Gu Jianli knew staying cooped up in her room was no good, so she donned her mask and took a walk around the courtyard. It was late June, and the weather was hot. Wearing a high-collared outfit and a mask made it even more stifling.
She pushed open the door to the inner room and had just stepped inside when she raised her hand to the back of her head to remove the stifling mask. But seeing Ji Wujing sitting at the dressing table, she paused and lowered her hand.
“What are you looking for?” Gu Jianli walked over. Her voice was muffled due to the mask.
“Gu Jianli, my earlobes are closing up,” Ji Wujing said dejectedly.
Gu Jianli was taken aback and looked at Ji Wujing’s earlobes. “If you don’t wear earrings for a long time, they will close up.”
Ji Wujing said nothing and casually rummaged through Gu Jianli’s jewelry box. He complained, “Gu Jianli, don’t you think you have too few pieces of jewelry?”
Looking at the jewelry in the box, Gu Jianli suddenly thought she might never use these pieces again… She suppressed her sadness and took out a delicate red jade earring, which she then put on Ji Wujing’s earlobe.
Ji Wujing turned his face to the bronze mirror and asked, “Does this look good?”
“Yes,” Gu Jianli nodded.
The red jade had been meticulously polished, shining brightly. Ji Wujing’s gaze in the mirror slowly moved up to Gu Jianli, who was dressed in thick, high-collared clothing. Ji Wujing turned his head to look at her face. She wore a white mask, only revealing a pair of beautiful eyes.
Ji Wujing patted his leg and said, “Sit.”
Before Gu Jianli could hesitate, Ji Wujing grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto his lap.
“Are you hot?” Ji Wujing asked.
Gu Jianli replied slowly, “It’s fine. The sun isn’t too strong today, not hot at all.”
“Really?” Ji Wujing broke the string holding Gu Jianli’s mask in place.
A fine sheen of fragrant sweat appeared on Gu Jianli’s face. Embarrassed by being so openly exposed, she turned her gaze away.
Ji Wujing glanced at her, then reached to unbutton her high-collared outfit. The high collar opened, revealing a delicate white neck and collarbone, though once soft and smooth, now marred with scars.
“I can do it myself…” Gu Jianli hurriedly got up from Ji Wujing’s lap, quickly grabbed a summer outfit, and hastily went to the west room. There was a large bronze mirror there. She removed her clothes, and as she glanced in the mirror, she caught sight of her ugly, scarred body. Her hand trembled, and her clothes fell to the ground.
Taking a deep breath, she bent down to pick up the clothes. Biting her lip, she changed her clothes and reemerged with a faint smile on her face.
Ji Wujing noticed her lips were pale from biting and, leaning lazily on the dressing table, sighed, “Gu Jianli, I’m not feeling well.”
“What’s wrong?” Gu Jianli quickly walked over to him.
She wanted to squat down. In the past, she would have squatted down to look at him. But now, she didn’t. She just stood in front of him, hoping he wouldn’t see her face.
Ji Wujing stretched out his arms, drawing out his voice, “Uncle’s chest hurts. Only a hug from little Lili can bring comfort.”
Gu Jianli was startled, the anxiety in her eyes extinguished. She glared at him, but ultimately bent down slightly to let Ji Wujing hold her. Ji Wujing rubbed his face against her chest and even bit her lightly through the fabric.
Tears welled up in Gu Jianli’s eyes, making them red-rimmed. She wasn’t a fool; how could she not understand what Ji Wujing had been trying to convey through his actions recently? However…
Gu Jianli pursed her lips, gently pushed Ji Wujing’s shoulder, and said softly, “Stop fooling around, it’s almost time for dinner. Xinglou and Xinglan could come running in at any moment.”
As if to prove her point, just as she finished speaking, Ji Xinglan came running in.
“Lanlan picked a lot of flowers again!” Ji Xinglan’s apron was full of wildflowers—red, yellow, purple… all wildflowers from the roadside. Because Gu Jianli had told her that flowers in the flowerbeds couldn’t be picked randomly, she went to pick wildflowers instead.
“Do you like them?” Ji Xinglan asked, looking at Gu Jianli for approval.
“They’re beautiful, very beautiful.” Gu Jianli took Ji Xinglan to another window, got a vase, and started arranging the flowers with her.
Ji Xinglan sneakily glanced at Gu Jianli’s face and called out sweetly, “Mother, do you like these flowers?”
Seeing Ji Xinglan’s white, soft little face and hearing her call her mother made Gu Jianli’s heart melt. In the past, she would have kissed her cheek and hugged her, but now she didn’t want to get too close for fear of scaring her.
“Mother, can you smile for me?” Ji Xinglan tugged on Gu Jianli’s sleeve and gently shook it, “If mother likes them, Lanlan will pick beautiful flowers for you every day. Don’t frown, mother. When you’re unhappy, Lanlan is unhappy too.”
Gu Jianli felt a pang in her heart and quickly said, “Mother isn’t unhappy.”
“Lanlan wants a hug, just like before!” Ji Xinglan stretched out her small arms.
Gu Jianli held the soft little body in her arms, and tears suddenly fell. She quickly lowered her eyes and wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes with her thumb, speaking gently, “Hug Lanlan, cherish Lanlan.”
“Mm-hmm!” Ji Xinglan nodded vigorously in Gu Jianli’s arms. She smiled happily; her brother had said that picking flowers for mother would make her happy, and it turned out he was right!
Ji Wujing looked oddly at Ji Xinglan. He hadn’t had enough hugs yet, and now this little girl was here, taking up all the attention. Annoying.
