When Chu Qing returned to the inn later, she was in a daze.
When she came to her senses, Luoluo and Wei Zhi had already surrounded her, bombarding her with questions.
It turned out that not long after she had gone out, Luoluo had entered her room to deliver supper and found her missing. While everyone was panicking and searching for her carefully everywhere, she was chatting with Nian Chu about the philosophy of life.
Speaking of Nian Chu, he was quite an interesting person.
They talked about their beloved ones, then about their ideals, their favorite poets, and finally the meaning of existence.
All in all, Nian Chu was truly a suitable person to be a friend.
Although she had been coaxed back to the inn by him, after calming down, Chu Qing knew that he had done it for her own good.
After all, not taking advantage of her in her vulnerable state made him a true gentleman.
Although...
Maybe he didn't have any feelings for her...
Thinking of this, Chu Qing still felt that she needed to thank him properly. After all, if she had really gone to the City Lord's Mansion tonight, something unexpected might have happened.
"Luoluo, do you know which room that Young Master Nian is in?" Chu Qing asked.
"Milady?" Luoluo was taken aback for a moment, then her face showed a hint of uneasiness. She said hesitantly, "Milady, the whereabouts of the Prince Ning are unknown. Even if that pretty boy is good - looking, you... you shouldn't act like this!"
Finally, Luoluo bit her lower lip and looked at her seriously.
Chu Qing was stunned for a moment, then gently tapped Luoluo's forehead and said with a smile, "What are you thinking with that little head of yours? Do you think I'm that kind of person? I just want to thank him in person."
Realizing that she had misunderstood her mistress, Luoluo smiled embarrassedly and said, "He's in the room at the east end of the corridor."
"At the east end of the corridor?"
"Yes, milady."
Chu Qing nodded, got up and walked out of the room. Then she said to Luoluo, "Go and cook some porridge for me. I didn't eat much at the dinner, and after running around just now, I'm a bit hungry. I'll be back soon."
After saying that, Chu Qing walked directly towards the room at the east end.
Seeing that Chu Qing didn't seem to be running away again, Luoluo finally let go of her heart and went to prepare food.
When Chu Qing reached the said room, she pushed the door open without hesitation.
However...
She saw a scene of a beautiful man just out of the bath.
Chu Qing was a bit embarrassed at first, but when she saw the man's back, her eyes suddenly darkened.
Because...
On Nian Chu's back, she saw a scar in the same position as the one on Wei Ying's back.
Was it a coincidence...
Or...?
"Miss, this is...?" Nian Chu never expected that she would come to find him, and moreover... she just pushed the door open and walked in?
But he quickly grabbed the clothes beside the bathtub and put them on.
At this time, Chu Qing was still staring at him, her eyes so sharp that he felt a bit at a loss.
"Miss..."
"Don't you have anything to say to me?" Chu Qing stepped forward without any regard for the propriety between men and women.
"Miss, please stop. It's late at night, and it's inappropriate for a man and a woman to be alone in a room. It might have a bad influence on you." Nian Chu actually took a few steps back, looking panicked.
Chu Qing raised her eyebrows and said coldly with a hooked lip, "Aren't you fond of men? Since you like men, you must not be interested in me."
She had been so stupid.
Now that she thought about it, many of his actions were quite suspicious!
For example, when they first met in the Fengyue Villa, his shocked expression was not the reaction of a man seeing a beautiful woman. And later, when he heard that she was pregnant, he also looked incredulous.
Another example was why he had to follow a strange girl and talk so much nonsense with her on the roof. If he was really a homosexual as he claimed, this contradictory point was even more suspicious.
And now, there was the same scar on his body as on Wei Ying's.
An accidental passer - by, but she had so easily let down her guard and confided in him...
Humph! Liar!
The only person in the world who could make her subconsciously let her guard down was someone in particular. There was hardly a second person.
So...
"Aren't you going to say anything?" The coldness in Chu Qing's voice deepened, but if one listened carefully, there was also a hint of...
Grievance.
Seeing Chu Qing like this, the panicked man finally sighed softly, then slowly walked forward and gently called out the name he had wanted to call since he saw her:
"Qingqing~"
These two simple words directly broke through the hard shell that Chu Qing had built up during this period.
"Wei Ying, you're such a jerk." Although she was scolding him, there was a sob in her voice.
Nian Chu was actually Wei Ying, who had been missing for a long time.
Seeing Chu Qing crying, Wei Ying immediately came to her side and hugged her in his arms.
Unconsciously, he tightened his grip, as if only in this way could he truly feel her presence. But thinking that she was pregnant, Wei Ying deliberately avoided her belly.
Smelling the familiar fragrance on her body, Wei Ying's eyes also turned a bit red.
It was this fragrance that he was most fascinated by in the world that had helped him recognize Chu Qing, who had disguised herself as a Xiliang person, in the inn.
After the initial surprise, fear had naturally followed. He had just left the Fengyue Villa a bit earlier and hadn't watched over her properly, and she had run into the city of Chuanzhou. He didn't even dare to think about the consequences if the Hu Yan brothers recognized her.
The frightened Wei Ying hugged Chu Qing even tighter.
After recognizing him, Chu Qing's original anger suddenly disappeared.
"You're really capable. You saw me in the Fengyue Villa but still pretended not to know me?" Chu Qing suddenly pushed him away forcefully.
"And you even said you were a homosexual?" Thinking of this, Chu Qing sneered.
He could really make up nonsense!
Wei Ying was a bit helpless. "Since I've changed my appearance, I have to be completely different from before."
"And you even changed your name to Nian Chu. What a strange name!"
Hearing this, Wei Ying stroked Chu Qing's head and said helplessly, "Don't you know the meaning of this name?"
"Hmm?"
"Nian Chu means 'missing Chu'."
"Um..." Chu Qing, blushing from the sudden display of affection, was a bit stunned.
Wei Ying seemed quite satisfied with her reaction and continued, "And what about you? Wei Qing? Wei... Qing? Or 'for love'?"
Caught out, she coughed a few times to cover up her embarrassing sentimentality, then looked up and continued, "How did you recognize me?"
"I'm most familiar with your scent."
"..."
Fine. What was supposed to be a proper interrogation had been turned into something else by him.
Then Chu Qing remembered the conversation on the roof just now. Hadn't she basically told him everything?
Ah!!!
She hoped he wouldn't think too much.
"Your dream..."
"???" Chu Qing's body instantly stiffened. As expected of him! He could still hit her soft spot directly!
But she could only reply bravely, "It was really just a dream!!! Otherwise... what else could it be?"
"Qingqing's dream is quite peculiar." Wei Ying hooked his lips.
Chu Qing blushed and looked at Wei Ying. Then she realized that Wei Ying still looked like Nian Chu.
It felt a bit awkward...
She always felt like she was flirting with a homosexual.
"Why don't you wash off this appearance!" Chu Qing pouted and then directly reached out.
But Wei Ying grabbed her hands that were rubbing on his face. His smile was a bit unnatural. "Qingqing, don't do this."
The already sensitive Chu Qing immediately noticed something was wrong with Wei Ying. She frowned and said, "Are you still hiding something from me?"
"..." "No."
"Then why don't you show me your true face? Could it be that..." Chu Qing's eyes darkened, and Wei Ying became even more uncomfortable.
"Are you someone else pretending to be you?"
"..."