Gu Jianli was slightly taken aback, her brows slowly furrowing as she quietly said, “You knew I was lying to you, and you didn’t even want to hear an explanation?”
Ji Wujing smiled indifferently and asked, “Where is Third Brother hiding? In the closet or the rice jar?”
Gu Jianli’s heart skipped a beat, and her spine felt a chill as her legs, tightly pressed together, grew slightly weak. She clutched her sleeve and lowered her head, speaking softly, “In the wardrobe…”
“If you’re seen, then you’re seen. Does it hurt to cut yourself like that?” Ji Wujing asked lazily.
Originally, she didn’t feel it, but with his words, the wound on Gu Jianli’s neck began to throb faintly.
“I…” Gu Jianli’s eyelashes trembled, and her voice grew quieter and quieter, “Being seen isn’t good; it could be misunderstood…”
Ji Wujing’s lips curled into a mocking smile as he said, “My reputation isn’t good. If your reputation isn’t good, people will just say we’re a perfect match. They might even sigh and say, ‘Hey, no wonder she’s Ji Zhao’s woman.'”
Gu Jianli looked at Ji Wujing in disbelief, her beautiful bright eyes filled with astonishment.
Did she hear wrong?
What kind of talk was this? What kind of twisted logic? What kind of person was this?
Ji Wujing’s smile faded, his expression turning cold as he said, “If you don’t come over and let me hold you, I’m going to get angry.”
Gu Jianli hesitated, lightly biting her cherry lips. Although she resisted, she still stiffened her resolve and moved towards Ji Wujing, as if heading into battle with a sense of self-sacrifice. With each step she took, Ji Wujing’s smile grew. By the time Gu Jianli stood before him, he was beaming. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto his lap with force.
Sitting in Ji Wujing’s lap, Gu Jianli instinctively took a sharp breath, shifting her buttocks that were pressed against his thigh.
Ji Wujing glanced at her pomegranate skirt and asked in surprise, “Is your butt still hurting?”
The word “butt” made Gu Jianli’s face flush red. Before meeting Ji Wujing, she hadn’t known anyone who would casually mention butts.
Moreover, recalling the scene of her spanking that day, Gu Jianli’s cheeks turned even redder.
“Was I that heavy-handed?” Ji Wujing touched his nose and started to lift Gu Jianli’s red skirt. He said, “Did I leave a mark? Let me see.”
Gu Jianli was so frightened that her face turned pale.
“No, no! It doesn’t hurt!” She hurriedly pressed down on her skirt in a panic.
As they pulled and tugged, her fair, slender legs became faintly visible through the pomegranate-red skirt.
While they were at an impasse, a sudden knocking sound came from the door.
Lizi stood outside the door. Before she could speak, she let out a couple of giggles and then said, “Medicine delivery!”
“It’s time to take your medicine!” Gu Jianli felt a surge of relief and quickly scrambled off Ji Wujing’s lap, hurriedly running to the door as if escaping from a flood.
Lizi was holding a tray with two bowls of medicinal soup. One bowl was for Ji Wujing, and the other was for Gu Jianli. Ji Wujing had to drink a bowl of medicine every night before bed, and Gu Jianli, having recently caught a cold, also had to drink medicine every night before bed.
Ji Wujing felt a bit displeased watching Gu Jianli act like she was “escaping a fire.”
“Deliver the medicine and leave quickly!” he said coldly.
Lizi was startled. Without paying much attention to the medicinal soup, she placed the tray on the table and quickly turned to leave. She ran all the way to the courtyard before remembering she had forgotten to close the door, so she hurried back to shut it.
Ji Wujing picked up his bowl of medicine and drank it all in one gulp, then casually tossed the empty bowl aside with a scowl.
Gu Jianli tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible. She sat obediently at the table, taking small sips from her bowl of medicine.
Ji Wujing watched Gu Jianli and thought she was really foolish. Such bitter medicinal soup should be drunk in one go. Drinking it in small sips like that must be so bitter.
