After splashing a bucket of water, Qin Xiang was about to go back for more when Jie Jingchen stopped him. "Qin Xiang, that’s enough."

Qin Xiang didn’t insist. He headed back with the empty bucket, and Jie Jingchen followed behind him with a broom.

"Jing Si." Second Auntie called out to Jie Jingchen.

Jie Jingchen stopped, and Qin Xiang stopped with him. They both turned to look at Second Auntie, who was hurrying toward them.

"Second Auntie," Jie Jingchen greeted her.

Qin Xiang hesitated for a moment before greeting her as well, "Second Auntie."

"Heh heh, Jing Si’s brother-in-law." Second Auntie still looked a little awkward as she faced Qin Xiang. He looked so much like Qin Mei that she had actually mistaken them for each other.

’Sigh! I’m getting old, and my eyes aren’t what they used to be.’

’Jing Si’s brother-in-law.’ That title left Qin Xiang speechless.

"Is something the matter, Second Auntie?" Jie Jingchen asked.

Second Auntie glanced around warily, then moved closer to Jie Jingchen and asked in a low voice, "Jing Si, has something happened to your family again?"

Jie Jingchen’s expression darkened. He pressed his thin lips together and didn’t answer.

"I just saw your Grandpa taking your cousin onto the bus. It looked like your cousin was injured," Second Auntie said, feigning uncertainty. She had been getting off the bus as they were getting on. Jing Si’s cousin had a handkerchief wrapped around her wrist, and it was stained red. The sight was quite unsettling.

Second Auntie was as sharp as they come. She knew how to talk to anyone and was like a one-woman intelligence network. She was shrewd and knew her limits, understanding perfectly well what gossip was safe to spread and what wasn’t.

"Yes, she was injured," Jie Jingchen admitted.

"How did she get hurt?" Second Auntie asked curiously.

"Cutting vegetables," Jie Jingchen replied casually.

"..." The expression on Second Auntie’s face was priceless. ’Cutting vegetables? Could you really cut your wrist while cutting vegetables? "Cutting vegetables" is the lie; suicide is the truth.’ Others might not know what kind of person Jing Si’s cousin was, but how could she not be clear about it?

’That cousin of Jing Si’s is really something else, like a lunatic. Instead of trying to kill herself at her own home, she comes to her uncle’s house to do it. Don’t her parents ever discipline her?’

’Could it be because their Grandpa and Granny moved in here?’

"Jing Si." Second Auntie started to say something but hesitated. She glanced around warily again, and after confirming no one was passing by, she pulled Jie Jingchen over to a corner. In a low voice, she said, "Jing Si, listen to a piece of advice from your Second Auntie. Your family has been plagued by ill-wishers this year. Nothing’s going right, and I’m afraid disaster might strike. Let me introduce you to an immortal..."

"Second Auntie, we can’t be getting into feudal superstitions," Jie Jingchen interrupted her.

Qin Xiang watched them with a smile. ’If this Second Auntie weren’t on good terms with my little sister, I’d report her in a heartbeat.’

Second Auntie was speechless. For a family like the Jie Family, recommending an immortal to Jing Si was undoubtedly a way to get him in trouble. She was old and had lived her life. If she couldn’t do things openly, she’d do them secretly. If she were caught, the worst that could happen was being reported. A light punishment would be a re-education session; a heavy one would be getting locked up. But Jing Si was different from her. He was still young, and most importantly, he didn’t believe in this stuff.

"Forget it, forget it. Just pretend I never said anything." Second Auntie waved her hand dismissively. She had overstepped.

"Second Auntie, I appreciate the thought. But I’d advise you not to say such things in the future. You have two grandsons at home. If you won’t think for yourself, you should at least think of them," Jie Jingchen said, his words both subtle and clear.

Second Auntie stood there, stunned. It wasn’t until long after Jie Jingchen and Qin Xiang had left that she came to her senses and walked home, filled with regret and dejection.

Qin Xiang carried the bicycle into the courtyard and closed the gate before asking Jie Jingchen, "Alright, spit it out. What exactly happened?"

Jie Jingchen put down the broom, walked over to the tree, and sat down in a wicker chair. "Jie Anqi has taken a liking to you and is insisting on marrying you."

"Tch!" Disdain filled Qin Xiang’s eyes as he sat down in the wicker chair next to Jie Jingchen. "Just because she likes me, I have to marry her? Where does she get that confidence?"

Jie Jingchen shot Qin Xiang a sideways glance. "She threatened me with suicide to make me help her."

"And did she succeed?" Qin Xiang asked. If it was someone he didn’t want to marry, not even Jing Si could convince him. If they pushed him too far, he would just take his little sister and leave.

Jie Jingchen rolled his eyes at Qin Xiang and gave him a concise summary of what had happened.

After hearing the story, Qin Xiang pondered for a few seconds, then coolly brushed his forehead and said narcissistically, "Sigh! This damned charm of mine."

Seeing his narcissistic display, Jie Jingchen scoffed, "You really think she’s fallen for you, completely captivated by your charm?"

"What else could it be?" Qin Xiang gave a roguishly charming toss of his head and winked at Jie Jingchen with his flirtatious eyes. The gesture was full of a wild, wicked magic, so soul-snatching that a single glance seemed to invite a lifetime of reckless abandon.