Gu Liyue didn't sleep well. She woke up early in the morning. As soon as she got up, a graceful young girl came to wait on her while she washed up.
The girl smiled and explained, "My name is Hongdou. The heir apparent has also asked me to serve you, miss."
Gu Liyue looked out of the window. It was just getting light. She had gone to bed late last night. Probably he had arranged for someone before going to sleep.
"Has the heir apparent not gotten up yet?"
Hongdou replied, "The heir apparent has already gotten up. He's practicing swordsmanship in the back. I'll take you there."
After Gu Liyue finished washing up, Hongdou draped a thick fur cloak over her. She was a bit dazed. She had been treated well in the Jiang family. All her food, clothing, and daily necessities were modeled after Jiang Yingyue's, though one grade lower, but definitely not bad. However, she had really never seen such a fine fur cloak before.
Silver fox pelts were already rare. For such a fur cloak, dozens of silver fox pelts were needed, and only a woman with excellent needlework skills could sew it so seamlessly.
It was pure silver without a single strand of other hair.
Gu Liyue reached out to touch the fur. The cloak was a bit long. It should be Lu Jinchen's.
Thinking like this, she seemed to be able to smell his scent. Gu Liyue's ears turned red as she recalled the kiss from yesterday.
It seemed that the kiss had brought them closer, but somehow, there seemed to be a greater sense of estrangement.
He had said that he wanted her to wait for him for two days. After he had settled the matters in the capital, he would go with her, either traveling around the world or finding a quiet place to spend their whole lives together.
Gu Liyue hadn't replied at that time. She had been in a daze all night last night, but now she was much clearer. She wanted to talk to Lu Jinchen clearly. She didn't want to drag him down. His life should have been glorious and untainted, not living a mundane life with her.
When they reached the back courtyard, Hongdou pointed forward and said, "Miss, the heir apparent is practicing swordsmanship over there. You can go."
Gu Liyue was taken aback and quickly said, "Miss Hongdou, how about... you go with me."
Hongdou's eyes curved into a smile. "Miss, the heir apparent usually doesn't like us servants to get too close, especially when he's resting or practicing swordsmanship. However, when he ordered me to serve you this morning, he said that if you were looking for him, I should show you the way."
Gu Liyue's face turned even redder. She replied in a low voice like a kitten and then walked in the direction Hongdou had pointed. As she walked over, sure enough, she saw Lu Jinchen practicing swordsmanship in front.
However, he was practicing swordsmanship, but why wasn't he wearing a shirt? His upper body was bare. He wasn't afraid of the cold. He was only wearing a pair of long trousers on his lower body.
Gu Liyue didn't react for a moment and stared straight at him.
And Lu Jinchen seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He turned around and gave Gu Liyue a beaming smile. He put away his sword, picked up a handkerchief from the side to wipe his face, and strode towards Gu Liyue.
He had a straight and upright figure. When he was dressed, his body was imposing and his appearance was very extraordinary. Gu Liyue had previously thought that he was a scholar who knew martial arts. But now that she couldn't see his upper garment, she found that he was very burly and the veins on his body were showing.
Gu Liyue belatedly covered her eyes. "You... why aren't you wearing a shirt?"
Lu Jinchen raised his eyebrows slightly and walked straight to the rack behind Gu Liyue before picking up his clothes and putting them on.
Gu Liyue's face was as red as if on fire. So his clothes were behind her. No wonder he didn't like to be served. He had to be bare - chested when practicing swordsmanship. Having someone serve him would only make him feel restricted.
While she was having these random thoughts, Lu Jinchen had already come back. He leaned close to Gu Liyue and whispered, "Do I look good?"
"What?" Gu Liyue's face, which had finally calmed down, suddenly burned up again. She glared at him in a flurry and didn't dare to look closely. "What are you talking about? It... it doesn't look good at all. And... and we..."
Lu Jinchen half - smiled. Only then did he look serious and say, "Oh? So my estate is so shabby. I used to be proud of it, thinking that it was the most elegant and pleasant place."
Gu Liyue was taken aback and asked, "You mean the estate?"
"Otherwise, what did you think I was talking about?"
Lu Jinchen was wearing the clothes but hadn't fastened them properly. A large area of his chest was exposed all the way to his waist, and his abdominal muscles could still be seen.
Gu Liyue couldn't help but look down all the way. Her sight was blocked by his mid - thigh pants. She quickly withdrew her gaze. Somehow, she felt parched. She turned her face away. "You... put your clothes on properly."
Lu Jinchen just looked innocent. "I feel uncomfortable after sweating. I'm very particular about cleanliness. I have to take a bath before putting on clothes after practicing."
Gu Liyue didn't dare to look at him and quickly walked back in the direction she had come from. "Then you... go take a bath. I... I'll come to you after you've finished."
Lu Jinchen stopped joking. After watching her walk away, he went back to his room to take a bath.
It was broad daylight. Gu Liyue was led by Hongdou to the dining hall. Although they were in the estate, the food was all very delicate.
Lu Jinchen was sitting at the table as usual, gentle and refined like a jade.
However, his smile always made Gu Liyue think of the kiss from yesterday and his appearance this morning.
Lu Jinchen ate his meal slowly. Then he thought for a while and looked up and said, "I'll go back to the capital later. You can stay here. If you have anything to do, just tell Hongdou. After I've settled down, I'll come to pick you up and go with you."
Gu Liyue put down her chopsticks. For some reason, she always felt a great deal of pressure when facing Lu Jinchen. She didn't know how to resist whatever he said. Only after a long struggle did she say in a small voice, "I think... it's not appropriate."
Lu Jinchen looked at her. "Do you want to go with me?"
Gu Liyue quickly shook her head. "No, Lord Lu. I thought about it last night. I can't delay you... We... You're the heir apparent of the royal mansion, but I'm just a country girl. I'm not worthy of you, and I don't want to delay you. Originally, you should have a great future. How can you ruin it all because of me?"
"A great future?" A sneer appeared on the corner of Lu Jinchen's mouth. "Maybe before yesterday, I still had a bit of sense and was willing to strive for that future. But when I saw you again, I knew that there were so many good times in the world. Why should I be confined to one place?"
Gu Liyue asked, "Is it because of me?"
Lu Jinchen counter - asked, "Don't you believe me?"
Gu Liyue lowered her eyes and thought for a long time. Then she said carefully, "Lord Lu, I... We've only met by chance. It's far from the time when we need to promise each other for life. The place you mentioned as a corner, you don't know how unattainable it is in the eyes of ordinary people. You've never experienced despair and don't know the hardships of the common people. I'm afraid you..."
"How do you know I haven't experienced it?"
Gu Liyue just glanced at the dishes on the table. The meaning was self - evident. Such a breakfast could cost a poor family a year's expenses.
Lu Jinchen's face darkened. "Do you think that my wanting to leave with you is just a whim?"
Gu Liyue took a deep breath and nodded. "Lord Lu, as the heir apparent, you must have seen all kinds of women around you since childhood. And I, perhaps because of my rural background, am a bit different from others. But this is only temporary. If you get to know me well, you'll find that I'm just the same as other women... No, I don't know poetry and books, nor do I know how to play musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, and painting. I'm even more boring than other women."
"Liyue, do you believe in love at first sight?"