However, Ji Wujing quickly lost interest in this thought, as he became captivated by Gu Jianli’s slender, delicate fingers. The dark-colored bowl she held only accentuated the snow-white delicacy of her fingers, which seemed to glow with a soft light. They looked soft and pinchable.
Ji Wujing spread out his hand and looked down at his own palm, seeing only the calluses there.
He slowly got up and walked over to Gu Jianli, saying, “If you won’t let me play with your butt, how about letting me play with your hand?”
“Cough, cough, cough, cough…” Gu Jianli was seized by a violent fit of coughing. She dropped the bowl she was holding, and the bitter medicinal soup choked her, making her feel dizzy with bitterness. Tears welled up in her eyes from the harsh taste.
“Ji Wujing!” Her face turned bright red with embarrassment, and in her rare burst of youthful indignation, she stomped her foot like a fifteen-year-old girl. Angrily, she shoved Ji Wujing.
Ji Wujing’s footing was unsteady, and he took two steps back before slowly collapsing to the ground.
Gu Jianli hesitated and stood up.
It wasn’t the first time Ji Wujing had been pushed over by her, so he wasn’t particularly surprised. He extended his hand to Gu Jianli, waiting for her to help him up.
Gu Jianli took a step forward but then stopped. She raised her hand halfway but then withdrew it, letting it hang by her side as she looked at Ji Wujing warily.
Ji Wujing raised an eyebrow.
Gu Jianli’s face was flushed. She lifted her chin slightly, trying to muster some semblance of authority, and said, “Who knows if you’ll trip me again…”
Ji Wujing clicked his tongue and withdrew his hand. He didn’t need her help, slowly sitting up cross-legged on the colorful carpet by himself. A slow smile crept across his face, the corners of his fox-like eyes lifting slightly.
Gu Jianli’s gaze fell on the tear mole beneath the corner of his eye.
Ji Wujing gently blew a breath, causing Gu Jianli to let out a small cry. Her legs suddenly went numb, and she lost control of her body, falling forward directly into Ji Wujing’s arms.
Ji Wujing held her tightly and laughed heartily.
“You…” Gu Jianli stammered for a while before managing to say, “Fifth Master, how can you be so childish, always playing around! Play, play, play… that’s all you know.”
Ji Wujing was silent for a moment before responding sullenly, “If you were trapped in a room for four years, you’d find ways to entertain yourself too.”
Gu Jianli froze, her hand that had been pushing against Ji Wujing’s shoulder slowly softened. She looked at Ji Wujing’s profile, a strange feeling rising in her heart.
Suddenly, the sound of firecrackers erupted outside, startling Gu Jianli, making her small body tremble.
Ji Wujing covered her ears.
Gu Jianli looked towards the window, where the light from the fireworks was reflected.
Oh, it’s midnight. It’s a new year.
Ji Wujing stood up, holding Gu Jianli, and walked towards the canopy bed. Gu Jianli, startled and worried about falling, quickly wrapped her arms around Ji Wujing’s neck, anxiously saying, “Fifth Master, you actually have the strength…”
She realized halfway through her sentence that she had misspoken and swallowed the rest.
Ji Wujing gave her a curious look and asked, “Otherwise?”
Realizing something, Ji Wujing’s fox-like eyes showed a hint of an inscrutable smile as he said, “I still have the strength to hold you. If you call me a good uncle a few more times, I’d even have the strength for sharing a room with you.”
Gu Jianli opened her mouth, about to say something, but then remembered the melancholy expression Ji Wujing had when he talked about being confined to a room for four years and finding ways to amuse himself. Gu Jianli slowly blinked; this old rascal was just trying to tease and provoke her. After nearly ten days of interaction, Gu Jianli finally understood that the best way to deal with someone like Ji Wujing was to be thick-skinned and pretend to be dumb, ignoring him.
Ji Wujing waited for a long time, but when the girl in his arms didn’t react angrily, he looked down at her. He was met with a pair of clear, lively eyes, sparkling and full of light.
