Chapter 46

Near dusk, an exquisite and luxurious carriage was parked outside the Lu mansion. When the servants of the mansion informed Qiu Yi about this, she hurriedly went outside. At a glance, she saw Xiao Yuan, Su Qingwan’s personal servant, standing beside the carriage, and thought that he must be delivering the Snow Lotus from Tianshan Mountain as usual.

However, today there was also a cold-looking woman carrying weapons standing on the right side.

She looked at the carriage again, remembering that Manager Chen always brought a carriage when meeting the master. Could this be here to pick up the master again? But why had it changed to Su Qingwan’s people?

Before Qiu Yi could speak as she approached, Xiao Yuan directly asked, “Where is your master?”

Upon hearing this, it was indeed to find the master. It seemed her master had been quite busy recently. Qiu Yi answered truthfully, “Unfortunately, my master is not in the mansion. You should come back another day!”

Xiao Yuan frowned slightly, his tone somewhat urgent, “If Doctor Lu is not in the mansion, then where did she go?”

Seeing Xiao Yuan’s persistent questioning, it seemed he wouldn’t leave easily. Qiu Yi spoke frankly, “My master really isn’t in the mansion. She went to the An residence.”

“The An residence?” Xiao Yuan was a bit surprised and asked uncertainly, “Do you mean the residence of Minister An from the Ministry of Personnel?”

“That’s right. After finishing her classes this morning, the master went to the An residence.” Qiu Yi looked up at the sky, not noticing the curtain of the carriage moving slightly, and added a guess, “Judging by the time, since she hasn’t returned yet, the master probably stayed for a meal at the An residence.”

“Young Master, what should we do next?” Xiao Yuan approached the carriage window with a worried expression, waiting for the young master’s answer.

The conversation outside the carriage reached Su Qingwan’s ears. He concealed his deep eyes, showing no expression, and half-lifted the curtain without speaking.

Upon hearing Xiao Yuan’s words, Qiu Yi was slightly startled. Looking at the quietly parked carriage, she hadn’t expected Su Qingwan to be inside. She had thought it was another empty carriage coming to pick up the master.

Knowing Su Qingwan’s feelings for her master, Qiu Yi couldn’t help but explain further, “The master went to the An residence to explain the abdominal impact method to Master An.” As she spoke, she occasionally observed Su Qingwan’s emotions.

At this moment.

“Manager Qiu, why hasn’t Elder Sister Yuner returned yet? She promised to take me out to play tonight,” Mu Yang, who had also been waiting for a long time, complained as he walked out, seeing Qiu Yi standing outside the mansion.

As he spoke, he noticed a carriage parked outside. His examining gaze collided with Su Qingwan’s. Mu Yang was stunned for a moment, his bright eyes flickering slightly, and he respectfully said, “Young Master Su, why are you here? Are you looking for Elder Sister Yuner?”

Su Qingwan’s expression was calm, but he couldn’t help but vigilantly observe this adopted brother whom Yuner called her sister. After all, they were not of the same blood, and one could never be sure about matters between men and women.

Moreover, he disliked any man who was so close to Elder Sister Yuner.

Not even an adopted brother.

Before Su Qingwan could speak, Mu Yang, wearing a smile, walked up to the carriage window. Xiao Yuan moved aside at this.

Mu Yang looked at the slightly frowning Su Qingwan and said meaningfully, “Since Elder Sister Yuner hasn’t returned to the mansion yet, why doesn’t Young Master Su come in and wait?”

As soon as he finished speaking, faced with Mu Yang’s generous invitation, Su Qingwan’s eyes rippled slightly. After a three-second pause.

“Alright.”

After entering the Lu mansion, Mu Yang took Su Qingwan alone for a tour of the premises, simply chatting about the scenery and layout of the mansion along the way.

Watching Mu Yang act like the male host, showing him around the courtyard, if it weren’t for wanting to know more about Elder Sister Yuner, Su Qingwan would have only been able to endure the discomfort in his heart.

Now that only the two of them remained, Mu Yang slowed his pace to walk side by side with him, and said with a half-smile, “Young Master Su, what do you think of the scenery of this mansion?”

“Not bad,” Su Qingwan nodded slightly, maintaining a polite tone in his voice. He continued to follow him towards the lotus pond, and then saw a distinctive small building opposite the pond. He couldn’t help but stop in his tracks.

Before him was a two-story building. This small building was built by the lotus pond, looking as if it was situated in the middle of the pond from afar. It was surrounded by various lush trees, with a faint fragrance of grass and flowers lingering in the air.

The flowers and trees were of varying heights, with tender green and delicate red hues. The environment was quiet and elegant, and the exterior was exquisitely arranged in every detail.

Seeing this, Mu Yang also stopped, his face full of smiles, his eyes turning bright and lively. “Isn’t this small building beautiful?”

Su Qingwan’s phoenix eyes contained a faint light, his voice clear and pleasant: “It’s beautiful.”

Mu Yang shook his head, wearing a faint smile, feigning helplessness as he said, “It’s a pity… I can’t take Young Master Su inside to have a look.”

Su Qingwan turned his head slightly to look at him, asking curiously, “Why not?”

“This is Elder Sister Yuner’s bridal chamber, where she will live after getting married. Apart from relatives, only Elder Sister Yuner’s future husband will have the privilege to go in and have a look.” Mu Yang smiled meaningfully at Su Qingwan: “As Elder Sister Yuner’s brother, I’ve been inside before.”

Hearing these words, a flash of surprise and turbulence quickly passed through Su Qingwan’s eyes.

