Chapter 949: A Divine Charm

After Zhao Yun left, the officials and generals in Ye City began to busy themselves with their respective tasks. Of course, Chen Xi wasn’t particularly busy. His role was more to assist others. Until Liu Ye and Li You reached a certain stage in their work, Chen Xi had little to do.

Naturally, Liu Ye and Li You rarely bothered Chen Xi unless absolutely necessary. Usually, Chen Xi only showed up in the middle or later stages of their work to check if there were any issues. As long as the overall framework was correct, Chen Xi didn't mind minor mistakes. His main concern was ensuring that the direction was right and the framework stayed intact. Even if there were small errors, they wouldn’t cause too much harm. In fact, these might even create opportunities for later adjustments. Sometimes, reaching a solution in one step isn't ideal, especially when the consequences are far-reaching. It’s better to leave room for future changes.

Similarly, Liu Bei didn’t have much to do. Most of his time was spent traveling around, protected by Xu Chu and Wu Anguo, inspecting the people's living conditions. Although Liu Bei couldn’t always provide immediate solutions, his approach was often to solve temporary problems with money, then return to recruit capable individuals to handle long-term issues. Walking around and observing the people had become a habit for Liu Bei.

As for Chen Xi, if Liu Bei called on him to join in these walks, he would go along. If not, he preferred staying home and resting. During such times, Fan Jian and Chen Lan would typically drag him out, but now, with no lady of the house, that wasn’t the case.

"Zichuan, come with me to buy some furniture." Just as Chen Xi was considering whether to return to his room to read for a while and then sleep for the entire day, a voice from Zhen Mi rang out from the courtyard.

Chen Xi had always been neutral towards Zhen Mi—neither seeking her out nor avoiding her. Naturally, Zhen Mi had grown accustomed to coming and going from Chen’s household as if it were her own. The newly hired servants and maids were already speculating about when she would become the lady of the house, as Chen Xi rarely spoke to them, and they didn’t dare ask him directly.

"Alright," Chen Xi hesitated for a moment before stepping outside. Sure enough, Zhen Mi was standing in the courtyard holding a bundle of clothes, along with Xin Xianying. Ever since Chen Xi had introduced Xin Xianying to Zhen Mi in Ye City, Zhen Mi would bring her along every time she visited.

"Lord Chen, are you really going out dressed like that?" Zhen Mi asked disapprovingly when she saw Chen Xi’s disheveled appearance. Without Fan Jian and Chen Lan around, it hadn’t taken long for Zhen Mi to get on more familiar terms with Chen Xi.

"I’ll go change." Chen Xi, feeling somewhat drowsy, responded wearily.

"Lord Chen..." At this point, Xin Xianying had already taken the clothes from Zhen Mi and walked over to Chen Xi. Tugging at his robe, she said, "Sister Mi’er has already brought your clothes. We’re all used to this, and honestly, without a wife to watch over you, I wonder if you’d grow moldy."

Zhen Mi’s beautiful eyes sparkled with satisfaction as she watched Xin Xianying’s quick thinking. However, when she looked at the clueless Chen Xi, she felt a bit frustrated. The clothes she had brought were different from the ones he usually wore—they were made by her own hands.

When Chen Xi finally changed into the pure white brocade, Zhen Mi’s face lit up with a pleased smile. "So, Zichuan, how do you feel wearing this? Do you notice anything special?"

"Nothing special—it feels the same as before. Clothes are just clothes. As long as they’re comfortable, that’s enough." Chen Xi, who had a keen sense for food, was far less particular about clothing, caring mostly about comfort.

Zhen Mi shot a disgruntled glance at Chen Xi, feeling that his sharp wisdom only seemed to apply when he was in serious situations, but failed him in everyday life. If he were still the forward-thinking Chen Zichuan she knew, he would have already realized the answer she wanted.

"Still, thank you," Chen Xi said, noticing the thimble on Zhen Mi’s thumb—an item he had introduced. Given her previous inquiries, it was clear to him what had been going on.

Zhen Mi sighed, frustrated at not being able to read Chen Xi’s thoughts. She quickly composed herself and said, "Let’s not waste any more time. Come with me to Ye City. Ever since you designed that purely commercial district in Fenggao for merchants, many cities have followed suit."

"When there’s profit to be made, everyone learns quickly. Besides, Yuan Benchu was a capable leader, and with talents like Tian Yuanhao and Ju Gongyu by his side, it’s no surprise. It's just unfortunate that sometimes the issue isn’t about right or wrong but simply being on opposite sides," Chen Xi said with a smile. He felt some regret when he mentioned Yuan Shao and Tian Feng, Ju Shou. No matter how one looked at it, their deaths were a pity.

"Ju Gong..." Zhen Mi murmured, but didn’t pursue the topic further. Her family had deep grievances with Yuan Shao and Ju Shou, who had not only failed to assist the Zhen family in their most desperate time but had also added to their difficulties for the sake of the so-called greater good.

Thinking about this, Zhen Mi recalled the sharpness of Chen Xi back then. Although he had not yet reached his current level of prestige, he had been even more cutting and relentless, driving the Zhen family into a corner until they had no choice but to turn to Liu Bei.

"What are you thinking about?" Chen Xi noticed Zhen Mi’s distant expression and waved his hand with a smile, assuming she was still dwelling on his earlier words. "Alright, no more jokes. The clothes are very well-made. For you to achieve the same quality as before shows just how skilled you are."

Overall, the clothes were indeed just like the ones before, but it was important to note that the previous clothes Zhen Mi had given him were made by expert tailors. For her to now match that quality with her own work was truly impressive, showing the time and effort she had invested.

"Hmph, so you were teasing me on purpose," Zhen Mi pouted slightly, giving a little display of displeasure, which was exactly what Chen Xi had expected.

"It wasn’t intentional..." Chen Xi said, turning her around gently. "There have been quite a few changes since we first met."

"It feels like everything is different now. You’ve become much more beautiful than before, and I’m no longer an insignificant branch of the Chen family. And you’re no longer that girl forced into difficult circumstances. Things have gotten much better," Chen Xi said softly, smiling warmly at her.

For a moment, Zhen Mi felt as though there was more left unsaid in Chen Xi’s words. It was as if the closeness they had built over time had suddenly shifted, creating a subtle distance.

"Zichuan, back then... what did you see? Why were you so agitated?" Zhen Mi asked, gazing at Chen Xi with a hint of sadness, trying to understand the emotions behind his seemingly gentle smile.

"What I saw was a spirit, a charm that was strikingly similar, almost identical," Chen Xi paused for a long while before speaking again. "It was the same stubbornness. You didn’t want to do it, but for the sake of your family, you did your best, and it was so similar that I couldn’t help but see you two as one, even though you were nothing alike."

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