Prince Qing remained silent, and the private room fell into silence for a moment, with only the noise of the diners outside audible.
After a long while, Prince Qing finally reached out and helped Yao Niang up.
"It doesn't matter. I know that even though you're saying all this, you just don't believe that I'm truly in love with you."
It's a man's instinct to protect the woman he loves; you'll believe me from now on.
Gu Yaoniang obediently got up and saw Prince Qing out the door.
Turning around and seeing the kaleidoscope on the table, he quickly called out "Your Highness," turned back, picked it up, and presented it to Prince Qing.
Prince Qing paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly, "There's no reason to take back a gift. Does that mean I can't give gifts just because my marriage proposal was rejected?"
He put his hands behind his back, refusing to take the kaleidoscope.
Gu Yaoniang was somewhat hesitant, but seeing his determination, she had no choice but to put the kaleidoscope away. She secretly resolved that if Prince Qing were to have a future princess, she could secretly include the kaleidoscope in the wedding gift.
After seeing Prince Qing off, Gu Yaoniang turned and went upstairs to the room next to the private room she had just left.
Inside the room, a man stood by the window, peering down at the street scene.
Hearing Yao Niang enter, Lu Zhao'an turned around and looked at her with a half-smile.
Gu Yaoniang glared at him angrily.
Lu Zhaoan then asked, "Is everything alright?"
Although it was a casual question, his eyes were scanning Yao Niang from head to toe, looking her up and down.
Gu Yaoniang smiled enigmatically: "What? Does Boss Lu perhaps have a habit of eavesdropping?"
If she hadn't overheard what Prince Qing said to her, why would she have asked this question? She was still hiding by the window watching them.
Lu Zhaoan vaguely sensed the change in Gu Yaoniang's emotions. After all, at his insistence, Gu Yaoniang usually called him "Jinchuan," and only when she had a problem with him would she call him "Boss Lu" in a sarcastic tone.
He didn't deny that he had overheard the conversation that had just taken place on the other side of the wall: "There's nothing we can do, the walls at your Jin Yu Lou are still too thin. Next time, you can keep your voices down."
Gu Yaoniang was so angry that she wanted Lu Zhaoan to give her more money.
"I'm fine!"
She didn't want to say more; since Lu Zhaoan had already listened, she had nothing more to say.
Lu Zhaoan nodded and began discussing business matters with her.
Gu Yaoniang was a little uncomfortable at first, but gradually she put the matter aside and relaxed.
After the two of them agreed on the amount of money, Lu Zhaoan looked at the numbers in the ledger and sighed seemingly casually, "If you don't want to marry Prince Qing, why don't you consider our Lu family? In that case, your money is my money, and we won't have to go through all this trouble of checking the money every month and sending it back and forth."
Gu Yaoniang felt a surge of anger and embarrassment, and raised her hand to strike Lu Zhaoan on the back.
But then he suddenly paused, a glimmer of light flashing through his mind.
Lu Zhao'an is not the kind of person who speaks recklessly, so why did he suddenly utter such reckless words? Could it be that he meant something?
She looked at Lu Zhaoan's calm and expressionless face and fell into deep thought.
Seeing that Gu Yaoniang seemed to be deep in thought, Lu Zhaoan smiled slightly and said nothing more.
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