Qiao Shu looked at the man in front of her who gazed at her gently, exuding a warm and refined aura. She tilted her head in confusion, not quite understanding why Shen Muqian had appeared here.
As if he had seen through Qiao Shu’s bewilderment, Shen Muqian revealed a perfectly measured smile—distant yet polite. He spoke to her warmly.
“Hello, Comrade Qiao. I’m Shen Muqian. We met at the social dance yesterday.”
“Mm, hello, Comrade Shen. May I ask… is there something you need?”
Qiao Shu nodded lightly and asked politely in return.
She had assumed that Shen Muqian was there to see the Feng Family members. After all, they were all military personnel and likely knew each other.
As for her? They had only met once yesterday, and they weren’t familiar with each other.
However, Qiao Shu never imagined that this man had truly come for her.
“Comrade Qiao, I’m here for you.”
Shen Muqian seemed to read her thoughts and said with a smile.
“Ah? For me?”
After hearing this, Qiao Shu was momentarily stunned. She pointed at herself with a fair, delicate finger, her face full of an expression that said he had the wrong person.
Seeing Qiao Shu’s pure and adorable expression where everything showed plainly on her face, Shen Muqian couldn’t hold back and chuckled softly.
“Yes, I’m here for you.”
“But we don’t know each other, do we…”
Qiao Shu racked her brains but couldn’t figure out what connection they had.
It wasn’t until Shen Muqian spread his long, slender palms before her that a golden Butterfly Brooch appeared in front of her.
“Isn’t this my brooch?!”
Qiao Shu’s eyes widened. She instinctively reached out and took the exquisite Butterfly Brooch from Shen Muqian’s hand.
Feeling the girl’s soft, tender fingertip brush lightly over his palm, Shen Muqian’s heart skipped a beat. His lips pressed into a tight line, but even though his emotions fluctuated greatly at that moment, his expression remained as calm and composed as ever.
“How did my brooch end up with you???”
After examining the Butterfly Brooch carefully in her hand, Qiao Shu was one hundred percent certain that this was the one she had lost yesterday.
The brooch was too small, and it had been on her left shoulder where her eyes wouldn’t notice, so she only discovered it missing when she returned home, changed clothes, and took a shower.
He Yingzi had bought her that brooch. She had wanted to look for it, but on one hand, it was too late when she got back, and on the other… she had no idea when it had gone missing.
So, she had reluctantly accepted the fact that the Butterfly Brooch He Yingzi gave her was gone.
But she never expected that today, the brooch would be returned—and by Shen Muqian, whom she had only met once yesterday!
“I picked it up at the exit of the social dance yesterday. I saw you wearing it and thought it looked valuable, so I brought it to you personally.”
Shen Muqian smiled at Qiao Shu and explained calmly.
Seeing that the girl showed no suspicion after his explanation, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
In truth, he had lied. He hadn’t picked up the Butterfly Brooch at the exit. Instead, when He Yingzi wasn’t around, he had pretended to pass by Qiao Shu and deftly taken the brooch from her without anyone noticing.
Ahem, though he knew using such a petty trick to approach Qiao Shu wasn’t exactly proper, he had no other choice.
After all, without this method, he would probably just be an insignificant passerby to this girl…
And that was something he couldn’t tolerate.
“Ah, I see. Thank you so much! You even went out of your way in this blazing sun to deliver it personally. Really, thank you!”
Qiao Shu didn’t dwell on Shen Muqian’s words. She simply gazed joyfully at her recovered Butterfly Brooch.
Seeing the girl’s happy expression, Shen Muqian unconsciously curved his lips. Then, he said very naturally,
“The sun is quite strong today. Would it be convenient for you to invite me in for a glass of water?”
Shen Muqian could tell that the girl before him was pure and kind-hearted. He knew that if he didn’t take the initiative, she might thank him and then head back inside, leaving him behind. So, he proactively made the request to come in for water.
Hearing Shen Muqian’s request, Qiao Shu thought of the guests still in the house—arranged by He Yingzi as a bunch of blind date candidates. She felt it might not be great to let him in.
But on the other hand, he had braved the scorching sun to return her Butterfly Brooch. Refusing his simple request would make her seem rude and ungrateful.
In the end, Qiao Shu nodded and invited Shen Muqian inside.
Seeing his goal achieved, Shen Muqian felt a surge of pleasure and satisfaction in his heart. But that joy was quickly shattered when he saw the several young, handsome men in the Feng Family living room.
Especially when he heard them call her—
“Shushu, why did it take you so long to come back…”
Jiang Lu and the others lit up with joy upon seeing Qiao Shu return.
But when they noticed Shen Muqian following behind her, the smiles on their faces turned to surprise.
The difference was that the girls in the living room showed surprise mixed with a bit of delight and shyness.
The boys, however, only showed surprise and awkwardness.
