“You say I admire him?!”
Si Kongyue placed one hand on her hip, first pointing at herself, then at the advisor, instantly raising her voice by eight notches. “Ridiculous. How could I possibly have feelings for this spoiled… for this Gu fellow?”
“This is only the second time I’ve seen him!”
“Mm, Heroine Si Kong speaks reason,” Su Qianhua shrank her neck, nodding gently, her voice soft. “It was Qianhua who overthought. I thought Heroine Si Kong, like me, fell for Young Master Gu at first sight.”
“Heh, what a joke!”
Si Kongyue raised her chin, her expression indifferent.
So this Su Qianhua is just a face-obsessed love fool, can’t even walk after seeing Gu Wangchen’s punchable handsome face.
Compared to her, she was leagues behind!
Although she admitted Gu Wangchen’s looks were definitely her type, she would never go for looks alone. She believed that, between a man and a woman, looks were the most insignificant part.
Given Gu Wangchen’s temperament, there was no way she could ever develop feelings for him.
Even if she did, it would be contempt!
She said so herself!
“So, if Heroine Si Kong neither admires Young Master Gu nor found any monsters in my chamber, what is your reason for breaking in…?”
Su Qianhua gave her no chance to reply, immediately following up with another question.
“Could it be…?”
As if something occurred to her, she shrank deeper into Gu Wangchen’s embrace, her forehead pressed tightly to his chest, her voice trembling. “Could it be Heroine Si Kong is here to assassinate Young Master Gu? Given Young Master Gu’s identity…”
“No, I must protect Young Master Gu!”
At this, Su Qianhua immediately broke free from Gu Wangchen’s arms, stood in front of him, quickly tidied her disheveled clothes to cover a large expanse of snowy skin, and declared resolutely, “Young Master Gu, you must go first, Qianhua will delay them for you!”
“Ha? I’m not here to assassinate him! I told you, I came in because I sensed demon aura…” Being labeled as an assassin, Si Kongyue became anxious at once, instinctively taking a step back to defend herself.
“Mm, what Miss Su said is quite possible. Heroine Si Kong and I have always been at odds. Perhaps she did take on someone’s mission.”
At this, Gu Wangchen called out loudly toward the door, “Someone, quickly! There’s an assassin after me!”
“Hey, stop shouting nonsense! I already said I’m not here to kill you!” Si Kongyue leaped forward to stand in front of Gu Wangchen, raising her hand to cover his mouth.
“Don’t you dare hurt Young Master Gu!”
Su Qianhua immediately blocked Si Kongyue, her arms tightly clasping Si Kongyue’s waist, eyes resolute.
“Miss Su, let go of me, I really am not here to assassinate anyone!”
“Oh, so you really did come to kill me, Si Kongyue!” Gu Wangchen watched Su Qianhua’s performance, unable to suppress a smile in his heart.
This woman, not only stubborn, but a born actress—just now the tea-flavored pretense, now this self-sacrificing determination. If he hadn’t known in advance she was faking, even he might have been fooled.
Why didn’t he see this in his previous life?
With that in mind, he cooperated, retreating to the corner of the chamber and shouting loudly again, causing a commotion throughout the courtyard.
“Help! Help!”
Thud, thud, thud.
Moments later, Madam Wang Lingniang burst into Su Qianhua’s boudoir with several female guards, only to be met with a scene that left their jaws hanging.
No need for explanation—several third or even fourth-realm female guards joined forces, forcibly pulling Si Kongyue away and restraining her.
Madam Wang hurried to Gu Wangchen, bowed deeply, and asked anxiously, “Young Master Gu, are you alright?”
“Me?”
Gu Wangchen snorted coldly, straightening his clothes, and replied flatly, “Lingniang, what kind of security does this Jingfang Pavilion have? Why would you hire someone who wants to assassinate me as a guard? Did you not check her background before hiring her?”
“Uh…”
Madam Wang knew she was at fault and quickly apologized, “Truly, I am sorry. We always do background checks during recruitment. It’s just that this Si Kongyue…”
She glanced at Si Kongyue, who stood to the side looking agitated and wronged, and explained, “She was only hired yesterday as a temporary worker. As you know, with Qianhua performing tonight, we needed extra hands to keep order.”
