Lu Yanyan’s cheeks blushed slightly as she hurriedly moved away from Chu Shuo’s support, shaking her head.
Then, she avoided Chu Shuo’s gaze.
Chu Shuo found it strange, "Why are you suddenly acting like a closed clam? Could it be that you’re truly injured?"
"No! I’ve already said no!" After Lu Yanyan finished speaking, she quickly hid behind Nanli.
Nanli checked Lu Yanyan’s condition and said, "She’s fine, probably just frightened."
Chu Shuo breathed a sigh of relief, "That’s good then."
Master Yuanfan still needed to repair the barrier.
The barriers of the Buddhist and Taoist sects were quite different, and Nanli couldn’t be of much help.
However, she could deal with those evil spirits, preventing them from escaping while Master Yuanfan repaired the barrier. A
fter finishing their tasks, they left the dark room with Master Yuanfan.
By now, half a day had passed, and the sky had already darkened.
The guards from both families were relieved to see the two of them safe, but it was too late to return to the city due to the late hour.
So Nanli immediately decided to stay overnight at the Wanfo Temple and return the next day.
Lu Yanyan insisted on sharing a room with Nanli.
Helpless, Nanli agreed, but it seemed that Lu Yanyan was genuinely frightened, so she didn’t mind.
Lu Yanyan wasn’t much older than Nanli.
She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, before finally calling out to Nanli and stuttering, "Nanli, earlier... I... I apologize for targeting you."
"Ah?" Nanli pondered for a moment, "I didn’t suffer any losses, so I didn’t take it to heart."
Lu Yanyan thought for a moment and felt a slight pain in her buttocks.
She looked in the direction where Nanli was lying and pouted, "As long as you’re not bothered. But I wanted to ask, has your family arranged a marriage for your second brother?" Nanli’s mind stirred.
Could it be that Lu Yanyan...?
After thinking for a moment, she deliberately said, "Yes, according to my mother, his aunt wants him to meet their own cousin."
"Cousin? When did this happen?" Lu Yanyan asked multiple questions in one breath, "But is it confirmed? Does Chu Shuo have any interest?"
Nanli suppressed her smile, "I’m not sure about that."
She had been uncertain before, but after this incident, she was certain that Chu Shuo’s peach blossom luck was right in front of him.
Lu Yanyan didn’t dare to ask further, afraid that Nanli would see through something. Nanli was also tired and said, "With me here, you can sleep peacefully. Don’t worry."
Lu Yanyan responded and once again felt that she hadn’t been a good person before.
She had deliberately targeted Nanli, thinking that she was a country bumpkin who didn’t deserve to enter the palace and pay respects to the Emperor and Empress.
Fortunately, she hadn’t succeeded in anything, so Nanli generously didn’t hold it against her.
Lost in her thoughts, Lu Yanyan fell asleep.
Nanli heard her even breathing and also fell asleep at ease.
The next day, on their way back, Chu Shuo naturally shared a carriage with Nanli.
Lu Yanyan wanted to say something but never found the courage to speak up.
In the carriage, Chu Shuo still had lingering fears from the previous night and asked, "Sixth sister, did Lu Yanyan have any nightmares last night? Her face seemed pale."
Nanli glanced at him, "She slept well and even murmured your name in her dreams."
"Murmured my name? Really? Could it be that she blames me for involving her and wants to seek revenge?"
Chu Shuo’s first reaction was to fear that she would come to hold him accountable.
Nanli covered her mouth and smiled, "Actually, she’s not that unreasonable."
Chu Shuo shrugged, thinking that Lu Yanyan was clearly arrogant and domineering, but a good man doesn’t fight with women.
He would be magnanimous and give her some good things as compensation.
After returning home, Chu Shuo wanted to keep it a secret, but he couldn’t hide the fact that he hadn’t returned home all night from Aunt Qian.
She felt that her son had bad luck and should go out less. B
ut Chu Shuo felt that his luck had already turned around.
After all, he had returned unscathed and safe this time.
He managed so many businesses, how could he not go out?
Qian couldn’t persuade her son, and coincidentally, the weather wasn’t so cold anymore, so the Qian family’s head took the whole family to the capital.
The Spring Examinations began on the 18th of the third month.
Qian Wenwu, the son of the host of Qian family, had been studying for several years and finally had the chance to participate in the Spring Examinations. How could the whole family not go together?
The Qian family was not lacking in wealth and had already prepared a large mansion in the capital.
After the love spell on Qian Ruolan was broken, she no longer obsessed over Jiang He.
After several years, she returned to the capital and couldn’t be happier.
She visited the Anyang Marquis’s residence every day.
With her bold and lively persoNanlity, Qian Ruolan, just like Chu Shuo, never held back when it came to giving gifts.
After giving the initial gifts, she followed up with various trinkets, quickly becoming familiar with the Marquis’s household and even calling them "cousins."
But the person Qian Ruolan clung to the most was still Chu Shuo.
After all, Chu Shuo loved going out, and she could accompany him wherever he went.
On this day, they happened to meet Lu Yanyan at the Pearl Hairpin Shop.
Lu Yanyan, brimming with excitement, greeted Chu Shuo and was about to inquire how he ended up at the Pearl Hairpin Shop.
Just then, a charming young maiden peered out from behind, adorning her hair bun with a peach blossom tassel hairpin.
Her voice was soft and tender, "Cousin, take a look, isn’t this beautiful?"
Chu Shuo turned around, a smile playing on his features,
"Indeed, it is exquisite. Do you have any fine wooden hairpins? Get two for my younger sister as well."
Cousin and younger sister?
Lu Yanyan’s heart trembled as she stared straight at the two of them. They truly complemented each other.
Chu Shuo noticed Lu Yanyan still looking at him, her gaze seemingly filled with sorrow.
He paused and said, "Miss Lu, could it be that you are also interested in this hairpin?"
Qian Ruolan chimed in, "Does this young lady fancy it? We have more, why not each take one?"
Saying so, she had the shopkeeper wrap it up, intending to gift Lu Yanyan one as a token of their meeting.
Seeing Qian Ruolan, not only beautiful but also generous, bearing a striking resemblance to Chu Shuo, Lu Yanyan’s heart was filled with an indescribable feeling.
Lu Yanyan quickly shook her head, "No need!"
Her eyes slightly reddened, she turned and left.
Qian Ruolan was surprised, "Cousin, is this young lady so shallow? Didn’t I say I would give her one?"
Chu Shuo furrowed his brows, "Don’t bother with her, she has always had a bad temper."
But despite Lu Yanyan’s previous behavior, her eyes were not swollen.
Could it be that she was frightened at Wanfo Temple, to the point where she easily teared up?
With such thoughts, Chu Shuo felt his luck was low, causing trouble for her.
He sighed lightly and personally selected several hairpins of different styles, instructing the shopkeeper to carefully package them and have them delivered to the Prime Minister’s residence as a gesture of apology.
Lu Yanyan was already in a bad mood.
When she returned home and saw the gifts sent by Chu Shuo, she struggled to hold back her tears but they fell uncontrollably.
The Prime Minister’s wife was astonished and hurriedly asked, "Yanyan, what’s the matter? Have you been mistreated?"
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt it was inappropriate.
Her daughter was the one who bullied others, how could others bully her?
Lu Yanyan wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said, "Mother, can I become someone else’s concubine?"