The instant Liang Qingluo was pulled up, the door to the room was just being pushed open. She didn’t have time to think and immediately lifted the quilt, lying down beneath it.
A maid walked over carrying sobering soup. When she saw him sitting properly on the bed, she couldn’t help but be startled, probably wondering why, though he was clearly awake, he had just ignored her. She immediately lowered herself to apologize.
“Seventh Young Master, please forgive me. Just now, I thought you were heavily drunk, so I came in without your permission.”
“It’s fine.”
“This sobering soup, would you like to have it now, Young Master?”
“Just leave it on the table.”
“Yes.”
The maid placed the sobering soup on the small table by the bed and said, “If you have no other orders, I’ll be leaving now.”
“Mm, you may go.”
Fortunately, this little maid hadn’t noticed anything unusual on the bed. After bowing and withdrawing, it wasn’t until the sound of the closing door echoed that the quilt beside Pei Huai’an stirred, and a delicate, pretty face peeked out.
Long lashes blinked, her exquisitely shaped brows and eyes brightening with a subtle radiance. She grinned foolishly.
Pei Huai’an was momentarily distracted, then asked her, “What are you smiling about?”
“It just suddenly feels a little funny…”
“What’s so funny?”
“When someone else came in, I had to hide, like there’s some shameful relationship between us.”
A shameful relationship?
Pei Huai’an’s lips curled up slightly. “It does seem that way…”
Liang Qingluo giggled for a while, then, propping herself up, sat up on the bed, just about to get off when he suddenly spoke: “I’ve thought of a way to help you.”
“Oh?” She paused, her raised bottom settling back down. “What way?”
“Earlier, you told me that Qingjian came looking for you and even said a few things to you. Do you know what that means?”
“What does it mean?”
“It means he’s jealous.”
Liang Qingluo drew in a sharp breath and covered her mouth in disbelief, but delight still sparkled in her eyes. “He’s jealous? Really?”
Qingjian, with his cold and indifferent nature—could he really be jealous?
“Even if he’s not jealous, our little act together has indeed drawn more attention from him to you, hasn’t it?”
Liang Qingluo nodded vigorously. “That’s true.”
“So, from now on, we can pretend to be close in front of him. If he likes you but isn’t aware of it, the more we provoke him, the sooner he’ll realize his own feelings…”
“This…” Liang Qingluo hesitated. “Will it work?”
“It will.”
Liang Qingluo’s eyes darted about, finally deciding to trust him. “My father says, ‘Don’t use someone you doubt, and don’t doubt someone you use.’ I trust you.”
“Mm.” Pei Huai’an lowered his eyes lightly. The innocent girl hadn’t realized yet that the two of them were chatting together under the same quilt. “Then in a couple of days, I’ll tell Youlan that I’m fond of you and ask her to invite you out to play. At that time, Qingjian will surely come with her, and we’ll have the chance to act in front of him…”
Suddenly hearing him say he was fond of her, Liang Qingluo’s heart skipped a beat. But since he said it was just acting, she felt a bit uneasy. “If we do this, will it be bad for you?”
“It’s nothing. I’m a man, suffering a bit of loss doesn’t matter.”
Hearing him say this, Liang Qingluo couldn’t help but feel touched. “Seventh Young Master, you’ve helped me again and again, I really don’t know how to thank you.”
Pei Huai’an smiled. “Give kindness without expecting return—just think of it as me doing good deeds.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.” Liang Qingluo was about to bow in thanks but suddenly realized she was still sitting on the bed. Her face flushed, and she quickly climbed over him and got off the bed.
After being wrapped in the quilt, her hairpin had loosened a bit, and a few stray strands of hair on top of her head brushed across his chin, tickling lightly.
She got off the bed and bowed to him properly. “You give kindness without expecting return, and I will never forget your favor. Seventh Young Master, you helped me today. If there’s ever a day you need my help, just let me know.”
“Alright.”
She caught sight of the sobering soup on the table, turned around, and brought it over. “It’s no longer hot. Hurry and drink it, I saw how muddled you were when you were drunk just now.”
Pei Huai’an accepted it. “Thank you.”
“Then I’ll be going now.”
“Alright.”
Liang Qingluo didn’t dare leave through the door; instead, she climbed out through the window.
The room returned to its quiet state, leaving behind only a few wisps of the girl’s lingering fragrance, gently drifting in the air.
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