High-class maid

The two met in this alley.

In the stillness of the night, the moonlight shone on the ground, and the twinkling stars seemed to cheer for the two men's daring.

“Xing’er?” Song Wenyang looked at the woman in front of him and immediately noticed the peach wood hairpin in her hair. Who else could this be but Xing’er?

"Brother Song...?" Shen Xing'er was both surprised and delighted. She wanted to call him by his name, but felt it was inappropriate, so she could only reluctantly continue to call him Brother Song.

"What are you doing out in the middle of the night? Are you here to see me?" Song Wenyang walked up to Shen Xing'er. The boy's tall figure made Shen Xing'er feel safe.

"I...I can't sleep, so I came out for a walk..." Shen Xing'er said softly. Fortunately, it was late at night, and no one could see that her face was red to the roots of her ears.

"Oh? What a coincidence! Is there a nice place there?" Song Wenyang turned to the side, his small courtyard was behind him.

"I...I heard about what happened to your family. Don't be too sad. The dead can't be brought back to life. You have to live on for your loved ones too." Seeing that she couldn't hide it from him, Shen Xing'er simply comforted him directly.

Song Wenyang smiled slightly. So Xing'er was worried about him and came to comfort him.

"Who's speaking?" Yuan Dali's voice came from the courtyard, followed by the sound of the main room door opening.

"Come with me!" Song Wenyang didn't have time to think, grabbed Shen Xing'er's hand and ran. The two ran until they reached the end of the alley before stopping.

They hid in a corner, where a carriage happened to be blocking their view. Through the gap, Shen Xing'er saw Yuan Dali open the door, look around, mutter something strange, and then close the door again.

The two breathed a sigh of relief, and Shen Xing'er realized that they were still holding hands. Song Wenyang's hands were long and slender with distinct knuckles. For some reason, his hands were so warm in such cold weather.

"I'm sorry, I grabbed Xing'er and ran in a panic without thinking too much," Song Wenyang said hastily as he let go of Xing'er's hand when he saw her looking at him.

"You...why aren't you at the Song residence? I thought I wouldn't see you tonight." Shen Xing'er looked at her toes and kicked the ground absently.

“I’m going to the Song residence tomorrow. I wanted to say goodbye to you tonight, so I came out to try my luck. Who knew I would actually see you? We really are on the same wavelength.” Song Wenyang said, looking down. Shen Xing’er could only see his big white teeth.

"Farewell? Aren't you... sad?" Shen Xing'er knew it was impolite to ask this, but Song Wenyang was acting so strangely. Could it be that he was too sad?

"Me." Song Wenyang paused, considering his words carefully before speaking.

"It would be a lie to say I'm not sad, but I'm mostly disappointed. There are some things that can't be explained in a short time. I'll tell you slowly when there's a chance in the future," Song Wenyang said, looking at her affectionately.

Shen Xing'er nodded, momentarily too nervous to say anything. She had never been so close to a man before, and just kept looking down in a daze.

"I'll be back at home these next few days. After my grandmother's funeral, I'll rush back to Jinling. The next time I come to the capital will be after the imperial examinations. Xing'er, will you wait for me?"

Song Wenyang's calm voice came through, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Shen Xing'er, as if afraid she would say something to refuse him.

"A few months is nothing to me. Are you confident about the imperial examination?" Shen Xing'er asked.

"Okay! You wait for me! I will definitely pass the imperial examination and then come to your house to propose marriage!" Song Wenyang only heard that Xing'er was willing to wait for him, and ignored the second half of the sentence.

"You don't despise me? My status... even if I'm freed from slavery, I'm still not good enough for you."

For the first time, Shen Xing'er felt a sense of powerlessness. Even though she changed the fate of the cannon fodder, she couldn't change her lowly status.

As Shen Xing'er finished speaking, a tear rolled down her cheek.

Song Wenyang panicked immediately. He hurriedly wiped away Shen Xing'er's tears and whispered soothingly.

“Your birth is not your fault. None of us can choose our birth. If I had to choose, I wouldn’t want to be born into this wealthy family.”

"You still can't propose marriage, you're still in mourning!" Shen Xing'er reminded her.

"It's alright. As long as you have me in your heart, I can wait a mere three years." Song Wenyang felt a moment of disappointment, but quickly recovered.

Three years is enough time for him to become powerful.

Although Lin Shi treated him badly, she was still his nominal mother. Filial piety was paramount, and everyone in the capital knew that his grandmother "loved" him the most. So even if he was unwilling, he could only observe three years of mourning for them.

"Are you... going to marry me as your legal wife?" Shen Xing'er asked.

"Of course! You can only be my legal wife, and my wife can only be you! Xing'er, are you willing to believe me?"

Song Wenyang held Shen Xing'er's shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes.

“I believe you, but it’s not enough for just the two of us to be willing,” Shen Xing’er said.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry to trouble you. My family is so complicated. If you marry me in the future, you may have to deal with a lot of people."

For some reason, Xing'er was willing to wait for him, but he wasn't too happy; instead, he felt somewhat inferior.

Shen Xing'er shook her head and said, "In this world, true love is the most precious thing. If you are willing to believe in love again for me, then I am also willing to change for you and be worthy of you."

Upon hearing this, Song Wenyang was deeply moved. Xing'er was right; he was already afraid of women in this world.

His mother died when he was very young, his stepmother was scheming all the time, and even his grandmother... was a murderer...

His only cousin, Lin Xiangyu, whom he had never met in either of his two lifetimes, had also schemed against him for the sake of the family. Now, a pure white lotus flower is slowly blooming for him. How could he not cherish it?

"Alright, let's hurry back. It'll be terrible if my parents find out." Shen Xing'er nudged him and prepared to walk back.

"I'll see you off!" Song Wenyang said, following closely behind.

"No, if others see us, it will be a loss. You can just stand here and watch me," Shen Xing'er refused.

Song Wenyang nodded. Xing'er was right. He was all alone and afraid of nothing, but she still had to live here, and her reputation was important.

"Xing'er!" Shen Xing'er had only taken two steps when Song Wenyang called her back.

"what happened?"

"Here, take this." Song Wenyang strode forward, handed her a purse, and then, as if afraid she wouldn't take it, hurriedly ran back.

Shen Xing'er didn't back down. So, they were officially a couple, right? It wouldn't be unreasonable for her to accept a small gift from him.

She waved her purse at Song Wenyang, then gently opened the door and entered the house under his gaze.

"Xing'er, where have you been?"

As soon as Shen Xing'er entered the house, she saw Wang Shi waiting for her in the courtyard, glancing behind her as if she were not.