Jixia and Lizi were setting the table outside, and Ye Yunyue had also come. Jixia gave Ye Yunyue a disgusted look, knocked on the door to the inner room to inform them, and then turned to ask Lizi to find Ji Xinglou.
Gu Jianli, holding Ji Xinglan’s hand, came out of the inner room and was startled to see Ye Yunyue. Instinctively, she wanted to find her mask. But the thought lasted only a moment before Gu Jianli dismissed it. Since she had already been seen, there was no need to hide. She simply sat down confidently.
Seeing Gu Jianli’s face, Ye Yunyue tried hard to suppress her joy and took the initiative to speak, “Knowing that Madam and Sixth Young Master both escaped disaster, I am very happy. Seeing you both with my own eyes today, my heart is finally at ease! To celebrate your recovery, Madam and Sixth Young Master, I personally cooked this table of dishes. I hope you won’t mind.”
Just then, Ji Xinglou stepped over the threshold, rolled his eyes, climbed onto a chair, and said unhappily, “Dad, she’s so annoying. I want to hit her mouth.”
Ye Yunyue was shocked, and before Ji Wujing could say anything, she quickly spoke, “Sixth Young Master, don’t be upset. I made this meal, and I will pack up and go stay at my aunt’s house afterwards.”
Ji Xinglou pouted but said nothing more.
Gu Jianli ate impassively, showing no reaction to Ye Yunyue’s long-winded pleasantries.
Ye Yunyue watched nervously as Ji Wujing picked up the bowl of fish porridge, her anxiety reaching a peak. Seeing Gu Jianli disfigured in person had made her even more confident in her plan.
Ji Wujing stirred the fish porridge lightly with his spoon. Just as he was about to take a bite, his fox-like eyes subtly raised at the corners. He put down the fish porridge and instead took a spoonful of the barley and lotus seed soup from Gu Jianli’s bowl.
“Do you want to eat this?” Gu Jianli asked.
“Just a taste,” Ji Wujing replied casually.
“Then let’s switch,” Gu Jianli said, reaching for the bowl of fish porridge in front of Ji Wujing.
Ye Yunyue broke into a cold sweat, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of her throat.
Ji Wujing tapped Gu Jianli’s wrist with the other end of the spoon and said, “Don’t fight with me.”
“Oh,” Gu Jianli withdrew her hand and took some crispy dumplings to eat.
Ye Yunyue breathed a sigh of relief.
Ji Wujing, who didn’t like sweets, got tired of the barley and lotus seed soup after a couple of bites and looked back at the bowl of fish porridge. He stirred the fish porridge round and round with his spoon. Ye Yunyue’s eyes were glued to his spoon, her gaze following its movement.
Suddenly, Ji Wujing’s motion stopped, and Ye Yunyue’s gaze froze.
Ji Wujing raised his eyes and, with a faint smile, looked at Ye Yunyue and beckoned her over.
“Fifth Master is calling me,” Ye Yunyue said nervously as she approached Ji Wujing.
Ji Wujing nodded, “Come closer, a bit closer, yes, now squat down.”
Gu Jianli looked at Ji Wujing in confusion, Ji Xinglou and Ji Xinglan blinked and watched, and so did Jixia. As for Lizi, she had finished setting the table and ran off to eat with Changsheng.
“Open your mouth,” Ji Wujing said slowly.
Gu Jianli’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, recalling the time Ji Wujing had told her to open her mouth for a kiss. Surely, Ji Wujing wouldn’t kiss Ye Yunyue, would he?
Ye Yunyue, however, broke into a cold sweat, feeling extremely guilty and nervous.
“I said, open your mouth,” Ji Wujing’s expression turned icy in an instant.
Ye Yunyue shuddered and immediately obeyed, opening her mouth wide.
Ji Wujing glared at her and poured the bowl of fish porridge into her mouth. Ye Yunyue’s eyes widened in horror, and she struggled desperately. However, Ji Wujing didn’t need to touch her; he casually kicked a pressure point on her waist, and she couldn’t move at all as he poured the entire bowl of scalding fish porridge into her stomach.
The spoon in Ji Xinglan’s hand clattered onto the table; she was frightened.
Ji Wujing said, “Jixia, take Xinglou and Xinglan to the backyard.”
Jixia, who had been watching the scene with great interest, responded loudly, picked up Ji Xinglan, and took Ji Xinglou by the hand. Before leaving, Ji Xinglou grabbed two buns from the table and handed one to Ji Xinglan.
Gu Jianli watched this scene in a daze, vaguely realizing that there must have been something wrong with the porridge. She was shocked. How dare Ye Yunyue try to poison Ji Wujing? How could she dare?!
Ji Wujing leaned lazily against the chair and said to Gu Jianli, “Continue eating.”
“What about her…”
“Wait.”
Ji Wujing picked up a small dried fish with his hand and started eating it from the tail.
Gu Jianli withdrew her gaze and continued eating in silence.
Before the meal was finished, the effects of the drug in Ye Yunyue’s body began to show. At some point, she regained the ability to move. She curled up on the floor, panting and whimpering.
The sound was quite unbecoming, causing Gu Jianli to frown.
“What kind of drug did she give you?” Gu Jianli asked.
“She wanted Uncle to hug her, kiss her, and sleep with her,” Ji Wujing said, spitting out the fish bones, “But Uncle only wants to be with little Lili.”
Gu Jianli’s face turned red, and she lowered her voice, “How can you say such things in front of others!”
“There are no others, only the dead,” Ji Wujing laughed, “Gu Jianli, she wants to take your man from your bed, what are you going to do about it?”
