Zheng Xiao Mistake: The Mistake of Rebirth Provoked the Cold Master

Arriving on the island but finding the boat missing was like the last bolt from the blue for the day.

Their boatman actually broke the agreement. Isn't he afraid of offending the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion?

Zhu Zheng glanced at Wen Boqiu's unhurried face. It was not okay to offend the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, but if she offended Wen Boqiu, maybe nothing would really happen.

As expected, Wen Boqiu spoke up, "I'm really sorry for causing trouble for Miss Zhu."

Zhu Zheng said awkwardly: "It is..."

Ah, forget it.

The sky gradually darkened, and there were no signs of boats on the river. The two looked everywhere, but the spare boats on the island were gone. There was only a luxuriously decorated painted boat parked not far away on the river, with brilliant candlelight burning.

Wen Boqiu then took Zhu Zheng to the pleasure boat to ask for help, "Excuse me, which colleague's boat is this? Can you give us a ride?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the coral bead curtain on the boat fluttered, and a tall figure leaned out.

Zhu Zheng's eyes darkened. What she said just now was too early. This was the final bolt from the blue.

"Master Taifu, it turned out to be your boat!" Wen Boqiu explained to Rong Yan with a look of relief on his face, "It's getting late, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to go back. The boatman had clearly paid the deposit early in the morning, but I don't know why he broke the promise."

After Rong Yan finished listening, although his eyes were looking at Wen Boqiu, it seemed that his eyes passed through him and fell directly on Zhu Zheng who was standing beside him, and he made a faint comment.

"People have many faces, and their hearts are changeable."

Zhu Zheng felt a chill behind her ears and immediately understood the hidden meaning behind the words.

Her behavior was so clumsy, and she had long expected to offend Rong Yan. This sentence was apparently referring to the boatman, but in fact it was a subtle irony that he was fooled by her, so she didn't lose out by continuing.

Zhu Zheng forced a smile on her face and quietly shrank back behind Wen Boqiu, blocking Rong Yan's sight. She squeezed out a few words from between her teeth, "Why don't we stop bothering Master Taifu..."

Compared to boarding Rong Yan's boat, it seemed easier to survive by staying on the island overnight.

Zhu Zheng discussed with Wen Boqiu in a soft voice, "Master Wen, why don't we wait a little longer?"

Before Wen Boqiu could say anything, Rong Yan, who had already turned around, suddenly said, "Be careful, the two of you. There are many vipers on the island, and they like to forage for food at dusk."

It’s really terrible. Zhu Zheng is not afraid of anything in her life, but she is most afraid of snakes.

Zhu Zheng was surprised and asked, "Really?"

Wen Boqiu nodded: "Yaoguang Island has lush vegetation, so it's inevitable that there will be some snakes and insects."

Zhu Zheng: "Hurry up and get on board!"

Candles were burning in the cabin, and Rong Yan, Zhu Zheng and Wen Boqiu sat around a tea table.

The tea table was not big, and the people were very close to each other. Zhu Zheng could smell the faint scent of winter plums on the Master, which reminded her of a winter plum tree blooming in the front hall in the early morning of winter. When she was a child, she often picked a branch and put it in her room, which smelled better than incense.

Wen Boqiu stood up and poured a cup of tea. He was the first to break the silence after boarding the ship and said politely, "Thank you, Master Taifu, for helping us."

The candlelight flickered several times in Rong Yan's eyes. He squinted and took the teacup for a long while before putting it on the table. He then took out a crimson handkerchief from somewhere and wiped his white jade hands.

There was silence in the tea room for a moment.

Wen Boqiu forced a gentle smile, but he couldn't hide the embarrassment on his face.

"Water doesn't pass through human hands." Rong Yan raised his eyebrows lightly, "Forgive me, I'm not used to it."

Zhu Zheng couldn't help but empathize with Wen Boqiu's embarrassment.

It was rumored that Rong Yan was a tutor appointed directly by the decree of heaven, and that he had risen rapidly to prominence at a young age. Even if he was treated coldly, it was difficult to conceal his arrogance.

Unlike her and Wen Boqiu, they seem to be born in wealthy families and live a prosperous life, but in fact they have to rely on others and have to obey their orders.

Although she suffered setbacks since childhood, her sister always protected her no matter what trouble she got into, and fortunately she was able to grow thorns freely.

Wen Liu was born in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and probably had no one to protect him, which is why he developed this indifferent personality.

Zhu Zheng suddenly felt sad and developed a sense of sympathy for him.

If one day, she really enters the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion as she planned, she might as well teach him how to be soft but have a sharp edge, so that even when being bullied by others, she can still make others feel pain unexpectedly.

While her thoughts were drifting away, Rong Yan picked up the teapot and poured her a cup of tea.

"I am not worthy of your tea." Zhu Zheng pushed the cup, "Be careful not to get your hands dirty."

After the words were out of her mouth, Zhu Zheng realized belatedly that she had only cared about talking and had forgotten who the person was talking to.

When she looked up, she saw Rong Yan's indifferent eyes falling on her face, with an ambiguous expression.

Wen Boqiu probably realized that she was standing up for him, and hurriedly took the teacup to help, "I just happened to be thirsty, thank you, sir."

Rong Yan pressed the rim of the cup, "Her."

Wen Boqiu put it down again, "Excuse me."

