Chapter 63 Didn't you used to disapprove of this marriage with the Shen family?

Do you believe in love at first sight?

If you were to ask Lu Qingyao in the past, she would probably only find it disdainful and ridiculous.

But after seeing that boy in that ordinary house that day, Lu Qingyao couldn't stop recalling the scenes of her time with him.

The boy's gentle gaze, his handsome face, and the unconscious curve of his lips as he spoke.

—Loquat.

That's a really strange name.

Just like the feeling in Lu Qingyao's heart, it was indescribable.

After countless times being caught by her sister for lost in thought and sighing, Lu Qingyao finally realized something belatedly: she might really have fallen in love at first sight with the boy named Pipa.

"What happened? You haven't been like yourself these past few days, have you?" the older sister asked with a smile.

Lu Qingyao was speechless for a moment, not knowing where to begin.

She had originally gone to the Flower Moon Pavilion full of fighting spirit to catch her sister cheating and expose Shen Yun's sordid ways, but...

No, it is still certain that Shen Yun was that boy's guest.

However, the relationship between the two did not seem to be as they had imagined.

According to Pipa, Shen Yun was his savior and did indeed spend money to keep him for a year, but he didn't appear often and didn't seem to have much interest in matters of love.

These words brightened Lu Qingyao's mood.

Despite having heard that people in the world of pleasure were prone to lying, Lu Qingyao inexplicably believed what the other person said.

Or perhaps, she chooses to believe it.

—If that's the case, then perhaps Shen Yun isn't as bad as she thinks?

As Lu Qingyao pondered this, she met her sister's concerned gaze and hesitated. If she were to reveal her thoughts now, wouldn't she be slapping herself in the face?

It's still not rigorous enough.

Therefore, Lu Qingyao decided to go a few more times and figure out the situation before drawing a conclusion.

On her second visit, Lu Qingyao still dressed as a man.

This time, without Aunt Xun leading the way, Lu Qingyao quickly found her way to the place.

Through the door, Lu Qingyao heard the boy talking to someone, and she was startled. Could it be that Shen Yun had arrived?

Lu Qingyao didn't want to run into that guy in a place like this.

While he was indeed dashing in his attire, his current actions were hardly aboveboard.

But... she's already here.

Lu Qingyao was absolutely unwilling to turn back halfway, especially since the silver notes she had already given out were definitely not going to be returned.

Therefore, Lu Qingyao decided to risk spying.

Through the crack in the door, she saw the boy she had seen before. He was sitting in a bamboo rattan chair, looking down and talking to the air in front of him.

Lu Qingyao was taken aback... Could it be that the other party was actually crazy?

She actually fell in love at first sight with a madman?!

Amidst my confused thoughts, a voice sounded from behind me.

Who is spying here?

Lu Qingyao was startled and hurriedly turned her head, only to see a young girl who was not very old standing there with a basket of fresh fruits and vegetables, her round almond eyes staring intently at her.

"What do you mean by spying?" Seeing that the other party was just a tiny little girl, Lu Qingyao immediately perked up. "This young master—no, this young master—is here to pay a visit openly and legitimately. Do you understand?"

The young maid looked at her as if she were crazy and said seriously, "I only know that Aunt Xun instructed that, apart from Lord Shen, all other irrelevant people should be asked to leave."

Lu Qingyao pointed at her own nose in disbelief: "You...you actually called me an irrelevant person, do you know—"

Just as Lu Qingyao was about to argue her point, the door creaked open behind her.

A familiar voice called out, "Cuizhu, what's wrong?"

—So this little girl's name is Cuizhu.

Cuizhu looked brightly at the person who opened the door and said in a clear voice, "Young master, I brought back some fruit and saw a strange person at the door, secretly peeking through the crack..."

Lu Qingyao thought to herself, "You're the weird one, your whole family is weird." Just as she was about to retort that she was a legitimate customer who had paid money, she heard the young man say, "It's you?"

They seemed somewhat confused.

"Please sit down. I thought that after our last meeting, you had figured out what you wanted to know."

Pipa invited Lu Qingyao to sit down at the table again.

Lu Qingyao was taken aback: "How did you know I was a girl?"

She was confident that she was well-prepared and that there was no flaw in her appearance whatsoever.

Pipa laughed: "Men and women use different spices, and besides, the young lady has earring marks on her ears..."

Lu Qingyao immediately covered her earlobes. She only wanted to take off the earrings, but she didn't expect the other person to observe so carefully.

At the same time, she was also a little curious: "Did you just recognize me?"

"I noticed it when the girl came last time."

"Then why didn't you say so?"

"I thought the young lady wouldn't come."

Lu Qingyao was speechless for a moment, unsure of who she was angry with. She didn't speak, and Pipa didn't initiate conversation either.

After a while, Lu Qingyao couldn't hold back any longer: "If you don't take the initiative at all, how can you keep the guests?"

As soon as she said it, Lu Qingyao realized that the other party's real guest should be Shen Yun.

