Su Yueyue was too scared to look Gu Ruobai in the eye. "I... I felt a bit unwell midway, so I... I went out to take a break. When I came back... it was already like this."
Gu Ruobai's wheelchair had reached beside Su Mingyu. Relying solely on the strength of his upper limbs, Gu Ruobai picked up Su Mingyu, who was huddled in a corner of the tea table, and held her in his arms.
He lowered his eyes and glanced at the person in his arms. Fortunately, only her hair was a bit messy.
"I'll investigate today's matter clearly on my own. Before that, I don't want to hear a single word about this from anyone's mouth."
Those servants were already so frightened that their livers trembled and they didn't dare to say a word. They could only keep nodding.
Su Yueyue was also too intimidated to raise her head. She was both resentful and anxious in her heart, but she could only reply, "Y-yes... Yueyue understands."
Without even glancing at her, Gu Ruobai left the badly damaged room with Su Mingyu in his arms.
Only Su Yueyue was left behind, with her fists tightly clenched and her eyes full of hatred.
...
In the Prince Ruixian's Mansion, Gu Ruobai carried Su Mingyu and carefully laid her on the bed. Then, with his eyes downcast, he looked at her with a half - smile. "You little girl. You look so small, but you really know how to fight hard."
Su Mingyu rolled her eyes. She knew this man must have seen through the situation; otherwise, he wouldn't have taken her away so quickly.
Su Mingyu clasped her fists and said, "Thank you, Prince Ruixian." Then she was about to turn over and get out of bed.
Seeing her reaction, Gu Ruobai knew she was still brooding over what had happened last time.
Gu Ruobai crossed his arms in front of his chest, blocked the side of the bed, and looked at Su Mingyu with a smile. "How about doing a deal? I'll give you a good price."
Without even thinking, Su Mingyu dodged him and jumped out of bed. "No, thank you."
This time, Gu Ruobai didn't stop her. He just said calmly, "I thought someone would be in great need of this batch of cloth of mine."
Su Mingyu wasn't at all surprised that Gu Ruobai knew about the problem with her cloth supply.
She bent down in front of Gu Ruobai's wheelchair and stared into his eyes without blinking. "Is this fun?"
Did this man really think she was stupid? She had been deceived by him again and again.
Gu Ruobai spread his hands, looking extremely sincere. "This is to make amends." He took out a contract from his bosom. "It's not too late for you to make a decision after you've read my terms."
"No, thank you. If Prince Ruixian has nothing else to say, I'll leave first."
After saying that, Su Mingyu stood up straight and was about to leave. But as soon as she took a step, her wrist was grabbed.
Su Mingyu turned around and looked at Gu Ruobai. There was a hint of impatience in her eyes, and she angrily shook off his hand. "What on earth do you want?"
She plopped down on a chair beside the tea table, hung her head, and played with the corner of her clothes. "I admit I can't compete with you. I admit defeat. Can't I just stop competing?"
She looked up at Gu Ruobai with a helpless expression. "You're a noble prince. Why do you have to make things difficult for me? I'm just a tiny speck of dust in this capital city. Please let me go... really."
She no longer trusted the man in front of her. She really didn't want to be entangled with him like this. She knew very well that once she got involved with him, there would be endless troubles.
In her previous life, she had been so miserably deceived by a man. She didn't want to repeat the same mistake in this life.
Actually, Gu Ruobai himself couldn't understand why, as a noble prince, he had panicked and rushed to look for Su Mingyu after hearing that she had been taken away by Lin Jun.
He also didn't know why, when he saw Su Mingyu in such a sorry state, he had wanted to tear Lin Jun into pieces.
Maybe it was because he didn't want this little girl to show that kind of hurt expression again.
This face should only show smiles, smiles for him!
"Why are you so angry?"
Su Mingyu: ...
"Are you out of your mind? You've deceived me. Shouldn't I be angry?"
Su Mingyu felt like she was playing the lute to a cow. What kind of mind did this man have?
Seeing her frustrated look of wanting to scold but holding back, Gu Ruobai suddenly thought she was a bit cute, and his mood brightened. "But you also used me as your protective umbrella, didn't you?"
"Is this the same thing?" Su Mingyu felt she couldn't communicate with this man at all. "My use of you was based on the premise that both sides were aware of it and it was a willing arrangement, wasn't it?"
Seeing her cheeks flush with anger, Gu Ruobai became even more delighted. "Then I'll tell you in advance from now on and promise not to deceive you. Will you stop being angry then?"
Su Mingyu: ???
Did she hear him right? This man who lived by secrets actually wanted to be honest with her? "What on earth do you want from me?"
Gu Ruobai resumed his usual calm look. "How about making you marry me?"
If she really believed him, she would be a super idiot. "Do you think I'm stupid? I won't believe you."
"You saw my ugly state just now. I'm no longer pure. I won't cause trouble for you."
"Now you're the one who thinks I'm stupid." Gu Ruobai looked at Su Mingyu, who was pretending to be calm and lying, and showed a nice smile. "Not to mention that nothing actually happened to you. Even if something had happened, I'd still marry you without hesitation."
Looking at Gu Ruobai's chiseled face, the dim light from outside the window made his delicate facial features look even more profound. His ink - like pupils seemed to have a fatal attraction, adding a touch of coldness to him. There was a dazzling curve on his lips.
For no reason, Su Mingyu suddenly felt her heart skip a beat, and even her cheeks couldn't help but feel hot.
She coughed lightly, trying to divert her attention. "Who... who wants to marry you..."
Although she said so, the shyness that involuntarily showed on her face made people can't help but daydream.
Gu Ruobai slightly lifted his thin lips. He drove his wheelchair in front of Su Mingyu, handed over the contract again, with a serious look in his eyes and a sincere tone.
"I promise I won't hurt you again."
Almost unconsciously, Su Mingyu took the piece of paper.
She subconsciously glanced at the content on it. Su Mingyu suddenly widened her eyes and carefully read it again. Although this piece of paper was only a thin page, it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds to Su Mingyu.
She frowned into a "chuan" character. "Why... do you do this?"
There was a ripple in Gu Ruobai's deep, ocean - like eyes. "Since the cloth supply from Wang Manwen has fallen through, you only have two options."
"First, you go to a more distant place to get the cloth. Although Wang Manwen won't be able to copy it anymore, this will increase your cost, and it's not a long - term solution."