After the emperor read her mind, the salted fish concubine effortlessly won the title of empress.

Chapter 464 Extra - Modern Era

In the afternoon, Shen Shixi took another nap. After waking up, she called the stylist over to do her hair.

Her hair was long, straight, and black, and she had it permed into waves. She was too lazy to put on makeup, so she just applied some foundation, drew her eyebrows, and put on lipstick. She wore a long-sleeved black velvet dress underneath a down jacket.

Ning Meng came to pick her up, so she got into Ning Meng's car and could even take a nap in it.

When she woke up, she was at Chaoyang Club.

The newly built building is preceded by a row of antique-style buildings, a magnificent palace. In the square, there is a rockery and fountain pool where koi fish frolic. Passing around the rockery, you can see the front of the clubhouse, with twin towers, high steps, and a lintel with carved dragons and phoenixes. Above it is a plaque that reads "Chaoyang Clubhouse".

The exterior is antique, but the interior is modern architecture, with high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and gleaming marble floors. The place is filled with elegantly dressed people, all familiar to Shen Shixi.

"I asked in the group if there were any recommended places, and Brother Shen recommended this place. He arranged it all, saying it was to welcome you back!" Ning Meng said.

Shen Shixi paused in her steps. The people inside had already seen her and greeted her, "Sister Xi is here! Come in quickly, we've been waiting for you two!"

"I'm late!" Shen Shixi came in, took off her down jacket, and the waiter took it away.

She was wearing flat shoes, but she still looked tall.

She always dressed casually, and no one dared to laugh at her. This was partly due to her own abilities, and partly because both the Shen family father and son were protective of their own. Needless to say, the Shen family's status was also evident.

Her loose, seaweed-like curls cascaded down her back, perfectly concealing her beautiful, exposed shoulder blades.

Li Yanshen came downstairs and their eyes met.

He waved upstairs, and a man who looked like a butler came over. He whispered something to the man, who quickly bowed his head and left.

Many people were talking to Shen Shixi, while Li Yanshen held a glass of juice and leaned against the stair railing, waiting.

After a while, the butler arrived, carrying a black brocade cloak. Li Yanshen took it and handed the juice to Shen Shixi.

Shen Shixi glanced at him, took the cloak, and then draped it over Shen Shixi's shoulders, causing everyone to pause in surprise.

His movements seemed to have been practiced many times, appearing familiar and natural.

In that instant, Shen Shixi seemed to return to the past. Countless times, Li Yuanke would take clothes and drape them over her shoulders. She would instinctively lean against him, and Li Yuanke would hold her shoulders, his chest warm and firm.

At this moment, her body was stiff. After a long while, she turned her head to the person and said, "Thank you!"

Li Yanshen very politely took two steps back and said with a smile, "Miss Shen, you're too kind!"

At the dinner table, someone asked about Shen Shixi's work, "I never see you. When you get busy, you're nowhere to be seen. You don't even post in the group chat. I have no idea what you do for a living."

Shen Shixi glanced at Li Yanshen and said, "It's all about family matters. My dad's been traveling between Europe and the Middle East lately, and my brother's been incredibly busy. If I don't help, who will?"

Ning Meng said, "I heard from my mom that your mom went to Mount Putuo again recently!"

Shen Shixi asked, "Did your mother go too?"

"Ah!" Ning Meng said, "That's right, I don't know why they believed it so much."

"All I ask for is peace of mind!" Shen Shixi said. "Isn't peace of mind the most precious thing? I think it's quite good."

Ning Meng said, "Then I'll go back and have my mom plead with me more!"

After eating, it was time to play. Shen Shixi didn't like to join in the fun, so she sat in the corner with a cold drink, leaning to one side, too lazy to move.

Li Yanshen came over, took the cold drink from her hand, and handed her a cup of hot milk. "Drink this!"

Shen Shixi sat up straight and tugged at the cloak on her shoulders. "Li Yanshen, what right do you have to tell me what to do?"

Li Yanshen looked at her and asked, "What do you think?"

She looked into Li Yanshen's eyes; they were calm and indifferent, and she couldn't discern anything amiss. She had no choice but to categorize his words and actions as having ulterior motives.

She turned to look out the window. "You don't need to waste your time. I would never betray my country and my people."

It is even more impossible for them to betray their country and people for love.

Li Yanshen sat down next to her, his arms outstretched behind her, as if to pull her into his embrace. "In your eyes, am I really that worthless?"

"I don't know you!"

Shen Shixi turned to look at him. Li Yanshen pinched her chin and lowered his head. Just as his lips were about to touch hers, she turned her face away and moved to the side.

"Shen Shixi, is there anything you want to ask me?" Li Yanshen asked with a smile, his gaze very sincere. "Just ask, and I'll answer whatever you know."

