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The wind and snow grew increasingly fierce as Cheng Mo Su quietly gazed out at the crystal-clear world outside the window. She found it quite amusing, realizing for the first time what the books meant by "pure white snow." Although it was extremely cold, it was also breathtakingly beautiful. Next to her, Shangguan Shaoyi was fervently writing with a slender steel pen. A small lamp on the low wooden table cast a warm glow, outlining his handsome features with a soft edge.
The train slowed down more and more until it finally came to a stop. This carriage had been booked entirely, so there were no passengers getting off, but one person boarded. The newcomer was broad-shouldered and stocky, dressed in military attire that could not conceal his rough demeanor. His neck was short and thick, which perhaps contributed to his particularly gruff way of speaking. He glanced around and his gaze instantly froze on Cheng Mo Su before shifting to Shangguan Shaoyi.
"Young Marshal!" He saluted, appearing somewhat more composed. Noticing Cheng Mo Su's probing gaze, he couldn't help but widen his eyes in anger and glare, "Who is this woman? Why is she on our train?"
"Do not be rude," Shangguan Shaoyi replied calmly despite the anger in his eyes. "This is Miss Cheng from the Cheng Family in Shanghai. Her father, Cheng Xingchang, would require respect even from my late father; how dare you act so recklessly?" His words were steady and calm, yet each one was a strong defense of her character. Cheng Mo Su smiled lightly at this. The man called Zhang Chiqi snorted and fell silent, moving to another compartment with Shen Mingliang.
"Don't take it to heart," Shangguan Shaoyi said softly as he glanced at her, his eyes revealing her gentle and quiet nature. "His name is Zhang Chiqi; he is about my age and an old subordinate of my father." It turned out that Zhang Chiqi was only around seventeen years old; Cheng Mo Su found it somewhat amusing since he looked like he had the face of a forty-year-old. Seeing her fair fingers cover her smile, Shangguan Shaoyi couldn't help but smile slightly as well.
After laughing, Cheng Mo Su began to think carefully about that person from earlier, feeling that something was off about him, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was—perhaps this was what they called intuition. After some thought, she decided to voice her concerns. "Shaoyi, I find Zhang Chiqi somewhat strange."
Shangguan Shaoyi straightened up to discuss this when Shen Mingliang approached from behind after finishing his tasks. He took over the conversation with an unhappy expression. "Miss Cheng, I believe you are overthinking this. Chiqi is an old subordinate of the Young Marshal just like me; he is undoubtedly loyal to him. Do not let his earlier nonsensical remarks create any rifts that might disturb our Young Marshal's judgment."
Cheng Mo Su's face flushed slightly; she knew her suspicion stemmed only from her sixth sense and lacked solid evidence. However, having never faced such stern criticism before made her feel frustrated. "Deputy Officer Shen is absolutely right, but if you can place informants around Lin Hongyao, why shouldn't Lin Hongyao be allowed to place informants around you? Can you guarantee that Zhang Chiqi isn't a spy?"
"Hmph!" Shen Mingliang scoffed dismissively, displaying a hint of military arrogance. "If Lin Hongyao knew our Young Marshal's whereabouts, why would he send just one spy? He would surely command thousands to thwart us!"
"And how do you know Lin Hongyao isn't playing a trick? Perhaps he's testing your strengths and weaknesses before devising an infallible strategy to wipe you all out in one go?"
"You!" Shen Mingliang felt his face flush with embarrassment as he realized every word she said made sense. Unable to think of a counterargument and unwilling to concede defeat, he looked helplessly at Shangguan Shaoyi for assistance.
Shangguan Shaoyi sighed helplessly and said, "Trust those you employ; do not doubt them." Upon hearing this, Shen Mingliang became exceedingly pleased and shot a provocative smile at Cheng Mo Su. Shangguan Shaoyi glanced at Cheng Mo Su's lowered gaze and said to her, "Your suspicions have merit, but given the current situation we must trust Chiqi." He left room for her feelings; understanding his intent, Cheng Mo Su chose not to speak further and simply smiled lightly in response.
It was already lunchtime. Shangguan Shaoyi instructed Shen Mingliang to bring the food. Although there were cooks accompanying them on the train, the meals were still far inferior to those made at home. Cheng Mo Suwei frowned as she looked at the beautifully presented dishes that the chef had put great effort into preparing. In her ears was Shangguan Shaoyi's voice, "The food here is not as good as at Cheng Residence; you'll just have to make do."
"It's fine." It seemed he could see through her thoughts, and Cheng Mo Su's face flushed with embarrassment. She reached for her chopsticks and took a few bites of the stir-fried pork, only to cough from the spiciness. Shangguan Shaoyi quickly set down his bowl and helped her ease her breathing, feeling quite regretful that he had overlooked her preference for sweet food since childhood and that she couldn't handle spicy dishes. His gaze sharpened, and he turned to Shen Mingliang outside the door, saying, "Go ask the kitchen to make a bowl of glutinous rice balls and bring over some red bean paste pastries."
"There's no need to go through so much trouble." Cheng Mo Su's delicate fingers clutched his sleeve, not bothering to wipe away the tears caused by her coughing. Shangguan Shaoyi smiled gently at her, his handsome face charming as he insisted that Shen Mingliang follow through with his orders. Shen Mingliang dared not voice any objections to Shangguan Shaoyi's actions but was less courteous towards Cheng Mo Su, throwing the freshly made glutinous rice balls in front of her with a huff before leaving in a huff.
Cheng Mo Su smiled faintly; Shen Mingliang was quite amusing. She should have been the one who disliked him, yet it seemed he was the one who disliked her instead. Thinking of this made it hard for her to hide her smile again as she stirred the rice balls in her bowl with her fair hands. Shangguan Shaoyi watched the light dimples on her face and then looked into her clear eyes, laughing, "You're about to mix those little rice balls into one big ball."
Cheng Mo Su came back to herself, her face turning red as she hurriedly lowered her head to eat the rice balls, not daring to look at Shangguan Shaoyi's increasingly amused eyes. After finishing their meal, Shangguan Shaoyi knew she had a habit of rinsing her mouth with tea and ordered Shen Mingliang to bring some over, which made Shen Mingliang look at Cheng Mo Su with even more dissatisfaction. However, neither Cheng Mo Su nor Shangguan Shaoyi seemed to care; they continued to smile at each other and behaved normally.
Shangguan Shaoyi stood up and put on his high-collared coat, pushing open the door as he said, "I need to go discuss military matters with the generals. Can you stay here alone?" He paused for a moment, looking at her fragile appearance with concern before adding, "I should have Zuo Wei accompany you."
"No need." Cheng Mo Su hurriedly replied; she had already caused too much trouble for Shaoyi and felt embarrassed to impose further. However, there was something weighing heavily on her mind like a gloomy day that seemed ready to rain but didn't. After thinking for a while, she quietly said, "I didn't want to trouble you, but there's something I must mention."
"Please go ahead." Shangguan Shaoyi raised an eyebrow.
"It's like this: I left in such a hurry yesterday that my household must be going crazy looking for me right now. I want to send a telegram back home to let them know I'm safe."
"I thought it was something serious." A faint smile appeared on Shangguan Shaoyi's handsome face. "I've already sent a telegram back explaining everything and asked Zuo Wei's brother Xiao Yue to help manage matters at Cheng Residence while you're away."
So he had considered everything so thoroughly and had done these things before she even thought of them. A warm feeling surged within her heart, filling her veins and making her entire body feel warm. It seemed that with him by her side, she felt inexplicably at ease.
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