"Please, come with me," he said.
"Yaoyao?" Shen Hanyue's brow furrowed. "Why don't I go with you?"
Before Cui Lingyao could reply, Li Yong spoke first. "My apologies, Miss Shen. The bet was between Miss Pei and His Highness the Prince, so she must go alone."
'It's just the answer to one question.'
'She has to face it eventually.'
"In that case, I'll go."
Cui Lingyao stood and said to Shen Hanyue, "Cousin, when you get to the Nine Bends Pavilion, if you see my cousin, please do me a favor and let him know."
Shen Hanyue looked worried.
Even though she admired Xie Jinbai, viewing him as an indomitable and righteous man...
...he was, after all, still a man.
What sort of widower would insist on meeting a young lady in private?
Cui Lingyao had no sisters of her own, so she was already touched by Shen Hanyue's earlier defense of her at the feast. Seeing her worry now moved her even more.