Li Yuanke, courtesy name Yanshen, was a descendant of the Li family of London.

Although the Li family has lived overseas for a long time, their bloodline is pure, and they are genuine descendants of the Yellow Emperor. They never intermarry with foreign tribes because they secretly work for the country.

Since he was eleven years old, Li Yuanke had intermittent dreams of being with a little girl. She liked to wear peach-colored clothes embroidered with beautiful peach blossoms. She was chubby and round, with a pair of mischievous and cute peach blossom eyes.

In his dream, she called him "handsome brother" and "Yuan Ke brother." The little peach blossom spirit was either on his back or in his arms. He knew that this must be a predestined relationship from a past life.

At the conference in the Middle East, he saw her through her father's screen, and in that instant, he knew that this was the girl he had dreamed of for so long.

He never saw what she looked like as an adult in his dream, but he knew at a glance that she was her.

That night, he had a long dream. When he woke up, he felt lost and dejected. He had actually lost her once!

So that's how they lived their whole lives. He couldn't help but chuckle. Li Yuanke, who became emperor, was truly low-class. No wonder he couldn't keep her!

He had never been with any woman in his life, so he should be worthy of her!

But did she know about that past life?

Whether he knew it or not, he was determined to have her. He wanted to pursue her, marry her, and cherish her for the rest of his life. They shouldn't have any more regrets.

Shen Shixi asked, puzzled, "What do you want to know? About the blind date?"

Li Yanshen was very patient, his gaze gentle and affectionate. "A blind date is fine with me. You've agreed to a blind date?"

"Did you suggest this blind date?" Shen Shixi asked.

"I mentioned it to my grandfather, and my grandfather talked to your father about it."

"The Li family is in London. Even if we get together, so what? Are you a Chinese citizen? I can't marry someone with a foreign citizenship, and I need to pass a political background check before I can apply for marriage. Can you do that?"

After Shen Shixi finished speaking, she stood up, smiled at him, and her smile was full of sarcasm.

In her eyes, Li Yanshen was a spy who used his good looks to get close to her and try to turn her against her.

"etc!"

Li Yanshen stood up and grasped her wrist. "Who told you I'm not a Chinese citizen? My Li family has been Chinese citizens for generations. It's true that the Li family is in London, but we still serve our country."

Otherwise, why do you think I would be able to work for your institute?

He looked at her. "Is it okay now?"

Seeing that he was serious, Shen Shixi was a little confused. "We already know each other, do we still need to go on a blind date?"

Li Yanshen said, "I'll do whatever you say. If you say it doesn't count as a blind date, then it counts as meeting the parents, is that okay?"

Shen Shixi shook off his hand and took two steps back. "Li Yanshen, what do you mean by this?"

"Does it mean I want to pursue you!" Li Yanshen took two steps closer to her. "Shen Shixi, haven't I made myself clear enough? I want to pursue you, I want to marry you, and I want to spend my life with you."

Only each other!

Shen Shixi suddenly looked up at him. His eyes were gentle and affectionate, reflecting her image, full of expectation and intense focus.

Shen Shixi's heart was in turmoil, but her face remained calm. "Who exactly are you?"

"I am me, is that not allowed?" Li Yanshen raised his hand and ruffled her hair. "I am just me, not someone else, is that not allowed?"

I want to pursue you again, so that you can fall in love with me and willingly spend your whole life with me. Is that not possible?

Shen Shixi shook her head. "No, I've only ever waited for one person in my life. If he doesn't come, no one else will!"

Shen Shixi lowered her eyes. "Those things I dared not tell him, I want to tell him myself. I also said I would wait for him, no matter how long it takes!"

In the dim light, tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped onto the carpet at her feet. Shen Shixi could no longer hold back her sobs!

Even though she would never allow herself to fall in love with Li Yuanke in that lifetime, once she returned to her own world and felt secure enough, she realized that among all the people she had been waiting for, the one was Li Yuanke.

Li Yanshen stepped forward, pulled her into his arms, and whispered in her ear,

"Empress Chenyuan Zhao was three years old when she met me. She loved to eat dried peaches and liked me to carry her on my back. In the eighth year of Yongxi, I married her. For the next twenty-one years, we were inseparable and had four children, all of whom were healthy and filial. In the twenty-ninth year of Yongxi, the Empress passed away, leaving me in this world. For the next five years, the world was like hell..."

Shen Shixi trembled, incredulous, and looked up at him, tightly wrapping her arms around his waist. "Li Yuanke, is that you? You've finally come to find me!"

Li Yuanke cupped her face in his hands, lowered his head, and their foreheads touched. "I'm here, Xi'er. What do you want to tell me?"

I want to tell you, if you come, I will love you; I want to tell you, in this life, let's be an ordinary couple with only each other!

(End of Modern Era)