I politely nodded and followed him onto the boat. The man inside slowly turned around, and the moment I saw his face, I couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s you?”
The man slightly furrowed his brow, looking at me with confusion, “Qinhuai miss, do we know each other?”
The person before me was still dressed in blue, with a handsome face, but his expression was extremely distant.
I unconsciously touched my face, relieved that my veil was still in place. I awkwardly laughed and said, “In Quanzhou City, who doesn’t know the young master of the Qi family!”
“However…” I deliberately paused, slowly curving my lips, “I didn’t expect Young Master Qi would be interested in courtesans like us!”
“No, you’re wrong!” Qi Yueran responded coldly, “I’m not interested in courtesans, I’m interested in you specifically!”
Ah?” I couldn’t help but blink, shaking my head: “Qin Huai doesn’t understand!
Qi Yueran coldly raised her lips and said: “Everyone knows that there’s a famous courtesan named Wan Yao in Yi Xiao Lou, and your appearance is enough to make people forget that name!”
“What do you mean?”
Qi Yueran calmly stated: “In any case, the Qi family cannot marry a courtesan as the second young mistress. I will find a way to arrange for her to leave Yi Xiao Lou and give her a new identity!”
“Is this true?”
I couldn’t help but exclaim with joy, excitedly standing up from my seat, and accidentally dropping my veil again…
Qi Yueran was stunned, her handsome eyebrows furrowing, looking suspiciously at my face: “May I ask, Miss Qin Huai, haven’t we met somewhere before?”
I hurriedly covered my veil, my gaze shifting: “How could we? Qin Huai just arrived in Quan Zhou and has been staying in Yi Xiao Lou. How could I have met Young Master Qi?”
“No!” He shook his head with certainty, narrowing his eyes and staring directly at me: “We must have met somewhere! Who are you, exactly?”
I couldn’t help but feel nervous, forcing a smile: “Young Master Qi is quite the joker. Tell me, where have we met?”
Although wearing a veil, his sharp gaze seemed to see right through me: “You’re the one who broke into the Qi mansion that night, aren’t you?”
“W-what breaking into the Qi mansion?” I played dumb: “Why would Qin Huai randomly break into the Qi mansion?”
He coldly pressed me: “This is precisely what I want to ask Miss Qin Huai!
Why have you been lingering outside the Qi mansion repeatedly? What is your purpose in deliberately approaching me?
Qi Yueran couldn’t help but correct: “I’m just not interested in men!”
Suddenly feeling mischievous, I leaned closer to him, breathing softly in his ear: “What about now? If it’s me right now, would you be seduced?”
Qi Yueran casually wrapped his arm around my waist, half threatening and half warning: “Woman, playing with fire will burn you!”
I quickly retreated from his embrace: “I don’t need you, Young Master Qi, to remind me of this. I think it’s getting late, Qin Huai should go back!”
That guy slightly raised his eyebrow, coldly surveying me: “What, in such a hurry to leave? Are you afraid I’ll actually eat you?”
“Wrong!” I shook my head, giving a charming smile and winking at him: “You said it backwards…” Then, before he could react, I pulled Wan Wan onto the deck, tiptoed, and directly leaped to the shore!
Wan Wan couldn’t help but widen her eyes, exclaiming in joy: “Wow, Sister Ran, you can fly!”
I tapped her head, warning: “You forgot again, outside you should call me Sister Qin Huai. And this isn’t flying, it’s lightness skill!”
The little girl clapped: “Sister Ran actually knows lightness skill, so cool!”
I rolled my eyes, helplessly reminding again: “I told you, it’s Sister Qin Huai!”
The little girl shrank her neck: “I know, Sister Ran, don’t be angry!”
I was speechless, simply stopped correcting her, and pulled her towards Yi Xiao Lou under the moonlight.
Behind her, a figure in blue stood on the boat’s deck, calmly instructing the person beside him: “Go investigate her background.”
“Yes!” the person acknowledged.
As soon as I entered Yi Xiao Lou’s door, Qin Jie rushed up: “Madam, you’re finally back!”
“What happened?” I looked at her questioningly.
Qin Jie smiled apologetically: “A high-ranking official just came from the capital, specifically requesting to see you. For our kind of business, we’re most afraid of offending officials. Could you help Qin Jie and meet this official?”
“But I’m already very tired today. Let him come back tomorrow!”
“This……”
Qin Jie looked dejected: “Can’t you just do this for Qin Jie?”
Not wanting to meet meant not wanting to meet. I frowned: “Qin Jie, we originally agreed that whether to meet guests is up to me.”
You’re not trying to go back on our agreement, are you?”
Qin Jie smiled awkwardly: “How could I? I just… I just have no other choice.”
“Clap, clap, clap——”
Behind Qin Jie, a man’s applause rang out: “Qin Huai’s attitude is indeed quite grand……”
I couldn’t help but look up in surprise, seeing a white-robed figure enter my view. Especially when I met his clear, bright face, I couldn’t help but exclaim: “It’s you?”
The man’s eyes showed surprise, but he still smiled and said: “Does Miss Qin Huai know me?”
I slightly raised my eyebrow and laughed: “Didn’t expect Young Master Nangong to like this kind of place. It’s quite surprising for this young lady!”
“Young Master Nangong?” Qin Jie followed my gaze, looking confused: “What Nangong Young Master?”
I deliberately spoke loudly: “Since Qin Jie knows he’s a high-ranking official from the capital, how could you not know he’s the eldest son of the current first-rank minister, from the Nangong family?”
Qin Jie’s expression immediately changed: “You mean he’s from one of the four great families of Huan Ye, whose father is the prime minister, whose sister is the empress, and who himself is the minister of punishment?”
“Mm-hmm!” I nodded while looking at Nangong Yu, who was frowning: “How’s that? Didn’t I say it correctly?”
That guy stared directly at me: “You did this on purpose?”
I looked innocent: “No, I’m just stating a fact!”
The guy who just moments ago had an imposing “storm about to break” atmosphere suddenly burst out laughing: “I was wondering if it was you, now it seems I don’t need to ask!”
I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrow again: “So you specially came to this place because of me?”
Nangong Yu didn’t answer but asked back: “What do you think?”
I shrugged: “I’ll tentatively believe that. How about, would you like to sit in my room?”
Nangong Yu even teased: “I don’t have a thousand taels to pay you!”
He doesn’t care, patting him on the shoulder and saying: “I know that a thousand taels is too little for a wealthy person like you. Don’t worry, I must collect at least ten thousand taels to make it sound reasonable!”
That guy’s forehead was marked with a few black lines, looking exasperated: “I think the Young Master of Xiling wouldn’t normally be so harsh on you, right?”
……
Not mentioning Xiling Yan was fine, but once he was mentioned, I couldn’t help but get angry. I turned my face away, angrily saying: “I don’t know what Xiling Young Master you’re talking about!”
“Huh?” Nangong Yu was stunned, carefully probing: “Did you two… have a fight? Weren’t you just recently married? Why are you here alone?”
I couldn’t help but pull a long face: “I told you I don’t know any Xiling Young Master. Don’t mention him in front of me again!”
Nangong Yu looked at my stubbornly straight back, asking with concern: “Could there be some misunderstanding between you two?”
“No!” I denied while walking up to the second floor.
Nangong Yu wisely stopped talking and followed me upstairs.
Leaving Qin Jie bewildered at the original spot, taking a long time to react and calling out: “Girl, girl?”
