"Jiang Yue, that was really perilous just now. Fortunately, your archery skills are excellent, or that Qin Anjie would have succeeded," a familiar voice rang out. Gu Jiangyue looked up and saw Nian Zhengqing. He was smiling heartily. Although his words were praising her, there was no hint of flattery; it was a sincere compliment.
Seeing that there was no one beside Gu Jiangyue, Nian Zhengqing simply sat down next to her.
Gu Jiangyue was slightly taken aback, then burst out laughing. She hadn't expected Nian Zhengqing to be so familiar. Just now he had called her Miss Gu, but now he was directly calling her Jiang Yue and sitting beside her so naturally, as if they were old friends.
Nian Zhengqing seemed a bit thirsty. He poured himself a full cup of tea and gulped it down. When he had drunk his fill, he blinked his eyes and asked Gu Jiangyue what she was laughing at.
Gu Jiangyue now realized that this young master was really a bit dull.
"Nothing. I just think that Young Master Nian has a really nice personality," Gu Jiangyue said honestly.
Nian Zhengqing seemed a bit embarrassed by her words. He reached out and scratched his head, then let out a couple of hearty laughs.
He had been pampered since childhood. His straightforward personality had offended quite a few people. Today he just couldn't stand watching them bully Gu Jiangyue, so he had stood up for her. He didn't expect that he had left a good impression on Gu Jiangyue.
Nian Zhengqing saw that Gu Jiangyue was propping her face up on the table with one hand and playing with the cup on the table with the other, looking a bit bored. So he started to tell her some interesting stories in the capital that she didn't know.
Gu Jiangyue had been feeling drowsy at first, but she became interested when she heard him. The two of them chatted animatedly. Little did they know that Xie Jiuan, sitting beside them, was so angry that he had gulped down several cups of tea but still couldn't calm down. He could only turn his head away angrily, thinking that out of sight was out of mind.
Nian Zhengqing seemed to have endless things to say. Each time he would pause slightly and then start talking non-stop again.
Gu Jiangyue was listening happily when she noticed Gu Zhuying standing not far from them, holding two teacups in her hand. She was biting her lips tightly, and fine beads of sweat were oozing from her forehead. She seemed a bit flustered.
Gu Zhuying was going to marry Lin Yeran in a few days, and the Gu Mansion had been preparing for her wedding recently. Gu Zhuying didn't seem to be that resistant, but Gu Jiangyue definitely didn't believe that Gu Zhuying had finally accepted the reality and was no longer resistant to marrying Lin Yeran.
Most people were sitting at their seats, so Gu Zhuying standing there was very conspicuous. A few people passed by her. Although they didn't touch her, Gu Zhuying still tightly protected the two cups of wine in her hands, as if she was afraid that the wine would spill.
Gu Jiangyue instinctively felt that there was something wrong with this wine. It must be suspicious!
Gu Zhuying took a few deep breaths. She must have gathered enough courage. A smile reappeared on her face, and she walked towards Gu Jiangyue and Nian Zhengqing.
"Jiang Yue, Jiang Yue, are you listening to me? What are you looking at?"
Nian Zhengqing called Gu Jiangyue a few times, but didn't hear her reply. So he followed her gaze and immediately noticed Gu Zhuying walking towards them.
"Jiang Yue, is this also a young lady from the Gu Mansion?"
Gu Jiangyue came back to her senses. Before she could say anything, she just nodded, but was interrupted by Gu Zhuying who had already walked over.
"I... I'm Gu Zhuying, the second young lady of the Gu Mansion. I heard that the young master is visiting the Gu Mansion today, so I've come specially to offer you a toast. Young master, you mustn't refuse," Gu Zhuying said with an unnatural smile on her face. As soon as she finished speaking, she held out the wine cup in her hand to Nian Zhengqing.
Nian Zhengqing also noticed that Gu Zhuying was trembling slightly. Looking at her blushing face, he thought she was just nervous, so he didn't think much about it.
