Chapter 258 Pretentious

Qiao Wanyan glanced at him out of the corner of her eye but ignored him. She had experienced how uncomfortable it felt to be ignored from Yun Heng before.

If you don't want to cause trouble for others, then first feel the feeling of being ignored.

The shopkeeper hadn't left yet. Seeing this, he hurriedly went to get another wine glass, but just as he put it in front of Shen Che, Xu Shujian took it away.

He filled both glasses with wine, his voice stammering as if he was a little drunk.

"I want to thank the Second Miss for giving me this glass of wine. The extremely valuable set of writing brushes, inkstones, and paper. If it weren't for these, I'm afraid it would be difficult for me to get such a good ranking in the imperial examination and stand out from countless candidates to meet His Majesty."

After saying this, he drank the wine in the glass.

However, Xu Shujian’s actions were not over yet.

Completely ignoring the expressions of the other two people, he poured two more glasses of wine.

"I still want to toast this cup to the Second Miss. I want to toast to the Second Miss for her celestial beauty and flawless appearance, which has allowed me to paint the picture that I am most proud of in the past and in the future."

The corners of Qiao Wanyan's mouth were obviously raised a little, and anyone could see that she was in a good mood because of the praise.

Chen Che's face was gloomy. He felt sick when he saw Xu Shujian staggering and almost losing his balance due to drunkenness.

Drunk?

The man who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk is pretending to be drunk in a disgusting way!

But Shen Che didn't dare to say it. He didn't dare to say his relationship with Xu Shujian, and he didn't dare to say who Xu Shujian's true identity was.

He Zhiyu said in a deep voice: "I see that you are drunk, Jingyuan, take him down to rest."

Xu Shujian quickly shook his head. He was already in the upper hand today, how could he leave so easily?

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I am not drunk. I am very grateful to the Second Miss for celebrating for me, and I really don't want to spoil your mood like this."

Xu Shujian sneered in his heart. When it comes to coaxing a girl, one has to put himself in a humble position and use every possible means.

One of these two people is unwilling to let go of his face, and the other simply doesn't know how to let go of his face. What can he use to compete with me?

He Zhiyu didn't continue talking to him, but just looked at Qiao Wanyan, "You make the decision."

Xu Shujian looked at her with a burning gaze, sincerely expecting nothing vulgar or ambiguous that would make the woman feel uncomfortable.

Why would the Second Miss chase away someone she liked so much?

Qiao Wanyan looked at the prince deeply for a few times, then retracted her gaze after a moment and said in a gentle tone, "Then go and have a rest. Being drunk will damage your mind, and it will be bad if you are late for going to the Imperial College."

Xu Shujian was slightly stunned.

After a moment, he nodded obediently, "Okay, if the Second Miss asks me to rest, I will go and rest."

He Zhiyu took a sip of wine and didn't even glance at Xu Shujian who stood up and left. It seemed that he didn't take him seriously at all and had completely forgotten how he had just angered him to the point of murderous intent.

Chen Che suddenly stood up and said, "I suddenly remembered that I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."

After saying this, he turned and left.

A person like Xu Shujian who had no bottom line did make him worry that the person he had set his sights on would be snatched away, but He Zhiyu was not afraid at all.

The process of making the love Gu had to be accelerated. As long as the love Gu was made, he wouldn't have to worry about Xu Shujian or He Zhiyu.

She would give up everything to fall in love with me, and even if everyone in the world disagreed, they would obediently follow me back to Xiling.

He would not send Qiao Wanyan to the secret room and hide her away, but would marry her openly and keep her by his side, admiring his trophy openly.

But right now, his patience with Xu Shujian has reached its critical point.

The room suddenly became quiet.

Yun Yao had secretly drunk a few glasses of wine at some point and had already fallen unconscious on the table.

Qiao Wanyan ordered: "Ziyuan, send Yunyao back."

Zi Yuan nodded in agreement and carried Yun Yao out sideways.

The private room was quiet again, only the voices of pedestrians on the long street outside the window broke the tranquility.

He Zhiyu picked up a pair of jade-white chopsticks, picked up a piece of Longjing shrimp and placed it in her bowl. "I tried this dish in Jiangnan before and it tasted pretty good. Try it and see if it tastes good."

Qiao Wanyan lowered her eyes and looked at the shrimps in the bowl, then saw He Zhiyu take out a handkerchief from his arms.

"This is the handkerchief you left behind in the East Palace last year. I have always wanted to return it to you but I forgot about it due to my busy schedule. I happened to have it with me today, so I will return it to its original owner."

Qiao Wanyan just glanced at it and didn't intend to take it. "Your Highness, please do with it as you please. The material of the handkerchief is outdated."

He Zhiyu paused slightly, and his hand, which was suspended in the air, became a little stiff.

After a moment, he nodded lightly and put the handkerchief back, but saw Qiao Wanyan reaching out for the handkerchief again.

He Zhiyu was a little confused by her and didn't know what she meant, so he handed the handkerchief to her again.

Qiao Wanyan smelled the scent of fir wood on the handkerchief. This scent, which could be smelled without being too close, must have been lingering in a specific place for a long time.

She remembered that the smell in the East Palace study was a very cool and refreshing fir scent.

The handkerchief was made of soft and smooth silk, and Qiao Wanyan tore it apart without much effort.

Jingyuan took a breath of cold air. What was going on?

"I want Your Highness to dispose of this handkerchief, but if Your Highness does not dispose of it and takes it back, someone with ulterior motives will surely misunderstand that Your Highness and I have an affair."

He Zhiyu was a little confused. She obviously liked him, so why was she afraid of being misunderstood?

"Your Highness is very busy, and I don't want to cause any trouble for you."

Qiao Wanyan emphasized the words "busy with affairs".

The sarcastic tone sounds surprisingly pleasant to people's ears.

He Zhiyu stretched out his hand and saw Jingyuan take out a rectangular golden nanmu box from his arms. The carvings on the box were delicate and exquisite. It was obvious at first glance that it was a treasure that had taken a lot of thought and time to make.

The box alone was so exquisite, so luxurious and eye-catching. Qiao Wanyan pursed her lips and focused her attention on the box.

He Zhiyu opened it, and Qiao Wanyan's eyes lit up.

"This is a gold hairpin inlaid with gems and decorated with double flowers of butterflies. I asked Yin Zuoju to make it over a two-month period. I originally wanted to give it to my mother on her 100th birthday, but after making it, I felt that it would be more suitable for you."

Jing Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly. Is it for the Queen? The Queen never wears golden hairpins but prefers kingfisher feathers.

Over the years, he had never seen the queen wearing any hairpins.

Moreover, it was the prince who drew the blueprint himself and asked him to send it to the Silver Bureau to speed up the production. He did not say at that time that it was sent to the Queen.

He Zhiyu saw her eyes shining and her thin lips slightly parted with love and knew that she must like this hairpin.

"Do you still like it?"

Qiao Wanyan lowered her eyes and said in a light tone, "I don't understand."

"What?"

"I don't like it."