Seeing her like this again, Su Mingyu felt helpless yet a bit tender. "You're so thin yourself. How can you protect me? It's okay. At least we've both managed to run out. We're safe now. Let's go back."
With that, Su Mingyu was about to lead Zhizhu away. But after taking a step, she seemed to remember something. She quickly came back and apologized to the person she had bumped into just now. "I'm really sorry. If your clothes got dirty because of my shove just now, I can pay for the cleaning."
"Miss..."
At this moment, Zhizhu suddenly called out to Su Mingyu. With a very complicated look on her face, she looked at the person Su Mingyu was apologizing to, then bowed respectfully at a ninety - degree angle. "Greetings, Master."
"Master?" Su Mingyu raised her head in confusion. When she saw who was standing in front of her, her eyes suddenly widened in disbelief. "Grandfather?"
Before Su Mingyu stood an old man with a stern look. His hair was combed very neatly without a single strand out of place.
But the white hairs like silver threads were still clearly visible among the black ones. In his slightly sunken eye sockets, a pair of deep - brown eyes quietly told the story of the vicissitudes of time.
The old man sized Su Mingyu up and down. His gaze immediately fell on the jade pendant hanging from Su Mingyu's hairpin.
His face darkened. Ye Weiguang exuded an air of coldness that kept people at a distance. He asked, "The eldest miss of the Su family?"
Su Mingyu nodded hurriedly. "Mingyu greets Grandfather."
"Humph." Ye Weiguang let out a cold snort from his nose. "I can't afford to be your grandfather. Your mother and I have long severed our father - daughter relationship. You may just call me Old Ye."
Su Mingyu looked up at him and found that he really seemed to dislike her. So she didn't insist but followed Ye Weiguang's words and called him, "Old Ye."
Seemingly not expecting Su Mingyu to be so obedient, Ye Weiguang glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He immediately noticed Su Mingyu's messy hair and sneered disdainfully. "Is this how Su Zhengyi teaches his daughter? She doesn't look like a proper young lady at all."
Just as Su Mingyu was about to nod in agreement, Zhizhu stepped forward to explain. "It's not like that, Master. Miss and I were out shopping when we unexpectedly encountered some villains who wanted to kidnap Miss. Miss bumped into you just now because we had just escaped from those villains."
"In broad daylight, there are actually people daring to act under the nose of the emperor?" Ye Weiguang's eyes turned cold. "Qingfeng, send Miss Su back."
After saying that, Ye Weiguang strode back to his mansion with his hands behind his back.
Su Mingyu bowed deeply to his back and said, "Thank you, Old Ye. Take care."
On the way back to the Su Mansion under escort, as soon as they entered her courtyard, Zhizhu complained to Su Mingyu discontentedly. "Didn't we agree not to go near Old Ye?"
Su Mingyu calmly took a sip of tea to calm her nerves. "Look at what you're saying. When did I go to find Ye Weiguang? It was just an accidental encounter."
Zhizhu looked at her with disbelief on her face. "Master Ye has a very unpredictable temper. Miss, you really don't need to provoke him. Can't we just live our own lives peacefully and wait to marry the Prince of Ruixian?"
Seeing that Zhizhu was so worried about her, Su Mingyu nodded. "I know. I didn't put myself in danger. Don't worry. This time it was really just an accident."
As she said that, Su Mingyu took out a hairpin from her bosom. The hairpin was exquisitely carved with a string of bamboo leaves.
Su Mingyu handed the hairpin to Zhizhu. "I know your birthday is coming soon, so the main purpose of going to the market was to buy a gift for you."
Looking at the small and delicate hairpin, Zhizhu covered her face and her eyes immediately turned red. Tears fell like raindrops.
Su Mingyu took out a silk handkerchief from her bosom and wiped the tears off her face. Then she gently comforted her. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
After saying that, Su Mingyu inserted the hairpin into Zhizhu's hair bun. "I was too cowardly before and never gave you a decent gift. You must keep this gift well, okay?"
Zhizhu nodded like a pounding garlic while crying. "Miss, you're so good to me. You're just like my real family."
Su Mingyu smiled and ruffled her hair. "I've been so good to you, but I'm just 'like' your family? Am I not your family?"
Zhizhu waved her hands frantically. "No, I didn't mean that. Miss, you're my family, my only relative."
Of course, Su Mingyu knew what Zhizhu meant. She just deliberately wanted to tease her. "Look like a crying mess. Go and wash up quickly. I'm tired after all the things today and want to take a nap."
Looking at Zhizhu's trembling shoulders, the corners of Su Mingyu's mouth involuntarily curled up. "Such a small kindness makes you so touched..."
But this also showed from the side that Zhizhu was a simple - minded and lovely person.
After resting in the Su Mansion for a whole night, early the next morning, Su Mingyu prepared a big box of gifts and directly knocked on the door of Ye Weiguang's mansion.
When Qingfeng saw that it was Su Mingyu, he obviously hesitated for a moment. "What are you doing here?"
Su Mingyu waved the gifts in her hand and explained. "I accidentally bumped into Old Ye yesterday. I'm here to apologize today."
Qingfeng's face darkened. Without even looking at the gifts in Su Mingyu's hand, he started to shoo her away. "Our Ye Mansion doesn't need your stuff."
Su Mingyu nodded. "I know. Your Ye Mansion is wealthy and doesn't need it. But whether you need it is your business, and whether I give it is my business."
After saying that, Su Mingyu dropped the pile of gifts, then bowed deeply to Qingfeng. After deliberately showing the bruise on her wrist, she politely said, "Please deliver these things to Old Ye and tell him I've been here."
Without waiting for Qingfeng to react, Su Mingyu turned around and left so neatly that Qingfeng was a bit confused.
But looking at Su Mingyu's departing back, he finally bent down to pick up the things.
After leaving the Ye Mansion, Su Mingyu went straight to the Prince of Ruixian's mansion.
After Su Mingyu told Gu Ruobai all the details of what happened yesterday and today, she said a bit uncertainly, "I saw that Ye Weiguang obviously disliked me yesterday. Are you sure he will really help me?"
Gu Ruobai calmly poured himself a cup of tea. "He and Ye Mengdie have been on bad terms for so many years. Their relationship can't be eased overnight."