Chapter 53 With her makeup ruined, Jiang Zhuoying lacked confidence, naturally…
Jiang Zhuoying was not very confident at the moment, so she couldn't persuade him otherwise and reluctantly followed A-Liu back into the house.
"For the birthday banquet, you can wear some bright colors," the man behind me instructed calmly.
About half an hour later, the girl, dressed in a light yellow jacket, came to the main room to find him.
To be fair, this color is brighter than the previous one, but it's not too flashy, and the design is rather ordinary.
Jiang Zhuoying tugged at the snow-white down on her jacket, which matched her face mask.
Walking up to Qi Fan, hands on hips, she asked, "Is it bright and shiny? Is the material fairly thick?"
Her neck felt a little uncomfortable with the soft downy hair, and when she touched it, it felt slightly itchy...
A pair of slightly upturned peach blossom eyes peeked out from behind the face mask. The eyes were charming in shape, yet clear in their gaze, with a lifelike peach blossom between her brows.
She had no idea how many men would be driven mad by such an extreme contradiction.
"Why are you wearing a face mask?" the man asked in a normal tone.
Jiang Zhuoying paused slightly as she smoothed the downy fur, then looked up and gently clutched her chest.
"Doesn't the Second Prince know? I met that Third Prince in front of Yuanbao Tower last time..."
"Today I don't want to attract his attention anymore, lest it cause further trouble. Of course, most importantly, I don't want to put my brother, the Second Prince, in a difficult position."
Qi Fan remained silent: "..."
He met those alluring peach blossom eyes for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly, and immediately got up and walked towards the door.
Jiang Zhuoying: "?"
Why are you being sarcastic and sarcastic towards her?
"Keep up."
A soft, distant voice came from the doorway.
"...Oh, I'm coming right now."
Jiang Zhuoying followed and got into the carriage. As she expected, it was the same simple and unpretentious carriage as before.
She would even dare say that this carriage was one of the most dilapidated among the high-ranking officials and nobles who were going to the banquet.
Fortunately, the layout here is passable.
Qi Fan sat down before her, and Jiang Zhuoying stood in front of him, still hesitating about which side to sit on.
"Waaah!"
The girl gasped as a large, strong hand pressed against her waist, pulling her forward and burying her face in the other person's arms.
Jiang Zhuoying hurriedly covered her face with her hands, her tone somewhat angry: "What are you doing?"
Qi Fan was also taken aback, not expecting her to be so resistant to force.
His eyelashes drooped slightly. Seeing the girl still covering her face, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was deep: "Did you hurt yourself?"
Jiang Zhuoying let go of his hand and glared at him fiercely: "I spent a long time on this makeup today!"
We're on the road, what if our makeup gets ruined?
The man fell silent for a moment.
Feeling the arm around her waist loosen its grip, Jiang Zhuoying had no time to argue with him anymore. She was only in a hurry to sit on the right side of the carriage and open the window.
"Where is Ah Liu? Where is the bronze mirror? Bring it here so I can take a look."
Ah Liu handed the bronze mirror in through the window. The carriage had already started moving. She took off her face mask and carefully examined her makeup.
From eyebrow shaping to lip gloss...
The girl leaned against the window, carefully examining her reflection in the bronze mirror in the light from outside.
Little did she know, the gaze of the man beside her, who was watching her, deepened.
Jiang Zhuoying breathed a sigh of relief. She was alright after the bump. She picked up the face towel from her knee and was about to put it on.
A slow, gentle voice came from beside me: "Your lips are smudged."
Jiang Zhuoying paused, a flicker of emotion crossing her lips.
She turned her head to look for the bronze mirror from before, only to find that it had somehow ended up in Qi Fan's hands.
"Come and get it yourself." The man fiddled with the bronze mirror, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
Jiang Zhuoying frowned and reached out to touch the bronze mirror, but almost at the same time, the bronze mirror was suddenly raised high.
She frowned even more, glaring angrily at someone who remained calm and composed.
Jiang Zhuoying put the face towel aside, then stood up and leaned over.
Although she was wary, she was just a clever and intelligent young woman who did not understand the thoughts of men in this world.
In terms of cunning alone, he cannot compare to Qi Fan, who can overturn the political landscape of the court.
Having successfully grasped the handle of the bronze mirror, the man released his grip, and Jiang Zhuoying lowered her guard.
Before she could stop, her wrist was suddenly pulled, and she staggered forward. The man caught her slender waist and gently pulled her.
We've been tricked!
It was too late to dodge. His chin was grabbed and lifted up. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words in his mouth were already blocked.
He kissed her with utmost tenderness, exploring slowly and patiently...
Qi Fan appeared to be gentle, and his movements were restrained and polite.
But only Jiang Zhuoying, whom he had captured, knew the truth.
The force gripping her waist was so strong that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move.
At first, Jiang Zhuoying still had the mind and strength to dodge and struggle.
But later, the cool yet sweet scent of agarwood filled all her senses, and the tingling, burning, and intense aroma on her lips gradually made her feel dizzy...
She almost forgot to breathe, her face turning bright red as she strained: "...Ugh."
The shadow that had been obscuring her vision slowly moved away, and a strong, large hand patted her back with an undeniable force.
"This isn't the first time, why are you still so foolish?"
"Inhale."
With a low, deep voice, Jiang Zhuoying breathed heavily and weakly raised her eyes.
Only then did he notice the other person's narrow, dark, and deep eyes. His eyebrows and eyes were close together, and the corners of his eyes were slightly red, which made his dangerous aura even more intense.
