Chapter Twenty: Juxianlou

This is where Shen Ruolan's scheming lies.

As Yuan Siyin was lost in thought, Shen Ruolan had already walked up to her.

"Is Sister Yuan waiting for me? This maid is clumsy and forgetful. She can't do anything right without a few words of instruction. I'm so sorry to have made you laugh at me."

Shen Ruolan held a light-colored orchid fan in her hand, and the flower ornament on her forehead was exquisite. She had a unique charm when she looked around.

Very good, it has that delicate, innocent female lead vibe.

At first, she really mistook Shen Ruolan for the female lead, only to find out later that she was also a supporting female character.

"It's alright, let's go to the private room on the third floor."

"Three floors... Alright, Ruolan will follow her sister."

She had long heard that the third floor of Juxianlou was not a place that ordinary people could go to at will; it was only accessible to those with money and power. She had only been to the private rooms on the second floor, but had never set foot on the third floor.

Shen Ruolan used her fan to conceal the jealousy in her beautiful eyes and quickly followed after her.

The interior of Juxianlou is extremely elegant, especially the private rooms on the third floor, which are decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and the portraits on the walls and the flower pots in the room are all priceless items.

The waiter's eyes lit up when he saw Yuan Siyin. He casually draped a rag over his shoulder and came over to greet her: "Miss Yuan is here! It's been a while since I've seen you!"

"The same as always?"

Yuan Siyin casually sat down by the window, tapping the table lightly with her knuckles: "Let's have one of each. I suppose Sister Ruolan doesn't come here often. Even if we only eat a couple of bites of each dish, it's good to try as many new things as possible."

"Okay!"

The waiter responded steadily and ran down to relay the message to the head chef.

Shen Ruolan had just sat down opposite her when she heard this and her smile froze instantly: "Heh...hehe, sister, you don't need to worry about me."

Compared to Ruolan, my elder sister is eating much more; she seems to have lost a lot of weight since then.

"Really?"

Seeing that the waiter had left and there was hardly anyone upstairs, Yuan Siyin seized the opportunity to launch her attack.

She sighed mysteriously, then touched her clearly energetic face: "Don't say anymore, you just don't know the inside story. I've looked quite haggard these days."

"If you have any worries, sister, why not talk to me about them? Maybe I have some way to comfort you."

Upon hearing that there was more to the story, Shen Ruolan immediately perked up her ears.

To better portray her troubled mood, Yuan Siyin forced herself to act coy for a while, making sure to keep Shen Ruolan in suspense, before letting out a soft sigh: "I've noticed that my brother, the Crown Prince, has been very attentive to me lately, and I'm just a little overwhelmed by his kindness."

"Crown Prince?"

Shen Ruolan pursed her lips and remained silent.

She often saw her elder brother, the Crown Prince, when she was young.

Because of his father, the Crown Prince often visited the Grand Tutor's residence.

She still remembers how her elder brother, the Crown Prince, looked when he stood in the pavilion studying, and how much she admired him back then.

But now, she hasn't seen him for three years... no, four years.

Shen Ruolan's gaze fell on the string of emerald green jade beads on her wrist, then she looked up at Yuan Siyin, who had a sorrowful expression on her face, and a sense of resentment and unwillingness welled up in her heart.

"Doesn't Sister like Crown Prince?"

“We’ve been childhood friends, so naturally we have a bond, but it seems to me that he has someone else in his heart.”

Yuan Siyin sighed softly, looking wistful.

"That's enough, I won't say anymore."

"By the way, my coming-of-age ceremony is coming up soon, and it will be held in the palace. Would you like to come?"

Yuan Siyin changed the subject abruptly, smiling like a fox.

Naturally, this was in a place where Shen Ruolan couldn't see.

After all this build-up, we can finally get back to the main topic in a legitimate way.