Chapter 25 Probing Probing

Yue Guanyi lowered his head and shook it.

“Don’t cry, I’m here.” Qiu Shuzhi lifted his chin and rubbed his eyes, which seemed to have just been pulled out of water, wet and glistening. The droplets of water made his eyes look extremely beautiful.

Yue Guanyi’s eyelashes trembled, and he was instantly overwhelmed with shame.

His Qiu Niang, such a gentle person, such a good person, even when offended still cared so much about him, yet he…

His eyes shook uncontrollably, and he felt too ashamed to face her again.

The more time he spent with Qiu Shuzhi, the more he despised his current self. He wished he could chop off the hands that had touched her, gouge out the eyes that had offended her, and rip out the tongue that had disrespected her.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… Qiu Niang…” He muttered chaotically with his head lowered, as if he had lost his mind.

As soon as the carriage stopped, he jumped out like a gust of wind. His dark official robe blended into the thick ink of the night. His weak legs stumbled a few steps, like a thief fleeing in panic.

“Your Highness!” Chang’an quickly called out.

Yue Guanyi didn’t respond to him and entered the government office as if melting into the night.

Chang’an lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at Qiu Shuzhi reclining inside. Her long hair, already loosely tied up, had become even more disheveled after the drunken tumble. The meticulously arranged collar had also been wrinkled by Yue Guanyi’s rubbing earlier.

If it weren’t for her exceptionally beautiful face, one might have mistaken this woman for having taken advantage of his master.

“Official Qiu, what did you do to my master?” Chang’an knew that his master was completely in love with Qiu Shuzhi, and sharing a carriage with her should have been a great joy.

Something must have happened inside the carriage that he didn’t know about, otherwise his master wouldn’t have fled so uncontrollably as if he had been molested.

“……” Qiu Shuzhi tilted her head slightly, as if she didn’t understand what he was asking. Her dreamy, slightly drunk gaze was enchantingly beautiful.

Chang’an’s thin face reddened, and he cursed under his breath before lowering the curtain.

“Hey you,” Chang’an called out to Ji Mei, who was driving the carriage behind, “Your master is drunk, quickly take her back.”

Ji Mei frowned tightly and glared at him, “My name is Ji Mei.”

Chang’an, seeing that she was just an insignificant person, didn’t care what her name was and ordered, “Your master is drunk, quickly take her back.”

Ji Mei glanced at him, noticing his stout limbs and bulky figure. She had never seen such an ugly man before.

Well, as a grown woman, she wouldn’t bother arguing with a man.

Ji Mei jumped onto the carriage and lifted the heavy curtain to see Qiu Shuzhi lazily leaning inside, looking at her.

She coughed lightly, “My lady, we’ve arrived at the government office. This humble servant will help you back.”

Qiu Shuzhi exhaled a deep breath of alcohol and slowly extended her hand, “Go back? Alright.”

Half-awake and half-drunk, Qiu Shuzhi was supported by Ji Mei as she got off the carriage. Whether it was her knees feeling weak or the ground swaying, she found it extremely difficult to walk.

Chang’an had already disappeared, following his master into the government office and vanishing in a flash.

Yue Guanyi’s quarters were in front of Qiu Shuzhi’s courtyard. To get to their own rooms, they had to pass by Yue Guanyi’s room.

Qiu Shuzhi passed by with Ji Mei’s support, her intoxicated gaze watching Chang’an pacing back and forth anxiously outside the door.

There wasn’t a single lamp lit inside the room, it was pitch black, and the door seemed to have been locked from the inside.

Separated by a door, Qiu Shuzhi couldn’t sense his current state of mind, but she still remembered the warmth and fragility in the palm of her hand.

“My lady, if you can’t hold your liquor, you shouldn’t try to show off.” Ji Mei frowned as she helped her take off her outer garment and shoes, carefully tucking the blanket around her.

Having grown up without a mother and losing her father early, she had never been cared for, nor had she needed to care for others. This was the first time she had taken such meticulous care of someone.

She looked at Qiu Shuzhi, wanting to give some more advice, but the other had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep.

Ji Mei sighed softly, propped open the window for ventilation, closed the door, and left.

After she left, Qiu Shuzhi, who should have been asleep, slowly opened her eyes.

Those eyes were like white plum blossoms formed in the wind and snow, clear and cold, without a trace of alcohol.

Her gaze passed through the window, looking at the tightly closed door across, moonlight spilling on his doorstep, congealing into a sheet of frosty white jade.

While she remained hidden in the shadows, lost in thought.

Yue Guanyi

She repeated his name in her heart, her eyes thin and cold.

That night, Qiu Shuzhi searched her memory over and over again, trying to find any recollection of him, but to no avail.

Yue Guanyi, why do you like me?

And just a courtyard away, Yue Guanyi, lonely in the moonlight, spent a sleepless night.

The next morning, as the dawn light fell on Qiu Shuzhi, and the crisp bird songs reached her ears, Qiu Shuzhi slowly awakened. She propped herself up against the bed, frowning as she rubbed her head.

Ji Mei heard the sound from inside and pushed the door open, carrying a bowl of hangover soup in her hand.

Since they were putting on an act, they might as well do it thoroughly.

