After a brief silence, the confrontation officially began.

"Where is Young Master Chen from?"

"Jingzhou".

"Oh, so you're from the capital city of the emperor. No wonder you look so imposing and dignified, Young Master Chen!"

"You flatter me, Chief! It is you who are so beautiful, like a fairy descended from heaven, that you make me feel ashamed of myself."

"I'm ashamed! I'm ashamed!"

"Be modest, be modest!"

"..."

Jing Zhe, who was sitting next to him, was dumbfounded. Was this the legendary mutual flattery in business? No, it should be called awkward flattery in business, because he could feel the extreme embarrassment sitting next to him.

After a round of boasting, Lu Li raised a new question.

"How long has Young Master Chen been out?"

"A month or so."

"Someone as outstanding as Young Master Chen must be quite worried about his family after being away for so long. When does Young Master Chen plan to return to the capital?"

Lu Li's eyes were intense, not so much out of curiosity, but rather with a hint of pressing for answers.

Chen Mo showed little emotion on his face and said calmly, "I will leave, but now is not the time."

"Oh? When was that?"

"When he goes to Jingzhou, it will be the day I return to the capital!"

After saying that, the two stared at each other blankly.

Then Lu Li turned around and asked, "You told everything to an outsider?"

He emphasized the word "outsider" heavily, his expression one of barely suppressed anger.

Jing Zhe chuckled twice, "Brother Chen has treated me well, so I told him I was here to visit relatives and that I would go to Jingzhou after helping the mountain earn some money."

This short passage indirectly tells Lu Li that he didn't tell Chen Mo everything.

Even so, Lu Li still glared at him fiercely, as if to say, "I'll settle the score with you later."

"My younger brother came here to visit relatives. The idea of ​​making money was just something I, as his older sister, jokingly said. I meant that I wanted him to stay a few more days so we could get to know each other better."

After Lu Li finished speaking, she changed the subject: "So Young Master Chen, you shouldn't wait any longer. Do you expect me to leave my younger brother here on Mang Mountain for a year or two, and Young Master Chen will wait for him too?"

"A year and a half..."

Chen Mo couldn't wait that long. He didn't know much about Jing Zhe's situation before and really thought that he would leave once he made money, just in time for the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering in Jingzhou. Little did he expect that something would happen along the way.

He then looked at Jing Zhe and asked, "Is it really as the chieftain said, that you will stay here for another year or two?"

"hehe…"

Jing Zhe gave a wry laugh.

Should we wait another year or two?

He must be going crazy with worry!

With the Jingzhou provincial examination drawing ever closer, he couldn't wait that long! Although he was unlikely to pass without any preparation, at least it would be a way of giving an account to the deceased Jing Wenmao.

But he didn't dare say it to her face, for fear of angering Lu Li. Don't be fooled by her ladylike appearance today; deep down, she's still a ruthless bandit.

You bastard, you bastard!

"The sky is so blue today!"

So lowly, how pitiful.

Lu Li and Chen Mo looked up at the sky at the same time, then stared at Jing Zhe with puzzled expressions.

Cao, it's nighttime, where's the blue sky?

Jing Zhe hurriedly corrected himself, "I let it slip, it was the moon in the sky that was so bright!"

Lu Li and Chen Mo looked up again, still puzzled.

Damn it, when you're down on your luck, even the heavens seem to be against you!

Today the sky is overcast; there's not a single moon, not even a single star!

This place is too awkward to stay in!

Thinking this, Jing Zhe stood up. "No, my stomach hurts, I need to go to the bathroom!"

How could Lu Li possibly miss his little scheme?

He grabbed him and said, "You sit down properly!"

"oh."

Jing Zhe lowered his head, obediently following his lead like a fool…

...

Lu Li met Chen Mo's gaze again and said, "I don't know what merits my younger brother has that would trouble Young Master Chen to think of returning to Jingzhou together?"

"Hehe, your younger brother is quite capable!"

Chen Mo, with an expression of admiration, recounted all the admirable qualities of Jing Zhe, speaking vividly and joyfully.

Upon seeing this, Lu Li's brows furrowed deeply.

"I suspect that Young Master Chen's intentions go beyond this."

Lu Li stared at Chen Mo with eyes that seemed to see right through him.

For the first time, the usually composed Chen Mo was a little flustered.

"Hehe, I do have some selfish motives."

"What selfish motives?"

"My selfish motive is—"

Chen Mo looked at Lu Li, a smirk playing on his lips. Suddenly, a mischievous thought popped into his head, and he said, word by word, "I have an older sister at home who is of marriageable age!"

"..."

Taking advantage of Lu Li's moment of distraction, Jing Zhe asked curiously, "Is it the owner of those rouge and powder products from before?"

Chen Mo nodded.

"You have an older sister, what does that have to do with him?"

Seeing the seemingly intimate relationship between the two, Lu Li didn't know why she felt so angry and said coldly.

"How can it not be related?"

Chen Mo smiled, seemingly teasingly, "Your younger brother is a handsome young man, and your older sister is a beautiful woman. Moreover, neither of them is married yet. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if they could get married?"

"..."

Jing Zhe was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy!

Based on genetics, if Chen Mo is so handsome, his sister must be just as beautiful, at least a stunning beauty who could bring ruin to a country!

Jing Zhe's trip to Jingzhou was indeed to pass the imperial examinations, but more importantly, he wanted to seek refuge with the eldest sister of the prime minister's daughter. By clinging to her, he could achieve twice the results with half the effort in whatever he did.

Chen Mo was a ruthless man who could carry thousands of taels of silver notes with him. One could imagine that his family was either rich or noble in Jingzhou, and it was more likely that he was both rich and noble.

Thighs are something that you can never have too many of.

Imagine having a sister who is the daughter of a prime minister in Jingzhou, and also having a wife who comes from a wealthy family and is as beautiful as a flower. Jing Zhe feels like he can laugh all the way to the bank for the rest of his life.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to inquire about the situation, he heard Lu Li say angrily, "You're dreaming!"

Seeing everyone looking at her in shock, Lu Li blushed slightly: "He is my younger brother. As the eldest sister, I am like a mother to him. When he should get married and who he should marry is up to me, his eldest sister! Young Master Chen, please don't worry about it!"

Then she looked at Chen Mo and said, "Besides, it's hard to say whether you have a sister or not, or who you're being matched with!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo blushed deeply.

The atmosphere was getting weirder and weirder, and even someone as thick-skinned as Jing Zhe found it hard to stand.

"Oh no, I can't hold it in anymore!"

He covered his buttocks and, ignoring Lu Li calling him, fled.

————