The quiet of the dim alley was broken by the sound of soft footsteps.
Yu Jin stepped forward and knocked rhythmically on the door.
The door opened quickly, and the doorman respectfully stepped aside.
However, Yu Jin did not enter immediately; he slightly turned to the side and gestured for Jiang Si to go in first.
Jiang Si paused for a moment, ignoring the doorman’s shocked gaze as she glided past.
Even as the door closed swiftly behind them, the doorman still wore a dazed expression.
Inside the room, Long Dan was peering out the window.
Leng Ying lay on her back, breathing lightly.
“Stop pretending to be asleep! Come look, the master has brought a girl back!” Long Dan called out excitedly to her companion.
Leng Ying moved her eyelids slightly.
Long Dan continued to chatter excitedly, “I was wondering why the master didn’t take me with him today. Turns out something was going on! Wait, the girl the master brought back is the one who came by during the day!”
Leng Ying opened her eyes expressionlessly and then closed them again, rolling over.
It was enough to share a room with someone so gossipy.
But—did the master have a romantic interest now?
“Strange, why is Er Niu so quiet?” Long Dan wondered aloud.
Normally, Er Niu would be more enthusiastic about such excitement than he was.
Lying in the shadows, Er Niu lazily wagged his tail, his mouth facing the sky.
Foolish humans, is this the time to disturb the peace?
Yu Jin led Jiang Si into the room and hesitated for a moment in the main hall.
Although he wanted to take her to the bedroom… cough, cough, there would be plenty of time in the future. If he scared her off now, it would be a loss.
“Let’s go to the study.”
Jiang Si nodded.
A-Man quickly followed.
She was determined to protect the girl’s honor!
“A-Man, you wait outside,” Jiang Si said lightly.
A-Man: “……”
Yu Jin chuckled, feeling quite pleased.
Although he didn’t understand why she always looked at him with disdain and wariness, this silly girl probably didn’t realize that being willing to share a room with a man in the middle of the night was enough to show her recognition of his character.
He hadn’t expected that he held such a high place in her heart.
Yu Jin suddenly felt a surge of confidence about the future.
Jiang Si had never known that Yu Jin had such a place to stay. Upon entering the study, she couldn’t help but take a look around.
The study was simply decorated. On the right side against the wall was a tall bookshelf, and by the window was a long desk, casually adorned with an inkstone, a brush washer, and a paperweight. At the other end against the wall was a low couch.
There were no incense burners or vases, and the bookshelf held only a few books. However, the candles in the candlestick flickered, illuminating the entire room, very much in line with Yu Qi’s style.
After observing all this, a thought flashed through Jiang Si’s mind.
“Please sit; I’ll go get some water.”
“No need—”
Yu Jin had already stepped outside.
Jiang Si pressed her lips together and casually chose a chair to sit down.
Before long, Yu Jin returned, placing a teapot and teacups on the table, but what he poured was plain water.
“It’s not suitable to drink tea at this hour; let’s have some warm water instead.”
Jiang Si accepted the teacup with thanks.
“What does Miss Jiang like to drink? Next time, I’ll prepare it for you.”
The words “honey water” almost slipped out, but Jiang Si swallowed them back down.
“No need to trouble yourself. I probably won’t bother Young Master Yu again in the future. Let’s talk about what happened today.”
“What does Miss Jiang want to discuss?” Yu Jin leaned slightly forward, appearing very cooperative.
He had a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes, with pupils as dark and bright as jewels, sparkling with captivating charm as they shifted with his gaze.
Jiang Si pulled back a little, frowning in dissatisfaction.
It was truly inappropriate for a man she had only met a few times to be so frivolous.
“When did Young Master Yu start following me?”
Yu Jin raised an eyebrow slightly at her question but did not respond.
“Does Young Master Yu not want to answer?”
Yu Jin suddenly smiled: “Miss Jiang, that’s not the right attitude for a proper discussion. Don’t forget, I’m the one threatening you now, not the other way around.”
This girl wanted to pressure him into submission right now? He would have to wait until she married him before he would willingly comply.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to kill to silence her.
“What does Young Master Yu suggest we discuss?”
Yu Jin chuckled, seemingly confident that the girl across from him would not object: “Miss Jiang, you ask a question first, and then I will ask one. This back-and-forth will be fair. What do you think?”
Jiang Si bit her lip lightly.
This scoundrel was indeed the type to take advantage without suffering any loss.
In her previous life, he had coaxed her into being a substitute for his beloved, and now that she knew the truth, she felt deeply trapped. Just thinking about that scoundrel’s every little action made her unable to bring herself to use tricks like faking her death or becoming a nun. She could only entangle herself with him while suffering in silence, a feeling that was hard to articulate.
“Fine, let’s do it that way.”
“Then Miss Jiang, please ask first.” Yu Jin toyed with the teacup, his gaze lightly sweeping over the girl’s fair and delicate face.
She seemed to be angry.
Anger was also quite endearing; what should he do if he wanted to kiss her?
The boy’s gaze suddenly darkened, landing on the girl’s exquisitely curved lips.
It must be said that the girl was truly blessed; her lips were naturally rosy, the most enticing shade of pink, moist, and without a single line.
Yu Jin’s gaze grew even deeper.
Jiang Si inexplicably felt the room grow warmer.
The silhouettes of the two were cast on the gauzy window, and for a moment, it felt as if time had stopped.
Long Dan, squatting in the courtyard, stared intently at the window, feeling extremely anxious.
Was the master just bringing the girl back for a chat in the middle of the night?
The phrase “wishing for iron to become steel” perfectly encapsulated the little guard’s feelings at that moment.
“Alright, back to the previous question. When did Young Master Yu start following me?”
“Not following, but protecting,” Yu Jin emphasized, and seeing the girl across from him about to lose her temper, he added leisurely, “After Miss Jiang left my place.”
“Why?”
Yu Jin chuckled lightly: “That’s the second question.”
Jiang Si took a deep breath, coldly saying, “You ask.”
“How did Miss Jiang discover that the son of Marquis Changxing was harming women?”
Jiang Si had spoken those words as the ghost of Madam Xiu’s daughter, and Yu Jin had heard everything clearly from the shadows.
At that time, just the thought of Jiang Si staying overnight at the Changxing Marquis’s mansion and then discovering such a shocking secret about the Marquis’s son made him wish he could tear the Marquis’s son to pieces.
Had that beast done something to Jiang Si? Otherwise, how would a young girl know about these things?
Jiang Si sighed inwardly.
She had known he would ask this.
How to deal with the son of Marquis Changxing to ruin him, she had already made plans and did not want to involve others and complicate matters.
But she understood Yu Qi; if she were vague today, he would turn around and chop the son of Marquis Changxing into pieces to feed the dogs, clean and simple, without hesitation.
She didn’t want to make it so easy for the son of Marquis Changxing!
“I accidentally stumbled upon the son of Marquis Changxing’s servant burying a body in the garden at the Marquis’s mansion at night and overheard their conversation.”
Yu Jin suddenly stood up.
Jiang Si, alarmed, stood in front of him: “Where are you going?”