Chapter 60

The bathtub at the inn was not as spacious as the one at home, and it was a little difficult to accommodate two people.

Zhu Yun took off his shirt, first properly washed Luo Yan, wrapped her long hair in a towel, and then carried her to the small couch next to the screen.

There were several buckets of hot water in the bathroom, but he simply took off his trousers and quickly washed himself in Luo Yan's bathwater.

Just as Luo Yan was pondering his intentions, she saw Zhu Yun calmly get up, walk over to her in a few steps, and casually wipe away the water droplets, while the fierce object was directly pressed against her nose.

It was absolutely intentional!

Luo Yan feigned composure and looked away, only to have him provocatively brush her cheek. If she opened her lips to curse now, he would surely lick it, perhaps even put a little bit in her mouth.

She leaned back slightly, trying to create some distance, but then she felt a weight on her side as Zhu Yun sat down.

"You don't like it?" Zhu Yun asked, sounding aggrieved, but his fingertips were already running through her hair, expertly combing it.

The internal energy made him drowsy, and Luo Yan couldn't say anything harsh. Leaning against his chest, she said lazily, "I like it. I like what's yours."

As soon as he finished speaking, the boy's already thunderous heartbeat became even more rapid, like a drumbeat without any rhythm.

Luo Yan had no choice but to straighten her chest and rest her head on the crook of his neck. But Zhu Yun was unusually hot, practically a reincarnation of charcoal.

She opened her eyes and saw that his cheeks were flushed and large beads of sweat were dripping down his temples.

To be honest, Zhu Yun felt a sense of relief that Luo Yan's parents had both died.

When Zhu Yun first saw her, he couldn't help but take two steps back.

Fate brought him together with Luo Yan by an extremely slim chance. She was a fragile and helpless girl who could only rely on him, which gave him a strange sense of security.

Yes, she could never leave him, because she was alone, without relatives, and young.

Seeing her distraught state, Zhu Yun was secretly pleased that there was another girl of similar age in the world who was just as unfortunate as he was.

If Zhu Yun hadn't been so inspired to go to that inconspicuous little shop that day, he would never have met her; if he hadn't been so agitated that day, he wouldn't have been able to win her over so easily.

Zhu Yun admitted that he was morally deficient and took advantage of her vulnerability. With her parents dead and her completely lost, he succeeded with almost no cost.

After all, she was just a fourteen-year-old orphan girl, desperately needing someone to provide her with financial security. He, on the other hand, was two years older than her and could offer her a luxurious life.

Luo Yan had nothing to offer but her physical appearance, so she had no other choice but to do this.

Zhu Yun knew that her submission was the only option, and he would soon fall into anxiety about whether she truly loved him, but this anxiety would soon be masked by his self-deception.

Some of the more attractive maids would be jealous of Luo Yan's good fortune, as she had won the prince's favor with just her looks. They would gossip about her openly and secretly, and try to trip her up.

He disliked other women being jealous of Luo Yan, and he also disliked other women treating him like prey, so he found an excuse to get rid of them all. Only a few older maids who knew what was going on and weren't particularly attractive remained in the palace to serve him.

Seeing the slightly helpless look in Luo Yan's eyes, Zhu Yun thought that they had known each other for six years.

You Yunzhu might feel that Luo Yan has become someone he can't control, but that's just a false intuition. She is still alone and helpless, and can never escape his grasp.

"Luo Yan, tomorrow is your birthday. What do you want?"

He held Luo Yan in his arms, rested his chin on her shoulder, and kissed her neck.

A long-haired white kitten darted in, leaped onto the bed, and meowed as it rubbed against Luo Yan's hand.

Zhu Yun, impatient with the disturbance, wanted to throw the uninvited guest down, but Luo Yan stopped him.

She held the kitten under its armpits, lifted it up, examined it carefully, and asked earnest questions:

"Can it catch mice?"

The kitten let out a weak and aggrieved meow. It was just a clumsy pet cat that couldn't even jump onto the wardrobe. Catching mice was too much of a challenge for it.

