Chapter 92 Don't Go, I Like You

Shen Yuejiao, having achieved her wish, smiled with her eyes crinkling, "Hmm! This wine tastes pretty good, sweet."

Lu Xinghe then refilled his glass, raised it again to look at Su Xiaoyu, his eyes clear, devoid of his previous obsession, only showing brotherly care.

"Little Fish, may your birthday be peaceful and healthy, may everything go smoothly, and may you be carefree."

"Thank you, cousin." Su Xiaoyu thanked him sincerely, clinked glasses with him, and finished her 'Cherry Wine'.

Next, Su Xiaoyu and Shen Yuejiao toasted each other and laughed and joked around, creating a very harmonious atmosphere in the private room.

Su Xiaoyu has a low alcohol tolerance, and after only a few drinks, her face flushed, and she lay on the table grinning foolishly.

Shen Yuejiao felt slightly better, but for some reason, she felt that the wine tonight was particularly 'intoxicating', and a strange heat gradually rose up in her body, and her heart was beating faster.

She assumed it was just because she was happy and drank too quickly.

Lu Xinghe was the same. He drank pear blossom wine, which was a bit strong. At first, he thought it was a normal reaction, but soon he felt a dry mouth and a burning sensation in his body.

When his gaze fell on Su Xiaoyu's face, which was slightly flushed from being drunk, he couldn't take his eyes off her.

The banquet finally ended, and all three of them were seven or eight parts drunk.

In this state, it's naturally impossible for me to watch fireworks or visit temple fairs anymore.

Lu Xinghe, forcing himself to stay calm, planned to send Su Xiaoyu back to the mansion first, and then have the Shen family servants send Shen Yuejiao back to the mansion.

But as he passed by Shen Yuejiao, she suddenly reached out and hugged him tightly around the waist:

"Don't go, Brother Xinghe... have another drink with me..."

Su Xiaoyu was very drunk, but still retained a sliver of reason. Seeing this, she staggered to her feet and walked out, speaking in a slurred manner.

"Cousin...I...I can go back by myself. You...you must make sure Yuejiao...gets home safely..."

After saying that, without waiting for Lu Xinghe to react, she leaned against the wall and walked out.

Lu Xinghe was anxious, but looking at Shen Yuejiao, who was clinging to him like an octopus, he couldn't bring himself to leave a girl there.

After finally getting her into the carriage, Shen Yuejiao clung to her and wouldn't let go.

The carriage traveled all the way to Huaihua Lane and entered the courtyard.

Lu Xinghe settled the person on the bed, rubbed his dizzy head, and wanted to leave immediately, as he also needed to calm down.

However, as soon as he stood up, Shen Yuejiao seemed to sense something and, still half asleep, clung to him again, her soft arms encircling his neck, her warm breath brushing against his ear.

"Brother Xinghe...don't go...I love you..."

She tilted her flushed face up, her eyes were hazy, and her lips were slightly parted. In Lu Xinghe's eyes, the face in front of him gradually overlapped with the smiling face of Su Xiaoyu in his memory.

His breath hitched, and he called out softly, "Little Fish..."

He raised his large, calloused hand and touched Shen Yuejiao's small face.

"Little fish..."

Shen Yuejiao tilted her head back, stood on tiptoe, and slowly approached.

Lu Xinghe was momentarily dazed, but ultimately could not resist the fatal temptation. He leaned down and captured her slightly parted lips.

Confused and infatuated, the room was filled with the warmth of spring.

On the table, a flickering candle flame seemed to sense the rising temperature in the room, its flame twisting and elongating restlessly, casting intertwined and swaying shadows on the wall, indistinguishable from one another.

Finally, a single, scalding tear of candlelight quietly slid down and solidified on the candlestick.

The garden was silent, with only a faint fragrance wafting in the air, and the moon hidden behind the clouds.

...

The next day, when Su Xiaoyu woke up, it was already broad daylight. A hangover headache made her groan involuntarily, her temples throbbing.

