157: Chapter 157 Chen San? Ouyang Wanqing's cousin?

"Chen San, we agreed to play hide-and-seek and you were supposed to find me. How did you fall asleep?"

A childish yet crisp and pleasant voice sounded in his ear.

Chen Shanzhi opened his eyes dizzily.

The sunlight was a bit piercing, and he subconsciously raised his hand to block it.

His vision gradually came into focus.

He saw a little girl dressed in a Pink Ruqun, as delicate as carved jade, standing before him huffing with anger.

The little girl's large, watery eyes were full of annoyance, and one fair, tender little hand was unceremoniously pinching his ear.

"Chen San? I am Chen San?"

Chen Shanzhi's mind was in a daze.

He felt as if his memory was covered by a layer of gauze, and something extremely important had disappeared.

But when he thought back carefully, the memories in his head fit together perfectly without any issues.

His name was Chen San, and he was ten years old.

His identity was the distant cousin of Ouyang Wanqing, the daughter of the current Prime Minister's Mansion.

Although he held the title of cousin, the two families were separated by countless generations; in truth, there was no longer any blood relation.

He had followed his father to the capital to report on his duties and was temporarily staying in the Prime Ministers Mansion.

And the little girl before him, pinching his ear and pouting in a huff, was the daughter of the Prime Minister's Mansion, Ouyang Wanqing, who was a few months younger than him.

The two of them had been playing hide-and-seek in the back garden just now.

Ouyang Wanqing went to hide, and he was responsible for closing his eyes and counting.

As it turned out, the midday sun was simply too warm.

With the gentle breeze blowing, he couldn't resist the drowsiness and fell asleep directly against a rockery.

Looking at his cousin calling him by his full name, Chen San, Chen Shanzhi felt a jolt in his heart.

Oh no, he had truly made this little grandmother angry.

Chen Shanzhi quickly put on a smiling face, pressing his palms together in repeated apology:

"Good sister, dear sister, I was wrong.

I really didn't mean to, a sleep-bug just crawled into my brain..."

Ouyang Wanqing let go, placed her hands on her hips, and gave a light hmph with a pout: "I'm not listening! You didn't keep your word!"

"Then how do you want to punish me?" Chen Shanzhi asked, very much playing along.

Ouyang Wanqing's beautiful large eyes rolled, a hint of craftiness flashing in the depths of her gaze: "Then later I want to ride the white horse for two laps!"

Riding the white horse was a punishment game the two of them often played.

The loser had to crawl on the ground like a horse, while the winner rode on their back.

Usually, the penalty was only one lap; it seemed today her temper was indeed not small.

Chen Shanzhi nodded without hesitation: "No problem! Never mind two laps, even ten laps is fine!"

After saying this, he very decisively lay flat on the grass on all fours, patted his back, and signaled for Ouyang Wanqing to get on.

Seeing his proper attitude, Ouyang Wanqing's anger instantly dissipated by more than half.

She lifted her pink skirt and very cautiously straddled Chen Shanzhi's back.

Her small hands grabbed Chen Shanzhi's collar, and Ouyang Wanqing struck a very majestic riding pose, her small mouth delicately spitting out a word:

"Giddy-up!"

"Alright, the little white horse is heading out!"

Chen Shanzhi cooperatively began to crawl on the grass, letting out horse-like whinnies as he went, making Ouyang Wanqing on his back giggle incessantly.

The crisp laughter, like silver bells, echoed in the air of the Prime Ministers Mansion's back garden.

A fresh breeze blew, causing a few strands of Ouyang Wanqing's soft black hair to fall and playfully brush against the tip of Chen Shanzhi's nose.

A faint, extremely pleasant fragrance instantly drifted into Chen Shanzhi's nostrils.

Hearing that pure laughter without any Impurities by his ear, Chen Shanzhi couldn't help but grin, revealing a very bright smile.

...

Time flies like a white horse passing a crevice.

In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.

Chen Shanzhi's father had gained a foothold in the capital, becoming a decent capital official and purchasing a residence of his own.

Chen Shanzhi followed his father and moved out of the Prime Ministers Mansion.

Though they no longer lived together, Chen Shanzhi would still frequently run to the Prime Ministers Mansion during his spare time to play with Ouyang Wanqing.

Because Chen Shanzhi's father was highly valued by Chancellor Ouyang, the Chancellor turned a blind eye to the interactions between these two half-grown children and did not place any obstacles.

Time is like sand between fingers; it cannot be held.

In a flash, another four years passed.

Chen Shanzhi and Ouyang Wanqing had both grown to fifteen years old.

The boy was handsome and tall, while the girl had grown into a graceful beauty, like a secluded orchid about to bloom.

A midsummer afternoon.

In a pavilion in the back garden of the Prime Ministers Mansion.

Chen Shanzhi was leaning lazily against a pillar, holding a book and reading it with great interest.

Suddenly, a pair of slender jade hands carrying a faint orchid fragrance reached out abruptly from behind, gently covering Chen Shanzhi's eyes.

"Guess who I am?"

A very pleasant light laugh, tinged with a bit of playfulness, sounded by his ear.

Chen Shanzhi didn't even move, his lips naturally curling into a smile as he deliberately drawled his question:

"Hmm... these hands are so soft, could it be Xiao Hong?"

"No!" The voice from behind clearly rose several decibels.

"Then it's Xiao Tao? Xiao Tao said yesterday she was going to embroider a sachet for me."

"Not her either!" The voice already carried the distinct sound of teeth grinding.

"Then... it couldn't be Xiao Liu, could it? Xiao Liu's hands aren't this fragrant." Chen Shanzhi continued to add fuel to the fire.

"Chen! San!"

Ouyang Wanqing bit her silver teeth in anger and suddenly pulled her hands back.

She went around to stand in front of Chen Shanzhi, her stunningly beautiful face full of a dangerous, cold smile:

"Hmph! First Xiao Hong, then Xiao Tao, and you're even thinking about Xiao Liu!

No wonder Cousin hasn't been running to this Prime Ministers Mansion very diligently lately. It seems it's because your luck with women has been quite good recently!"

Having said that, Ouyang Wanqing flicked her flowing water-blue wide sleeves and turned to leave in a huff.

Seeing this stance, Chen Shanzhi knew he had taken the joke too far; this little girl was truly angry.

"Hey, hey, Sister Qinger, don't be angry, I was just joking!"

Chen Shanzhi quickly threw down the book and skillfully reached out to grab Ouyang Wanqing's arm.

As it happened, he used too much force.

And Ouyang Wanqing had just turned around; her embroidered shoes slipped on the smooth stone floor of the pavilion.

"Ah!"

Ouyang Wanqing cried out as her body instantly lost balance.

She lost control completely and fell solidly into Chen Shanzhi's embrace!

Thud!

The two collided and both fell back onto the pavilion's railing.

In an instant!

Chen Shanzhi only felt a soft, boneless, and extremely warm body fill his arms.

A rich yet elegant orchid fragrance instantly surged like a tide, frantically drilling into every pore of his body.

Chen Shanzhi subconsciously looked down.

At that exact moment, Ouyang Wanqing in his arms also looked up in a bit of a panic.

Their eyes met.

Their noses were almost touching.

In this moment, Chen Shanzhi felt that the surrounding birdsong and the rustling of the wind through the leaves had all disappeared.

The entire world was incomparably quiet.