“But whatever the reason, it’s still our fault,” Wang Lingniang quickly shifted her tone, guilt-ridden. “We failed in our oversight and startled Young Master Gu. Jingfang Pavilion will definitely compensate you!”
Right now, Madam Wang felt as though the sky had collapsed. She’d planned to use her connection to Su Qianhua to officially attach herself to Gu Wangchen’s powerful influence.
As the son of Prime Minister Gu and having been summoned by the Empress Dowager, he was already the most favored, powerful, and influential playboy in all of Sheng’an City.
That was why she’d advised Su Qianhua in the main hall earlier to choose Gu Wangchen over the talented but backgroundless Lin Yutang.
“Then, let’s see how sincere you are.”
Gu Wangchen replied coolly, then sat on the bed, hands on his knees, waiting for Wang Lingniang’s decision.
“We will send her to the magistrate at once and ensure you get justice!”
“Mm—no, forget it,” Gu Wangchen thought for a moment, then changed his mind. “Look into her background. If you’re sure she hasn’t been bribed by anyone, just let her go.”
“Young Master Gu, you mean…”
“Tonight is the night I met Miss Su. While I must consider my own safety, I don’t wish to see this person suffer a wrongful accusation either.”
“Besides… if she’s taken to the magistrate and forced to confess under torture, she’ll definitely curse me behind my back for bringing her misfortune.”
Wang Lingniang’s eyes lit up in sudden understanding—so Gu Wangchen didn’t want to waste more time over this, and was eager to “get closer” with Su Qianhua.
She glanced at Su Qianhua, whose clothes were still somewhat disheveled, gave her an encouraging nod, then replied,
“Very well, as Young Master Gu wishes. Once we finish a private investigation, if she truly did not come to assassinate you, I’ll dismiss her at once!”
“That will do.”
To be honest, when he saw Si Kongyue barge into the boudoir, he was completely shocked. No matter how he thought about it, he hadn’t expected that, after yesterday’s ‘Ba Bridge Ambush’ had gone so well, Si Kongyue would still show up at Jingfang Pavilion as in the original plot.
Therefore, his goal now was to prevent Si Kongyue and Su Qianhua from forming the typical bond through ‘fighting before befriending,’ and to sever their connection.
Besides, he really didn’t want to make an enemy of this Feng Aotian. Who knew if, as the protagonist blessed by fate, she might obtain some miraculous opportunity and return for ruthless revenge?
That was the main reason he didn’t want Wang Lingniang to send her to the magistrate.
“Hey, Gu, what do you mean, the magistrate? Fine, let’s go together! I want you to clear my name in person!” Si Kongyue shouted.
“This young master can’t be bothered with you. Aren’t you grateful?” Gu Wangchen snorted coldly and waved his hand. “Take her away. Just looking at her annoys me.”
“Gu, just wait. This isn’t over. You’ve insulted my reputation, and I will definitely…”
Her voice grew more distant, until it could no longer be heard.
Wang Lingniang bowed to Gu Wangchen again, then went to Su Qianhua’s side and lowered her voice, “Qianhua, you did very well. Just now, risking your life to protect Young Master Gu, he must have noticed.”
“If you wish, I can grant you your freedom now, so you can serve only Young Master Gu. What do you say?”
“Lingniang, I… let me think about it. Besides, I’m not sure Young Master Gu is willing~”
“Alright, it’s your decision. Even if Young Master Gu doesn’t take you home yet, I can tell he already has feelings for you. From now on, you won’t need to show yourself in the pavilion anymore—just focus on being by his side.”
After saying that, she bowed to Gu Wangchen once more. “Young Master Gu, may you and Qianhua create a beautiful memory together tonight.”
“Thank you for your kind wishes, Lingniang.”
Creak…
Once the door closed and only the two of them remained in the chamber, Gu Wangchen rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the table leg by his feet, and spoke first,
“Alright, Su Qianhua, the commotion’s over. So, do we continue to spar until there’s a clear winner, or do you want to sit down and talk?”
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