Su Xuan rested one arm under Su Yunjin’s head, while the other hand explored, navigating the terrain.
As she began to slide downward, he gave a light tap, intending to go one step further.
“Bang! Bang!”
The courtyard gate was suddenly knocked upon, shattering the silence outside.
“Who is it!”
After a few more knocks, the sound of Lu Zhiyi going to open the door followed.
“Ah!”
Su Yunjin was startled, the mist in her eyes vanishing instantly as she sat up from his embrace.
She looked guilty at Su Xuan, who was over a dozen years her junior, her charming eyes filled with panic.
“Who… who is here?”
Her voice was dry, as if parched by fire; clearly, the recent heat had been unbearable.
“Damn it…”
Su Xuan was not so much panicked as he was frustrated. He had been so tense, finally having managed to press against her soft, smooth skin to find some relief, only for it to be forcibly interrupted before he could do anything!
“I’ll go check.”
He frowned, stood up, and straightened his pants, preparing to see which bastard it was.
“Wait!”
Su Yunjin hurriedly grabbed him in a panic, blocking his path. Her trembling hands smoothed out his messy clothes, brushing away the hair left on his chest, and the water stains on his face.
She was just about as tall as Su Xuan’s shoulder; her pretty face could be buried in his chest. When she reached up to straighten his hair, she had to stand on tiptoe. Her careful demeanor made her look like a wife grooming her husband.
Feeling her movements, Su Xuan felt a strange sense of peace. Compared to the emotionless, forced progression in a game, he preferred this.
“Alright… Mmph…”
Su Yunjin’s cheeks still held a flush. She looked at him with satisfaction, and just as she was about to speak, she was silenced again.
“Thank you for your hard work, Sister. Here is your reward.”
Su Xuan wore a wicked smirk, gave her a fierce peck, and turned to head out the door.
Su Yunjin stood in the room, her legs pressed tightly together. The kiss he had dropped before leaving left her mind in a haze, and she only came to her senses after reminiscing for quite a while.
‘Isn’t he over ten years younger than me? Why does it feel like I’m the one being bullied?’
‘Weren’t we refining pills? How did it end up on my lips?’
‘How can I ever face him again…’
She felt both angry and embarrassed. Feeling her whole body buzzing with numbness, and the cool dampness on her dress, she felt like she could crawl into a crack in the ground.
***
Lu Zhiyi opened the door to find a feminine-looking young nobleman outside, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with a trembling servant following behind.
It was none other than Shangguan Yu and Shangguan Xiushen.
“It’s you? What are you doing here?”
The tear stains on Lu Zhiyi’s face had not yet been wiped clean, and nail marks remained in her palms. Seeing the nobleman she had met at the marketplace, she didn’t show the slightest bit of hospitality.
“The young lady still remembers me. I’m here to visit you… and your master.”
Shangguan Yu spoke, gesturing for Shangguan Xiushen to present the packaged pastries and gifts.
Seeing her expression, it seemed she had been crying earlier, and Shangguan Yu was momentarily stunned.
‘What happened to this girl?’
Suddenly, her eyes brightened subtly.
‘Is she having a conflict with her master and feeling mistreated?’
‘Does this mean I have a chance…’
Thinking of this, she smiled softly, tapped her chest, and said with an expression of concern.
“Has the young lady been wronged? Tell me, I am your master’s friend; I will teach him a lesson for you!”
It would have been better if she hadn’t mentioned being a friend. Once she said that, Lu Zhiyi became even more furious.
The last “friend of the master” was still in the room; the two of them had been alone behind closed doors for over an hour!
“Does it have anything to do with you? What right do you have to discipline my master?”
Her expression grew colder, venting the pent-up frustration in her heart.
That was her master. If there was anything to be said, only she could say it. Why should an outsider say anything about him?
“I…”
Shangguan Yu was left speechless by her retort, feeling an imbalance in her heart.
What kind of charm does this Su Xuan even have?
He is just a pathetic loose cultivator. Her best friend turned against her because of him, and now this disciple is also completely devoted to him, to the point where he can’t even be criticized?
“Shangguan Yu? What are you doing here?”
At this moment, Su Xuan walked out of the bedroom. Seeing it was the cross-dressing Feng Aotian, he was somewhat surprised.
‘Isn’t she busy fighting Shangguan Sheng for the position of Market Master?’
‘Why does she have time to come to his house?’
Thinking of this, he didn’t walk forward to greet her as he had with Su Yunjin, but stood at the door, watching Shangguan Yu with vigilance.
“Brother Su, I… I came to visit you all.”
“Why, aren’t you going to welcome me inside?”
Seeing him come out, Shangguan Yu flashed a fake smile.
Of course, she wasn’t here out of boredom to visit Su Xuan; she wanted to inquire about the progress of the pill refinement and, incidentally, get closer to Lu Zhiyi.
After all, one of these two was her last remaining hope, and the other was a woman she was interested in. A single trip here was killing two birds with one stone.
“It’s late at night, I was just about to go to sleep. It’s not convenient.”
Su Xuan hurried to find a reason to refuse.
He didn’t want any involvement with Shangguan Yu in the first place, and her best friend was still in his room, having just shared an intimate moment. If she discovered that…
Seeing Su Xuan come out, Lu Zhiyi took a look and noticed that although his clothes had been straightened, they were much messier than when she had left the room.
A wave of sourness filled her heart, and as a form of retaliation, she intentionally spoke up.
“It’s convenient. Isn’t a friend of Master’s already in the room? Why would it be inconvenient to have one more?”
Shangguan Yu was so close to Lu Zhiyi that she could see her sour and aggrieved expression at a glance, and she understood everything instantly.
The person in Su Xuan’s room was the source of her grievance!
‘They are having a falling out; isn’t this the perfect time for me to make my move?’
Shangguan Yu felt a surge of excitement, her body heating up inexplicably. With a roll of her eyes, she immediately thought of an excuse.
“Oh? Well, isn’t that a coincidence! Brother Su, I’ve come with a request this time as well. Surely you aren’t going to turn me away at the door?”
As she spoke, she purposely acted a bit aggrieved and angry.
In case Su Xuan didn’t let her in, she and Lu Zhiyi would seem all the more like companions in misery in Lu Zhiyi’s eyes.
She couldn’t lose either way.
“I…”
Su Xuan looked at his little disciple who had just “sold” him out, feeling speechless.
He had found this little disciple to be incredibly obedient as of late, to the point where he felt she wasn’t a threat anymore, so why did she always stab him in the back at the most unexpected times?
Come to think of it, she was like some of those blackened characters from the Fusang legends of his past life.
‘Could it be that even someone as sweet as you has turned into a yandere?’
He grumbled internally, then finally said to the door with resignation.
“If you really have something to discuss, then come in.”
After saying that, he added to himself silently.
‘I hope your mentality doesn’t collapse when you see who your friend is.’
“Miss Lu, these are the osmanthus cakes from the marketplace. I bought them specifically for you. I don’t know if you like them.”
Seeing Su Xuan give in, Shangguan Yu didn’t stand on ceremony and walked in, handing over a large box of pastries with practiced familiarity and enthusiasm.
Then, she sauntered over to Su Xuan.
Before she could even steady her footing, a familiar rose scent wafted from Su Xuan toward her nostrils.
This is…
The scent of Su Yunjin!
‘It’s so late, so who is inside that room?’
Shangguan Yu seemed to realize something, feeling a sense of disbelief.