Chapter 40 The girl with rabbit ears lay comfortably on the soft couch...

The young girl lay comfortably on the soft couch, occasionally taking a bite of the dessert on the small table. Soon, she had finished off the only three pieces of osmanthus almond tofu.

In contrast, a man dressed in a gray-blue cloth shirt was sitting in front of her, bending down to apply medicine to her ankle.

The man's hands were several shades darker than his fair feet, creating a striking contrast. Aside from his skin tone, his hands were covered in a thin layer of calluses, making them firm and rough.

Jiang Zhuoying's feet had tender, rubbery skin and skin as white as snow.

Qi Fan narrowed his eyes, his gaze growing increasingly deep.

"Um……"

Jiang Zhuoying frowned. Why was she pinching her feet?

Or did you bump into it by accident?

The girl kindly reminded him, "Second Prince, I only hurt my ankle. The rest of my body is fine. Doctor Yu said that I just need to apply a compress to my ankle."

"Um."

Jiang Zhuoying glanced at him, somewhat puzzled. Why had his voice become hoarse?

Fortunately, no further accidents like the one that happened earlier occurred.

Jiang Zhuoying enjoyed everything with a clear conscience. Soon, Chu Yixin returned, bringing with her the herbs that Doctor Yu had prepared, as well as bamboo strips to fix her ankles later.

In addition, he was holding a letter sealed with sealing wax in his hand.

It's a secret message!

"Sir, this..."

Chu Yixin tidied up the rest of the items, then walked up to Qi Fan with the letter in her hand.

He didn't need to explain; the latter naturally understood.

Jiang Zhuoying pretended not to understand anything, but her ears had already quietly perked up.

Will she be able to hear today's secret message?

The man slowly put her stockings on, then gently moved the leg she was holding onto the soft couch.

Jiang Zhuoying's heart pounded in her throat.

The man stared at her slightly disheveled double buns on her head: "Rest here and wait for me to come back."

"……oh."

The girl fiddled with her sash, her head bowed and she uttered muffled sounds.

It turned out that she had foolishly believed him again, and now that he wasn't sending her away, he was planning to go out on his own.

So, the goal is to prevent her from hearing it, right?

However, she couldn't very well make trouble over the matter of the secret letter, so she could only swallow her anger quietly.

"I'll be back soon."

The man added another sentence, his voice no longer hoarse, but tinged with an unusual gentleness.

He then raised his hand and smoothed her messy double buns on her head.

The fluffy texture felt like stroking soft rabbit ears.

Jiang Zhuoying stiffened, and as she looked up, her peach blossom eyes widened: "Your Highness!"

The man paused slightly, looked at her, and asked calmly, "What?"

The girl pursed her lips, glanced at his hand, shrank back, and looked speechless.

"I...your hand just touched my...foot!"

This time, it was Qi Fan who was speechless.

The man's expression darkened slightly. He withdrew his hand and left in silence, without responding to her words.

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

She didn't do it on purpose, but she just loves cleanliness and tidiness. What did she do wrong?

Not long after Qi Fan left, Yu Ji came again, bringing not just any old dish, but another crystal-clear, fragrant, and sweet osmanthus cake.

He, a steward and doctor, ended up doing the work of serving tea and water.

Then I recalled that Ah Liu had just been packing his belongings and had left the mansion temporarily because of "family matters".

Yu Ji raised a somewhat awkward smile: "Miss Jiang, how are you? These are some snacks that the kitchen just made."

Jiang Zhuoying nodded, assuming that he had specially delivered it to her fake brother.

So he kindly reminded him, "Your Highness just went out with Eunuch Chu."

Yu Ji felt a little disappointed. Chu Yixin had mentioned to him before that Miss Jiang addressed His Highness as "Second Prince Brother" in front of him.

That old fox was grinning from ear to ear.

Thinking of this, Yu Ji placed the snacks on the small table next to Jiang Zhuoying: "Miss Jiang, I am the manager of this courtyard and I also have some medical skills. If anyone in this courtyard has a headache or fever, they can come to me."

Jiang Zhuoying continued to nod: "I know that it was you, Doctor Yu, who saved our young lady. Thank you, Doctor Yu."

This was her heartfelt gratitude; her life had been saved, and this was a great favor.

Given the current situation, she couldn't say much more.

Yu Ji's eyes flickered slightly, and he felt even more disgusted with his past speculations.

The girl was innocent and kind, yet he had doubts about her motives.

Yu Ji pushed the osmanthus cake on the small table again: "Both Eunuch Chu and I are trusted people by the master. Miss Jiang, you can treat me the same way you treat Eunuch Chu."

Having said that, Jiang Zhuoying took a closer look at him.

He and Eunuch Chu were about the same age.

What she needed to know was not the Second Prince's scheme, but the person himself. She had never had such an opportunity before with Chu Yixin.

The girl pursed her lips slightly: "Doctor Yu, as you know, I am now serving as His Highness's maid, but I always feel that His Highness is somewhat unpredictable, and I am unclear about His Highness's likes and dislikes. I wonder if Doctor Yu could give me some pointers?"