The palace maid outside was uneasy and hesitated to go in. It was her dereliction of duty to not even be able to keep an eye on a kitten, but she dared not interfere with Zhu Yun's private affairs on the bed.

"A cat that can't catch mice is useless."

Luo Yan put the kitten down, and it let out a soft, seductive meow. It wriggled in her arms, its belly up, purring and inviting her to touch its soft, warm belly.

Since it was posing like this, it would be impolite not to touch it. Helpless, Luo Yan placed her hand on its soft belly, and it purred happily.

Zhu Yun disliked these furry animals; they shed fur everywhere. Disgusted, she patted her sleeve and said:

"Why is this cat making that constant rattling sound in its throat? Let's throw it out right away."

Luo Yan chuckled:

"Zhu Yun, are you stupid? Cats only purr when they're happy."

She stroked the kitten's head, and it happily squinted its eyes.

"My little tabby cat was very proud and never let me touch it, but it was really good at catching mice."

"This kitten is probably kept as a pet by the palace maids when they have nothing else to do... If you like it, I'll give it to you?"

She shook her head:

"Forget it, this cat has no wildness at all. Let's give it back to them. Even if it's a pet, I prefer it to have some dignity."

Zhu Yun guessed that the palace maids outside were already terrified, so she dressed and reluctantly held the cat in her arms.

It affectionately rubbed against Zhu Yun's face, but he dodged away in disgust, and the kitten let out a pitiful and confused meow.

For the first time in the world, someone disliked it, and the kitten was extremely aggrieved.

Who owns the cat?

The two palace maids outside trembled, unable to utter a single word, and immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

Zhu Yun sighed:

"Whoever owns it, take it back and keep it safe. Don't let it run around again. This is the last time."

He returned to the room, where Luo Yan was only wearing an undergarment, lying lazily on the bed, and asked him to pour tea.

"Luo Yan, tomorrow is your birthday. What do you want?"

She covered her face with a handkerchief and said:

"Although you said you were giving me gifts, in reality, these things are just temporarily lent to me."

"I can't escape your grasp no matter what. The things you give me are just left to rot in the pot. Whether I get gold and silver or fine silks, it makes no difference. When I die, you'll just give them to the next woman to curry favor."

Zhu Yun frowned.

Why are you saying all this again?

She only gave him a cold glance.

"Isn't that right? I was right."

She looked at the ceiling and said slowly:

Instead of giving me anything, you might as well let me go out of the palace for a day to have some fun.

Luo Yan needs to find an opportunity to bypass Zhu Yun and get rid of the fetus in her womb.

He held her hand in a flattering manner and said:

"Shall I go with you tomorrow?"

Luo Yan turned around, her eyes narrowed, pulled her hand back, looked at him coldly, and smiled:

"Aren't you most afraid of gossip and never want to go out with me? Why are you agreeing today?"

Zhu Yun pursed his lips, scanned Luo Yan from head to toe, and slowly spoke:

"Since things have come to this point, there's no point in pretending anymore."

"Yes, it doesn't concern you anyway. You don't think that accompanying me out for a walk is some kind of reward for me, do you?"

Luo Yan laughed sarcastically.

"But didn't you keep saying you wanted me to go out with you?"

He tried to rest his head on her shoulder, but she pulled away.

Last year, the year before, and the year before that, Luo Yan had said she wanted to travel with Zhu Yun on her birthday, but he refused each time with various excuses.

He remembered one time she fawned over him and tried to please him, and another time she threw a huge tantrum, causing chaos. Last year, she only mentioned it casually, and after he rejected her, she never asked about it again.

"Luo Yan, do you really not want to go out with me? Didn't you beg me several times before?"

Undeterred, he continued to press for answers.

"The past is the past, and the present is the present. I just want to go out and wander around by myself tomorrow. Besides, you always made excuses when you had free time before, but now that you're busy with official duties, why do you suddenly want to accompany me?"

