Chapter 51: Lu Zhan: Hungry?

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Lu Zhan: Hungry?

At these words, Zhi Wan turned to look. Just as expected, Lu Zhan was walking in from the doorway, still dressed in his official robes. He had clearly just returned from the Government Office.

"Cousin." Zhi Wan curtsied.

Lu Zhan stopped and asked, "Is the matter with the shop settled?"

"Yes, it’s all taken care of." Zhi Wan nodded, handing him the box she was holding. "It’s all thanks to your help, Cousin, that I was able to rent the shop so quickly. I bought this ink on my way back. It’s a gift for you."

Lu Zhan paused for a moment before taking it. "It was a small matter. You don’t need to be so formal next time."

’It might have been a small matter to him, but to her, it had been a major hurdle.’

’Without his help, she never could have rented a shop so quickly.’

However, Zhi Wan didn’t argue. She simply replied obediently, "I understand."

"Cousin, you’re back?" Just then, Wei Jinyi approached with her maid, her face lit with joy.

"Is there something?" Lu Zhan’s tone was cold.

Wei Jinyi faltered.

’She had seen it clearly just a moment ago. Her cousin had been so gentle with Zhi Wan, but the moment he turned to her, he became this cold.’

She suppressed the jealousy in her heart and took a food container from her maid. "Cousin, you must be hungry after such a long day. I made this soup and rice myself. Please don’t mind the simple fare." As she spoke, she offered the container to him.

Her maid, Yihong, chimed in at the perfect moment, "My lady even burned her hand making this soup for the Princely Heir."

"Don’t talk nonsense! That didn’t happen!" Wei Jinyi scolded her, but she cleverly maneuvered her sleeve to reveal a patch of burned skin.

Lu Zhan didn’t look at her at all. His gaze subconsciously shifted to Zhi Wan.

He saw the young woman’s lovely, almond-shaped eyes widen slightly as she stared in surprise at the food container in Wei Jinyi’s hands.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

He paused, then asked, "Are you hungry?"

"What?" Zhi Wan was confused, staring at him blankly.

Lu Zhan said in a measured tone, "I’m not accustomed to eating food prepared by just anyone. Since Cousin Jinyi has gone to the trouble, we shouldn’t let her efforts be in vain. If you’re hungry, Cousin, you can have it." He then glanced at Chen Jiu.

Taking the hint, Chen Jiu took the container from Wei Jinyi and handed it to Shuang’er.

Shuang’er, who now found herself holding the container: "..."

Wei Jinyi stared at Lu Zhan in utter disbelief. She couldn’t believe he had just given the food she made for him to Zhi Wan.

When the reality sank in, she grew angry and flustered, her eyes turning red. "Cousin, but I made this for you..."

"The residence has cooks," Lu Zhan cut her off. "Besides, I’m not accustomed to eating food prepared by others."

Wei Jinyi froze.

’Did her cousin find her meddlesome?’

Zhi Wan secretly glanced at her cousin.

’He’s not accustomed to it?’

’But last time, didn’t he eat with Duan Ling and the others at the Hundred Flavors Building?’

Sensing his younger cousin’s stunned and confused gaze, Lu Zhan looked down, adjusted his sleeves, and said calmly, "It’s getting late. You should go back."

Zhi Wan hesitated for a moment, then took the container from Shuang’er and handed it back to Wei Jinyi. "What a coincidence. Just like my cousin, I’m not accustomed to eating food made by others. You should keep it for yourself."

’She absolutely couldn’t eat this food, nor did she want to.’

’If she ate it, she felt it would certainly give her indigestion.’

Upon hearing this, a flicker of a smile passed through Lu Zhan’s dark eyes.

Wei Jinyi’s face turned pale with anger. She shot a venomous glare at Zhi Wan, snatched the food container, and said spitefully, "So, my cousin isn’t accustomed to eating food made by others. It seems I was being meddlesome after all." With that, she stormed off with her maid.

