Chapter 7 Acting
The moment the maidservant outside the courtyard announced the arrival, Zhou Jin stepped forward.
Just as Li Qu finished tidying herself up, Zhou Jin entered the room. Li Qu smiled slightly and stepped forward to give Zhou Jin a standard bow: "This concubine greets Your Highness."
Zhou Jin glanced at Li Qu and stopped in his tracks.
Granny Xu gestured to Hongguo and Cuiguo, "Those who are preparing ice basins, prepare ice basins; those who are preparing to wash their hands, prepare to wash their hands. Don't just stand there."
Li Qu stood up, smiling as she stepped forward to fan Zhou Jin: "It's hot. Did you come from out of town, sir? Would you like some water for a bath?"
Zhou Jin withdrew his gaze and said sparingly, "Agreed." Then he walked towards the main seat.
Li Qu ordered Xu Mama to arrange for someone to prepare water, and followed Zhou Jin closely, taking a seat next to the main seat.
A maid from the tea room served tea.
She asked Zhou Jin, "Are we having dinner here tonight?"
Zhou Jin, holding his cup, didn't even look up and just grunted in response.
Li Qu got up again to instruct people to prepare a meal, but little did she know that as she walked out, Zhou Jin looked up and his gaze lingered on her waist and hips.
Summer clothes are thin, but her clothes accentuate her curves, and the swaying skirt with every step reveals her frivolity.
As she turned away, he casually withdrew his gaze and sipped his tea.
Li Qu returned to her seat, and fresh, refreshing fruits and snacks were served to her.
She picked up the silver fork and offered Zhou Jin a piece of melon, but he refused, putting down his cup: "I haven't even apologized to you for causing you and your lover to break up."
Li Qu had long been familiar with men's possessiveness, so he dealt with Zhou Jin without the slightest hesitation.
Li Qu offered a piece of melon, its cool taste easing the tension and restlessness in her heart: "I am sixteen this year. If I truly had someone in my heart, why would I have gone south with my parents to live with my elder sister and brother-in-law?"
That day, it was merely a convenient excuse to ask the master to be lenient and not hold it against me.
"Moreover, when we first entered the mansion, my second sister, my mother, and I were separated and questioned, and the old lady already knew our backgrounds very well."
"If it weren't for her respectable family background, how could the old lady have allowed the concubine to have the opportunity to get close to the master?"
Li Qu forked another piece of fruit, but instead of eating it, she smiled and turned to look at Zhou Jin: "You seem so concerned about whether I have someone I like. Could it be that you've fallen in love with me at first sight? So you're just jumping to conclusions and getting jealous."
Zhou Jin's gaze slowly fell on Li Qu's face.
It seemed that they hadn't expected Li Qu to be so shameless as to pat himself on the back.
Li Qu seemed shy, twirling the small fork in her hand to avoid Zhou Jin's gaze: "I understand your intentions, sir. If you had no feelings for me, why would you force me into this situation?"
Zhou Jin: "..."
"However, I have figured it out. Your Highness is of noble birth and looks like an immortal. I am lucky to have this opportunity to serve you. From now on, I will serve you wholeheartedly." She seemed shy, glancing at Zhou Jin's direction out of the corner of her eye, making it look like a young girl who dared not look him in the eye.
Just then, Granny Xu came to inform him that the water was ready. Speechless, Zhou Jin looked away and got up to wash up.
Li Qu put the melon in her mouth and followed behind.
As a proper concubine, serving her master while he washes and dries is her duty.
This kind of service includes, but is not limited to, that kind of service.
Li Qu followed Zhou Jin step by step, hoping that Zhou Jin would tell her to get lost. But even after Huai Qiu smiled and placed the tray of Zhou Jin's clothes in her hands, she still didn't get any gentlemanly restraint from Zhou Jin.
Once inside the bathhouse and after putting down her clothes, Li Qu saw Zhou Jin with his hands raised, waiting for her to undress him.
She had previously heard servants mention that Zhou Jin was gay, and she had even suspected it herself, but now…
She untied Zhou Jin's clothes one by one and placed them on the hanger. When she got to the last piece of clothing, an inner garment, she loosened the ties and closed her eyes slightly.
Her fingertips accidentally brushed against her burning hot skin, and a tingling sensation ran down her scalp.
