Cheng Xiran didn't want to entangle with him, so she told the truth, "I went there with Xue Lianyu. After we went in, I don't know where he went. I looked for him for a while but couldn't find him. Then I met you. It's that simple."
Seeing her so self - righteous, Helian Duo felt inexplicably irritated. He couldn't help but question her, "What were you doing with him in such a place? Don't you know what kind of person he is? You've been hanging out with him all day long!"
This guy was really too harsh with his words. After all, Xue Lianyu was still his good brother.
Cheng Xiran wasn't afraid either. She just said righteously, "I know what kind of person Xue Lianyu is, but I wasn't hanging out with him. I went there on official business!"
Actually, she was still a bit scared in her heart, so she didn't dare to look up and meet his scrutiny.
Helian Duo sneered several times in a row. It was as if he was talking to himself, "You went to such a place with him on official business. Isn't that going to be a laughingstock if you tell people this?"
The cry of the peddler was getting weaker, and the atmosphere became even more oppressive.
Seeing that the sesame seed cake in her hand was about to be cooled by the early autumn night wind, Cheng Xiran felt a bit heart - broken. So she softened her tone and pleaded, "Alright, alright. Can you let me explain it to you tomorrow? The sesame seed cake is going to get cold. And if I don't go back to the mansion soon, I won't have a place to sleep tonight..."
Seeing Helian Duo standing there with a frown on his face, Cheng Xiran stuffed a still warm sesame seed cake into his arms and then said, "You eat one too. Then go back and rest early. See you tomorrow!"
This time when she slipped away, Helian Duo didn't chase after her.
She first went back to the newspaper office to change her clothes and then returned to the mansion. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to get in because it was already very late. But after she entered the mansion, she heard from the steward that her father and the other two hadn't come back from the night banquet yet.
"The mansion of General Cui is still some distance away. They probably drank a bit too much at the night banquet and will be back later. They should be on their way back now."
Without waiting for Cheng Xiran to reply, the steward continued worriedly, "Miss, why were you so busy until now? If it were in the past, it wouldn't be good for the prime minister and the old lady to know about this."
Cheng Xiran reluctantly gave the steward a piece of the sesame seed cake and said vaguely, "Oh, I was busy writing the manuscript for tomorrow. I've been at the newspaper office all the time. You can eat this sesame seed cake. It tastes good. I'll go back to sleep first."
She had just entered her courtyard when Prime Minister Cheng and the others came back.
Zhuque had already been taken care of by Yun'er and had gone to bed. Cheng Xiran gently woke up Yun'er, who had fallen asleep beside the couch. She then handed the last sesame seed cake in her hand to Yun'er and said with a look of relief, "Yun'er, go and eat this sesame seed cake."
Yun'er wanted to refuse at first, but due to Cheng Xiran's insistence, she had to take it. "Miss, wait a moment. I'll go and boil some water for you to wash up."
"No need. Father and the others just came back. We can't make too much noise. I'll just take a quick shower later."
She sat with Yun'er for a while. After learning about Zhuque's situation, she got up and went back to her own room to rest.
She was very tired today. She just lay down for a while and then fell into a deep sleep until she was woken up early the next morning.
It was just dawn. The sky was still slightly dark.
"What's going on?" Cheng Xiran forced her eyes open and then closed them again after a moment.
She felt that her body was so heavy, as if she hadn't slept for hundreds of years.
"Miss, the manager of the newspaper office is waiting at the door right now. I see that he looks very anxious. There must be something urgent."