She was sizing him up, and he was naturally sizing her up too.
The girl in his arms was panting, her eyes were crystal clear, her face was flushed and her eyes were brimming with tears. As expected, she would shed a few more tears.
Thinking of that charming woman with tears in her eyes, he decided not to coax her.
Qi Fan glanced at her with a lingering gaze, quickly reverting to his original aloof and indifferent demeanor.
But to his surprise, the girl in his arms did not shed those long-awaited tears.
Jiang Zhuoying didn't cry, and if you look closely, there are two reasons.
Firstly, tears of worry smudged her eye makeup.
Secondly, if she hadn't misheard, this guy actually called her stupid?
There's no such logic in the world.
He was the one who bullied her, yet he pretended to be a righteous person and condemned her.
She was so angry that she almost held back her tears on the spot.
"A beast in human clothing." She murmured, her lips barely moving.
The volume was so low that even she herself could barely hear it, let alone the beast in human clothing himself.
Ignoring the person, Jiang Zhuoying sat back in her original seat and picked up the bronze mirror again to take a look...
"hiss!"
The once glossy and perfect lip rouge has now smudged onto the lips, losing both its color and shape.
"It's ruined, it's all ruined!"
Jiang Zhuoying suddenly looked up, pointed to her lips, and said with a mixture of anger and anxiety, "What... what do you suggest we do?"
The man glanced at it briefly, his expression indifferent: "Face towel."
The girl was taken aback. A face mask?
The face mask did indeed cover the lower half of her face.
Jiang Zhuoying carefully wiped away the smudged lipstick, put on a face mask, and only after finishing these tasks did she look up at someone.
Their eyes met.
The girl's eyes were filled with resentment, and a sense of accusation.
"Second Prince, you must not do this again."
"Why?" he asked in a flat voice.
Why?!
Jiang Zhuoying opened her eyes wide and actually asked her why?
"Of course it's because we're not in that kind of relationship!" The girl's voice was very urgent.
"Isn't the Second Prince a gentleman? Could it be that he intends to use his power and status to force me?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed that the other person's cool eyes gradually turned deep and dark.
Qi Fan leaned back, his eyes half-closed: "Hmm, that makes sense."
Jiang Zhuoying breathed a sigh of relief. Given the vast difference in their status, she could only offer a slight moral condemnation and delay the matter further.
“But I am not a gentleman.” He said in a normal tone.
But Jiang Zhuoying suddenly took a breath, and the usually eloquent woman suddenly became somewhat stammering.
"How...how could this be?"
"In my heart, the Second Prince is a truly upright and gentlemanly man!"
"Upright and honest?" The man slightly raised his eyes and looked at the little girl sitting by the window against the light.
“Then Ah Zhuo must have misjudged.”
“I am a man who will stop at nothing.” He emphasized the words “stop at nothing.”
Jiang Zhuoying was slightly taken aback, and a strange feeling suddenly arose in her heart. If we're talking about using any means necessary, wasn't she the same?
At this critical juncture, if she doesn't want to have any further involvement with the Second Prince, it's time for her to leave.
But she had only just gained his trust and hadn't yet found out the information she wanted.
She couldn't bear to leave now...
Jiang Zhuoying pondered for a long time, recalling every little thing that had happened since she came to this courtyard. Just as she was about to raise her head to flatter him and reassure him, she saw that the man had already closed his eyes.
I don't know if she's resting with her eyes closed or trying to fall asleep.
Her gaze gradually moved downwards, from the straight bridge of the nose to the slightly pursed thin lips, and she was surprised to find that there was lip rouge on the corner of the lips!
The porcelain-white cheeks hidden behind the face mask gradually turned red...
Should I tell him or not?
Should we let him embarrass himself later?
Just as she was twisting her fingers in frustration, she suddenly heard a commotion coming from outside the carriage.
The man opened his eyes abruptly and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
"ah?"
Jiang Zhuoying subconsciously shook her head: "I don't know either."
Before she could finish speaking, Chu Yixin's report came from outside: "Sir, a woman has fainted in the street, and the people are gathered around watching the spectacle."
"Yes, send someone to take a look." His voice was flat and even.
Jiang Zhuoying was slightly taken aback. Of course, she knew that Qi Fan's words, "send someone to take a look," meant more than just the literal meaning.
His order included sending people to investigate the ins and outs of the matter and to provide assistance to the woman if necessary.
Using any means necessary?
...
The carriage continued forward, entering through the east gate and exiting through the west gate of Luoyang, eventually arriving at the Third Prince's villa.
Although it is located in the suburbs, it was bustling with people and very lively today.
Jiang Zhuoying had never been to the Third Prince's villa before, and she was more or less curious about it.
Qi Fan led her, Eunuch Chu, and A-Liu through the gate of the villa.
Logically, the host should greet guests at the door for such a banquet, but today the person greeting guests at the door was not the Third Prince.
Jiang Zhuoying took a special look and wondered who that person was from the Third Prince's side. He appeared calm and composed, neither humble nor arrogant, and could exchange pleasantries with any of the officials.
Stepping through the gate of the villa, one is greeted by exquisitely beautiful pavilions and towers.
Jiang Zhuoying looked around, secretly admiring the scene. This was the prince's birthday banquet?
Her background was quite distinguished; her grandfather was the Duke of Rui, and her maternal grandfather was the Imperial Censor, both of whom were highly regarded by the current emperor.
Neither my grandfather nor my maternal grandfather had a separate courtyard of this size.
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Author's Note: Yingbao: Can't you have any shame? [Angry]
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