Jiang Lu, in particular, felt especially uneasy upon seeing Shen Muqian.
The reason was simple: he also lived in the Air Force Compound, and as the child of another family, Shen Muqian had always been the model his parents used to lecture him.
Though he was considered one of the “other people’s kids” in the compound, compared to this freakish prodigy Shen Muqian, he paled in comparison.
Moreover, their families lived fairly close, and his cousin was childhood best friends with Shen Muqian. His cousin had warned him out of friendship: Don’t be fooled by Shen Muqian’s mild-mannered, gentlemanly demeanor—he wasn’t to be trifled with, and it was best not to provoke him.
Perhaps because he’d heard this from his cousin since childhood, plus his parents always holding Shen Muqian up as an example, Jiang Lu felt an involuntary twinge of intimidation whenever he saw him.
Thus, Jiang Lu—who had been planning to stand up, show off his witty and outgoing side in front of Qiao Shu, and befriend her—found his sunny, cheerful smile frozen on his face.
“M-Muqian bro, w-why are you here?”
Jiang Lu stammered. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he noticed Shen Muqian’s brows furrow ever so slightly and realized he had said the wrong thing!
Especially when he heard Shen Muqian directly say—
“Then why are you all here?”
Shen Muqian didn’t answer Jiang Lu’s question. He merely smiled and swept his gaze over the young men and women in the living room one by one.
Seeing that these boys were all young and exceptionally handsome, he immediately recalled the scene yesterday when He Yingzi had taken Qiao Shu to the social dance.
The clever Shen Muqian instantly guessed that this was He Yingzi arranging blind dates for Qiao Shu again.
At this realization, though his face maintained a smile, it didn’t reach his eyes. His gaze toward Jiang Lu and the others carried a hint of chill.
Jiang Lu and the rest couldn’t help but shiver, suddenly feeling an inexplicable pressure bearing down on them…
“Huh? You all know each other! That’s great!”
Qiao Shu didn’t notice the undercurrents in the air. Seeing that Shen Muqian knew Jiang Lu and the others, she immediately felt rescued!!!
Finally, she didn’t have to make awkward small talk with this group of strangers!!!
“Mm, we know each other.”
Seeing Qiao Shu’s eyes curve slightly in relief as she let out a huge sigh, Shen Muqian guessed her little thoughts. He naturally walked over and sat beside Jiang Lu, then smiled at the girl.
“Comrade Qiao, if you have things to do, go ahead. No need to mind us.”
“Ah? That wouldn’t be right.”
Though Qiao Shu was tempted, she thought that she was the only host left at home. She couldn’t just leave these guests alone—that would be too impolite.
So, even though she wanted to agree, she shook her head and said softly to Shen Muqian,
“You all sit tight. I’ll go brew some tea for you.”
Qiao Shu figured Shen Muqian had come to her house for water, so she headed to the kitchen alone.
The girls in the living room also wanted to follow Qiao Shu to the kitchen to brew tea and bond with her, maybe make a friend. But before they could call out to her and catch up, Shen Muqian stopped them with a somewhat cold glance.
When Qiao Shu came back from the kitchen with a pot of freshly brewed tea, she was astonished to discover… only Shen Muqian remained in the living room. Jiang Lu and the others had all vanished.
“Huh, where did they go???”
Qiao Shu stared blankly at the empty living room, wondering bewilderedly how she would explain to He Yingzi if she returned—that all the guests had left!
But soon, Shen Muqian provided an answer.
“Oh, they had something urgent come up, so they left first.”
Shen Muqian gentlemanly took the tea tray from Qiao Shu’s hands and deftly poured her a cup.
Facing Shen Muqian’s behavior of taking over as host, Qiao Shu felt something was off.
But whether it was his appearance, temperament, or the gentle, non-aggressive attitude he showed her, none of it made her uncomfortable, so she didn’t think much of it.
“Comrade Shen, thank you so much this time. You even went out of your way to deliver my brooch.”
“It’s nothing, just a small effort.”
Shen Muqian smiled at Qiao Shu, appearing utterly nonchalant, betraying none of his little schemes.
At least Qiao Shu didn’t notice. After all, the men who had liked her before were always too overt. None acted as calmly composed as Shen Muqian, with normal eyes and expressions, not even lingering his gaze on her face for long.
But those who knew Shen Muqian well could tell he had fallen for Qiao Shu—and not just a little, but with the determination to marry her.
Though Shen Muqian appeared gentle and courteous to everyone, he was actually quite aloof at heart, his coldness merely wrapped in warmth and refinement, undetectable to most.
Yet the way he looked at Qiao Shu wasn’t that veiled coldness—it was genuine gentleness toward this girl. Even his tone was softer than usual.
Of course, Qiao Shu—who had only met him twice and only knew his outward demeanor—remained completely oblivious.
So naturally, she didn’t detect Shen Muqian’s little intentions toward her.
