In the elegant side courtyard, Adrian Night was reclining on a rattan chair with his eyes closed, resting. Suddenly, a shadowy figure dressed in black appeared out of nowhere and landed in front of him.
"Master, just as you predicted, Lucian Vane couldn't resist and went to see Ivy Shen. But surprisingly, she actually shut him out, and after he left, she ordered her courtyard to be disinfected ten times! If Lucian knew he was treated like that, he'd probably die of anger," the silver-masked man gloated.
"Oh? She actually refused him?" Adrian Night, who had been squinting lazily, suddenly opened his deep, enigmatic eyes at the news.
If he remembered correctly, that fool once stood outside for days just to see Lucian. Now Lucian comes to her door and she couldn't care less. Interesting!
"Master, I think Lucian wants to act first and get that thing. Should we hurry?" the silver-masked man asked boldly.
Adrian Night waved his finger, rejecting the idea. "If it were that easy to get, would I still be here waiting? Maybe... that woman is hiding some kind of secret!"
"A secret? What kind of secret could she have? I think she's just playing hard to get. Remember, she spent half her family's fortune just to track you down. If it weren't for what happened later..." The silver-masked man started to say more, but stopped when Adrian Night frowned in annoyance.
"Enough. Leave her to me." Adrian Night said, then squinted his eyes and leaned back in the chair to rest again.
"Yes, sir." The silver-masked man bowed quickly at Adrian's command, then disappeared in a flash.
"Ivy Shen, it's been half a year—looks like it's time I properly meet you again!" Adrian Night squinted, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
Elsewhere—
"Wow, finally done!" Ivy Shen grinned at the white-faced zombie in the mirror, satisfied. Then she suddenly pouted and grumbled, "That poisonous snake showed up out of nowhere—totally a weasel wishing a chicken Happy New Year! Lucky me, I disinfected my courtyard and myself over and over. Ugh, my face almost got scrubbed raw." With that, she opened the door, ready to head out and explore. Right now, figuring out this time and place is top priority.
She left the courtyard, zigzagging left and right, nodding here and there—no choice, this place was huge, with way too many servants.
Luckily, after a while, she finally spotted the main gate and smiled for the first time in ages, ready to dash over—when suddenly, "Madam... Madam, are you going out?"
"Uh?" Ivy Shen turned to look and saw Liam Willow hurrying toward her.
Seeing Ivy Shen silent, Liam Willow blushed and softly asked, "Madam, where are you going? Maybe... maybe I could come with you?" His eyes were full of hope.
Faced with that look, Ivy Shen gulped. Seriously, this guy's expectant face was just too cute. How to describe it? Right, he was just like that Ning Caichen—bookish, fair-skinned, and handsome, with a face that made her want to pounce and squish his cheeks.
But alas, the words 'python' kept flashing through her mind, forcing her to stay calm whether she wanted to or not.
"Is it not okay?" Seeing Ivy Shen frown, Liam Willow's beautiful face fell, looking genuinely hurt.
"Whew." Ivy Shen took a deep breath. Oh god, could he stop being so tempting? She was no saint! Forget it—out of all these guys, he was definitely the kindest and most innocent. Maybe bringing him along would help her figure out this era. So, she raised her eyes and smiled, "Sure! Let's go shopping!"