Chapter 7 Overnight Stay
Chapter Summary: The Rise of Little Green.
"Something's wrong." Xu Luchuan frowned at Liu Shiyu. "How can we share a superior room? A lone man and a lone woman, sharing a room. What kind of behavior is this? If word gets out, how will we face each other?"
Xu Luchuan asked a series of questions. Liu Shiyu thought his words made sense and nodded, saying, "It was indeed something I hadn't considered."
Seeing this, Xu Luchuan was about to raise his hand to signal the innkeeper to open another superior room. But Liu Shiyu stopped him, saying, "But compared to that, I'm more worried that you'll change your mind and run away in the middle of the night. That would be even more difficult to handle tomorrow than if this matter got out."
"But you can rest assured, Fushan is far away. No one will care, and no one will recognize us as passersby who have come in a hurry. If Lian Xing didn't have other things to do, Lian Yue would have to protect me and keep an eye on you all by herself. Do you think I want to be in the same room with you?"
As she spoke, Liu Shiyu couldn't help but feel wronged, "I'm clearly the one who's at a greater disadvantage... so why are you still unwilling..."
Xu Luchuan had no time to refute this.
The innkeeper, holding the key to the superior room, greeted them with a smile: "Madam, sir. You two are truly blessed. With rooms in high demand during the summer solstice, this is the only superior room left. Here's the key, please take it."
Thank you.
After taking the keys, Liu Shiyu turned and looked at Xu Luchuan triumphantly. Now, even if he wanted to open another shop, there was nothing he could do.
Xu Luchuan stood still, gave a cold snort, and didn't bother to say anything more.
Liu Shiyu smiled slightly, tossed the key to Lian Yue, and said, "Go check the room. I'm going to have dinner with Mr. Xu first. Put your things down and come find me."
"Yes." Lian Yue took the keys and clasped her hands in response.
Turning around, Liu Shiyu said as she walked towards the table and chairs set up in the bamboo garden, "Come on, my lord. My wife is treating everyone today."
...
Xu Luchuan sat down next to Liu Shiyu, looking displeased.
Seeing this, the waiter stepped forward to take their order. Liu Shiyu, driven by her love for roasted meat, didn't hesitate and immediately ordered the meat. The waiter couldn't help but clap his hands in praise.
After ordering, Liu Shiyu looked up at Xu Luchuan and asked softly, "I've ordered. What would you like to eat?"
The servant also turned his gaze to the order and chimed in, "Yes, we were only focused on what my wife ordered. What would you like to eat, sir?"
Xu Luchuan, however, remained silent, his face dark.
Seeing the atmosphere getting a little awkward, Liu Shiyu quickly chimed in, "Never mind, never mind. Just order what I just ordered, and we'll add more if it's not enough. Thank you for your help."
"Alright," the servant replied, turning to leave.
Liu Shiyu was left to face Xu Luchuan, who was being difficult with her. She picked up her teacup and began to drink, completely ignoring her "husband."
After a long while, Liu Shiyu couldn't help but speak up: "Are you angry? I didn't expect you to still be so petty."
Xu Luchuan remained silent, only watching Liu Shiyu lower her eyes and trace circles on the rim of her cup with her fingertips. "Actually, when I saw you yesterday, I was quite surprised by your aloof and noble appearance. But today, I found that your bad temper is still the same as before, which makes me quite happy."
"Unlike the people in the capital, who are all that's left is pretense and manipulation. They're living less and less like human beings..."
Liu Shiyu's unintentional, subtle self-deprecation was overheard by Xu Luchuan. Wasn't he also the one feigning, the one being manipulated?
He simply revealed his true colors in front of Liu Shiyu. But even after returning to Jinling, he still had to live under that facade…
Although he was quite moved, Xu Luchuan remained indifferent when he spoke: "The past is the past. Now you just need to explain what's happening in front of you clearly, and stop talking nonsense."
"Then I'll be frank." Liu Shiyu smiled in response. He then put down his teacup and leaned back.
“Since I’m asking for your help, I can’t be too blatant. That’s why I had to resort to this tactic. I had Lian Xing pretend to be an unknown person and kidnap you. That way, you can get away from them without any problem. Once you’ve finished helping me, we’ll go our separate ways and pretend we never met.”
Liu Shiyu was willing, but Xu Luchuan still had concerns: "How can you guarantee that you won't run into Duan Lei and Yu Hong in Guangling? Even if you can guarantee that you won't run into them, how am I supposed to explain my job at the Court of Justice?"
What Xu Luchuan was thinking, Liu Shiyu could easily have foreseen. She confidently stated, "We have Lian Xing! He'll keep an eye on Duan Lei and Yu Hong. He'll also capture Ling Wang's old subordinates. Don't worry, Lian Xing has the ability. You just need to take Li Xi to Bai Tao to claim your reward. Consider it you helping me, and me repaying your favor. As for why I sent you to Guangling..."
"Because of Liu Shijin, I want to see you."
"You want to see me?"
Xu Luchuan found it unbelievable. Why would Princess Shouyang want to see him for no reason?
Liu Shiyu noticed his confusion, tapped her finger on the table, and said leisurely, "To be precise, I want to see my lover. And you are that person now."
At this point, Liu Shiyu simply recounted the whole story to Xu Luchuan.
After speaking, Liu Shiyu placed her palm on the table and said gratefully, "This is why I asked you for help. You know how persistent my elder sister is. So, I am truly grateful that you are willing to help."