But soon, Qiao Shu grew wary of Shen Muqian because… after downing cup after cup of tea, he showed no sign of leaving. Instead, he leisurely chatted with her in a desultory manner.
Though the topics he led were light and easygoing, Qiao Shu—who naturally kept a slight distance from the opposite sex—vaguely felt something off about him.
Qiao Shu unconsciously furrowed her brows. She was just wondering how to politely send Shen Muqian away.
Unbeknownst to her, all her micro-expressions and small movements were fully observed by Shen Muqian.
So, before she could act on sending him off, this clever man who knew how to mask himself took the initiative to leave.
“I’ve finished the tea, so I won’t disturb you any longer. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Seeing Shen Muqian set down his cup and politely thank her before preparing to leave, Qiao Shu immediately felt that she had indeed overthought things.
For a moment, she felt a bit embarrassed by her earlier self-indulgent notion that he might like her.
“That…” I’ll see you out. She had not even finished speaking when the sound of a door opening came from the entrance, followed by slow yet steady footsteps approaching from afar and drawing near to Qiao Shu’s ears.
Soon, a tall and slender figure appeared in her field of vision as it entered from outside.
The man was very tall, around one meter eighty-seven, nearly one meter ninety, with broad shoulders, long legs, and an impressively superior figure. He stood there ramrod straight, as steady and reliable as a pine or cypress, with an unyielding demeanor.
Qiao Shu subconsciously lifted her head. When she shifted her gaze to the man’s face, her breathing suddenly hitched.
The reason was simple: the man’s looks were perfectly her type.
His chiseled, three-dimensional features were sharp as if carved by a knife, with distinct angular contours. Yet, thanks to his refined brows and eyes, along with those deep, restrained black pupils, he exuded a powerful aura of cold, resolute strength tempered by a cool, self-possessed restraint and ascetic allure.
She knew that, when she played otome games, her favorite type had always been this kind of stoic heartthrob with eight-pack abs.
Of course, that was limited to 2D characters.
“You’re…”
Before Qiao Shu could voice the question in her heart, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded from outside.
They were accompanied by He Yingzi’s anxious shout—
“Feng Xiao, wait a moment! I told you not to come home yet…”
Upon hearing He Yingzi’s voice, Qiao Shu immediately realized who this man before her was.
He was the one with the childhood betrothal to her family, the man she was engaged to—Regiment Leader Feng, Feng Xiao.
However, the setting of their first meeting seemed… a little strange???
Though she and Shen Muqian were completely innocent, with nothing improper between them.
They were still a man and a woman alone together in a room, and in the Feng Family at that.
At this moment, Qiao Shu belatedly thought that next time, she should keep her distance from unfamiliar men.
After all, she now had a fiancé.
This sentiment grew even stronger, especially after hearing He Yingzi’s voice growing louder and louder, making her and Shen Muqian’s current situation feel terribly awkward.
“You listen to me explain. I forced Shushu to go on those blind dates. Because I think you two…” This absurd marriage should never have existed.
He Yingzi rushed in panting and flustered, having run all the way. But before she could finish her words, she saw that the person in the living room was not one of the fine young men she had arranged for Qiao Shu to meet, but rather… the ‘old man’ Shen Muqian, who was nine years older than Qiao Shu. Her remaining words caught in her throat.
“Shen Muqian?!”
Once she snapped back to her senses, alarm bells rang in He Yingzi’s mind. Ignoring her own younger brother for the moment, she strode to Qiao Shu’s side in two steps instead of three and positioned herself between Qiao Shu and Shen Muqian.
“Why are you here?!”
She had always been unwilling to let Qiao Shu have much contact with Shen Muqian.
Not only because this ‘old man’ Shen Muqian was nine years older than Qiao Shu, but also because… this man was very scheming, full of cunning tricks, and adept at putting on a facade in front of others.
Their family’s Shushu was so pure and kindhearted; she would be all too easily deceived by this cunning ‘old man’.
If she had known that Shen Muqian, who never attended such mixers, would go to that joint social dance last time, she never would have brought Qiao Shu.
Yet, the one who never went to those events had shown up that day of all days…
As He Yingzi glared at Shen Muqian with clear wariness and displeasure, the words that next came from Shen Muqian’s mouth made her fists itch with the urge to punch him!
They left the completely fooled Qiao Shu staring wide-eyed, her pink lips slightly parted, her pretty little face covered in question marks! She was utterly shocked and clearly startled.
They also made a certain Regiment Leader Feng, who had just come home to find what seemed like a green hat on his head, feel like… maybe he shouldn’t have come back???
“Staff Officer He, since you’re so keen on arranging blind dates for Comrade Qiao, why not consider me? Though I’m a bit older than Comrade Qiao, aside from that disadvantage, I excel in every other way compared to the matches you’ve lined up for her.”