"Is there something you need, Lord Fu?" Chu Junyi turned his head slightly to listen. The hand resting on the table tightened imperceptibly, and he braced himself warily.
Fu Chengyuan turned to motion for the girls to be quiet. Then, with a sly look on his face, he said, "Your subordinate noticed that you didn't eat much just now. I was afraid that the hospitality was not good enough. So I specifically asked the kitchen to prepare some snacks and brought them to you myself." Then he signaled for the girls to follow.
"No need."
Fu Chengyuan completely ignored him and simply pushed open the door.
The guest rooms in the Fu family didn't have bolts, so they couldn't be locked from the inside.
So, Fu Chengyuan forced the girls in like this.
Chu Junyi looked up. Although he couldn't see, he could sense the sudden strong smell of rouge in the air and the faint, disordered footsteps. Obviously, this Fu Chengyuan had an ulterior motive.
Chu Junyi's heart tightened. The hand on the table tightened so hard that the knuckles turned white. His face flushed with sudden anger, and the resistance around him was like a layer of frost, condensing in the delicate atmosphere and dropping the temperature to the lowest. "What do you mean by this, Lord Fu?"
"Nothing special. You've come from afar, sir. Your subordinate just wants to do his duty as a host."
Chu Junyi faced the direction where Fu Chengyuan was standing and sneered coldly. "Lord Fu clearly promised to give this official some time to think. It seems that you can't wait anymore?"
Fu Chengyuan said, "As long as you don't give a definite answer, sir, your subordinate can't set his mind at ease. You'll be returning to the capital soon, sir. Your subordinate won't have another chance. So, please forgive any rudeness on my part."
Chu Junyi was completely enraged by his audacity. He raised his hand and knocked over the teacup beside him. It made a crisp sound as it hit the ground. The women close to him instinctively stepped back.
Fu Chengyuan scratched his nose and shamelessly said, "Please rest well, sir. Your subordinate will take his leave." Then he backed out of the room and locked the door.
Receiving the order, the women swarmed forward.
The night was quiet, and the bright moon hung high in the sky. At this moment, Li Xinyue had no idea what a big event was happening to Chu Junyi. All she could think about was her mother, who had passed away many years ago.
Since this was the last time she would see her mother, she felt extremely reluctant and missed her deeply. Her thoughts were constantly recalling the past.
In her memory, her mother was a gentle, lovely, and simple woman. She spoke softly and gently. Her pair of eyes were clear and bright, like stars twinkling.
When she smiled, the sky in the whole capital seemed to light up.
The emperor once said that her mother was like a child who never grew up. She didn't know how to take care of herself, nor did she know how to take care of Yue'er. She was feisty in front of him but meek in front of the imperial grandmother and the queen, and she always wanted to leave the palace.
She thought so too. In private, her mother always asked her to call her elder sister because it made her seem younger. She also often made some strange things to eat, which made her have diarrhea several times.
Her mother had been simple for most of her life. It was not until the accident happened that she saw her mother grow up overnight...
She remembered that terrible banquet, the chaotic scene, and a man whose life or death was unknown.
Li Xinyue clenched her fists in pain. The surging tears welled up in her eyes and were then carried away by the wind.
If her mother were still alive, she would protect her like a younger sister. If there were reincarnation, she hoped that in the next life, her mother would be reborn as her daughter.
She would definitely protect her tightly!
The reason why she, Li Xinyue, had become so feisty was that she wanted to protect her kind and simple mother. It was a pity that she hadn't grown her claws yet when her mother was gone!
Mother!
In the floating wind, she seemed to see that chubby little face, a pair of round almond eyes slightly raised, and heard her sweetly call her, "Yue'er, come and give mother a hug!"
Pulling her thoughts back, Li Xinyue was now standing above Cheng Garden. Below her feet was the place where her mother used to live. At this moment, it was tightly guarded.
The entire direct - line residence was empty and gloomy because there was no one living there. Only Cheng Garden was heavily guarded and brightly lit.
She guessed that from the day Fu Chengyuan sent her a letter, he had sent people to guard here, just waiting for her to fall into the trap and then completely tie the Fu family to her.
Humph! Did he really think that the Princess Yuanyang was so easy to get close to?
She would let him know what it meant to be out of reach!
Li Xinyue leaped from one side to the other.
The guards suddenly felt a gust of wind above their heads. When they looked up, the sky was dotted with stars and the bright moon. A red apricot branch on the treetop was swaying slightly. There was nothing else.
Li Xinyue had successfully climbed over the railing onto the second - floor corridor. She rolled on the ground, stood up, and pushed open the door to enter.
The fire starter sparked a tiny light in the darkness. The layout and structure of the room were faintly revealed in the dim light.
The room was covered with a thick layer of dust. But the messy quilt, the books that had been moved and not put back on the bookshelf, and the poorly embroidered mandarin ducks all revealed traces of her mother.
She felt as if her mother had just gone out for a while and would come back soon.
She wanted to wait here. Maybe in a while, she would see her mother push the door open and look surprised to see her.
Although she knew that she would never wait for that moment, she still waited for a while.
The room hadn't been entered for a long time. The air was filled with the smell of dust and mildew. But beneath this musty smell, every table, every chair, and every corner carried the traces of her mother's existence. It was so complete.
It filled many of the regrets in her heart.
But in the end, she took nothing away. Let all her missing for her mother stay here.
Li Xinyue collected her thoughts, turned around, and walked out of the door. She closed it gently. Maybe her mother would come back soon, or maybe she was just lying in bed asleep.
So, she had to leave quietly and not disturb her good dream.
At this moment, her eyes were already red, and her nose was sour. When she returned to the second - floor corridor again, looking at the bright torches and the out - of - place guards downstairs, she finally came back to her senses. Her thoughts returned to reality, and she became cold and vigilant.
A guard sensed something was wrong. "I always feel that it's eerie tonight. It seems that there's some movement upstairs."
"Movement? What kind of movement could there be? If there is movement, it must be..."
"Don't say it, don't say it. It's creepy."
"What I mean is that even if there is movement, it's probably the people sent by the Princess Yuanyang. Lord Fu said that if they come, we must surround them."
"Then, shall we go up and take a look?"
"Let's go."
Li Xinyue dodged into the corner and peeked out with half of her face, quietly staring at them. After they went upstairs and entered the room, she leaped onto the nearest tree branch.
The guards standing outside heard the rustling sound and instinctively turned to look.
Li Xinyue casually threw a pebble. The guards chased after the sound, and she turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
After leaving Cheng Garden, she sorted out all her emotions. From then on, her missing for her mother would be buried deep in her heart forever. At this moment, she came back to her senses and remembered Chu Junyi, who was still waiting for her to return.
For some reason, she always felt that something terrible had happened. A sense of uneasiness welled up in her heart.