CHAPTER 244: 223: MASTER SHI IS NOT SOMEONE WHO VALUES APPEARANCES.

Yu Zhi tilted her head upwards. "I’m not."

Her expression was extremely earnest, with a hint of seriousness hidden beneath it.

Shi Wei’s eyes glimmered with amusement. His entire demeanor relaxed, and the strength in his hand softened considerably.

He gently stroked her dark hair, his fingertips curling a strand around them: "Then why do you have magic?"

A flicker of surprise flashed through Yu Zhi’s eyes. She mistakenly thought he had discovered something, and instinctively glanced at the watch on her wrist.

She pursed her lips, unable to think of a suitable explanation for the moment, and could only fall into silence.

Shi Wei’s gaze remained on the young girl, and naturally, he didn’t miss the struggle in her eyes.

Originally, he had intended to use the topic of magic as a segue into saying some romantic words a girl would like to hear. Unexpectedly, he had stumbled upon something much deeper.

Shi Wei’s eyes narrowed for half a second. "Zhizhi, aside from me, is there anyone else who knows about this?"

"No." She had never let 099 be exposed.

If she weren’t living with him day in and day out, if she hadn’t lowered her defenses, he probably wouldn’t have had the chance to find out.

Shi Wei let out a sigh of relief. "From now on, unless the situation is truly desperate, you absolutely must not use it again, understand?"

"Mm, I won’t let anyone else find out."

Seeing the young girl nod her small head so obediently, promising him with an earnest look, Shi Wei felt his heart dissolve in an indescribable, melting ache.

He hooked his lips into a smile, recalling the eerie scenes he had witnessed earlier when accompanying her to return the stolen items—suddenly, it all made sense.

"Shi Wei, it’s getting late." Yu Zhi lightly tugged at his tie, using the action to bring him back to reality.

The man had already drunk quite a bit of wine. If he didn’t rest properly, it might affect his health.

Shi Wei’s gaze dropped, his deep voice tinged with a subtle, indecipherable trace of teasing: "It is late."

"Then sleep... um..."

The rest of her words remained unsaid.

Inside the room, soft whispers and quiet sighs began to echo intermittently.

**

After the Xu Family’s birthday banquet.

The upper circles of the Imperial City were abuzz with the news that the famously aloof and distant "cold sculpture" known as Master Shi had been melted by a nineteen-year-old girl.

Some found it unbelievable, others admired her deeply.

And there were those who grew envious, wishing they could take the girl’s place and become the apple of his eye.

Take, for example, Meng Han.

The Xu Family had always looked down on the Meng Family. Their relationship, naturally, could never be close. Adding the incident at the police station last time, it was impossible for them to invite the Meng Family to the banquet.

So, when Meng Han saw the video sent by her girlfriends, she couldn’t help flying into an uncontrollable rage, even smashing her beloved glazed lamp in the process.

"Han Han, don’t step on the glass." Bai Shirui shook her head helplessly, squatting down to clean up while gently reminding her.

"Shirui, tell me, what does that woman have that makes her deserve him?! Other than a passable face, what qualities does she have to attract Brother Wei?"

Meng Han crossed her arms in front of her chest, her long hair unkempt and messy from the day’s frustrations.

She looked nothing like the glamorous, faintly seductive image she usually portrayed in public.

If this were an alleyway, and if the clothes she wore weren’t so expensive, one might even mistake her for a quarrelsome shrew.

"Master Shi is not someone who values looks above all else," Bai Shirui’s voice was just as gentle and steady as always, showing no fluctuation in emotion.

Although, like other women, she couldn’t get close to him.

It wasn’t hard to see that he wasn’t someone who could be swayed solely by appearances.

"Then what does he value?" Meng Han still couldn’t find peace.

Whenever she thought about them holding hands or embracing, her entire heart felt suffocated, so tight it was as if she might stop breathing.

"Something within. Miss Yu must possess qualities that ordinary people cannot rival to win his favor."

"But I don’t see anything special about her."

"That’s just because we don’t know her, haven’t interacted with her. Naturally, we wouldn’t notice her qualities."

Hearing this, Meng Han’s irritation boiled even more.

She looked down at Bai Shirui with a condescending gaze, her previous friendly demeanor gone. "What did she give you to make you keep defending her today?"

Her words seemed sharp and piercing.

It was as if she needed to hurt others before she could feel relieved.

"You think I’m defending her?" Even Bai Shirui’s patience couldn’t withstand such accusations.

She threw aside the fragments of glass in her hand, clapped her palms twice, and stood up unhurriedly. "Meng Han, you were the one who asked for my opinion."

The disappointment and sadness brimming in her eyes made Meng Han choke on the rest of her words.

After locking eyes for a few seconds, she guiltily shifted her gaze away.

Though unwilling to apologize outright, she softened her tone reluctantly. "Shirui, you’re my best friend. I just don’t like you defending her."

Bai Shirui cast a mocking glance at Meng Han, finding her hypocritical yet unwilling to create a rift between them.

Steadying her emotions, she sat on the couch. "Han Han, I was merely helping you analyze the situation. Know yourself and your enemy, and you will be invincible in any battle, right?"

"I don’t want to understand her, let alone achieve any ’know yourself and your enemy.’ She doesn’t deserve the effort."

A madwoman who opens with "You harmed my child"—she was utterly disdainful of such a person.

Apart from those petty, underhanded schemes, she lacked basic decency. Anyone unaware would think she had emerged from some rural village.

Seeing the unapologetic malice in her eyes, Bai Shirui frowned. "Han Han, do you really need Master Shi? There are plenty of good men in the Imperial City. They—"

"Don’t say any more. I must have him."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"In a little while, Fifth Granny will have everything ready for me. By then, that woman will no longer be a threat." Meng Han’s spirits lifted as she thought of this.

After trailing behind Brother Wei for all these years, she had persevered through everything. This time would be no different, just a few months.

"You’re really sure about this?"

"Mm-hmm. Next year, when I marry Brother Wei, Shirui, you must come and be my bridesmaid."

"..." Bai Shirui smiled faintly but said nothing.

"I’ve already planned everything. The wedding will be held in the Maldives, and for the honeymoon, we’ll go to Paris."

"Paris is perfect for newlyweds—romantic and memorable. When Brother Wei and I are old, we’ll have those beautiful memories to look back on."

Lost in her sweet fantasies, Meng Han grew more and more enthusiastic, describing the wedding gown style, wedding theme, and everything else she had decided on.

She had even planned how many children she wanted to have in the future.

Bai Shirui quietly listened, occasionally smiling or agreeing, keeping her subtle disdain hidden and never interrupting.

From start to finish, she played the part of a dutiful audience member.

"Shirui, come with me later to try on some wedding dresses!" Meng Han felt her heart itching with excitement.

Although things with Shi Wei hadn’t progressed that far yet, it didn’t hurt to make some preparations in advance, right?