Chapter 52 "It's unbelievable! You're stupid, yet you can still laugh."
Hearing me say that, Shen Yun's brows furrowed slightly.
Then she asked me, "Besides these, what else did she say to you?"
The "she" here naturally refers to Aunt Xun.
"besides……"
There are other things, but they can't really be discussed openly.
I hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth anyway. I thought to myself, it's always better to say those things than to actually do them.
"Aunt Xun told me not to eat, but to wait until Master Shen comes tonight—"
As it turned out, I overestimated my thick skin. Before long, I could feel my cheeks burning, and my body, wrapped in the blanket, was slightly sweaty.
I carefully observed Shen Yun's expression, but he remained expressionless.
However, upon noticing my gaze, Shen Yun would give me an encouraging look, signaling me to continue.
Seeing Shen Yun's businesslike demeanor, I gradually became infected by it, and the awkwardness in my heart was relieved, but the heat on my face never dissipated.
When I finished speaking and stopped to catch my breath, I suddenly saw Shen Yun stand up and walk to the table where wine cups and various snacks and delicacies were set out.
Shen Yun first picked up the wine pot and poured a cup, but did not drink it. Instead, she brought it close to her nose and smelled it.
Then he picked up his chopsticks again, picked up a few side dishes, looked at them in front of him, and put them down. It was basically the same process.
I couldn't understand what Shen Yun was doing, but after my attention was drawn to the various dishes, my previously empty stomach suddenly felt an uncontrollable hunger.
Then came a soft gurgling sound.
The voice wasn't loud, but Shen Yun had good hearing, and he immediately turned to look at me.
I didn't know what to say for a moment, I just stared blankly at those black eyes.
I felt inexplicably fortunate that the person in front of me was indeed Shen Yun—this almost unfamiliar young man—and not Senior Sister Yingxue, otherwise my embarrassment would only have increased.
His deep gaze swept across my face, then landed on my stomach, which I was cradling in my hands. He suddenly chuckled, "Your stomach is much more honest than your mouth. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
I misunderstood Shen Yun's meaning. I glanced at the dishes on the table, swallowed hard, and then said, "Anything is fine. I'm not picky."
"I see." Shen Yun nodded.
Just as I was wondering if this was a sign that I could get out of bed to eat, I saw Shen Yun turn around and leave the room, followed by the sound of the door opening.
According to the building's rules for receiving guests, there are usually at least two people from the building waiting at the door at this time, ready to be called upon at any time.
Unless some guests have special requests.
Like that Master Zou, he was probably the kind of person who both enjoyed the hopeless struggle of prey and hated being disturbed.
Thanks to his preference, I was able to escape to the lobby downstairs without any obstacles.
Of course, to be precise, it was called scrambling and crawling.
At this distance, and with my current hearing, I naturally couldn't hear what Chen Yun was saying outside the door; I could only faintly hear human voices.
But that's just how people are sometimes; the more ambiguous something is, the more curious they become.
I moved closer to the door, straining my ears to listen, while my eyes lingered on the table of food and drinks, and I unconsciously swallowed.
Shen Yun exchanged a few words with the person at the door, then turned and went back inside.
I heard footsteps and immediately sat back down in my original spot, trying to pretend nothing had happened.
Shen Yun sat down at the table, seemingly unconcerned, and told me to wait a little longer.
I wasn't quite sure what they wanted me to wait for, but since they said to wait, I did as they said.
At the same time, the feeling of hunger in my stomach became more and more obvious.
My gaze involuntarily swept across the table again. Suddenly, I noticed that Shen Yun had taken a small knife in his hand, the black blade of which was very similar to the long sword he often wore at his waist.
Shen Yun picked up a bright red apple from the table, twirling it between her fair fingers. As soon as the black blade pierced the apple, the thin peel spun like a red ribbon and fell onto the dark brown tabletop.
It was the first time I had ever seen someone peel an apple so beautifully that I was completely absorbed in watching it.
Until Shen Yun came over, holding the top of the apple, and asked me if I wanted some.
"It's just to fill my stomach temporarily, there's no need to finish it."
I don't really like eating apples. Apples can be bland if they're not sweet, and too sweet can be unpleasant to the taste buds.
Moreover, although Shen Yun said it was okay not to finish it.
But since they specifically peeled it, it's a bit unreasonable to just take a couple of bites and then throw it away.
"Well, Lord Shen, actually..."
I opened my mouth in great distress, but couldn't say anything, which only made me feel more embarrassed.