Xu Luchuan didn't seem to buy it; this explanation was far from what he had expected. He couldn't help but confirm again, "That's all? You asked me for help just because of this?"
“Yes. What else could it be?” Liu Shiyu nodded earnestly.
In the blink of an eye, a commotion arose from the other end of the kitchen. A laborer, struggling to lead a disobedient lamb with a rope in one hand and wielding a butcher's knife in the other, stood blocking the kitchen doorway. The servant carrying a charcoal brazier, preparing to leave, was forced to stop in his tracks.
Witnessing all this, Xu Luchuan suddenly asked, "Did you also eat roasted meat yesterday?"
"How did you know!" Liu Shiyu replied in surprise.
Xu Luchuan was speechless. All the events of yesterday were just his own arbitrary assumptions. At this moment, he felt like a complete fool, having been completely played by Liu Shiyu.
After the servant who had led the lamb outside the kitchen left, the servants gradually brought out all the food.
Liu Shiyu sat opposite, gazing at the table laden with delicacies, completely oblivious to the rights and wrongs before her. She eagerly placed the fresh meat over the fire, impatiently waiting for the delicious meal to cook.
Fifteen minutes later, the aroma of roasted meat filled the air.
Liu Shiyu picked up the wooden chopsticks, intending to use them to pick up food, but Xu Luchuan preemptively placed them on his own plate.
"What are you doing!" Watching Xu Luchuan pick up the roasted meat again and swallow it, Liu Shiyu couldn't help but swallow hard. This was the first time someone had dared to snatch food from her jaws. "Want some? Can't you make it yourself? Why are you taking mine?"
"Steal it from you? I risked my reputation to help you. Is it too much to ask you to personally grill the meat for me?" Xu Luchuan put down his chopsticks, beaming with pride.
He had just thought it over carefully, and this deal seemed like a sure thing no matter how you looked at it. He didn't have to work, and he could still get by. So, he didn't mind playing along with Liu Shiyu.
Liu Shiyu, who had been in the lead from the beginning, was suddenly overpowered and had her beloved roasted meat taken away.
She gripped her chopsticks tightly, frowned, and glared at him angrily.
"Are you angry? I didn't expect you to still be so petty." Xu Luchuan was unfazed. He couldn't help but want to burst into laughter at Liu Shiyu's discomfiture. "Don't look at me like that. If you don't want to be roasted, I won't make things difficult for you. But if anything goes wrong in Guangling tomorrow, don't blame me..."
Liu Shiyu was quite flexible; upon hearing him threaten her with this matter, she quickly said, "It's just roasted meat? I'm an expert at that. Which one would you like, Young Master Xu?"
Seeing that Liu Shiyu had taken the bait, Xu Luchuan began to give her orders without any hesitation.
Thus, for a full half hour, Liu Shiyu only managed to sneak in seven or eight bites of roasted meat. The rest was all devoured by Xu Luchuan himself.
Looking at the empty plates on the table, Liu Shiyu couldn't help but mutter a complaint: "They can eat so much. Even more than me. What kind of person is that? They don't leave a single bite for anyone, aren't they afraid of getting stuffed..."
To her surprise, her voice grew louder and louder until Xu Luchuan heard her and asked, "What are you muttering to yourself?"
"It's nothing," Liu Shiyu said, pursing her lips.
Actually, despite Xu Luchuan's tall and slender figure, his appetite was surprisingly large. Not only Liu Shiyu, but even the matriarch of the Xu family in Liyang was taken aback by his appetite when she first met him. She thought the boy had never had a proper meal in Jinling.
Xu Luchuan was in a good mood, having eaten and drunk his fill, and decided not to argue with Liu Shiyu for the time being. He stood up and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, madam. Let's go back to our room and rest."
Liu Shiyu rubbed her stomach in frustration, lowered her eyes, and sighed. Although she hadn't eaten her fill, she was already half full from anger. She no longer had the appetite she had earlier, and now all she could hope for was a good night's sleep.
Thinking of this, Liu Shiyu stood up angrily, glanced at Xu Luchuan, and walked towards the room on the second floor without looking back.
Once inside, Liu Shiyu saw the large, soft bed and excitedly lay down. Xu Luchuan followed her in, glanced at Liu Shiyu lying down, and then calmly walked to the table.
After settling down, he poured himself a cup of tea.
After picking up his teacup and slowly blowing away the aroma, Xu Luchuan said in a deep voice, "Get up. I don't like anyone sleeping in my bed."
"Your bed?" Liu Shiyu sat up in surprise, crossing her arms imposingly. "I never said I'd let you sleep on the bed! You'll be sleeping on the floor today."
"Oh?" Xu Luchuan sneered upon hearing this. "I wonder what it would be like if Your Highness led an illiterate and extremely ugly lover to meet Princess Shouyang? I'm rather looking forward to it."
Liu Shiyu clenched her fist. Her initial gratitude towards Xu Luchuan had turned into deep regret in less than two hours. Though she wanted to cry but couldn't, she had no choice but to swallow her anger for the time being.
Following her obediently standing up, Liu Shiyu smiled and said with narrowed eyes, "Young Master Xu, please."
Xu Luchuan straightened his robe and rose, slowly approaching. He finally stopped just inches away from Liu Shiyu. Looking down at Liu Shiyu's bright and fair face, he chuckled softly, "Then, Princess, you should rest early as well."
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