’She was afraid that if she stayed a moment longer, she would lose her composure and burst into tears.’

Zhi Wan watched her retreating back with a hint of pity.

’Her intentions toward their cousin were practically written on her face.’

’But their cousin clearly had no interest in her.’

’Her ambitions were destined to be fruitless.’

Zhi Wan withdrew her gaze and curtsied to Lu Zhan. "Cousin, I’ll be taking my leave now."

"Mm," Lu Zhan acknowledged. He waited until she was gone before heading toward Qingyun Residence.

Back in his study, he opened the box and took out the inkstick inside.

A faint, scholarly scent of ink wafted to his nose.

The body of the inkstick was smooth and free of impurities, its lacquer-black surface gleaming. It was even adorned with patterns painted in gold.

A single glance was enough to tell it was high-quality Hui ink from Hui Province.

"Miss Zhi Wan is truly generous. Last time she gave the Princely Heir a brush, and now she’s bought you such fine ink," Chen Jiu, who had been watching from the side, couldn’t help but remark.

"Hui ink is worth its weight in gold."

"A small stick like that must cost at least ten taels of silver."

"And there are several more in the box."

He had been there when Miss Zhi Wan bought the ink. She had bought some for herself as well, but it wasn’t nearly as fine as this.

Lu Zhan paused.

’He knew Zhi Wan had given him this ink as a thank-you for helping her find a shop.’

’It was a trivial matter to him, and he hadn’t wanted to accept a gift for it. But his cousin had already bought it and presented it to him. Refusing it would only make her feel uneasy.’

He placed the ink back in the box and looked coolly at Chen Jiu. "And you? What did Miss Zhi Wan give you?"

Seeing he couldn’t escape the Princely Heir’s discerning gaze, Chen Jiu had no choice but to bring out the cooked food and wine Zhi Wan had given him. "I tried to refuse, my lord, but Miss insisted I take it. She said she might need to trouble me again in the future."

"Since you’ve accepted something from her, you’ll need to be more attentive to her affairs." Lu Zhan wasn’t harsh, merely offering a calm reminder.

Chen Jiu replied earnestly, "I understand, my lord."

’Truth be told, even without the food, he wouldn’t dare be careless with Miss Zhi Wan’s affairs, not with his master’s orders.’

"You are dismissed," Lu Zhan said.

Before leaving, Chen Jiu remembered something. "We ran into Heir Fu today while looking at the shop."

"Fu Hongyi?" Lu Zhan’s dark eyes narrowed.

"Yes," Chen Jiu confirmed. "He apologized to Miss Zhi Wan and mentioned Madam Fu. Miss is very sharp; she immediately figured out what Madam Fu must have said during her last visit to our estate."

Lu Zhan frowned. "What was her reaction?"

"Miss Zhi Wan was angry at first, but then she seemed to let it go for some reason," Chen Jiu said, carefully omitting any mention of his own suggestion to have Lady Lin stuffed in a sack and beaten to vent Zhi Wan’s frustration.

"I see," Lu Zhan said coolly, his expression unreadable.

Just as Chen Jiu was about to leave, he heard his master add, "Help Miss Zhi Wan out more with setting up her shop."

"Yes, my lord."

「That evening, at Yaoguang Pavilion.」

Zhi Wan was exhausted from being out all day. After her bath, she collapsed into bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

Once she drifted off to sleep, she found herself in an unfamiliar bedchamber. It was spacious, its furnishings simple yet exuding an air of understated luxury.

She had never been here before and looked around with curiosity.

Moving into the inner chamber, she saw a large bed, but its curtains were drawn, making it impossible to see if anyone was inside.

She approached out of curiosity. The moment she lifted the curtain, a hand with well-defined knuckles shot out and seized her wrist.

Startled, Zhi Wan instinctively tried to flee, but a powerful force yanked her onto the bed.