The little girl who had been clinging to Chu Junyi's leg realized that it was more likely for her to follow this elder sister. So she had no choice but to let go and throw herself into Li Xinyue's arms instead.
"Sister, as long as you're willing to save me from this abyss of suffering, I'll do anything for you, even be your servant," she pleaded.
Li Xinyue raised her eyebrows at Chu Junyi.
See? There are many ways to make someone let go. Forcefully pulling them away is the stupidest way.
She smiled and gently lifted the girl's chin with her fingertip. "Sister doesn't want you to be a servant. Sister just wants you to be my wife. Would you be willing?
Sister doesn't even want you to bear children. You just need to keep sister company and relieve my loneliness in the boudoir."
The little girl trembled all over and her hair stood on end.
It wasn't just because the thought of two women in bed made her feel nauseous. It was also because of the way this elder sister was smiling. There was an indescribable sense of horror, as if this elder sister often did such things.
Scared, she let go of Li Xinyue, but Li Xinyue grabbed her tightly instead.
The nausea in the little girl's heart grew stronger. Even the way she looked at Li Xinyue changed subtly.
She struggled desperately to break free from Li Xinyue's embrace and then ran away.
"Damn girl, where do you think you're going!" The man watched his money - making treasure run away and took off after her. But the next moment, the ring thrown by Li Xinyue hit him on the back of his knee. He fell to the ground with a thud, hitting his head on the ground and even knocking out a tooth.
Chu Junyi immediately stepped forward and captured the man. He was highly skilled in martial arts and had great strength. After capturing the man, he forcefully bent him backwards. The man felt as if he was about to be broken in two.
The on - looking passers - by clapped and cheered.
Li Xinyue turned to look at the young marquis who was still watching the fun and clapping. She told him to take the man to the yamen for trial.
After giving these instructions, as she turned around, out of the corner of her eye, she saw several sneaky figures hiding behind the buildings outside the crowd.
When she tried to take a closer look, those people ran away.
They must have noticed her too.
As for who these people were, one could guess from the tools in their hands that they were from the gambling house to collect debts. Seeing that the situation was not right, they wanted to slip away.
Li Xinyue collected her thoughts and walked out of the crowd. She was going to find Murong Xiu and his sister to explain why she wasn't going to the banquet.
She had two valid reasons for the night. No matter which one she chose to tell, it wouldn't make it seem like she was too scared to go.
Of course, the truth was definitely not that she was scared. She just suddenly lost interest.
At this moment, a pair of feet suddenly appeared beside her and walked in parallel with her.
She didn't need to look to know who it was.
Li Xinyue found it quite amusing.
The person beside her gave a light cough, glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and then quickly looked ahead. "Don't misunderstand. This time, I really am going the same way."
"I'm not misunderstanding. Why are you in such a hurry to explain?" Li Xinyue looked at Chu Junyi playfully.
Chu Junyi opened his mouth but suddenly didn't know what to say.
Li Xinyue remembered that she hadn't asked him about something earlier. But just as she was about to speak, Chu Junyi turned to her first and said, "Don't be so bold in the future. Reputation is very important after all.
A young lady should cherish her reputation even more."
All he wanted was for her to help him out with a simple diversion. He never expected her to make such a big sacrifice.
"Also, about the incident where you argued with the Fourteenth Princess on the street. The Fourteenth Princess is childish, but are you also so childish? Aren't you afraid that it will spread everywhere and ruin your reputation?"
Li Xinyue was taken aback. "Are you... caring about me?"
"I'm just reminding you. Although I don't have a good impression of you, I'm not the kind of person who wants to see you make a fool of yourself."
Li Xinyue fell silent and began to think about the meaning behind his words.
Was it really just a reminder?
Then why did it feel like he had been holding this in for the whole way and just couldn't hold it back anymore?
Chu Junyi himself wasn't quite sure either. But he was certain that when he saw her squandering her reputation like that, he really felt uncomfortable.
But Li Xinyue didn't think much of it. "Reputation is for the incompetent. Those with power and influence can be notorious, but others can do nothing about it, right?
Young Master Chu should learn how to rise to power instead of just focusing on reputation.
Moreover, even if you work so hard to maintain your reputation, if someone with ulterior motives wants to smear you, there's nothing you can do about it, right?
So, getting stronger is the most important thing. Everything else is just empty talk."
Chu Junyi was about to refute, but Li Xinyue changed the topic.
She was always joking around, but when it came to reputation and power, she became very solemn. It was a side of her that he had never seen before.
He was slightly stunned. Could it be that behind the noble and precious Princess Yuanyang, there were also some unknown hardships?
Thinking like this, he swallowed back the words of refutation on the tip of his tongue. After careful consideration, he realized that what she said actually made sense.
"Chu Junyi."
"Hmm?" Chu Junyi fixed his eyes on her and listened attentively.
Li Xinyue looked up at the sky and said, "Are you going to all this trouble to stop me from going to the banquet because you have some ulterior motives for me?"
Chu Junyi was shocked. His heart, which had just calmed down, started to pound wildly again. His blood boiled, and his ears turned red at a visible speed.
He knew she was smart. He simply couldn't hide anything from her.
Li Xinyue thought that this guy had started to lust after her body after that night, which was why he had done such a childish thing as stopping her from going to the banquet. It was just like her being absent - minded in class today.
Of course, she wasn't lusting after his body. She just...
It was because this guy had saved her twice last night, so she wanted to get along with him peacefully.
But she found that getting along peacefully was quite awkward. It was far less refreshing than arguing with him.
Sure enough, this kind of way of getting along suited them better.
Li Xinyue gloated and pretended to be magnanimous. "Well, it's understandable for an adult man to have such needs. Unless you want to become a monk."
Chu Junyi was so anxious that he almost wanted to cover her mouth. "There's no need to be so detailed about this! You're a young lady. Aren't you ashamed?"
"Ashamed of what? It's very normal! Besides, do we need to be ashamed of each other?"
Chu Junyi, "... "
It seemed so.
"So, I think you need to get this problem treated. Hurry up and marry a good wife. Take her home, and then you can do whatever you want with her!"
As she was talking, she noticed that his ears were getting redder and redder, and even his face and neck turned red.
She laughed.
She felt extremely satisfied seeing Chu Junyi at a loss.
"How about this? I'll help you find a good match, and you help me deal with Murong Xiu. We'll help each other and get what we want.
Don't worry. As a princess, there are many noble ladies from well - behaved noble families around me. Marrying one of them would be a blessing you've earned over several lifetimes."
Chu Junyi, "... "
It was hard to believe that the noble ladies around such a princess could be decent!
But Li Xinyue was getting more and more excited.
She never really intended to give up on Murong Xiu. It was just that she couldn't handle it on her own, so she had chosen the young marquis as a second - best option.
If Chu Junyi could help her, it would be different.