Anning’s pov

Men will always be men. I used to think I only liked men, but then Gu Wanqing happened.

Even now, I still find men attractive. Which made this entire situation even more annoying because apparently my heart had decided gender wasn’t the issue.

Gu Wanqing was.

I kind of underestimated Tang Jiangxuan. I forced a polite smile onto my face before responding,

"You flatter me, Young master tang. I am far beneath people such as yourselves and hardly worthy of such praise."

Years ago, these words would have made me gag or even faint. But look at me now, they rolled off my tongue...so naturally.

Tang Jiangxuan laughed, "You are quite interesting."

I smiled at him slightly before moving toward the low table where the tea and snacks had been prepared. I dropped to my knees right beside Tang Jiangxuan.

As I poured tea for the young master tang, I could feel someone staring at me.

Tang Jiangxuan was now speaking to General Gu. So, it couldn’t be him.

It belonged to the silver-haired man, who was here to introduce himself. Tang Jiangxuan introduced himself earlier but I might have tuned his voice out for a bit and only caught his name.

I kept my attention fixed on the tea I was pouring. If I didn’t look at him again, I could save myself from embarrassment.

"How old are you?" Tang Jiangxuan suddenly asked.

How old was I again? Considering it was almost a year I had spent here, I should be around 20 or so.

"I’m twenty." I said softly.

"How did you end up in our town? You don’t seem like one of us." He said, the suspicion in his voice was as clear as day.

My smile dropped instantly and I turned to stare at the man seated beside me.

"I just happened to find myself here. I don’t think I want to bore you with my stories." I murmured.

"You should listen to the girl, Jiangxuan." Gu Ruiqing chipped in after a while.

"I understand." Tang Jiangxuan said.

I placed the cup of tea in front of him carefully.

"You don’t act like the other servants." He said, sounding almost thoughtful.

"Is that a compliment?" I asked, raising a brow at him.

"No, not really." He said, picking up his cup and taking a sip from the steaming liquid. "I think the rumours really undersold you."

I froze, "What do you mean by that?"

Tang Jiangxuan leaned closer to me, making me lean back slightly. Was this guy insane or just mentally challenged?

Couldn’t he see they weren’t alone in this room?

He tilted his head to the sides, his lips curling as he spoke, "They only talk about your appearance and what not. But did anyone tell you that you’re also quite cunning?"

I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t even know what to say at that point!

Sure, this whole performance of mine was fake. But I did nothing wrong to make this guy hate or dislike me.

Before I could respond, Tang Jiangxuan suddenly reached toward me.

I flinched as I felt him take a strand of my hair between his fingers.

"It’s really beautiful." He said softly. "I’ve never actually seen hair like this. Well, except from one"

I swallowed hard, resisting the urge to take a step back.

"Thank you." I said, shifting slightly.

He released the strand as I watched amusement dance in his dark blue eyes.

"Actually." He continued, glancing at the man seated beside him, "Your look doesn’t seem quite foreign now."

"I’m sorry?" I said, chuckling awkwardly.

Tang Jiangxuan pointed toward the silver haired man.

"You look like the female version of him." He said finally, chuckling like he had said something funny.

The whole room seemed to go quiet at his words and that had me slowly lifting my head.

My eyes moved to the silver haired man who remained expressionless, his light green eyes fixed solely on me.

I pulled my gaze away from him, back to Tang Jiangxuan. Then back at him again.

Tang Jiangxuan wasn’t... wrong. The silver hair, the green eyes, our features weren’t even that different!

I opened my mouth to at least deny Tang Jiangxuan’s words but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.

Nope, definitely not. I couldn’t be related to anyone in this world, I hadn’t even been born here.

I shook my head, deciding not to even think about it.

Tang Jiangxuan let out a loud chuckle before saying, "So, I was the only one who could see it."

I stared at the silver haired man for another second before pushing myself to my feet.

"Young master Tang. Please refrain from saying such things in front of people." I said coldly. "Especially in front of a slave."

His grin only widened at my words as he blurted, "But, I wasn’t lying."

The silver haired man was yet to say a word and I was thankful for that. Having him laugh at this point would only make me feel embarrassed.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke. "Where exactly are you from, Anning?"

I froze, like literally froze. I snapped my head to stare right at the silver haired man and he was staring right at me.

Unlike my mossy green eyes, I could see my reflection clearly in his eyes.

My heart had begun racing in my chest and I had to take in deep breaths to stop myself from snapping at the man.

"I don’t remember. It’s been quite a while since I had been turned into a slave." I lied smoothly, pushing myself to my feet.

"Anning! That is enough." General Gu said, slamming his hand against the table in front of him. "Leave."

I guess General Gu doesn’t want them knowing anything about me.

And I wasn’t allowing these self absorbed nobles to pry into my personal life, was something I wouldn’t allow.

"Then, I’ll take my leave." I said, taking several steps away from the guests. "Once again, welcome to the Gu residence."

Without waiting for them to respond, I turned around and headed towards the exit closest to me.

The questions they had asked had left me feeling irritated and nauseous.

Why exactly did I have some sort of resemblance to that man?

And what the fuck was his name?!