All the mental preparation you did was useless when it really came down to it.
"You have to endure it unwillingly while pretending to be willing."
Li Qu raised her eyes and said angrily, "What are you saying, Your Highness? I am overjoyed to be able to serve you, but I am shy. Please allow me to get used to it. I will let Huaiqiu serve you from now on."
As she turned to leave, Zhou Jin grabbed her arm, saying, "What's there to be ashamed of? It's not the first time."
Then Zhou Jin pushed her to the edge of the bathtub.
"Wash yourself clean."
Li Qu gritted her teeth, and regardless of her true feelings, this time she did not resist and let him take what he wanted.
By the time I finished getting ready in the bathroom, it was already dark.
Li Qu finally got the result she wanted.
When Granny Xu saw that Li Qu's underpants, which she had just put on, had quickly become red, she hurriedly sent someone to fetch the doctor.
Zhou Jin left the bathhouse a little earlier. The meal had just been set out in the main room when he heard that Li Qu had called a doctor.
He showed no tenderness towards Li Qu and did everything his way.
I didn't think Li Qu would do anything.
It wasn't until Li Qu was helped back by Granny Xu, her face pale, her brows furrowed with bitterness, and her expression full of desolation, and Granny Xu herself looked worried, that they remembered how Li Qu had tearfully begged him at the very end...
He took it as her unwillingness to serve him and didn't take it seriously.
Seeing that Zhou Jin was eating normally as if no one was around, Li Qu took out a handkerchief and began to sob softly.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zhou Jin impatiently put down his chopsticks. She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and looked at her reflection with self-pity: "I originally thought that even if it wasn't love at first sight, my lord would still have some affection for me. Now it seems that I was just being presumptuous."
“If you had even the slightest affection for me, you wouldn’t have ignored my desperate pleas and acted recklessly.”
"My poor concubine is suffering from excruciating abdominal pain and incessant bleeding. I'm afraid this is bad... Waaah..."
"I have been reflecting on my past actions these past few days and have developed a deep affection for you, but I never expected that it was all just wishful thinking on my part."
“My lord has no kindness towards me whatsoever. I’m afraid he still holds a grudge against me for my outrageous words before.”
"What will it take for you to stop, my lord? Waaah, do you have to force me to die?"
Xu Mama couldn't discern Zhou Jin's emotions, but she quickly covered Li Qu's mouth, saying, "Auntie, don't talk nonsense."
Li Qu pulled away Xu Mama's hand, seemingly deeply heartbroken, her voice filled with resentment and pity: "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm telling the truth. Your Third Master never had any feelings for me."
What could Granny Xu possibly say?
Li Qu sat up, looked at Zhou Jin, her eyes filled with tears that wouldn't fall, and looked pitiful: "Now that you, my lord, are blind to my deep affection, why should I sign that concubine document and cause you distress?"
"Between you and me, let's just leave things as they are from now on."
Crystalline tears streamed down her cheeks.
"On the day of your joyous occasion, I will request to leave the mansion and will no longer be an eyesore to you."
Li Qu turned her head, one hand covering her lower abdomen, the other wiping away tears with a handkerchief.
The room was silent. The red and green fruits had turned to stone. Granny Xu nervously wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve.
Heavenly Bodhisattva, does Auntie even know what she's saying?!
Zhou Jin tossed the handkerchief he was wiping his mouth onto the table, took the tea from the maid, and took a small sip.
This is the first time someone has portrayed someone who doesn't want to be his concubine in such a pure and refined way.
He put down the cup, got up, and left.
Li Qu was unsure whether she had passed the hurdle of not signing the concubine agreement. Feeling anxious and suffering from unbearable abdominal pain, she collapsed weakly onto the soft pillow and said, "Granny, why am I so unlucky?"
"Oh dear, Auntie, you've really got some nerve today. You're probably the only one in this whole mansion who dares to throw a tantrum at Third Master."
He wasn't angry.
This indicates that this behavior is within his bottom line.
Or perhaps he doesn't care what she says or does at all, only about what happens in bed.
Li Qu knew that if she wanted to deceive Zhou Jin, she had to deceive everyone in the mansion first.
She was able to leave Yan unscathed, so why couldn't she leave the Zhou residence safely?
Never sign a document authorizing the taking of a concubine.
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