As men, sometimes the little thoughts they harbored didn’t need to be spoken; a single glance was enough to understand. Mu Yang had a more straightforward personality, and he could also see Young Master Su’s hostility towards him.

The meaning of his words was more than obvious.

A moment later, Mu Yang’s clever mind turned, and he pondered, “By the way, did Young Master Su come to find Elder Sister Yuner today because of other matters, or did you have some kind of agreement with her?”

Otherwise, why would this Young Master Su come to find someone on his own initiative?

Since Mu Yang’s words had removed Su Qingwan’s hostility and vigilance towards him, Su Qingwan no longer concealed anything and frankly admitted, “That’s right, she and I had agreed to go boating and sightseeing together.”

Upon hearing this, the clever Mu Yang suddenly thought of something and couldn’t help but mutter to himself: “So that’s how it is! Usually, I’m the one begging Elder Sister Yuner to play with me. No wonder she took the initiative yesterday to say she would accompany me out of the mansion tonight. It turns out she was planning to bring me along. I got excited for nothing.”

The speaker may be unaware, but the listener is attentive. These words, though unintentional, fell heavily on Su Qingwan’s heart, carrying a different meaning.

Although Elder Sister Yuner had agreed to his request, she had intentionally avoided being alone with him, which made his heart ache terribly. Su Qingwan’s face gradually turned pale, and the corners of his mouth lifted in a faint, bitter smile.

Mu Yang noticed Young Master Su’s unusual reaction and suddenly recalled what he had just said, vaguely discovering something.

Ever since he heard Manager Qiu say that Elder Sister Yuner was sick, and Young Master Su had secretly sent Snow Lotus several times, he knew that Young Master Su’s concern for Elder Sister Yuner was not ordinary.

As for what was really going on between Elder Sister Yuner and Young Master Su, he didn’t want to ask too much, nor did he want to stand between them. Moreover, he had developed some goodwill towards Young Master Su.

This goodwill not only stemmed from Young Master Su’s status and position but more from his concern for Elder Sister Yuner.

With his parents engaged in business for years, Mu Yang had grown up by their side, not only clever and quick-witted but also understanding the importance of weighing pros and cons.

All the world runs after profit, whether in officialdom or in business in the capital. No matter if one is a high or low official, as long as the word “profit” is involved, one will always be in hot water.

If a merchant loses profit, it’s nothing more than losing money, but if an official loses profit, it might even cost them their life.

Elder Sister Yuner’s parents had passed away, and she was alone in the capital. He had come this time at his mother’s wish, hoping to persuade Elder Sister Yuner to resign from her official position and return to Jiangnan to live with their family.

If Elder Sister Yuner was unwilling, at least she should have someone by her side who could support her, and this Young Master Su seemed to be a good candidate.

His status and position were secondary; the main thing was that his concern for Elder Sister Yuner was genuine.

After a brief consideration, Mu Yang already knew what he should do.

“Come with me.” Mu Yang suddenly grabbed Su Qingwan’s hand and ran towards the small building.

When Su Qingwan came to his senses, he found that they had already arrived in front of the small building. Mu Yang was holding his hand and heading inside. Although he was overjoyed inside, remembering what Mu Yang had just told him, he called out, “Wait, didn’t you say that only relatives and… that something could enter?”

Mu Yang stopped but didn’t let go of his hand. A meaningful smile curled at the corners of his lips, “That was a lie I told you. Think about it, this small building is so clean and new, it’s because the servants have been cleaning it. How could it be that no one else has been inside? It’s just that no one has lived there yet. The only thing I didn’t lie about is that this is indeed where Elder Sister Yuner will live after she gets married.”

Su Qingwan was stunned, his body frozen in place, not moving an inch.

Mu Yang glanced at him, obviously shocked by his words. Suddenly, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he continued, “I know Young Master Su likes Elder Sister Yuner, and it’s not just ordinary liking. But as for how Elder Sister Yuner feels about Young Master Su, that’s another matter.”

Otherwise, if it were a date between the two of them, how could she have invited him to go along? It was clearly intentionally arranged by Elder Sister Yuner.

Hearing this, a flash of pain crossed Su Qingwan’s heart. He hadn’t expected others to see through his relationship with Elder Sister Yuner so clearly, including Elder Sister Yuner’s dislike for him.

Su Qingwan looked at Mu Yang in confusion, his voice low as he asked, “Then why did you bring me here?”

Since he knew Elder Sister Yuner’s feelings towards him, and he was also considered Elder Sister Yuner’s relative, he should logically side with Elder Sister Yuner. But this action was somewhat unclear.

“It’s still because of Elder Sister Yuner.”

Mu Yang said seriously, “Elder Sister Yuner is a good woman, and to me, she’s also a good elder sister. She’s not only beautiful but also gentle and kind. I’m sure Young Master Su has experienced this. But ever since she entered the court as an official, and was once framed and almost sent to the imperial prison, I’ve known that Elder Sister Yuner needs a man who not only cares for her and loves her wholeheartedly but also someone who can protect her adequately. Young Master Su’s status and position are exactly what I’ve been considering.”

“To be honest with you, Elder Sister Yuner’s parents have passed away, and she’s all alone now. This time I came to the capital on my mother’s orders to persuade Elder Sister Yuner to resign from her official position and then return to Jiangnan with me to live.” A faint curve appeared at the corners of Mu Yang’s lips, a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes as he said meaningfully to Su Qingwan, “But now I think it might not be necessary anymore. What do you think, Young Master Su?”

After listening to Mu Yang’s words, Su Qingwan’s phoenix eyes were as black as a deep pool, staring steadily at Mu Yang. Then, the corners of his mouth lifted in a meaningful smile.

“I want to go in and have a look.”