After all, a young lady had come specially to offer him a toast. How could he refuse?
"Sure. Thank you, Miss Zhuying," Nian Zhengqing said. Seeing that Gu Zhuying was standing all the time and there was no other seat beside her, he quickly reached out his hand to take the wine cup and planned to drink it up so that Gu Zhuying could go back and rest quickly.
Gu Zhuying watched as Nian Zhengqing's hand was about to touch the wine cup. Her pupils dilated slightly because of nervousness.
"Wait," Gu Jiangyue said softly and gently as she reached out and pressed Nian Zhengqing's hand in place.
"Sister Zhuying, how can you do things like this? According to our relationship with the Gu Mansion, sister should offer a toast to Young Master Qin first. Moreover, Young Master Qin has taken good care of Zhengwan. Sister, go and offer a toast to Young Master Qin first. Don't mess up the order. If others find out, they might point fingers at our Gu family behind our backs," Gu Jiangyue said.
Gu Jiangyue's words left Gu Zhuying standing there stunned. She didn't expect that Gu Jiangyue could tell that there was something in the wine.
Gu Jiangyue grabbed Nian Zhengqing's hand and pulled it back. Then, when Nian Zhengqing was looking at her in a daze, she winked at him and gave him a meaningful look.
Nian Zhengqing was initially confused, but seeing Gu Zhuying's guilty look and the wine cup in her hand, he decided to trust Gu Jiangyue first and do as she said.
"Jiang Yue is right. Miss Zhuying, you'd better go and offer a toast to Young Master Qin first," Nian Zhengqing said.
Gu Zhuying saw that even Nian Zhengqing had changed his attitude towards her. Her heart immediately sank.
She didn't want to marry Lin Yeran and be bullied by him. But no one in the Gu Mansion was willing to help her, so she had come up with this plan.
She had indeed put the strongest aphrodisiac in the wine. Once someone drank it, the effect would kick in quickly. Gu Zhuying had originally planned to find a good family on Gu Jiangyue's coming-of-age ceremony and then find an opportunity to make someone drink this cup of wine.
If things went as planned, even if what she had done was discovered, with so many people watching her lose her virginity, she could cry, make a scene, and threaten to commit suicide. Relying on the background of the Gu family, at the very least, she could get the status of a concubine. Being a concubine in any family was better than being in the Lin family. She had to survive first and then figure out what to do next.
And Nian Zhengqing was the target Gu Zhuying had chosen.
Gu Jiangyue looked at Gu Zhuying and snorted coldly in her heart. Gu Zhuying really knew how to pick. She had chosen Nian Zhengqing, a person with status and an easygoing personality.
It was a pity that Nian Zhengqing was a good person, and she was worth making friends with him. So she would never allow Gu Zhuying to harm him under her nose.
Gu Zhuying stood there stunned for a while, then took a step forward and found Qin Anjie beside her.
This time, her trembling was even more obvious.
Since it didn't work with Nian Zhengqing, she might as well try with Qin Anjie. Maybe it would work.
Gu Zhuying kept comforting herself in her heart. So what if Qin Anjie liked Gu Zhengwan? She could just find an excuse to call him out later.
"Young Master Qin, I, Zhuying, offer you a toast on behalf of the Gu family. Thank you for taking care of Zhengwan," Gu Zhuying said.
"I don't want to drink," Qin Anjie replied firmly. He had just lost face in front of Gu Jiangyue, so he was in a bad mood.
But he secretly glanced at Gu Zhengwan out of the corner of his eye. After all, Gu Zhuying was Gu Zhengwan's younger sister. Would Zhengwan be angry if he refused her?
After thinking it over and over again, Qin Anjie still reached out and took the wine cup, then drank it up in one gulp.
At the same time, a gleam of joy flashed in Gu Zhuying's eyes. Had she succeeded?!