"Lord Gu?"
The strong wind at the deck entrance completely drowned out An Xingzhi's voice.
Seeing that Gu Xiao didn't respond, she stretched out her slender and delicate fingers to tug at his sleeve. Whether intentionally or not, her body swayed along with the movement.
Gu Xiao had just snapped out of his thoughts. Seeing her coquettish manner, he took several hasty steps back.
"Miss... Miss An, men and women should keep proper distance!"
Yet his ears instantly flushed bright red!
Meeting An Xingzhi's sparkling eyes, he felt his cheeks burning and his heart pounding wildly. Frightened, he quickly darted into a second - floor compartment beside him.
An Xingzhi was left alone on the deck, stretching out her hand in the wind. She bit her lip and stamped her foot. "I haven't finished speaking yet!"
Apart from Yan Zhao, An Xingzhi also knew Gu Xiao's feelings.
After all, the longing in the young man's eyes was quite obvious.
An Xingzhi had been carefully raised by Grand Secretary An since childhood and was later instructed by an old nanny assigned by Concubine An in the palace.
Her demeanor and gestures fulfilled all men's fantasies.
When she first became famous, not only Gu Xiao but also many young men in the capital had amorous thoughts about her.
Whether their feelings were obvious or not, she could tell at a glance.
However, An Xingzhi had been instilled with the idea that she was destined to become a prince's consort in the future.
Naturally, she looked down on others.
That was until she fell head - over - heels in love with the handsome young lord Yan Zhao at first sight and had since been deeply infatuated with him.
Gu Xiao was Yan Zhao's cousin, so An Xingzhi occasionally treated him a bit nicer, which unfortunately made the latter fall even deeper.
Five years later, Yan Zhao was holding his beloved wife in his arms, and An Xingzhi's unrequited love came to nothing.
However, Gu Xiao's appearance gave her a glimmer of hope.
Seeing Gu Xiao being disrespectful to Ning Yuwang, although she couldn't guess the reason, she wanted to use Gu Xiao to deal with Ning Yuwang.
But...
She didn't expect Gu Xiao to be so innocent.
He couldn't even handle the slightest bit of flirting and actually fled!
The wind on the deck grew stronger. Without Gu Xiao to block the wind, An Xingzhi swayed even more.
She wouldn't do something as bold as chasing a man into a room. So she could only hug her arms tightly and return empty - handed.
As for Gu Xiao, he had just randomly entered a compartment.
But it just so happened to be a room with someone in it!
He accidentally caught Pei Yunlu "trysting" with a man!
Well, it wasn't really a tryst.
It was just that the man was holding Pei Yunlu's hand from behind, teaching her how to paint.
It was just that the action was a bit too intimate.
But what kind of person was Gu Xiao? He had been scared away by An Xingzhi's approach.
Naturally, he couldn't stand such a scene!
"Grand Secretary Pei has a spotless reputation all his life. Who would have thought his daughter's behavior would be so improper!"
Pei Yunlu and the man had already let go of each other the moment Gu Xiao entered.
She wasn't good at painting, so the man was just teaching her some basic strokes.
But just as they started, Gu Xiao barged in.
Five years ago, in order to protect Pei Yunlu, Yan Zhao had completely buried this incident in his heart and told no one.
Therefore, Gu Xiao didn't know that under the human - skin mask was his cousin Yan Xi, who had gone missing five years ago.
Pei Yunlu wasn't unfamiliar with Gu Xiao. After all, he was her stupid and prodigal cousin.
"Isn't Lord Gu also deeply in love with Miss An?"
This compartment was closer to the deck, and the doors and windows faced the deck directly. So Pei Yunlu could occasionally see a man and a woman chatting when she looked up.
"You're talking nonsense!"
Gu Xiao jumped up in anger. "I have a clean relationship with Miss An."
Pei Yunlu sneered. "I don't believe it!"
"You!"
Gu Xiao originally thought Ning Yuwang was eloquent, but Pei Yunlu in front of him was even more glib - tongued!
"You're not ashamed to be in a room alone with a strange man!"
"Lord, please watch your words!"
The man beside Pei Yunlu stepped forward, shielding Pei Yunlu behind him and facing Gu Xiao's accusations alone. "It was my oversight. I overstepped the mark while teaching Miss Pei to paint. All the mistakes are mine. Please don't ruin Miss Pei's reputation."
Behind him, Pei Yunlu didn't look angry. Instead, she smiled faintly.
It seemed that she was very satisfied with his actions and words.
If Ning Yuwang were here, she would surely recognize the man as Lu Jin, whom she had seen before.
Ning Yuwang had seen him on the Mid - Autumn Festival night and today!
Lu Jin and Pei Yunlu, two people who seemed to have nothing to do with each other, were actually very familiar. So she had always been suspicious.
It was just that Ning Yuwang hadn't found a chance to talk to Pei Yunlu in detail.
The first one to discover this was actually Gu Xiao.
"Which young master from a family in the capital are you?"
Since someone had admitted the mistake, the initiative was in Gu Xiao's hands.
For some reason, although he wasn't very familiar with Pei Yunlu, he subconsciously wanted to find out everything about her, including the people around her.
There seemed to be a faint thought in his mind, urging him to protect Pei Yunlu.
Lu Jin bowed. "I'm just an ordinary scholar from a humble family, hoping to pass the imperial examinations."
So he was from a poor family.
Gu Xiao raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect a delicate young lady like Pei Yunlu to be interested in a poor scholar.
What a waste of her good looks!
What a waste of her good family background!
His contempt was too obvious, but Lu Jin remained unyielding.
Instead, Pei Yunlu couldn't help but frown. "Why does Lord Gu want to inquire about Young Master Lu's family background?"
She held back the words "It's none of your business" in her heart.
It wasn't because of Gu Xiao's family background but because she didn't want to lose face in front of Lu Jin.
Although Gu Xiao was her cousin, they hardly knew each other now.
Gu Xiao's behavior was indeed excessive.
Gu Xiao blushed slightly. He didn't know why he had asked just now. It was just an instinctive action.
He patted his clothes and pretended to be calm. "I'm just kindly reminding Miss Pei to pay more attention to her reputation."
Before leaving, he stared at Lu Jin's hands, as if hinting that if he didn't behave properly, he would chop off his hands.
"Lord Gu, mind your own business!"
Having her mood ruined by Gu Xiao, Pei Yunlu had no more interest in painting.
"Miss Pei, have I caused you trouble?"
Lu Jin carefully put away the scroll, brush, and ink before sitting back on the chair opposite Pei Yunlu.
However, his expression was a bit unnatural. "Also, I didn't mean to be disrespectful just now!"
There was a faint blush on his face. He knew that his actions were a bit inappropriate for an unmarried young lady like Pei Yunlu, but at that moment, he just couldn't bear to let go of her hand.
Pei Yunlu wrung her handkerchief, and her voice stammered a bit. "It's not... Young Master Lu's fault. It's just that I wanted to learn how to paint!"
She was even more resentful towards Gu Xiao in her heart.
Their innocent actions had been over - interpreted, making the young girl and boy with budding feelings even more at a loss.
In the quiet room, the atmosphere seemed to be heating up.
Finally, Lu Jin couldn't hold it anymore. Flustered, he stood up. "Miss... Miss Pei, I'll go out for a walk."
His cheeks were burning red. He nervously put down the sleeves he had just rolled up and then stiffly opened the door and walked out.
"Phew!"
After Lu Jin left, Pei Yunlu let out a sigh of relief. She pressed her hands against her face and pursed her lips into a sweet smile.
"You fool!"
She didn't know if she was referring to Lu Jin or Gu Xiao.