Jiang Zhuoying originally thought he would reveal some of the Second Prince's preferences, but she heard a reply from another cunning fox.

“Miss Jiang, the master has always been aloof and indifferent. In the past, the only one who could hold a place in his heart was Zhuozhuo.”

"Now that Miss Jiang is taking care of Zhuozhuo, I'm sure you are extraordinary in my heart."

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

The girl laughed awkwardly. If it were really that extraordinary, would she still be sitting here alone?

They are just like slippery loaches, always changing the subject.

Even the fact that the Second Prince couldn't use dogwood didn't tell her, which shows that the small group centered around Da Bingzhazi hadn't fully accepted her yet.

His politeness towards her was only half genuine.

But... Zhuozhuo?

The girl's eyes brightened slightly, and suddenly she had another idea.

Yu Ji left, and Jiang Zhuoying had originally thought of asking him to fix her ankle.

But the other party said that they were in a hurry to prepare a fever-reducing decoction for the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper was familiar with Jiang Zhuoying and was a polite and kind-looking young man. Fever was a serious matter.

Jiang Zhuoying didn't try to keep him any longer. As soon as he left, she unceremoniously stuffed the osmanthus cake on the small table into her own stomach.

Strangely enough, I've never seen her fake brother use these snacks, yet the kitchen sends them to the main house all the time.

The only possibility...

Jiang Zhuoying narrowed her eyes and suddenly turned her head to stare at the plate of crystal-clear osmanthus cake.

Tricks! They're all just tricks to deceive others!

Just like how he was allergic to dogwood but didn't tell others, and only ate a light diet every day.

So this snack is also used to deceive others!

And she inadvertently confirmed that "the Second Prince loves sweets".

Ha, I've been used as a tool again.

This person is truly treacherous and cunning to the extreme.

Jiang Zhuoying couldn't eat, and she couldn't finish the remaining three or five pieces of osmanthus cake.

She lay on the pillow, gazing at the beam above her head, and just as she was about to fall asleep, she finally saw him return.

"Feeling bored with nothing to do?" Jiang Zhuoying struggled to open her eyes, her mind still feeling somewhat hazy.

"You should have sent me your Thousand Character Classic and the paper and pen for copying it."

Jiang Zhuoying's eyes widened instantly: "???"

You'd better be lying!

As she propped herself up to sit up, Qi Fan had already looked at the porcelain plate on the small table: "The newly made osmanthus cake doesn't suit your taste?"

Jiang Zhuoying was dissatisfied, but she was not yet in a position where she could throw a tantrum at will.

She lowered her head and muttered, "No, I just don't want to use it today."

"Okay, stretch your legs out."

Jiang Zhuoying didn't move, silently expressing the unspeakable protest in her heart.

The man glanced at her but said nothing more. After washing his hands, he sat down on the round stool where he had been sitting earlier.

He reached out and supported her calves, then lifted her legs back onto his knees.

His movements were quite skilled, and he looked very careful and serious. Jiang Zhuoying didn't say anything more, only glancing at the man with his head down from time to time.

At first, I would only glance at it occasionally, but as I kept looking, I ended up staring at it intently.

She had to admit that Qi Fan's appearance was very pleasing to her eye; setting aside his temperament and personality, his face and figure were absolutely top-notch.

His understated grey cloth shirt only accentuated his superior physique and appearance.

Broad shoulders and a narrow waist are just the basics; simply sitting there, one can see an upright and aloof demeanor.

His head drooped slightly, revealing a high, straight nose. The jawline was sharply defined, with prominent angles on both sides of his face.

She was born so well...

Jiang Zhuoying sighed inwardly. She had heard that Consort Wan was the most beautiful woman in Luojing back then, no wonder she was born with such a beautiful appearance.

She made no attempt to conceal her gaze, and even mentally compared her appearance with that of the Third Prince.

Qi Fan naturally felt her gaze.

If the little girl wants to watch, then let her watch.

The two didn't exchange another word until Jiang Zhuoying's ankle was bandaged and immobilized.

The girl rested her elbows on the small table, tilting her head to look at Qi Fan, who was still washing his hands, when suddenly her stomach rumbled several times.

An undeniable gaze swept over her.

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

Didn't we just have those pastries? Why do I feel hungry again?

The girl frowned and said, "Why are you looking at me like that? Haven't you ever seen a hungry person?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Zhuoying was stunned again. She hadn't thought about what she was saying and had just blurted it out unconsciously.

This is quite unlike her usual personality.

Then Qi Fan saw the girl lower her head slightly, her two fluffy rabbit ears drooping slightly...

She coughed lightly twice, her voice softening, "What I mean is, with the Second Prince by my side, time really flies!"

"It's almost time for dinner. I wonder if Second Prince is feeling a little hungry like me?"

A low, magnetic laugh came from above.

The two already loose rabbit ears trembled.

Meeting the girl's questioning eyes, Qi Fan smiled and coughed lightly, "Yes, the same as A Zhuo."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Yingbao: "Tell me! Was it an accident or did you do it on purpose?"

Qi Gou's face was expressionless.jpg