His gaze fell on the wound on Gu Jianli’s neck, and his smile faded as he became more serious. “When I taught you self-defense last time, I told you not to use knives so readily. Don’t harm yourself over such trivial matters; it’s not worth it.”
Gu Jianli retorted, “How can it be a trivial matter!”
Ji Wujing laughed nonchalantly, “Reputation and public opinion are all nonsense.”
Gu Jianli still disagreed. “It’s clearly not just about reputation and public opinion. Given my current situation, if they catch me making a mistake, I could lose my life.”
Ji Wujing gave her a strange look and finally just said, “Fine, suit yourself.”
He didn’t want to force Gu Jianli to do things his way. People have different thoughts, and she should do as she wishes.
In truth, Ji Wujing wanted to say, “As long as I’m alive, who dares to take your life? Even if you do something stupid, only I have the right to end you, not anyone else.”
The medicinal soup contained ingredients that helped with sleep. On the first day of the new year, Gu Jianli was awakened by the noise outside. She vaguely heard the voice of the Second Madam. Ji Wujing was still asleep, so Gu Jianli quietly got out of bed, changed out of her nightwear, and put on a warm cloak before going outside.
“What’s going on?” Gu Jianli asked.
As soon as the Second Madam saw Gu Jianli, she rushed over. “You seductive fox! It’s not enough that you’ve bewitched my son; now you want to take his life too!”
She rushed forward, trying to hit Gu Jianli.
Jixia directly blocked her, using force to push her down the steps, and angrily said, “Second Madam, why are you coming here to curse people on the first day of the new year? Be careful, or you’ll bring bad luck for the whole year!”
Jixia had endured enough.
Ji Xuanke?
Gu Jianli was a bit confused. Did something happen to Ji Xuanke after she left yesterday? She suppressed her worry and asked in a calm tone, “Second Sister-in-law, I don’t understand what you’re saying. What happened to Third Brother?”
The Second Madam continued cursing and didn’t respond to Gu Jianli.
Jixia leaned in close to Gu Jianli’s ear and explained in a low voice, “Early this morning, Third Brother left a letter and went to the border.”
Gu Jianli was a bit surprised.
Under normal circumstances, the Old Madam would not have allowed the Second Madam to come and curse Gu Jianli. But today was the first day of the new year, with guests coming and going. They couldn’t afford to cause a scene.
The Old Madam hurried over with people, having two old maids restrain the Second Madam.
The Second Madam cried and howled, “Mother, you must stand up for Xuanke! My son, who placed first in the imperial examinations, had such a bright future. Now he’s suddenly abandoned his scholarly pursuits for the military! It must be this vixen’s doing!”
“Enough of this disgraceful behavior!” the Old Madam shouted, making her quiet down. She then looked Gu Jianli up and down with a dark expression and asked harshly, “Did you tell Third Brother to go to the border?”
Gu Jianli was numb to this family’s unreasonable behavior. She calmly said, “No.”
The Old Madam didn’t seem convinced and started to speak again, “But…”
“Old Madam!” Nanny Song came running into the courtyard, her expression anxious, as if she had been frightened.
“The Duke of Wuxian is here!”
“Who?” the Old Madam asked.
Gu Jianli’s head shot up in disbelief.
Nanny Song glanced at Gu Jianli and repeated, “The Duke of Wuxian! Gu Jingyuan!”
“Father…” Gu Jianli almost lost her balance. Jixia quickly supported her. Gu Jianli pushed Jixia away and lifted her skirt, running out.
Father has awakened!
The Old Madam didn’t seem convinced and started to speak again, “But…”
“Old Madam!” Nanny Song came running into the courtyard, her expression anxious, as if she had been frightened.
“The Prince of Wuxian is here!”
“Who?” the Old Madam asked.
Gu Jianli’s head shot up in disbelief.
Nanny Song glanced at Gu Jianli and repeated, “The Prince of Wuxian! Gu Jingyuan!”
“Father…” Gu Jianli almost lost her balance. Jixia quickly supported her. Gu Jianli pushed Jixia away and lifted her skirt, running out.
Father has awakened!