She looked like a young lady from a noble family. Although her clothes were unusual, they clearly looked expensive.

But why would a young lady appear at a bus stop late at night?

Could it be… a young lady who had been kicked out of her home?

Gu Sui’s gaze towards Mu Jiulu became increasingly sympathetic.

“Elder sister, did you… run away from home?”

Gu Sui thought for a moment and changed his wording, after all, it would be too impolite to directly ask someone if they had been kicked out of their home.

But even so, Mu Jiulu’s temple twitched involuntarily.

How did he come to that conclusion?!

“Um, elder sister, if you really have nowhere to go, I have an empty room at my place. Would you like to come back with me for now?”

Mu Jiulu’s gaze towards him became increasingly strange.

“Are you always this bold?”

Gu Sui: “Hm? Why do you say that?”

Mu Jiulu: “Casually bringing a strange woman home is a very dangerous thing to do.”

Gu Sui laughed: “It’s not that bad, what’s so dangerous about it? I’m a man, after all.”

Mu Jiulu: “……”

That’s exactly why it’s dangerous!

Screech–

“Oh, the bus I’ve been waiting for is here. Do you want to come back with me or not?”

Gu Sui took out his bus card and asked Mu Jiulu, who was still standing under the sign, one last time. She pondered for a second or two, then stepped forward and followed him onto the bus.

After all, he was the first person she had encountered in this world. It would be best to go with him and assess the situation before deciding what to do next.

Sigh, life is not easy, the princess sighed.

Seeing that she was willing to follow, Gu Sui’s eyes curved into a smile, and he thoughtfully swiped the card for her as well.

The bus wasn’t particularly small, but it wasn’t large either for Mu Jiulu. Moreover, there were other passengers on the bus. Although not many, she remained very vigilant.

Their clothing, the things they held in their hands, and even the small gadgets they had in their ears, all seemed strange to her.

However, she had never been one to expose her weaknesses actively, so she didn’t show any signs of abnormality. She merely gave a quick glance before withdrawing her gaze.

Some passengers, upon looking up, noticed the two new arrivals and couldn’t help but stare a bit longer, their eyes flashing with amazement.

What a beautiful Hanfu-wearing elder sister and a handsome young man!

“Elder sister, come sit in the back.”

Mu Jiulu and Gu Sui sat down in the empty seats at the back. It was then that Gu Sui realized he hadn’t asked for her name yet.

“What’s your name, elder sister?”

“Mu Jiulu.”

Gu Sui silently repeated the name in his mind, his eyes curving into deep arcs.

“That’s a nice name.”

Holding onto the handrail, Gu Sui looked at the beautiful elder sister’s profile and asked somewhat hesitantly.

“So, how old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

Gu Sui’s eyes lit up: “I’m 22 too! What a coincidence. Which month is your birthday?”

Mu Jiulu glanced at him, and Gu Sui suddenly realized that he might have asked too many questions.

But she had answered the sensitive question about age so readily, so asking about her birthday… shouldn’t be a problem, right?

“The first day of the first lunar month. What about you?”

Mu Jiulu’s voice seemed to be laced with smoke. Gu Sui was first surprised by this auspicious date, then answered.

“Mine is on April 30th. So that means you’re four months older than me.”

Gu Sui felt a bit disappointed for some reason. She really was an elder sister.

“It’s five months.”

Gu Sui: “……”

Did she really need to be so precise about those thirty days?!

Final stop. The drowsy Gu Sui reflexively woke up at the sound of the bus announcement. He led Mu Jiulu off the bus and walked towards the apartment building.

“My place is a bit small, you won’t mind, will you?”

Before opening the door, Gu Sui asked nervously. Mu Jiulu replied calmly.

“I won’t.”

Gu Sui breathed a sigh of relief, opened the door, and turned on the living room light. The sudden warm glow made Mu Jiulu’s pupils contract, and she instinctively raised her hand, ready to attack.

Gu Sui: “?”

“Come in.”

Mu Jiulu lowered her hand after a moment and entered with pursed lips.

“I don’t have any women’s slippers, so why don’t you wear this spare pair of mine for now? They’re new.”

In the small apartment of less than 40 square meters, the entrance area was crammed full. Gu Sui rummaged for a long time before finding a pair of cotton slippers in the corner and handing them to her.

Mu Jiulu hesitantly accepted them, following his example of changing shoes, and walked into the warm, yellow-lit living room.

Gu Sui looked at her undiminished height and couldn’t help but glance inside her boots.

It really wasn’t hidden insoles?

The floor-to-ceiling glass windows were as transparent as mirrors, with the deep black of night outside. Gu Sui casually took off his down jacket and tossed it onto the sofa.

After tossing it, he suddenly realized something, grabbed the down jacket and hung it on the coat rack, then turned back to smile at Mu Jiulu.

“It’s a bit messy, haha.”

Mu Jiulu: “……”

The messiness wasn’t the main point; the point was, how could there be a man who would casually undress in front of a woman?!

Gu Sui drew the curtains and quickly tidied up the somewhat messy sofa and coffee table, making room for Mu Jiulu to sit.

“There are two rooms upstairs. After tidying up a bit, you can stay there. I’ll cook some late-night snacks first, wait for me a moment.”

Mu Jiulu nodded. Feeling a bit hot, she took off her crane-patterned cloak. Without attendants, she could only imitate Gu Sui’s earlier action of hanging clothes and put it on the coat rack herself, then looked around.

It was indeed small.

Not even as big as a single room in her royal mansion.

However, the decor looked quite cozy, with a homely atmosphere even in the corners.

Gu Sui quickly cooked two bowls of noodles, topped with poached eggs and garnished with bright green vegetables, emitting a delicious aroma.

“How is it? Tasty?”

Mu Jiulu took a bite, the rising steam from the hot soup blurring her eyebrows and eyes.

“Not bad.”

Gu Sui smiled: “Right? My cooking skills are quite good.”

Mu Jiulu looked up, not understanding why he was proud.

“Isn’t this expected of men?”

Gu Sui: “Huh?”

This was clearly a bonus skill, okay!

After the late-night snack, Gu Sui quickly tidied up the spare room. A certain princess stood with her arms crossed at the doorway, watching him make the bed and fold the quilt, feeling quite at ease.

Although this man was bold, he was quite virtuous.

“Finally done. It’s already very late, let’s wash up and sleep. Do you want to wash first or should I?”

Mu Jiulu: “……”

Why was he so quick to disappoint after being praised!

“You go first.”

Gu Sui responded with an “Oh,” grabbed some clean clothes, and went into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water could be heard.

Mu Jiulu sat in the living room, her brows slightly furrowed.

Why was the sound so loud?

In less than fifteen minutes, Gu Sui opened the bathroom door. He was wearing a white bathrobe tied tightly at the waist, and as he walked out, he casually shook his not-completely-dry hair.

“I’m done. I don’t have any girls’ clothes here. Why don’t you wear my new pajamas for now, and we’ll figure out the rest tomorrow?”

The young man, his entire body enveloped in moisture, walked up to her. The bathrobe that only reached his knees left his smooth calves completely exposed, brazenly swaying before her eyes.

Mu Jiulu’s throat moved slightly, her gaze moving upward. She caught sight of a droplet of water falling from the tips of the young man’s hair, sliding down his neck and disappearing into his collar. The skin that wasn’t completely covered still had a faint pink tinge, particularly alluring.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Gu Sui felt trapped by her deep gaze, finding it somewhat creepy. Mu Jiulu’s tongue lightly brushed the roof of her mouth, suppressing her body’s instinctive desire, her voice low and distant.

“What do you think?”