Gu Ruobai straightened his collar. "No. I'm just having a normal conversation with my fiancée."
Fiancée?
Su Mingyu stared at him with wide eyes. "When did this happen? How come I didn't know?"
"I remember I went to your mansion personally to propose marriage. It seems you didn't take it to heart?" Gu Ruobai squinted his eyes and smiled like a cunning fox. "Do I need to refresh your memory?"
Su Mingyu took several hasty steps backward. "No! I still need to find that master of illusion. I'll take my leave first. Your Highness, enjoy your meal slowly."
With that, Su Mingyu dashed out like the wind.
Watching her fleeing back, a faint smile played on Gu Ruobai's lips.
Thanks to the letter of introduction, Su Mingyu had no trouble meeting the most senior illusionist.
After Su Mingyu explained her purpose clearly, the master of illusion stroked his beard appreciatively. "Girl, you've got some good ideas. How about becoming my apprentice?"
Su Mingyu waved her hands hurriedly. "No, I'm already stretched too thin."
The old man sighed regretfully. "Well then. It'll take me about a day to prepare these things. How about we take action tomorrow night?"
Su Mingyu readily agreed. "I'll follow whatever the master says."
After leaving the illusionist, Su Mingyu went to Sinnan Pavilion.
Seeing the still booming business, she was quite satisfied and then returned to Prince Ruixian's Mansion.
As soon as she arrived at the mansion, Zhizhu rushed over. "Mis... Miss."
Su Mingyu looked at her suspiciously. "What's going on? Is it an emergency?"
Zhizhu shook her head with a pale face, then nodded. "That... Actually... I went shopping today and met someone from the Su Mansion... They, they..."
Before she could finish, Su Mingyu interrupted her. "Did they say I was dead?"
Zhizhu nodded frantically. "How come I slept through a day and Miss is gone when I woke up?"
This girl was really simple-minded. Su Mingyu couldn't help smiling. "What did you say to that person?"
Zhizhu stuck out her neck. "Of course I refuted her! I told her you weren't dead and you had breakfast with the prince this morning."
Su Mingyu nodded. "Did you say anything else?"
"Nothing else." Zhizhu pouted. "That person just wouldn't believe me, so I didn't bother to talk to her anymore."
However, Zhizhu was still very confused. "Miss, what's going on? You're clearly alive, so why do the people from the Su Mansion say you're dead?"
Seeing Zhizhu's face scrunched up like a bun, Su Mingyu quickly explained to her. "Actually, it's nothing. Didn't I attend the poetry gathering hosted by the King of Yu a few days ago?"
Zhizhu hummed. "Prince Ruixian also went."
Su Mingyu nodded and told Zhizhu what had happened that day and her plan.
After listening, Zhizhu covered her mouth. "Did I ruin Miss's plan?"
"No, you didn't." Su Mingyu ruffled her hair. "Instead, you added more an eerie atmosphere."
Zhizhu nodded half - understandingly. "By the way, Prince Ruixian said if Miss came back, you should go to the study."
Did this Gu Ruobai, a prince, have no official business to attend to every day?
When she said this to Gu Ruobai, he didn't even lift his eyelids. "I'm just a useless person. Being too diligent in political affairs would not be a good thing."
When he said this, Su Mingyu understood. It was all about maintaining his persona.
Su Mingyu casually picked up something on Gu Ruobai's desk and played with it. "Why did you call me here?"
Gu Ruobai didn't beat around the bush. "I heard from Mu Yi that Zhizhu met someone from the Su Mansion and revealed the news that you're alive."
Was this person's information network too efficient? Su Mingyu shivered involuntarily.
She had just found out about this, so how did he know in advance?
However, thinking that this person had been like this since they first met, Su Mingyu could accept it. "Zhizhu just told me about it."
"I'd trouble Prince Ruixian to tell your subordinates to keep the fact that I'm alive a tight secret."
"I don't want to hear the news that I'm still alive from anyone other than Zhizhu."
Gu Ruobai squinted his eyes and roughly guessed what she was going to do. "Okay."
"Is that all?" Su Mingyu was a bit confused. Gu Ruobai didn't seem like such a boring person.
Sure enough, the next second Gu Ruobai spoke. "I've almost finished investigating the Su family's affairs. So... you'd better have nothing to do with the Su family from now on."
This statement left Su Mingyu speechless. She was originally from the Su family. How could she have nothing to do with them?
Gu Ruobai gently tapped his index finger on the table. "I can keep you safe, but only if you're willing to be completely alienated from everyone."
"Completely alienated from everyone?" Su Mingyu sneered. "Do I seem to have any family in the Su Mansion?"
Su Mingyu's calmness stunned Gu Ruobai for a moment. Suddenly, the image of this girl coldly telling him not to let the Su family off the hook last time flashed through his mind.
Gu Ruobai looked at Su Mingyu, feeling an indescribable tenderness in his heart. "I forgot. The Su family is a burden to you."
Su Mingyu gave him an appreciative look. "But you're always so ruthless. Those boatmen were sent to the bottom of the lake as soon as you decided. Why are you suddenly asking for my opinion today?"
Seeing the rare tenderness in Gu Ruobai's eyes, Su Mingyu understood.
He didn't want to hurt her.
Her heart suddenly started pounding wildly. A faint blush gradually crept up on the tips of Su Mingyu's ears.
She never expected that the decisive and ruthless Gu Ruobai would do such an extra thing for her.
Su Mingyu pursed her lips, wanting to say something, but under his intense gaze, she didn't say a word.
Gu Ruobai had said before that he wouldn't lie to her, and now he was proving with his actions that he was a man of his word.
Su Mingyu's already racing heart beat even faster. She took a deep breath and finally spoke after a long time. "Actually... you don't have to do so much for me. I'm not an ordinary woman..."
Su Mingyu wanted to say that she could understand Gu Ruobai's decision and support his stance.
But before she could say it, Gu Ruobai interrupted her. "I know, but I'm willing to do these things for you."
Su Mingyu froze. She stared blankly at Gu Ruobai, stunned. Under the sunlight, his long and thick eyelashes cast a fan - shaped shadow on his incredibly handsome face. Under his straight nose was a pair of thin lips.