Ji Jiaofu approached with his head lowered, bowed, and spoke in a subdued voice:
"Greetings, Sixth Gentleman..."
Xiao Hong laughed heartily:
"Greetings, greetings!"
At the same time, he took out a handkerchief and raised his hand to wipe Ji Jiaofu's sweat.
Ji Jiaofu shuddered in fright and stepped back. Xiao Hong's hand stopped in midair, and his smile briefly froze.
Alarmed, Ji Jiaofu hurriedly said:
"I wouldn't dare trouble you, Sixth Gentleman..."
Xiao Hong smiled again and beckoned him over, looking warm and amiable:
"Come here."
Warm sunlight bathed Ji Jiaofu, yet he felt chill after chill run through him. He could only steel himself and step forward, letting Xiao Hong wipe the sweat from his forehead like an elder brother:
"Bizi, you're tired. Go and rest."
Ji Jiaofu trembled all over and stammered:
"A-actually, I-I'm fine-"
The smile on Xiao Hong's face suddenly turned cold:
"I said you're tired and need to rest."
Ji Jiaofu's cheeks had been flushed with excitement over their winning streak. Now every trace of color drained away.
His family did not even qualify as a humble scholarly household. In Jiankang, where great clans gathered like clouds and nobles thronged like woven threads, they were as insignificant as stones by the roadside. His uncle had gone to enormous lengths to raise their family's standing, even petitioning the Son of Heaven. Although they had still failed to enter the ranks of the gentry, their circumstances had at least improved somewhat.
His uncle now served as Jiankang Magistrate, directly under Xiao Hong's father. (Xiao Hong's father was the Danyang Yin, and Jiankang belonged to Danyang Commandery, making them superior and subordinate.) His cousin had married Xun Zhaoguang's daughter and had promising prospects in officialdom. This was precisely when the entire family needed to tread carefully. How could