Zhao Yueru, the mother, brought in a bowl of hangover soup. Seeing that her daughter was awake, she couldn't help but scold her:

"You, a young lady, don't know how to control your drinking outside. Coming back like this, what kind of behavior is this!"

Zhao Yueru's tone was reproachful, but her eyes were full of concern and worry.

"If Madam finds out, she'll surely say I haven't disciplined you properly. Quick, drink this hangover soup; it'll make your head feel better."

Knowing she was in the wrong, Su Xiaoyu stuck out her tongue, smiled, took the bowl, and gulped it down.

Zhao Yueru's expression softened slightly, and she said, "Wang Ma from the kitchen had an emergency at home and had to take leave. The shopping task that Madam ordered cannot be delayed. Now that you're awake, go to the West Market and buy the fresh vegetables and large perch that the manor needs today."

As she spoke, she took out a bag of loose silver from her bosom and handed it to Su Xiaoyu, "This is the money for running errands. Use the rest to buy some snacks. Go quickly and come back soon, don't be late for lunch."

"Okay, Mother, I'll go right away."

Su Xiaoyu readily agreed, changed her clothes, pocketed the money, and quickly went out.

Just as she passed through a relatively bustling street, she saw two ornately decorated carriages parked in front of a jewelry shop. Su Xiaoyu was about to walk around them.

Just then, several well-dressed young ladies came out of the shop, led by Lin Wan'er and Du Tingting.

Du Tingting, with her sharp eyes, spotted Su Xiaoyu immediately. Remembering the rumors she had heard that morning, she called out to Su Xiaoyu.

"Oh! Who do we have here? Isn't this the famous Miss Su? Tsk, look at her eyes full of spring and her unsteady steps, she has indeed just experienced the grace of love."

"This maid is really something, she can have her cake and eat it too, seducing the prince on one hand and getting together with her childhood sweetheart on the other."

Another noblewoman beside her covered her mouth and giggled, teasing, "How can she come out on business like nothing happened? Could it be... that her fiancé isn't up to par? Didn't he satisfy her last night?"

The group exchanged knowing smiles and glances, their expressions laced with malice and blatant malice.

"She's not even married yet, and she's already having an affair. If word gets out, she'll probably be beaten to death by the Marquis's mansion."

Su Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment by the barrage of slander, and then a surge of anger rushed to her head.

Although she had just sobered up and her mind was not completely clear, she understood that the other party was slandering her reputation and had also involved Lu Xinghe.

Su Xiaoyu's face immediately darkened, her gaze sharp; "Miss Du! Explain yourself clearly, what favors and kindness? What young master of the Lu family? What right do you have to slander me and defame my reputation?"

Du Tingting was taken aback by Su Xiaoyu's fierce tone, thinking she was just putting on a show, and sneered:

"Su Xiaoyu, if you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. The fact that you and your fiancé got drunk at Zuixianlou last night and ended up rolling around together is probably known all over the capital by now. What are you pretending to be innocent for?"

"Do you dare go to the clinic and have the female doctor examine you? Maybe you still have the marks on your body."

"Tingting!" Lin Wan'er spoke up at the right moment, interrupting Du Tingting and trying to smooth things over.

"The matter is not yet settled, how can you force Miss Xiaoyu to undergo a physical examination? How is she, a young woman, supposed to face the world after this?"

She turned to look at Su Xiaoyu, her eyes filled with pity, and her tone was full of worry and understanding.

"Miss Xiaoyu, don't get too excited. Last night, perhaps you were just drunk and lost control of yourselves... After all, you and Young Master Lu are engaged, so even if you couldn't control yourselves for a moment, it's... understandable."

"But the news is spreading so fast these days, it might damage the girl's reputation."

These words, seemingly trying to exonerate Xiaoyu, actually confirmed her guilt of "losing her virginity while drunk" with every single sentence. Moreover, the news had already spread, completely pushing Su Xiaoyu into the eye of the storm.