Chapter 5: Is Xingzhu also here for fun?

For some reason, Gu Yun'an's intense gaze always made Ruan Xingzhu feel a little guilty. She always felt that Gu Yun'an could see through everything, including her deliberate attempt to please him just now.

A gentle breeze stirred the hair by her ear. Gu Yun'an walked over to her and gently tucked the hair behind her ear with his fingers, then tenderly patted her head.

Gu Qingxu was always carefree and disliked such intimate touching. Seeing this, she pouted and simply walked away on her own.

Ruan Xingzhu wanted to chase after Gu Qingsu, but Gu Yun'an suddenly whispered in her ear.

He leaned slightly forward, his breath brushing against her ear, his voice carrying a hint of mystery: "Don't you want to know how far the search for your husband has progressed?"

After saying that, he looked at her with a half-smile, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry, waiting for her every reaction.

Upon hearing that it was about finding a husband, Ruan Xingzhu's eyes lit up instantly, a hint of joy flashing in them, her excitement impossible to hide.

However, she still tried her best to hold back, feigning composure, and blinked.

"Any progress?"

"Which family's young master is he?"

As she spoke, her small face tensed up as she tried to appear less anxious.

However, her attempt to conceal it was too clumsy, and Gu Yun'an's faint smile slowly faded, a barely perceptible ripple appearing in his eyes.

He knew that Ruan Xingzhu's earlier praise of him was nothing but flattery and ingratiation.

Seeing her expectant look, he couldn't help but scoff inwardly. He raised an eyebrow slightly and casually made up a story: "She's an old acquaintance of mine."

As he said this, his tone unconsciously became somewhat cold, but Ruan Xingzhu was so immersed in the joy of about to learn the news that she didn't notice the change in the man's tone at all. She was just waiting with all her heart for Gu Yun'an to say what he would say next.

"However, I was just dispatched to Nanzhou the day before yesterday, and I won't be going to the capital for another month." Gu Yun'an said casually while rubbing her hair. The action seemed casual, but it revealed a special kind of intimacy.

He coaxed, repeating, "When he returns to the capital, how about I take you to see him?"

Ruan Xingzhu was surprised that Gu Yun'an acted so quickly, and felt a surge of joy in her heart. It turned out that she was also someone who was planning her marriage.

At that moment, she quickly suppressed her joy and obediently replied, "Yes, I'll do whatever Fourth Brother says!"

Seeing the excitement in her eyes as she looked at the prospective partner, Gu Yun'an's gaze darkened imperceptibly. He thought to himself, she always says she listens to me, but if that day truly comes, will she still listen?

The faint emotion in his eyes slowly faded. Regardless of whether she would listen to him or not, at that point, she would have no choice but to listen.

Lowering his gaze, Gu Yun'an revealed his true purpose: "Since brother helped Xingzhu resolve this matter, shouldn't Xingzhu give brother some reward?"

Ruan Xingzhu was taken aback, not expecting that such a completely unrelated matter could warrant a reward. But Gu Yun'an, as the eldest son of the main branch, lacked nothing; what could she possibly reward him with?

Her thoughts suddenly warmed, and she remembered how Gu Yun'an had teased her when they were little, asking for a reward. She had nothing at the time, so she simply kissed him and declared that it was her reward.

Thinking about it now, he felt a little embarrassed. Seeing her silent face, Gu Yun'an decided to let her go.

He said to himself, "I haven't changed my purse in a long time."

The person in front of her then raised her head and happily took her arm, saying, "Then I'll make a new one for Fourth Brother."

At this moment, the fish in the pond jumped up happily again, and the splashing water created ripples of all sizes on the calm surface of the water.

Gu Qingxu was a restless person; after being released from confinement, he spent all his time thinking about where to find some fun.

However, Ruan Xingzhu was a little worried when she heard that Cheng had sent people to look for the Yi family. What if they found out?

Gu Qingxu, the person directly involved, seemed indifferent. He even patted Ruan Xingzhu on the shoulder and comforted her righteously, "Xingzhu, what's there to worry about?"

"Besides, Yi Mingyu said that day that he would send the silver back to my residence to return it to me."

As she spoke, she waved her hand, looking as if she had seen through the ways of the world, "Look, it's been several days, and we haven't seen a single person! I doubt he would dare to say a single bad word about me."

After saying this impatiently, Gu Qingxu quickly pushed Ruan Xingzhu out of the mansion.

"Alright, alright, don't think about these things anymore. Today, your big sister will take you to do some fun things."

Pulled along by Gu Qingsu, Ruan Xingzhu stopped thinking about these irrelevant things.

On the sweltering streets, vendors were already selling ice jelly. The ice jelly glistened enticingly in the sunlight and was adorned with colorful dried fruits.

Gu Qingxu, like an older sister, bought her a box to eat.

Gu Qingxu then led her through the streets, making many turns, until they finally arrived at the paradise on earth that Gu Qingxu had described.