A cup of tea was enough to make her feel awkward for so long. Noticing that both of them were looking at her, Zhu Zheng simply picked up the cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Wen Boqiu watched her drinking freely and said in a concerned voice, "You still feel uncomfortable in your stomach just now, so drink slowly."

Perhaps because there were people around, he lowered his voice, making it sound particularly soft, kind, and full of concern.

Zhu Zheng smiled and said, "Thank you, Master Wen..."

As the two were talking to each other, Rong Yan suddenly stood up, causing the two to look up at the same time. Before they could ask the Grand Tutor what he wanted to do, the bow of the boat suddenly tilted, perhaps because it hit something hard or encountered a big wave.

The violent shaking caused the candlesticks on the palace lanterns to fall over and roll to the ground. Zhu Zheng also fell to the side with her chair.

The moment the candle went out, she did not fall head over heels. Instead, someone hugged her shoulders and the faint scent of cold plums instantly surrounded her.

In the dim light of dusk, Zhu Zheng could clearly see the features of the person in front of her.

What a short life! She fell into Rong Yan's arms.

If she had known this would happen, she would rather fall flat on her face. She was really afraid that the Grand Tutor would take that handkerchief and wipe her whole body.

Wen Boqiu also fell to the ground. He got up after a long while and subconsciously looked for Zhu Zheng, "Are you okay, Zhu..."

Zhu Zheng was horrified. She stood up in one breath and rushed over to cover his mouth. "I wish you good health!"

Oh my god, he almost exposed my true colors.

The boat was strangely quiet for a moment. Although the candles had not yet been relit, the moonlight was bright, and the figures reflected through the boat windows still had a silver-rimmed shadow.

Zhu Zheng felt a chill on the back of her neck and slowly turned her head. The lake reflected a faint light, illuminating half of Rong Yan's face. His eyes were so cold that he seemed to skin her alive.

Zhu Zheng quickly softened her tone, "Master Taifu, I didn't mean it, it was really..."

"Come here." Rong Yan lowered his voice.

Zhu Zheng was stunned. Go over? The tea room was not big, and the three of them were only half a person's distance apart. Wasn't she already here?

Before she could figure out how to "get over", a force came from her arm, pulling her backwards. Zhu Zheng let out a soft cry, and then felt her hand being held, and a silk handkerchief wrapped around her fingertips.

Zhu Zheng: ...

She looked up at Rong Yan. Why didn't he wipe his own hands but wiped hers instead?

The handkerchief brushed across her fingertips, and their fingertips inevitably rubbed against each other. The vague touch made her heart tremble.

In this unclear situation, the first thought that came to her mind was that his hands were indeed very cold, with distinct and slender joints, and felt like jade.

Zhu Zheng struggled to pull her hand back, but failed.

"Don't move." Rong Yan held on tighter.

He dared to speak. Zhu Zheng was afraid that Wen Boqiu might notice something, so she didn't dare to pull anymore. In a moment of anxiety, she had to let down her wide sleeves to cover their clasped hands.

But when she covered him, Rong Yan misunderstood something and stopped wiping. He grabbed her with his backhand and put his whole hand on her to hold her tightly.

Zhu Zheng's hands were tightly wrapped in his palms, and the thin handkerchief lay between their hands, crumpled into a mess, blocking the coolness in his palms, but strangely revealing some lingering feelings that were trying to hide.

The boat was still shaking, and Zhu Zheng's heart was also swaying uneasily, partly because of the tightly held hand, and partly because she was afraid that Wen Boqiu would notice something strange.

Rong Yan lifted up a chair and pulled Zhu Zheng around. His tall stature stood between her and Wen Boqiu, shielding her completely.

The sound of water outside the boat window was like a drum, and the cold moonlight shone down, outlining the clear and beautiful figure in front of him. Rong Yan frowned slightly, and his clear eyes looked unapproachable, as if brewing undercurrents.

Zhu Zheng's messy mind suddenly became clear for a moment. When Rong Yan touched Wen Boqiu, he would wipe it off. When she touched Wen Boqiu, she would also wipe it off, as if Wen Boqiu was some dirty thing that she could not avoid.

The Grand Tutor always behaves in an orderly and calm manner. He has never been seen to lose his composure for any reason. He never shows his emotions. This is the first time I have seen obvious emotions on his face. Could it be...

Could it be that he and Wen Boqiu have some grudge against each other?

The more Zhu Zheng thought about it, the more she felt it was possible. The two of them obviously didn't seem to be very familiar with each other when talking to each other. If there really was a feud between them, and she happened to be on the same boat with him, they would be in big trouble together.

Soon, the attendant came in to report that they had encountered an undercurrent and relit the candles one by one.

But Rong Yan didn't let go of her hand yet.

Zhu Zheng sat straight with her back stiff. Others saw that she was just sitting a little closer to the Grand Tutor, with her clothes hems hanging together. They would never have imagined that underneath was a pair of tightly clasped hands.

Wen Boqiu who was standing by didn't notice anything unusual, because ever since Zhu Zheng covered his mouth, his face had turned as red as a cooked shrimp, and he stood there at a loss, as if he had lost his soul.

Zhu Zheng closed her eyes in despair. It was really not a good day to go out. She had been performing from morning to night all day and was exhausted both physically and mentally.

It was a quiet night, with hazy lights. The pleasure boat was near the shore, and the water waves were gently broken, then closed again in an instant, with circles of ripples fading into the distance.

The three of them were in different moods at the moment and no one spoke.