As Qiu Shuzhi drank the hangover soup, she praised, “Ji Mei, your cooking skills are not bad.” Ji Mei’s old face reddened, “My lady, this soup wasn’t made by this humble servant.” “Then who made it?”

Ji Mei pointed across, “Chang’an brought it over.”

Qiu Shuzhi stared at the hangover soup in front of her. The spoon that was about to reach her mouth was put down again, stirring round and round in the bowl.

Seeing that Qiu Shuzhi wasn’t drinking, Ji Mei thought she hadn’t explained clearly enough.

Indeed, how could Chang’an’s ugly appearance compare to his beautiful master?

She leaned close to Qiu Shuzhi’s ear and whispered, “It was personally made by His Highness the Crown Prince.” Qiu Shuzhi simply put down the spoon, showing no intention of drinking at all.

Ji Mei asked in confusion, “My lady, why aren’t you drinking?” “How do you know this?” she asked in return.

How could the esteemed Crown Prince make hangover soup for her? If this got out, what impact would it have on his reputation?

“At the fifth watch, this servant couldn’t sleep and was resting with eyes closed. Suddenly, there was movement at the small stove nearby. When this servant looked, it was actually the Crown Prince sneaking into the kitchen. He made the hangover soup before the servants woke up, then quietly ordered Chang’an to bring it to you,” Ji Mei explained.

“My lady, it seems the Crown Prince has intentions towards you, you should—”

Qiu Shuzhi gave her a look, and Ji Mei immediately closed her mouth.

Qiu Shuzhi looked at the hangover soup before her, feeling a mix of emotions.

All along, she couldn’t understand why Yue Guanyi, a man with an iron fist, would suddenly develop romantic feelings for her.

In the official circles, whether it was advising the young emperor or complying with the empress dowager, she had to tread carefully with every step, fearing that one wrong move would lead to irredeemable consequences.

But with Yue Guanyi alone, she could never figure out what he truly wanted.

What was certain was that before she became a Tanhua, there had been no interaction between them.

And since she entered the official circles, Yue Guanyi had been planning for her at every turn.

A man being so attentive inevitably led her to have some other thoughts. Could it be that Yue Guanyi really liked her?

But the “like” Qiu Shuzhi thought of was purely physical attraction.

She had to admit that in this female-dominated world, she was blessed with good looks, and it was normal for men to like her.

Yue Guanyi was also a man, albeit of a more noble status, but it was still normal for him to like her.

All the men in the capital sent her flowers and fruits, weren’t they all just attracted to her beauty? Yue Guanyi should be the same.

Qiu Shuzhi estimated Yue Guanyi’s thoughts.

So last night, she took advantage of that cup of wine to pretend to be drunk, originally intending to show her drunken state in front of Yue Guanyi, to make him reveal his true intentions.

In modern society, she had relied on her own abilities to become a director of a multinational corporation in the upper circles where gender discrimination was obvious. After transmigrating to this female-dominated world, she had no intention of serving others with her looks.

She had planned to reject him while pretending to be drunk.

In the enclosed space, with no one else knowing, she would first reject him and then say some self-deprecating words. Men are thin-skinned, so this matter should have been over with that.

But she didn’t expect that person to cry.

Heaven knows how panicked she was at that moment. She hadn’t done anything yet, and this person was already crying, crying like a dog.

She was afraid his crying would be carried by the evening wind and heard by Chang’an, so she had to hold him and comfort him.

As a result……

Qiu Shuzhi touched the strand of hair by her neck. Last night, he had nestled against her neck like this, sucking and licking, the wet sounds reaching her ears. She had to control herself for a long time to pretend she hadn’t noticed anything.

When she went to sleep, the small strand of hair that had been licked wet stuck to her neck. Although she didn’t dislike this feeling, nor did she dislike Yue Guanyi’s cautious yet peculiar fondness for her.

But it was precisely because she sensed that Yue Guanyi’s liking for her seemed to be more than just physical attraction that she felt more alarmed.

They had never known each other before, yet his affection came so suddenly.

Although he was a man, he was also a person in power, holding high position and great authority.

Now that he had taken a fancy to her on a whim, he could use his overwhelming power to elevate her.

If one day this affection disappeared, if the head clouded by hormones cleared up, her good days would be over.

The more Qiu Shuzhi thought about it, the more she felt this couldn’t go on. She had to maintain a not-too-close, not-too-distant relationship with Yue Guanyi. This way, when Yue Guanyi’s love-addled brain cleared up, she could still continue in the official circles.

Qiu Shuzhi pushed the hangover soup aside, “Does anyone else know about the Crown Prince making hangover soup for me?”

“Besides the four of us, others shouldn’t know,” Ji Mei answered truthfully.

Qiu Shuzhi nodded, “That’s good. This matter absolutely must not be leaked out.”

“Yes.” Although Ji Mei nodded in agreement, she was extremely puzzled inside. Yue Guanyi was the Crown Prince of the country. He liked her lady, shouldn’t her lady be happy?

If she married the prince as her consort, the prince’s dowry would surely be substantial, not to mention the Embroidered Uniform Guard under his control. Wouldn’t all of this belong to her?

Why did she look so gloomy?