Shen Yun probably sensed what I was thinking, so she cut the apple in her hand in half, then handed me one half.
"I suddenly realized I'm a little hungry too, so how about sharing half with me?" he said.
I was surprised by Shen Yun's explanation, but I still reached out and took the half apple, thanked her, and started eating it bite by bite.
I don't know if it's because I've been hungry for so long, but this apple tastes much sweeter than usual.
I glanced at Shen Yun out of the corner of my eye as he ate his apple in small bites and noticed that he ate very politely.
He bore a striking resemblance to a certain boy from my memory, despite the fact that the two were worlds apart in personality and behavior.
I recall Shen Yun once saying that the two were cousins.
Perhaps... this is the power of blood ties? I let my mind wander.
When Aunt Xun arrived with her people, this was the strange scene she saw.
In the deliberately decorated room with its enchanting colors, amidst the swirling smoke, Shen Yun and I sat cross-legged on the bed, while Shen Yun sat upright at the table, each holding half an apple and enjoying it immensely.
Aunt Xun was clearly taken aback for a moment before she walked gracefully to Shen Yun with a forced smile and gave a perfunctory bow.
Before she could even speak, she heard Shen Yun's somewhat disgusted voice: "Please move away, you smell too strong, it makes people want to sneeze."
Even though Aunt Xun always prided herself on being good at socializing, her smile froze for a moment.
"Oh dear, it's all my fault. I was just trying to dress up nicely to welcome you, but I ended up making a mess of things and offending you unintentionally. Please don't take offense."
As she spoke, Aunt Xun glanced at me out of the corner of her eye as I sat on the bed holding a half-eaten apple, the warning in her eyes making me sit up straight instantly.
"Speaking of which, why is Your Excellency so eager to summon me here? What has this clueless little thing done to displease Your Excellency? In my humble opinion, perhaps we should find someone else, someone more obedient, prettier, and better at handling things. Our brothel has no shortage of good women..."
Chen Yun was very calm.
Listen calmly to the entire conversation, then calmly ask the other person, "Is there anything else?"
"Um, what other?"
Aunt Xun was somewhat surprised and asked doubtfully, "I don't know what you mean—"
He gazed at Aunt Xun for a moment with a deep, melancholy look, making the woman's eyes dart around nervously.
Then, Shen Yun suddenly smiled.
"Nothing, I just felt you talked a lot and wanted to hear if you had any other thoughts."
Aunt Xun also smiled, but the smile looked forced. She waved her handkerchief to cover her mouth and shook her head repeatedly, saying, "No, no, it was just me being noisy."
"Is it really over?" Shen Yun asked slowly. "Actually, I prefer not to be talked about behind my back rather than to speak frankly."
Aunt Xun chuckled dryly, "Hehe, what are you saying, sir? How could this humble woman dare to say such a thing?"
As she said this, the woman suddenly turned to me, who was quietly watching the scene, and asked with a big smile, "Pipa, good child, don't you think so?"
This was the first time I had ever seen Aunt Xun give me such a "kind" smile. The way the woman's lips parted and her bright red lipstick made her look like she was about to devour me.
Faced with Aunt Xun's kind and approachable question, I could only nod in agreement.
Seeing this, Aunt Xun breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly turned around and put on a smiling face again.
"Look at this child, he's the most honest and least likely to lie in our building, otherwise he wouldn't have won your favor, sir, would he?"
In just a few words, I went from being the clueless little brat Aunt Xun described to the most honest and good child.
It is said that men who frequent brothels are prone to lying.
In this respect, gender doesn't really matter. It should be said that the thicker one's skin, the less afraid one's lies are of being exposed, making them more suited to lying.
Aunt Xun just happens to be a woman who is good at lying.
"Yes, I do find this child pleasing to the eye," Shen Yun readily admitted.
Aunt Xun was genuinely surprised by these words. She hadn't expected her flattery to elicit such affirmation, and she couldn't help but glance at me a few more times.
Then Shen Yun spoke up again: "Since the proprietress has already made things clear, there is no need to say anything more in the future, and there is no need to do anything unnecessary."
While I could generally understand the preceding sentences, the last sentence was somewhat perplexing.
...Are these unnecessary things?
What exactly did Aunt Xun do that made Shen Yun feel it was unnecessary and even call her over to explain things to her face?
But Shen Yun did not say it explicitly.
After receiving instructions, the people in the building who were following Aunt Xun removed all the fruits, vegetables and snacks from the table and replaced them with new ones.
