Truthfully, Jiu’er had no idea why she was sulking.
Ren Qiqi had prepared that kind of drug for Lu Beicheng—what did that have to do with her? Why should she be angry about it?
Lu Beicheng was Lu Beicheng. No matter how much he felt like the Ninth Imperial Uncle, he wasn’t him!
He wasn’t the Ninth Imperial Uncle, so why should she care who drugged him, or who he ended up with?
It was all his fault—apart from not looking the part, everything else about him resembled the Ninth Imperial Uncle, which made her keep mistaking him for the Ninth Imperial Uncle whenever they were together.
Once she let the Ninth Imperial Uncle into her thoughts, and imagined Ren Qiqi preparing to drug the Ninth Imperial Uncle, she just… got so angry!
Angry enough to want to tear Ren Qiqi apart!
But what right did she have to be angry?
He wasn’t the Ninth Imperial Uncle after all—it had nothing to do with her.
Sigh.
How annoying.
Jiu’er shut herself up in her own tent, seemingly absorbed in studying something.
During that time, Lu Beicheng came by twice, but both times he only lingered a short distance from the tent and never actually went in.
Ji Mingyu was watching, practically dying of anxiety.
Couldn’t the two of them just talk things out?
It was Yan Qiu who finally lost patience and went straight to Lu Beicheng. “Ninth Master, do you like Miss Jiu’er?”
“I don’t know,” Lu Beicheng said—and this time, remarkably, he actually bothered to answer, which was almost unprecedented.
Seizing the opportunity, Yan Qiu pressed on. “I’ve never seen you this conflicted before. This really is falling for someone, isn’t it? Though I can hardly believe it myself.”
Lu Beicheng glanced at him.
Yan Qiu smiled. “It’s really not that strange, honestly. Zhen Jiu’er truly is different from every woman you’ve met before. She doesn’t seem… particularly fond of you, does she?”
Not particularly fond—that was just Yan Qiu’s own impression.
But then again, it did seem like there was some fondness there too.
Just thinking about it left Yan Qiu feeling rather conflicted.
What exactly did Zhen Jiu’er feel toward their Ninth Master?
She clearly cared, and yet she seemed to be deliberately holding herself back from caring.
But why?
Finally, a thought struck Yan Qiu, and unease crept in. “Does she… have a boyfriend?”
If that were the case, everything would suddenly make sense.
Zhen Jiu’er had a boyfriend, but even so, she couldn’t resist Ninth Master’s charm and had fallen for him.
Yet her conscience wouldn’t allow it, so despite clearly liking him, she forced herself to suppress it and pretend not to.
Yes, that had to be it.
Looking up, he found Lu Beicheng staring right at him, his gaze still icy.
Yan Qiu flinched and quickly said, “I… was just guessing wildly.”
“She’s never dated anyone.”
“Hm?” What did that mean? Was he talking about Zhen Jiu’er?
Yan Qiu’s eyes widened suddenly. “Ninth Master, you investigated her romantic history?”
That was… more than a little questionable.
Sneaky, in a rather underhanded way.
Lu Beicheng gave a short scoff and didn’t want to say anything more.
According to the records, she had never dated anyone—but he knew perfectly well that this stubborn girl already had someone in her heart.
The Ninth Imperial Uncle?
It had gotten to the point where, in his dreams, he’d even dreamed of her calling him “Ninth Imperial Uncle.”
Did he really want to be her Ninth Imperial Uncle that badly?
But honestly, what era was this?
The twenty-first century—where would a “Ninth Imperial Uncle” even come from? Were they filming some period drama?
“This…” Yan Qiu found himself at a loss.
If she’d never dated anyone, then none of this made sense.
“Could it be that she feels the gap between your status and hers is too great, so she doesn’t dare like you?”
“You think we’re filming a TV drama?” Some period piece where social status has to match?
“That’s not quite what I meant.”
Yan Qiu was being perfectly serious. “It’s entirely possible that the girl genuinely feels she isn’t good enough for you! That’s not out of the question, is it?”