Chapter 66

The warmth of her close body seeped through her clothes, and the familiar, pleasant scent of pine mingled with her breath. Wen Shu's body stiffened, and she remained motionless, holding her breath.

Wen Tao appeared to be in a hurry and did not stay in the study for long. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he hurriedly grabbed his things and left.

Pei Lingjun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, thunder and lightning roared outside the window. He looked down and saw that Wen Shu's cheeks were flushed.

He hurriedly reached out to pinch her cheek, "Why are you holding your breath?"

Wen Tao had already left. Wen Shu struggled to protect her face, shoving him away forcefully with both hands. "Who told you to be so close to me?"

The bookshelves were already close together, and Pei Lingjun was completely unprepared for her. Suddenly, she pushed him onto the bookshelf behind her, and the wood creaked and rattled.

Fortunately, the commotion was masked by the fierce wind and rain outside and did not arouse suspicion.

The young man was startled by her push, then grabbed her wrist without a word, his tone dangerous: "Cousin A-Shu, I just rescued you from Dragon Tiger Stronghold a few days ago, and you didn't even say thank you, and you pushed me?"

If others were unaware of the situation, they might believe Pei Lingjun's words and accuse Wen Shu of repaying kindness with enmity.

Unfortunately, she knew all of Pei Lingjun's motives.

So all that pitiful grievance turned into subtle irony, piercing straight into Wen Shu's heart.

"Help me?"

Inside the narrow bookshelf, the two were so close that their breaths mingled, and they were indistinguishable.

Pei Lingjun had a keen intuition that Wen Shu's gaze towards him had changed. If she used to avoid him at all costs and wished he would die out there so as not to cause her any trouble, then now Wen Shu's gaze towards him was exceptionally complicated.

Pain, helplessness, anger, and even hatred...

In the end, it all turned into a bitter, sarcastic smile on his lips. "Why did the people of Dragon Tiger Stronghold arrest me? Ask yourself honestly, don't you really know?! Cousin, with so many people in the stronghold, how did you and my brother manage to escape unscathed? Do you think there's nothing suspicious about your actions?!"

Wen Shu took a deep breath, and her gaze towards him held a hint of relief and understanding. "I don't want to know what your purpose is. I only ask that we go our separate ways from now on and have no further contact!"

"Ah Shu!" Seeing Wen Shu about to leave, Pei Lingjun blocked her way, grabbing her wrist. His neatly tailored dark blue round-necked robe accentuated his tall and straight shoulders, perfectly blocking Wen Shu's path.

With a deafening roar and a flash of lightning, the pale, pulsating light illuminated their profiles. Pei Lingjun's expression was serious, and a dark emotion, unreadable to Wen Shu, flickered in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

“The person that Longhu Village initially wanted to kidnap was indeed not you. Wenji and I were able to come down the mountain safely because we made a deal. You guessed all of this correctly. I can tell you anything you want to know.”

Wen Shu pulled her hand away, her face calm and composed. She merely glanced at him and said, "No need. I don't want to know these things."

In the dimly lit study, damp air seeped in through the cracks in the door. Wen Shu was about to open the window and leave when she was suddenly called out.

"Is this what you came here looking for?"

Wen Shu suddenly turned around and saw Pei Lingjun holding several thin letters in his hand, leaning against the bookshelf and talking to her.

"How much do you know about Wen Tao's embezzlement case? Did you find out yourself, or did those people from Longhu Village tell you?"

Wen Shu's heart tightened suddenly, and she froze as she pushed the window open. She heard Pei Lingjun continue, "You know that Anyang suddenly levied additional taxes on salt wells and streams, that the officials in the government offices forcibly bought silk, cloth and rice at low prices and then sold them at high prices, and that the government frequently punished merchants."

"You guessed right, Wen Tao was indeed making money in Anyang."