TRWSB – Chapter 3 The Bottom

Qi Shaorong glanced over at the person beside Yi Chuxue and fluttered his eyes as he asked, “And who might you be, young master?”

“My name is Shen Yuan,” he replied, sitting up straight as Qi Shaorong’s gaze shifted towards him.

“Shen Yuan? So, if this lady is Zhuang Hao’s cousin, are you Zhuang Hao’s cousin too?” Qi Shaorong tilted his head, curious.

Shen Yuan, feeling his scalp tingle at the sight of Qi Shaorong’s heavily caked makeup, quickly replied, “No, I’m his friend.”

Lowering his voice, Qi Heng whispered to Qi Shaorong mysteriously, “Young Master, Shen Yuan is one of the ‘Seven Prodigies of the Capital.'”

The “Seven Prodigies” referred to the seven outstanding young talents of the capital. This ranking didn’t just consider personal abilities but also took into account their backgrounds. Shen Yuan was ranked seventh, while Qi Shaorong’s famous fiancé held the top spot.

Hearing Qi Heng’s whisper, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but feel a little proud. The competition for a spot on the Seven Prodigies list had been fierce, and since making the cut, his reputation had soared. Marriage proposals flooded in, nearly overwhelming him.

Qi Shaorong glanced at Shen Yuan, nodded, and said, “Ah, I remember now. You’re the one at the bottom of the Seven Prodigies list.”

Qi Heng nodded. “Yes, that’s correct.”

“I heard that all of the Seven Prodigies are supposed to be quite handsome. But this one looks rather average. Could there be a mix-up?” Qi Shaorong muttered.

“Young Master, this one’s at the bottom of the list. You can’t expect too much,” Qi Heng whispered.

Qi Shaorong nodded thoughtfully. “True. But I think his making the list must have involved some behind-the-scenes manipulation.”

Shen Yuan: “…” These two, even though they’re whispering, I can still hear them, you know?

Qi Shaorong looked at Shen Yuan and grinned. “Young Master Shen, you must be quite close with Zhuang Hao.”

Shen Yuan smiled back. “We’re close enough.”

“It seems like you’ve got a lot more free time than Zhuang Hao. He didn’t even bother to come himself to break off the engagement and left it to you instead,” Qi Shaorong said.

“It’s just a small favor.”

“Young Master Shen, do you know why you’re ranked last among the Seven Prodigies? You should learn from the top-ranking one and focus more on your training. At the rate you’re going, you might not even hold on to last place for long,” Qi Shaorong shook his head and said.

“A useless person like you, worrying about Shen Yuan? How ridiculous!” Yi Chuxue scoffed.

Qi Shaorong waved his flamboyant fan lazily and said, “I care about a lot of people. For example, I also care about you, Miss Yi. Honestly, you coming all this way to break off Zhuang Hao’s engagement is like a dog chasing mice—sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“And if I’m not mistaken, Miss Yi, you likely have feelings for Zhuang Hao. However, if I’ve calculated correctly, you’ll end up just making way for someone else.”

Yi Chuxue frowned, her face growing cold.

“Did you bring the engagement contract?” Qi Shaorong asked.

Shen Yuan nodded. “We did.”

“Oh, great. Ah Heng,” Qi Shaorong nudged Qi Heng, who then pulled out a bright red engagement contract. “Here’s my copy of the engagement contract.”

“Since no one’s interested in this marriage, let’s exchange contracts and destroy them,” Qi Shaorong said.

Shen Yuan looked at Qi Shaorong. “You’re not interested in this engagement either?”

“Oh? Why should I care? He couldn’t even bother to come in person to break off the engagement. No matter how handsome he is, what can I expect from someone like that? Besides, with my natural beauty, do you think I can’t find someone better?” Qi Shaorong laughed and touched his face.

Yi Chuxue sneered coldly. “You’re shameless.”

Qi Shaorong smiled. “Miss Yi, you should be gentler. Men like gentlewomen. Being so harsh doesn’t suit you.”

“Qi Shaorong, worry about yourself,” Yi Chuxue replied.

After obtaining the contract, Shen Yuan was eager to leave Qi Shaorong’s estate.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Yuan said, “Finally done with this. Zhuang Hao’s arranged fiancée may not have much talent, but he sure has a big temper. It’s a good thing we came to break off the engagement for him. Otherwise, Zhuang Hao would’ve been scared out of his wits by him.”

Yi Chuxue huffed. “That guy is delusional. He even said that if Zhuang Hao ever regretted breaking off the engagement, we’d have to apologise and pay him 10,000 gold coins before he’d even consider Zhuang Hao.”

Shen Yuan took a deep breath. “Speaking of, Qi Shaorong’s appearance is… unique.” Honestly, the makeup was so thick he couldn’t even tell what Qi Shaorong looked like underneath.