And so... I got even angrier.

Pipa, however, smiled faintly and said, "This kind of place is not for young ladies."

Lu Qingyao was very displeased: "Oh, who are you looking down on? Let me tell you, my family has plenty of money." As she spoke, she pulled out a large denomination banknote from her sleeve and slammed it generously on the table.

If her father saw this, he would probably clutch his chest and cry out in despair.

Pipa didn't look at the silver note, but calmly looked back at Lu Qingyao. That gaze made Lu Qingyao feel as if she were an ignorant child in the other's eyes...

They're about the same age, aren't they?

Lu Qingyao shook her head, trying to banish that strange thought from her mind.

From childhood to adulthood, there was nothing Lu Qingyao couldn't do if she wanted to.

She had already learned from that greedy woman that Shen Yun's one-year commitment was about to expire. Aunt Xun's meaning couldn't be clearer: she hoped Lu Qingyao would become the next client.

...Should we go with the flow?

This is absolutely a huge decision.

Lu Qingyao could already foresee how intense her father's reaction would be if she really did that; he would probably want to lock her in the ancestral hall and kneel before her until she was completely exhausted, never to be seen again.

But at this moment, looking at this boy who seemed unmoved by external things, Lu Qingyao suddenly had a bolder idea.

She wanted to redeem him from his servitude!

This unconventional idea almost startled Lu Qingyao herself.

However, after the initial disbelief, Lu Qingyao became increasingly excited as she thought about it.

The mere thought of having the boy before her completely, and spending her life with him, filled her heart with an indescribable, intense flutter...

It felt as if this was a regret I had longed to fulfill countless times in my dreams but had missed, and now, I finally had the chance to do so.

Lu Qingyao did not immediately reveal her thoughts, but instead suppressed her secret joy for the time being.

She thought she had hidden it well, at least in front of her father and sister.

However, her older sister still noticed the change in Lu Qingyao.

"What happy thing has happened to you, Yao? You look so cheerful," the older sister said with a smile, seemingly happy for her younger sister.

"No... It's probably because my sister's wedding is coming soon, and I'm just sharing in the joy." Lu Qingyao quickly changed the subject.

Hearing this, the older sister became even more puzzled: "Ayao, didn't you used to disapprove of this marriage with the Shen family?"

Lu Qingyao's eyes darted around, and she began to spout nonsense.

"Times have changed. I used to have a slight misunderstanding about Shen Yun. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up. Putting aside the messy things that old man Shen did, Shen Yun is, in terms of appearance, talent, and character, barely worthy of being a match for my dear sister."

As Lu Qingyao spoke, she playfully grabbed her sister from the side, making the usually gentle and quiet woman blush deeply.

The two of them laughed and joked around for a while.

When Lu Qingyao saw her sister, her eyes dimmed for a moment as if she had thought of something.

"What's wrong? Is something bothering you?" she asked softly.

The older sister didn't answer immediately, then whispered after a moment, "Actually, it's about Shen Lang..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingyao immediately became agitated: "Could it be that Shen Yun, did he bully you?!"

"No, Shen Lang is very good. He is very polite to me and to my father."

"That……"

"I don't know how to say it." A hint of struggle flashed in the older sister's eyes. "I feel that Shen Lang seems to have no feelings for me."

"..."

Lu Qingyao also fell silent.

If Shen Yun had truly desired this marriage, there wouldn't have been that one-year contract.

However, she dared not tell her sister these things.

She was scared...

“However, maybe I’m overthinking it,” the older sister suddenly said, smiling as if trying to console herself.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingyao quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, maybe Shen Yun... he's just shy."

"Shy?" The older sister seemed a little surprised.

"yes."

Lu Qingyao said in a serious tone, "If I were Shen Yun, I would be overjoyed at the thought of marrying a beauty like you, sister. But he's the kind of person who's very concerned about his image and doesn't show his emotions. The more excited he is inside, the more reserved he appears on the outside."

"Is that really true?" The older sister seemed to be misled by Lu Qingyao's confident statement.

Before the woman could figure it out, Lu Qingyao pressed down on her shoulder again and said to the beautiful face in the mirror with great conviction, "Sister, if you don't believe me, don't you believe our father? Didn't you tell me about arranged marriages? You shouldn't think about anything else. Just eat well, sleep well, and take good care of yourself this month. I'll make your Chen Lang so happy he'll die of joy."

Hearing this, the older sister finally smiled. She reached out and grasped Lu Qingyao's hand, then turned around and said earnestly, "Thank you, Ayao."

"There's no need to thank me. You are... you are my sister."

Lu Qingyao lowered her head as if embarrassed and looked away.

Only she herself knew that it wasn't out of shyness, but rather... a guilty conscience mixed with remorse.

—It's okay.

She told herself that she wasn't lying, that she was just hiding some facts that didn't need to be said.

Given time, Shen Yun will be moved by her sister and they will become a happy couple.

And Lu Qingyao will surely be able to grasp her own happiness.