After confirming that there were no further instructions, he withdrew with a forced smile.
Before leaving, he didn't forget to secretly glare at me.
I shrank back, remained silent, and turned to meet Shen Yun's gaze.
He waved to me, and I got off the bed, grabbed the blanket, and scurried over.
...Just like when I saw him downstairs a few days ago.
The difference was that my injuries had already healed considerably, so I arrived in front of the boy much faster.
Similarly, I still didn't know what to do next, and could only stand there blankly, waiting for further instructions from the other party.
"What are you still standing there for? Aren't you hungry?" Shen Yun said.
I said "oh," and that sometimes when people are too hungry, they feel full easily after eating anything.
I wasn't actually that hungry anymore, but since Chen Yun spoke up, I obediently found a seat and sat down.
Seeing that I sat down, Shen Yun didn't say anything, but reached for her wine glass.
Seeing this, I hurriedly tried to get up and pour the wine.
Forgetting the blanket wrapped around her, she accidentally dragged the stool next to her a couple of steps, making a screeching sound on the ground.
Shen Yun glanced at me, as if asking me with her eyes what I was going to do.
"I'm so sorry... I was only thinking about getting up to pour wine for Master Shen, and I didn't notice..."
Shen Yun waved her hand to interrupt me, her voice calm and unreadable: "You eat your food. I have hands and feet, it's not like I can't do it myself."
"Yes, Pipa understands."
I nodded and sat down again. Out of the corner of my eye, however, I kept secretly observing Shen Yun's every move.
Shen Yun didn't eat any dishes; she just poured herself one cup after another, drinking slowly and deliberately.
I remember when I saw Shen Yun in the lobby downstairs that day, the young man seemed to be sitting at the table drinking as well.
Later, I heard that Shen Yun had come to arrest people under the pretense of visiting brothels—visiting brothels was just a pretense, but he had actually drunk the wine.
At that time, I was thinking that Shen Yun was drinking during official business, and his superiors didn't care.
I told Aunt Xun about my doubts, and she immediately smiled, her charming eyes narrowing, half amused and half longing.
Do you know who Lord Shen is?
Aunt Xun tapped my nose with the handkerchief in her hand and asked me a question.
—This Lord Shen naturally refers to Shen Yun's father.
I recoiled from the overwhelming fragrance emanating from Aunt Xun, then honestly shook my head.
Before that, all I knew was that Shen Yun had a father who was an official.
I don't know the specifics of the official position, and even if I did, I wouldn't understand what it entailed.
So when Aunt Xun revealed the answer, I just gave a vague "oh" in response.
"Oh what? Do you know what that means?" Aunt Xun seemed quite dissatisfied with my indifferent reaction.
"..."
I genuinely didn't know, and at the same time, I felt that it had nothing to do with me.
Let alone Shen Yun's father, Shen Yun herself is from a completely different world from me.
—I once had a delusion.
I listened to the promises made hastily by the young man, and I took them to heart. Unfortunately, in the end, they were nothing more than a fleeting, illusory dream.
The feeling of a dream shattered is too painful.
Therefore, I am certain that I will not repeat the same mistake.
However, given Shen Yun's personality, he probably won't give me the chance to repeat the same mistake. Because he doesn't seem like the type to fall for me at all.
So I nodded and said, "I know, Aunt Xun. Pipa will try her best not to upset Master Shen. She will also not be so greedy as to try to get something extra that would displease the Shen family."
Seeing the look of disapproval on my face, Aunt Xun finally just sighed, "Oh well, that's all the ambition you have."
He paused, then muttered to himself, rather unwillingly, "How could such a blockhead have such good luck? Is it really true that fools are blessed? It's truly unbelievable."
Looking down, she saw the expression on my face and was somewhat surprised: "What the hell? I told you you're stupid, how can you still laugh?"
I said, I don't know.
Aunt Xun didn't care. In her mind, I was already an incredibly stupid fool, so it wasn't surprising that I would do some incomprehensible little things. As long as I stayed here obediently, she would have money coming in every month, so she wouldn't bother to pay much attention to me.
After Aunt Xun turned and left, I reached out and touched the corner of my mouth. There seemed to be a faint smile left, but it was so subtle that I didn't even notice it myself.
It's clear that Aunt Xun has a keen eye.
But why laugh?
I think it's probably because it's been a long time since I've heard anyone call me such a blockhead.
The boy who used to call me a blockhead has been gone for so long. So long that when I think of him again, it's not all just sadness.
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