one cared about, and fled in a panic.

Jiang Shunyao breathed a sigh of relief. This was the first time he’d ever been publicly caught in an ambiguous entanglement with someone.

He thought the act would end here—how wrong he was.

Wen Dinglan kept moving, nestling her face deeper into the safety of Jiang Shunyao’s broad shoulder and chest.

“He’s gone,” Jiang Shunyao gently reminded her, assuming everything had just been for show.

“Gone? Good riddance!” Wen Dinglan refused to let go.

She had finally decided to cling tightly to this bond—there was no way she’d let it slip away so easily.

Jiang Shunyao still didn’t realize Wen Dinglan had truly made up her mind. “I should leave now.”

He had been at the Fuxian Lingyin Pavilion for quite a while, though in his heart, the time had felt brief.

“Leave?” Wen Dinglan looked up from his embrace, the strands of hair on her forehead already tousled from the commotion.

Jiang Shunyao nodded, urging her gently to come back to her senses from the emotions they’d just stirred.

She should leave.

Che Kuiyuan had run out in a panic. Whatever happened in the rear courtyard would soon spread like wildfire.

That wouldn’t be good for Wen Dinglan’s reputation.

Wen Dinglan knew exactly what Jiang Shunyao was worried about—but reputation and gossip meant nothing to her.

From start to finish, the only thing she truly cared about was his attitude.

After loosening her embrace just enough to let Jiang Shunyao breathe, she suddenly posed a pointed, dangerous question: “You’re leaving? So… you came in through the back door, and plan to leave through the back too?”

Jiang Shunyao heard the resentment in her tone and was left at a loss.

One moment she was passionately affectionate, the next she was subtly confrontational.

She was someone who had truly fallen for him—and so he had no choice but to take everything she said seriously.

What should he say? Jiang Shunyao couldn’t quite figure out what she wanted.

He cautiously asked back, “You mean… I shouldn’t leave through the back?”

“Of course not,” Wen Dinglan said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation. Her decisions from now on would also be his. “You’re going to walk proudly and openly into the main hall of the Fuxian Lingyin Pavilion—the longer you stay there, the better!”

It wasn’t enough to just fend off one spoiled playboy like Che Kuiyuan.

Every guest who visited the pavilion—those who came to watch, those who came for music—Jiang Shunyao had to face them all.

She wanted the connection between the top scholar’s residence and the Fuxian Lingyin Pavilion to become messy and entangled;

She wanted the romantic scandal between Jiang Shunyao and Wen Dinglan to spread through the entire city.