Chapter 61: The Shy An Miaoyu

As Fang Tangjin's figure gradually disappeared into the crowd, Shen Xuan and Lin Gui were just about to return to the restaurant when a voice suddenly echoed from afar down the street.

"Young Master Shen!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Shen Xuan instinctively turned his head to look.

He saw two graceful figures walking briskly toward them from a distance.

"Young Master, it's Miss An, and little Xiaoying as well."

Lin Gui glanced at his young master with a teasing look and said with a smile.

Shen Xuan shook his head, paying no mind to Lin Gui's gaze, and stepped forward with a smile to greet them.

"So it is Miss An. Shen pays his respects."

"What a coincidence. Could Young Master Shen have known I was coming and specifically waited here for me?"

Reaching Shen Xuan's side, An Miaoyu could not help saying with a smile.

Today, An Miaoyu was not dressed in men's attire; instead, she had changed into a cyan-green long dress that accentuated her exquisite and shapely figure.

Her hair was fastened with a silver hairpin, gathering her three thousand strands of dark silk behind her head. Her face was free of heavy cosmetics, yet that delicate and pretty face was a rare creation of the heavens. Even without any adornment, it remained breathtaking.

Shen Xuan smiled. How could he possibly be teased by a little girl? He simply looked An Miaoyu up and down a few times and offered immediate praise.

"Miss An's outfit today is truly dazzling, enough to make even Shen's heart flutter."

Hearing this straightforward compliment, An Miaoyu's delicate face instantly flushed bright red. Her eyes darted about evasively, and her voice became as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"How can it be as wonderful as Young Master says? I merely changed my clothes."

Seeing the young girl's somewhat fidgety demeanor, the corners of Shen Xuan's mouth curled upward. Just as he was about to say something more, Xiaoying hurried over.

"Miss! You ran far too fast! Xiaoying knows you were eager to see Young Master Shen, but there was no need to rush quite like this."

Xiaoying rested her hands on her knees, panting heavily for a long moment before raising her gaze and speaking to An Miaoyu in a vexed tone.

"You wretched girl, what are you blabbering about?"

Hearing Xiaoying's words, An Miaoyu's face turned even redder. She furrowed her brows and said with a trace of annoyance.

"This servant is only speaking the truth. Miss woke up at the crack of dawn just to dress up, isn't it precisely because—MMMMMPHHHH..."

Before Xiaoying could finish, An Miaoyu acted with swift and practiced urgency, clapping a hand firmly over the girl's mouth and nose while glaring at her with a warning look full of severity.

"Hehe, Young Master Shen, Xiaoying's mind is a bit muddled from sleep. Please don't listen to her nonsense."

An Miaoyu offered an awkward chuckle, turned her head, and said to Shen Xuan with some embarrassment.

"Mmmph mmmph! Miss, this servant can't breathe!"

Before Shen Xuan could respond, Xiaoying, whose nose and mouth were covered by An Miaoyu, began to struggle and spoke with anxious urgency.

An Miaoyu was startled and hastily released her hand.

"Hah... hah! Miss, are you trying to suffocate me to death?!"

Xiaoying took a few deep breaths, casting a resentful glance at her young mistress.

"Haha..."

An Miaoyu laughed awkwardly, hurriedly stepping forward to pat the girl's back in placating apology.

"Aiyah, I'm sorry, alright? Who told you to run your mouth?"

Xiaoying pouted, acting as though she had learned nothing at all, and muttered once more beneath her breath.

"I wasn't talking nonsense, it clearly was..."

Before Xiaoying could finish her sentence, An Miaoyu shot her a sharp look like a flying dagger.

Xiaoying couldn't help but shiver, finally lowering her head and daring not to waste another word.

Watching the playful banter between the mistress and her maid, Shen Xuan couldn't help but smile, and then called out warmly.

"Alright, whatever matters we have, let's go inside to discuss them. Standing and chatting right here at the entrance doesn't look proper."

"Out of respect for Young Master Shen, this young lady will spare you for now."

An Miaoyu tilted her chin up, putting on the airs of a magnanimous person forgiving a lesser.

"But Miss, Young Master Shen has already gone inside. Aren't you going to follow?"

Xiaoying blinked her innocent, wide eyes, pointed ahead with her finger, and said cautiously.

"What?!"

An Miaoyu's facade crumbled in a second. She looked forward and indeed saw that Shen Xuan and Lin Gui had already entered the restaurant at some point.

"Young Master Shen! Wait for me!"

Disregarding Xiaoying entirely, An Miaoyu stomped her foot and hurried after them while calling out.

"Alas! It seems my young mistress is a lost cause!"

Xiaoying shook her head, adopting an old-fashioned and world-weary tone, before skipping along to follow them inside.

"Come, try the tea I brewed."

Inside a private room at the Flavors Supreme Restaurant, Shen Xuan personally handed a cup of tea to An Miaoyu.

"Thank you, Young Master Shen."

An Miaoyu accepted the teacup with both hands, flashed Shen Xuan a sweet smile, and expressed her gratitude in a clear, crisp voice.

Shen Xuan smiled again, sitting down opposite the young girl, and asked in a gentle tone.

"Why have you come so early today? And judging by your radiant expression, have you encountered some happy event?"

Hearing the inquiry, An Miaoyu did not answer immediately. Instead, she took a dainty sip of the clear tea, exhaled a wisp of warm air, and then spoke with immense delight.

"Grandfather has allowed me to go out as I please. Does that count as a happy event?"

"Your grandfather? You mean Dr. An Changming, the imperial physician?"

Shen Xuan was slightly startled, then immediately recalled An Changming and spoke up.

"Indeed. And this matter is all thanks to Young Master Shen."

An Miaoyu blinked her lovely, large eyes and said in a buoyant tone.

"Me?"

Shen Xuan pointed to himself, failing to understand how this matter could possibly have anything to do with him.

"Hehe, it happened like this..."

An Miaoyu smiled and recounted everything from the previous night to Shen Xuan without holding anything back.

If An Changming had been present at that moment, he would likely have clutched his head and wailed inwardly:

"A grown daughter cannot be kept at home! Nothing has even happened yet, and already her elbow is turning outward!"

"So that's how it is!"

Shen Xuan nodded in understanding, a curved smile touching the corners of his lips.

How could he fail to see through An Changming's intentions? This was clearly an attempt to use feminine charm as a lure!

Yet, no matter how An Changming might have plotted, he surely never expected that his own little cotton-padded jacket had a massive leak; the plan was dead in the cradle before it even began.

"So Young Master Shen, please continue to look after me in the days ahead. You mustn't tattle on me to my grandfather, or else I won't be able to get out anymore."

As she spoke, An Miaoyu pouted her lips into a pitiful expression, gazing imploringly at Shen Xuan.

"Naturally. This is a secret between the two of us."

With such a lovely young maiden visiting him every day, Shen Xuan naturally wouldn't refuse and agreed without the slightest hesitation.

"A little secret?"

An Miaoyu murmured the words softly to herself. For some reason, her delicate face began to flush slightly red.

The sight left Shen Xuan momentarily dazed, but a shy young girl possessed a unique charm of her own, prompting him to linger a few extra glances.

Deep down, the thought arose: Elder An, you truly are a wonderful person!