Chapter 705 Knowing is Difficult
Wen Zirou, who is usually very frugal when shopping, surprisingly took the initiative to pay for things this time.
She paid first and handed one of the hairpins to Wen Zhiyi: "Zhiyi, this is for you."
Wen Zhiyi smiled and accepted the gift: "Thank you so much, Zirou. May our sisterly bond last forever."
“Okay, may our friendship last forever!” Wen Zirou said naturally.
"Here, let me put this on you. Your hair is so black and long, it will definitely look good on you." Wen Zhiyi put the hairpin on Wen Zirou.
A hint of cold mockery flashed across Wen Zirou's lowered gaze.
No matter how black or long her hair is, it's nowhere near as good as hers.
Everyone knows that Wen Zhiyi has had exceptionally beautiful hair since birth. As she grew older, her black hair became as smooth and silky as satin, glossy and black, so thick that even hair clips couldn't hold it in place.
When she praises her in front of others, isn't she actually praising herself in a roundabout way?
How hypocritical.
Although she thought this in her heart, she still smiled and put on the hairpin, looking very touched and happy.
...
That evening, Wan Qingzhou escorted Wen Zhiyi back to the Wen family home. After watching Wen Zirou enter the house, he stopped Wen Zhiyi, who was also about to go inside.
"What?" Wen Zhiyi asked, confused.
Wan Qingzhou coughed: "Well... a few days ago on the ship, I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wen Zhiyi waved her hand to interrupt him: "Alright, no need to explain, I know."
She then changed the subject, saying, "How about we go on a picnic at Changting Mountain tomorrow? I've been busy with exams these past few days, and now that I've finally finished, I want to relax."
Wan Qingzhou was taken aback at first, then realized that Wen Zhiyi probably hadn't really taken what happened on the boat to heart. So she breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "A picnic? Sure, I'll prepare more of your favorite green rice dumplings and bridge cakes."
"Great! And there's fruit wine from Xitang Village too. Last time I only got to try osmanthus wine and plum wine, but I'd like to try peach blossom wine. Since you're on good terms with the proprietress, could you get me another pot?"
Wan Qingzhou clicked his tongue and said, "I really underestimated you. It turns out you're the real drunkard."
"Hey, I don't just drink any kind of alcohol!" Wen Zhiyi said, hands on her hips.
"Alright, alright, peach blossom wine, lychee wine, plum wine, I'll get you a pot of each, I'll make sure you have a good time, okay?"
Wen Zhiyi smiled happily: "Nothing could be better."
After thinking for a moment, she said, "Then let's meet in the afternoon tomorrow, when it's warmer."
Wan Qingzhou nodded, then, as if remembering something, asked, "You're not going to ask Yan Heli to come along too, are you?"
Wen Zhiyi's cheeks flushed, and she coughed lightly, saying, "I didn't tell him."
Wan Qingzhou said with satisfaction, "That's good. He's such a chatterbox. If he were here, he definitely wouldn't be able to have fun or eat well."
Wen Zhiyi snorted, knowing in her heart that there was another reason why she didn't bring Yan Heli—she actually enjoyed the time she spent with Wan Qingzhou more than the three of them.
She didn't say it, though, because she felt that if she did, the thin veil between them would be torn apart.
Even a fool could imagine that Wan Qingzhou's braids must be sticking up to the sky.
"Alright, then see you at the crossroads at 2 PM tomorrow." With that, she waved and ran off.
Watching her retreating figure, Wan Qingzhou couldn't help but smile.
But the smile quickly faded.
He hadn't forgotten that his core objective was to obtain the jade pendant.
No matter what, he must find a chance to get his hands on the jade pendant tomorrow—he has indeed been putting it off for far too long.
The thought of this made his heart sink.
Once the mission is completed, his and her interactions will completely disappear.
A sense of emptiness welled up in his heart.
He forcefully suppressed this sudden feeling, telling himself that their meeting was merely a chance encounter.
Even if he really wanted to continue this relationship, he needed to finish what he was doing first.
Thinking of this, Wan Qingzhou's gaze hardened.
...
If things go according to plan, Wan Qingzhou will most likely obtain the jade pendant during this picnic, bringing her brief encounter with Wen Zhiyi to a close.
If he really waits for Wen Zhiyi.
At 1:50 p.m. the next day, ten minutes before their agreed meeting time, Wan Qingzhou arrived at the crossroads with a backpack.
The thought that this might be the last time they saw each other filled him with a rare sense of unease.
At the bustling crossroads, his mind was filled with Wen Zhiyi's every smile and gesture these past few days, and his reluctance to part grew ever stronger.
He pondered what to say to her when they met, then wondered if he had brought all her favorite foods, and then considered whether he should buy her something else on the street to make her happy...
As he pondered this, he realized something was amiss.
Time ticked by, but why hadn't Wen Zhiyi arrived yet?
He picked up his pocket watch and looked at it—sure enough, it was 2:20, twenty minutes past the agreed time.
Wen Zhiyi is always extremely punctual, and she would rather arrive early than be late.
This had never happened in their previous meetings.
It was only at this moment that he realized he probably shouldn't have created the persona of a "poor beggar" back then, so that at least they could have exchanged pager numbers.
Another ten minutes passed, and he finally couldn't wait any longer, so he decided to walk forward and go see what was happening.
He had barely taken a step when a little beggar came running up from the street corner and bumped into him. At the same time, the beggar slipped a note into his palm.
He instinctively reached out to grab the beggar, but the little beggar was very agile and turned around, running into the crowd like a fish.
He frowned, unfolded the note, and found a line of scribbled handwriting on it: "West warehouse of the Imperial Palace, save me."
His pupils contracted, his hand clenched suddenly, and he subconsciously searched for the little beggar's figure, but with people coming and going, there was no trace of him.
Help me?
Who wrote this note? Could it be a secret message?
Regardless of whether the note was real or fake, Wen Zhiyi had indeed not appeared, and he couldn't feel at ease without confirming the situation with his own eyes.
Instead of anxiously guessing here, why not go to the Imperial Path Academy and find out for yourself?
...
Wen Zhiyi sensed something was wrong the moment she entered the west storeroom of the Imperial Palace.
She came to help the teacher put the dozen or so sets of needles used in class back into the storeroom, but as soon as she opened the door, she smelled an indescribable odor of extravagance.
She was a doctor, and almost instantly realized that the smell came from camel bell flowers—an extremely potent medicinal herb.
She held her breath almost the instant she smelled it.
However, it was too late.
Camel bell flowers themselves have a very strong stimulating effect, not to mention the purified ones that are burned as incense.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a natural stimulant!
She never expected that someone would order something like this in the warehouse!
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