Ruan Xingzhu looked up at the two large characters "Flower Pavilion" on the signboard and couldn't help but wonder, it's just a place to buy flowers, why is it worth Gu Qingxu taking her on such a long detour?

However, Gu Qingxu looked mysterious, her eyes gleaming with cunning, "Don't be fooled by its name, 'Flower Pavilion,' this flower is not that flower."

As she spoke, she pulled the bewildered Ruan Xingzhu across the threshold.

Upon entering, instead of a profusion of flowers, one is greeted by a group of men dressed in bright red and purple. They are dressed extravagantly, with ingratiating smiles on their faces. The rest of the furnishings are no different from those of a teahouse, with tables and chairs neatly arranged, and someone playing music on a stage.

Ruan Xingzhu looked around curiously, and turned to ask Gu Qingsu what was so fun about it, but found that the person who was standing next to her was gone.

"Fifth sister, fifth sister." Ruan Xingzhu looked around anxiously, but received no response.

Just then, another girl came in from behind her, and a young man dressed in flashy clothes quickly went to greet her.

The man walked with a swaying gait, his voice even more coquettish than some girls': "Miss Liu has arrived. This way, please. Young Master Pu has already prepared the bathwater and is waiting for you."

After saying that, he had someone lead Miss Liu up.

The flamboyant man then noticed the reserved Ruan Xingzhu. He looked her up and down, his face beaming with smiles, and asked enthusiastically, "Miss, what kind of gentleman do you like? I'll bring him to you."

Ruan Xingzhu didn't understand what he meant at first, and was about to ask when she suddenly bumped into something. A hard sensation came from her back, and she was startled. As she was about to turn around, she felt a warm breath behind her.

What are you doing here?

The familiar voice immediately put Ruan Xingzhu at ease. She turned around happily and saw Gu Yun'an's reassuring face. She immediately called out, "Fourth Brother!"

The usually gentle and refined Gu Yun'an was now frowning, his face somewhat gloomy, as if he was not happy about her appearance.

His voice was low and tinged with accusation: "Who brought you here?"

Ruan Xingzhu was somewhat intimidated by his appearance. Recalling the implied meaning in the flashy man's words earlier, her intuition told her that this was not a place for her.

"Then I can't betray Gu Qingxu," she thought, feeling reassured. She stammered, "I...I came by myself."

When she spoke, she dared not look Gu Yun'an in the eye, her gaze darting away.

"Oh?" Gu Yun'an raised an eyebrow, his eyes seeming to see right through her thoughts.

Gu Yun'an showed no intention of letting her off the hook and continued to press, "How did you get here?"

Ruan Xingzhu blinked, lowered her head, and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "I... I accidentally got lost here."

Ruan Xingzhu was never good at lying, and now that she had lied to Gu Yun'an, her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.

Gu Yun'an must have been out on official business, as he was still wearing the dark, imposing black robes of the Censorate. The delicate patterns on the robes shimmered faintly in the candlelight, further enhancing the oppressive aura emanating from him.

He looked at Ruan Xingzhu's clothes, which she was clutching tightly in nervousness, and knew in his heart that it was probably Gu Qingsu who brought her here again.

However, her guilty look suddenly piqued his interest, and he wanted to tease her.

He bent down, slowly approached her ear, and gently breathed hot air into her ear, his voice carrying a hint of seduction: "Does Xingzhu know where this place is?"

Ruan Xingzhu felt the heat on her ear, her whole body stiffened, and she dared not move. She shook her head in panic, her eyes filled with terror.

She felt as if his lips had lightly touched her earlobe, and a tingling sensation instantly spread throughout her body, causing her to instinctively flinch away.

Gu Yun'an said, "This is a place for women to have fun."

His voice turned serious, sounding like a warning or an interrogation: "Is Xingzhu here to have fun too?"

Ruan Xingzhu was startled. She knew what "seeking fun" meant. Suddenly, her body temperature rose and her face became hot.

She hadn't expected Gu Qingxu to know about this kind of place and even bring her along.

She seemed to hear the flamboyant man's voice again, telling her to find him. Startled, she quickly tugged at Gu Yun'an's clothes and shrank back towards him.

Fearing that Gu Yun'an would misunderstand that she had gone astray, she pitifully said, "Fourth brother, I really didn't know this was... that kind of place."

She looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, and gazed at Gu Yun'an with a wronged expression.

Gu Yun'an took the opportunity to reach out and embrace her petite body, holding her tightly in his arms, and said threateningly, "Do you know why I'm here today?"

Ruan Xingzhu shook her furry head against his chest. Gu Yun'an felt his muscles tense up for a moment, but that didn't stop him from continuing to warn him. He deliberately kept his voice low and sinister.

"The Ministry of Justice has reported that a woman came to a brothel seeking pleasure. She accidentally committed suicide, so we came to the brothel to investigate."

Gu Yun'an deliberately emphasized the word "death".

For a moment, Ruan Xingzhu was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe. She clung tightly to Gu Yun'an's clothes, as if that would make her fearless.