Chapter 113: Men and Women (Part One)

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At this moment, Fang Xu sat listlessly inside the carriage, while Shangguan Lian beside him gazed at him with eyes shimmering like water.

The sight immediately made Fang Xu feel awkward, yet he was completely unable to move.

After all, even the slightest movement would cause his body to brush against the softness of Shangguan Lian’s figure, instantly raising the temperature inside the carriage by several degrees.

There was nothing to be done about it, especially since such a misunderstanding had occurred in the carriage the previous day.

The situation was inevitably somewhat awkward now, yet Shangguan Lian seemed not to care in the slightest.

She continued to press herself tightly against Fang Xu in her usual self-willed manner. No matter how Fang Xu tried to persuade her otherwise, Shangguan Lian remained firmly nestled against him.

Feeling the softness against his chest, Fang Xu could not help but become somewhat dazed.

After all, no matter how one put it, Fang Xu was still an inexperienced virgin—and had been one in his previous life as well.

How could he possibly withstand such stimulation?! From Fang Xu’s perspective, it felt as though his nose might start bleeding at any moment.

But who could have imagined that this little girl, Shangguan Lian, would have developed so fully?!

That, however, reminded Fang Xu of Qin Suwen. Wasn’t Qin Suwen the same way?

The moment he thought of Qin Suwen, Fang Xu, whose lower abdomen had been growing warm, instantly regained his composure.

He could not do anything that would wrong Qin Suwen, Fang Xu told himself. Shangguan Lian, however, had no idea that he had just endured an intense inner struggle.

Indeed, Shangguan Lian herself did not realize how captivating she looked at that moment.

Her gaze, tranquil yet rippling like autumn waters, was like a pair of invisible hands constantly plucking at Fang Xu’s heartstrings. Perhaps the temperature inside the carriage was simply too high, or perhaps it was something else entirely.

The faint flush already coloring Shangguan Lian’s cheeks deepened by several shades, making it difficult for anyone to keep their thoughts pure.

Had Qin Suwen not held such an important place in Fang Xu’s heart, perhaps he truly would have been unable to restrain himself.

At that moment, Fang Xu perfectly demonstrated one truth: men were not necessarily creatures governed entirely by their lower halves.

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Of course, much of it also had to do with Shangguan Lian’s identity. Zhuge Jun had already told Fang Xu that Shangguan Lian was publicly recognized as the little princess of the Shangguan family.

Anyone who dared lay a finger on Shangguan Lian—or even anger her—could easily imagine the consequences.

That was why even Murong Fu did not dare provoke Shangguan Lian openly. The Shangguan family’s furious retaliation was something even the Murong family could hardly withstand.

If Fang Xu were to “devour” the little princess of the Shangguan family now, perhaps even Qin Suwen would be unable to protect him.

Then again, Qin Suwen probably would not protect him anyway, would she? Fang Xu thought bitterly, the corners of his mouth curling into an helpless smile.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Lian, pressed tightly against him, felt so embarrassed that she could have died. Her entire body had even begun to flush.

Given Shangguan Lian’s personality, she would ordinarily never have done something so deliberately seductive.

That was right—she was indeed seducing Fang Xu at that very moment. Yet with Shangguan Lian’s status, background, and prestige, all she had to do was crook her little finger slightly.

Her admirers might well have stretched in a line from beyond the frontier all the way to the border passes. She had never needed to put on such an affected display.

Had this happened in the past, Shangguan Lian would absolutely never have done such a thing. But now, she had truly done it.

There was no helping it. In Shangguan Lian’s eyes, her charm had failed for the first time.

That was because of Fang Xu. He was the first man who had not become utterly captivated by her beauty, and this aroused Shangguan Lian’s curiosity.

One had to understand that when a woman—especially a strong-willed woman—became curious about a man, she was either planning to conquer him or had already fallen too deeply to extricate herself.

Shangguan Lian initially intended to conquer Fang Xu. Her temperament and the pride she had cultivated since childhood made it impossible for her to accept anything less.

That was why she had deliberately chosen to approach Fang Xu before. Yet after only a few days together, Shangguan Lian discovered that she could no longer understand him.

Why say that? Because, in Shangguan Lian’s eyes, Fang Xu seemed to do everything according to his own whims, yet the results he ultimately achieved were astonishing.

Could this be Fang Xu’s true intention and objective? If Fang Xu had known what Shangguan Lian was thinking, he could only have said that these were all her own conjectures.

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Indeed, they were nothing more than Shangguan Lian’s own imaginings. Fang Xu himself had never expected matters to develop in this way.

What Shangguan Lian did not realize was that, during this period, her attention had gradually become focused entirely on Fang Xu, until she found herself unable to break free.

She kept telling herself that she merely wanted to discover what sort of man Fang Xu truly was.

There could never be anything between her and Fang Xu. Their backgrounds and identities were simply too mismatched, and they were destined never to be together.

Yet no matter how insistently Shangguan Lian tried to persuade herself of this—no matter how often she reminded herself that she should no longer associate with Fang Xu—the outcome remained the same.

She could not control her own actions, nor could she suppress the inexplicable stirrings in her heart.

Otherwise, why would she have suggested going to the temple fair? Why would she have helped Fang Xu carefully choose an outer robe?

Perhaps even the old master of the Shangguan family had never received such treatment.

Zhuge Jun could clearly sense Shangguan Lian’s feelings toward Fang Xu. That was why he had tried to persuade her earlier.

He was not merely thinking of his sworn brother Fang Xu; he was also thinking of the younger sister he had watched grow up.

After all, although the old aristocratic families supported the founding of the Great Qin, that did not mean they were willing to accept an official of the Great Qin as one of their sons-in-law—especially not the famously powerful Shangguan family.

But did that mean there was no way to change the situation? Naturally not.

When could the rules be changed? Perhaps when Shangguan Lian became head of the Shangguan family, matters might be different.

Still, in Zhuge Jun’s view, waiting until Shangguan Lian became head of the Shangguan family would be extraordinarily difficult.

There was no helping it. Shangguan Lian’s temperament was not yet mature enough to bear the burden of the Shangguan family, and this left Zhuge Jun deeply worried for both Fang Xu and Shangguan Lian.

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