After being retorted by Luo Yan several times, he lowered his head in defeat and said in a low voice:

"I'd like to travel with you, will you say yes?"

Luo Yan's eyes widened in surprise; Zhu Yun could actually say such a thing.

She couldn't help but chuckle, clutching her stomach as she said:

"Fine, I promise you. I want to see what kind of fool you're going to make."

Her expression turned cold, and she changed the subject:

"I can go on a trip with you today, but tomorrow is my birthday, and I want to go out by myself. You can't stop me."

Zhu Yun had no choice but to lower his head and agree.

A day later, Zhu Yun and Luo Yan appeared together in front of the theater.

"We are now staging a play about Lady Hibiscus, a love story between a man and a woman. We hope that you two esteemed guests will do us the honor of joining us."

Upon hearing this name, Luo Yan's legs twitched involuntarily. How could it be another scene of a woman being so desperately in love with a man, acting incredibly stupid?

She gripped her sleeve tightly, her breathing quickening. Who was the person who came to see this play with her last time?

Luo Yan stood to the side, gently touching her chest, trying to calm her breathing.

Seeing Zhu Yun's distinguished attire, the theater owner adopted a fawning expression and said with a smile:

"Our current private room costs fifteen taels of silver, and we happen to have a seat available. If you two would like..."

Luo Yan interrupted.

"The private room was clearly five taels of silver, how did it go up to fifteen taels? How do you run a business, boss?"

This boss is clearly trying to rip her off, and she's in a bad mood right now.

The boss was embarrassed for a moment, then became beaming with joy:

"Miss, you may not know this, but the service standards for the five-tael silver and fifteen-tael silver private rooms are quite different..."

"Don't try that on me, Zhu Yun. Let's go. I've seen this play before."

Luo Yan grabbed Zhu Yun's sleeve and tried to leave aggressively; she hated being treated like a fool.

"Luo Yan, are you blaming me for not giving you enough money each month?"

Zhu Yun was pulled out of the theater by her. She even argued for a long time over this small amount of money. Did she think he gave her too little?

He remembered that he had previously advised Luo Yan to be frugal, and felt a little guilty. How could he let Luo Yan argue with others over ten taels of silver? He should give her more money each month.

"I've read 'Lady Hibiscus,' there's nothing to see here, it's just the story of a woman who was so stupid that she brought about her own demise."

Luo Yan crossed her arms and said irritably.

"You've seen it before? Who did you watch it with?"

Luo Yan was suddenly stunned, and Yi Yun couldn't answer.

She watched the play with Qin Sizhao. He gently called her Rong'er, and Qin Sizhao even said things like, "I came to the capital for the imperial examination just to meet you..."

Luo Yan desperately told herself that she couldn't believe such words, but she still remembered that his eyes crinkled when he smiled, and that he had a small beauty mark under his eye, which was very handsome, extremely handsome.

He was so handsome that she almost believed what he had said.

"This humble subject pays his respects to Your Highness."

A clear, crisp voice rang out, and Luo Yan turned her head abruptly to see Qin Sizhao dressed in a simple blue robe, bowing slightly to Zhu Yun.

Why is he here...?

He looked at Zhu Yun with a calm and composed expression, but the small mole at the corner of his eye stung Luo Yan's eyes.

Luo Yan stood there, stunned. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She felt utterly ashamed.

As he counted down the last few lines, his anger flared. Zhu Yun rubbed his temples, thinking that he might as well not go to the Bai family at all, but immediately return to the valley and lock her up. Otherwise, once they went to Yunxi Prefecture, who knew how many people would be after her, and who knew how many new names would pop out of her mouth.

Luo Yan was completely unaware of his thoughts. Her gaze was drawn to the wooden box on the dressing table, and she asked, "What is this?"

Zhu Yun followed the gaze, and her hostility vanished instantly.

"say."

"There's nothing to say." He turned his face away uncomfortably, his ears turning a faint red.

Luo Yan had no choice but to step out of his embrace, unscrew the clasp, and see a porcelain bottle and a stack of thin... condoms inside.