Late at night, Ruan Jiu had just blown out the candle in her room and was about to go to bed.
Suddenly, someone burst into the room and hugged her tightly from behind.
After smelling a familiar scent, her tense heart immediately relaxed.
Then, a faint smell of wine wafted into her nose. She frowned and asked, "Have you been drinking?"
Xie Jingchu buried his head in the crook of her neck and replied softly, "Yes, just a little."
Xie Jingchu's voice sounded a bit tired.
"Is Magistrate Lin still refusing to give in?" Ruan Jiu asked.
Previously, at Lin Baor's birthday banquet, Xie Jingchu had offended Magistrate Lin.
Now, taking advantage of his position, Magistrate Lin was making things difficult for Xie Jingchu at every turn.
As a result, the document to start the tea - mountain project had not been approved yet.
Xie Jingchu squinted his eyes slightly and said coldly, "Don't worry. Lin Youcai won't be in the position of magistrate for long."
"Why don't you just give in to Lin Baor?" Ruan Jiu joked.
Unexpectedly, her joking words were taken seriously by Xie Jingchu.
Xie Jingchu turned Ruan Jiu around and then pinned her against the wall.
His strong arms trapped her in his embrace.
In a deep voice, he said, "Say that again."
Meeting Xie Jingchu's blurred eyes, Ruan Jiu's heart immediately fluttered.
She shyly turned her face away and said, "I was just joking!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Xie Jingchu grabbed her chin.
He suddenly lowered his head and planted a stormy kiss on her, with an irresistible madness.
His tongue pried open her teeth and probed deep inside.
She was kissed breathless and reached out to push him.
Unexpectedly, Xie Jingchu grabbed her wrist and pinned it against the wall beside her ear.
What followed was an even hotter and more passionate kiss.
"I'm wrong!" Ruan Jiu had no choice but to plead vaguely.
Hearing this, Xie Jingchu stopped.
He pressed his forehead against hers, breathing heavily, his eyes full of reluctance.
"Who did you just say I should give in to?"
Ruan Jiu bit her lip and didn't dare to say a word.
Xie Jingchu then pulled Ruan Jiu into his arms and hugged her tightly.
He buried his head in the crook of her neck. "A Jiu, I only want you."
This aggrieved tone made it seem as if he wasn't the one who had just kissed her so aggressively.
Ruan Jiu reached out and gently stroked Xie Jingchu's back.
"Okay, okay, just me."
Then, Xie Jingchu continued, "After everything is over, will you give me a proper status?"
Ruan Jiu's emotional eyes kept twinkling.
She replied softly, "Okay."
After getting the satisfactory answer, all of Xie Jingchu's unhappiness in recent days vanished.
He couldn't help but tighten his grip, wishing he could merge with Ruan Jiu.
-
"Ruan Jiu, you can't kick me away after using me!"
Shen Yu's voice came before he even entered the silk shop.
Hearing the voice, Ruan Jiu didn't even lift her eyelids and said, "Can't you see I'm busy?"
There were still many matters to attend to in establishing the cloth - making business, and she was already swamped.
"No way!" Shen Yu pressed his hand on the abacus in Ruan Jiu's hand and said, "You must go to the Drunken Fairy Tower with me today!"
Ruan Jiu suppressed her anger and said, "Brother, isn't it just a food - tasting? Don't you have a mouth?"
"Didn't you say the tastes in the capital are different from those in Qinzhou?"
Ruan Jiu pushed Shen Yu's hand away and said, "Then I'll send Chuntao!"
"No way!" Shen Yu pressed the abacus again. He rolled his eyes and then said, "Otherwise, I'll have that piece of land dug up tomorrow!"
That really sounded like something he would do!
Ruan Jiu had no choice but to say helplessly, "Fine, I'll go."
After getting the satisfactory answer, Shen Yu immediately put on an obsequious smile.
He said, "After you."
Not long after they left, Xie Jingchu also arrived at the silk shop.
After learning that Ruan Jiu had left with Shen Yu.
Xie Jingchu's face turned ashen.
That damned Shen Yu was clinging to his A Jiu again!
As soon as they arrived at the Drunken Fairy Tower, all kinds of famous dishes from Qinzhou were laid out on the table.
As Ruan Jiu had suggested, Shen Yu had replaced all the chefs in the Drunken Fairy Tower with those from Qinzhou.
After Ruan Jiu tasted them one by one, Shen Yu asked expectantly, "How are they?"
Ruan Jiu put down her chopsticks and nodded. "Not bad."
Hearing this, Shen Yu's face broke into a smile. He clenched his fist and cheered silently in his heart.
"However..."
The smile on Shen Yu's face froze. He immediately asked, "However what?"
"However, it's still far from being the number - one restaurant in Qinzhou." Ruan Jiu replied calmly.
Shen Yu looked at her in disbelief and exclaimed, "These dishes were made by the best chefs in Qinzhou!"
He had hired them at a high price.
Now, looking at the whole Qinzhou City, which other restaurant could serve better - tasting dishes than the Drunken Fairy Tower?
"In terms of taste, there's nothing to complain about, but it lacks novelty." Ruan Jiu explained.
"What do you mean?" Shen Yu was confused.
"No matter how delicious a dish is, people will eventually get tired of it. But if there's constant novelty, it will be different."
"Well, this..." Shen Yu bit his lip, looking embarrassed. "Can you put it in a more understandable way?"
Ruan Jiu couldn't help rolling her eyes.
It was said that the people of the Shen family were extremely talented in business.
But why was Shen Yu so stupid?
She had no choice but to continue explaining, "For example, introduce a special dish every day, with only ten servings available. Since things are precious when they are rare, it will naturally attract people to scramble for it."
After hearing this, Shen Yu's eyes lit up. "Brilliant!"
"Just this is far from enough." Ruan Jiu paused.
"What else?" Shen Yu's eyes were full of expectation.
"It's best to invite a talented and beautiful female musician from the capital. Every day, the person who spends the most in the Drunken Fairy Tower can go to the Tian - character private room to listen to her play the zither."
After hearing this, Shen Yu's eyes lit up again.
This was a great idea. How many men in the world were willing to spend a fortune just to make a beauty smile.
"How did you come up with all these ideas?" Shen Yu asked.
He thought even more highly of Ruan Jiu in his heart.
Ruan Jiu curled her lips but remained silent.
She had learned all these things from Xie Yanchuan.
At that time, in order to compete with others for the top courtesan in the Spring Breeze Tower, Xie Yanchuan had not only squandered a fortune but also got into a bloody fight.
All for the sake of two words: face.
Seeing that Ruan Jiu didn't say a word, Shen Yu continued, "Won't you really consider joining the Shen family?"
If it weren't illegal to kidnap people, he really would have kidnapped Ruan Jiu to the Shen family.
Ruan Jiu shook her head.
Shen Yu continued to persuade her, "It's a waste of your talent to stay in the Xie family."
"You're being too nosy." Ruan Jiu teased.
Shen Yu immediately complained, "Why don't you understand good advice?!"
Ruan Jiu smiled. "Then thank you, Young Master Shen, for your kindness."
Then she continued, "I grew up in the Xie family. Some feelings can't be let go."
Shen Yu naturally understood this.
Although Ruan Jiu always showed her sharp claws to him, she was very soft - hearted towards the Xie family.
Shen Yu bit his lip and reached out to pat Ruan Jiu on the shoulder.
He said, "I hope we won't become enemies in the future."
After all, when the Shen family moved to Qinzhou City, they would surely be on the opposite side of the Xie family.
Just then, Xie Jingchu's voice suddenly rang out.
"Shen Yu, take your dirty hand off her!"