As she said, the fact that he was a year older than her was completely insignificant.
Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that she was the one who truly held the superior position between the two.
"I apologize for what I said earlier," Xu Yan said sincerely, then explained gently, "but I was doing it for your own good."
Adhering to the principle of "leaving room for maneuver in everything," and seeing that the other party had given in, Luo Cuiwei did not press the matter further, and her expression softened slightly.
“I’ve managed to support the entire Luo family, so I’m capable of living a good life. Why should you worry about me?” Luo Cuiwei raised an eyebrow and sneered. “Even if I’m really so unlucky that I’m blind and misjudged someone, and I’m abandoned after leaving the Luo family, as long as you manage your tea and silk business in Pingcheng well, I won’t end up with nothing.”
"What do you mean?" Xu Yan pondered her implied meaning, his expression gradually hardening.
Luo Cuiwei raised her chin and pointed towards the carriage door: "Are you sure you want me to say it here?"
****
As dusk fell, the caravan entered the official post station halfway through the road, where the Imperial Household Department arranged for them to spend the night.
"Xiao Jiu, you and Luo Sanmei go check out the house first."
As soon as he got off the carriage, Xu Yan sent his younger sister, Xu Ying, inside first.
Luo Cuizhen stood beside Xu Ying with a flustered expression, her hands behind her back, her fingers twisted into a pretzel.
She looked at her elder sister with a questioning gaze, feeling embarrassed.
Luo Cuiwei glanced at her indifferently, said nothing, and turned to walk towards the trees across the street from the inn's gate.
Xu Yan smiled reassuringly at Luo Cuizhen and then followed Luo Cuiwei over.
“Xiao Jiu,” Luo Cuizhen turned around and let Xu Ying lead her into the inn, “I’ve angered my sister.”
His voice trembled, as if he were about to cry.
****
The setting sun shone through the treetops and leaves onto Luo Cuiwei's shoulders, as if sprinkling her with shimmering gold.
“Three years ago, you embezzled the family's funds and went to Pingcheng at the foot of Tuanshan Mountain to stock up on tea and silk. When you first took stock of the goods, you were inexperienced and were cheated out of everything, almost losing all your money. You almost committed suicide by jumping into the Xisha River. It was the Tuanshan Si family who helped you out, found you another source of goods, and added two hundred gold coins as capital, which allowed you to make up for your losses in time and even make a small profit. Is that right?”
Luo Cuiwei was very straightforward and didn't mince words.
Xu Yan's expression changed drastically. His handsome face could no longer maintain its gentle demeanor, and his dark eyes revealed a surge of thoughts.
Luo Cuiwei calmly continued, "Over the past three years, you've managed to make this business in Pingcheng quite successful. Although it's not a large-scale operation, it has generated profits every year without your family noticing. You've certainly got some skills."
Xu Yan is the successor that the Xu family is working hard to cultivate, but he is not the only candidate.
However, the few Xu family members who were selected were not the kind of people who were completely useless, which meant that he had to be prepared for any eventuality.
This business deal in Pingcheng was a backup plan he had prepared for himself, and no one in the Xu family knew about it.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Even a small profit is still a profit, and I won't turn down my own share of the profits," Luo Cuiwei said, her mood improving as she looked at his bewildered expression. "If you want to expand the business further, I can add some more capital to your account, and all the other rules will remain the same."
“The Tuanshan Si family are not merchants, so why are you…” Xu Yan looked her over thoughtfully.
Luo Cuiwei met his probing gaze directly and smiled frankly: "My birth mother's surname is Si."
Perhaps too shocked, Xu Yan was somewhat stunned, nodded inexplicably, and murmured, "So... it was you."
"So, stop meddling in my affairs. If you're really worried that I'll marry the wrong person and end up begging on the streets, just focus on making money and giving me dividends," Luo Cuiwei said, raising her chin like a creditor. "Stop trying to pull any tricks like 'trying to win me over through marriage'!"
Although she has not had any contact with Xu Yan over the years, it does not mean that she knows nothing about him.
Why would someone who wouldn't act without a reason become interested in her private affairs?
“My father said long ago that the Luo family’s three generations of hard work and wealth accumulation were not for the empty title of the richest family, but to give their children confidence so that they would never have to compromise their own desires because of financial difficulties. Therefore, I will only choose the person I like.”
Xu Yan wasn't flustered when his little scheme was exposed. He simply raised his hand, touched his nose, and smiled. "But what I just said was all true. Did you really believe him?"
Luo Cuiwei squinted and rolled her eyes at him coldly, "If you don't believe him, do you think you should?"
She did not intend to discuss her private matters with Xu Yanshen.
"But if it's..."
“This has nothing to do with you,” Luo Cuiwei interrupted him. “As for the matter in Pingcheng, it was purely a coincidence. I didn’t originally intend for you to know. Now that we’ve laid it all out today, we can each keep our own thoughts to ourselves.”
After saying that, Luo Cuiwei ignored his thoughts and walked straight towards the gate of the post station.
After taking three or five steps, she suddenly stopped, turned back, frowned, and warned, "If we unfortunately meet again in the future, just be indifferent instead of politely courteous. We have no relationship."
Xu Yan stood at a distance, watching her receding figure, and suddenly smiled with lowered eyelashes.
That genuine, pure smile made him look completely different from his usual self.
Bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, his soft, long, dark eyelashes cast a light, gentle shadow on his lower eyelids, contrasting with the newly risen blush on his fair cheeks—
A boy as pure and innocent as a flower just beginning to bloom.
****
During the meal, Luo Cuizhen tried her best to sit close to her elder sister, but no matter what she said or did, she could only see her elder sister's indifferent profile.
Afterwards, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.
Luo Cuizhen eagerly led her elder sister to the door, saying, "Sister, this room is yours. I just checked it out for you. There's something you like outside the window..."
"Thank you for your trouble," Luo Cuiwei interrupted her calmly, "You should go back to your room and rest early too."