Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“Director,” I whispered, my voice laced with heartbreak.

He scared the life out of me! I really thought he wasn’t coming.

Cheng Xiu’s face was a mask of coldness as he strode over. He reached out and wiped away my tears. “Do you know what you did wrong?”

I shook my head.

He let out a sharp, amused huff, the corner of his lip curling upward. The outer corners of his eyes tilted up slightly, lending him a natural, seductive air of wickedness. “Who told you to stop eating? You certainly are capable-throwing a tantrum and refusing food at the slightest provocation. Were you this delicate at home too?”

I turned my body away, acting out of spite. “No one at home ever falsely accused me.”

“If you hadn’t gone out on your own without permission, would you have even encountered him?” He sneered, reaching out with one hand to cup my face, forcing me to look at him. “I ought to lock you in the courtyard to keep others from pining after you.”

At his words, my tears began to flow again. “The Director is so cruel. I can’t see you all day, and my heart is full of misery. I’m not the type to sit still, so I had no choice but to go out for a stroll. If you had accompanied me, how could such a thing have happened?”

As soon as he saw me cry, his brow furrowed. His face showed distaste, yet his movements were gentle as he used a handkerchief to wipe my tears. “So, you’re saying this one is to blame?”

Dead eunuch. If I don’t blame you, who am I supposed to blame?

I nodded aggrievedly. “Yes.”

He grunted twice, saying crossly, “I’ve truly spoiled you beyond measure. You even dare to call me cruel. I really should just let you go hungry.”

Since Cheng Xiu was willing to come, my ruse of playing the victim was half-successful. I gently pressed my cheek against his palm and looked up at him. “My heart only has room for the Director. If the Director doesn’t want me, I might as well starve to death.”

Cheng Xiu looked at me with an expression that seemed to hover between utter loathing and an inability to look away.

A battle between heaven and man, a torment of the soul.

I wasn’t feeling nearly as tormented. I reached out and softly wrapped my arms around his waist. “Director, won’t you accompany me for a ride on the horses?”

His body stiffened, but in the end, he didn’t push me away. He stroked my hair and said stiffly, “Enough. Why are you so clingy? This one doesn’t have that much free time to go riding with you.”

I let out a melancholy sigh.

He paused. “If you’re bored, you can browse any shop on the street. Buy whatever catches your eye. If anyone dares to provoke you, strike back on the spot. This one will back you up.”

“If you want to go riding, give word in advance and take Wu Bing and Liu Wan with you. They both know how to ride and can protect you.”

I hugged him tighter and looked up at him, asking earnestly, “Director, what should I do if I miss you?”

Cheng Xiu gritted his teeth. I didn’t know who had provoked him, but he reached out and covered my eyes, preventing me from looking at him. “…What are you doing missing me when you have nothing better to do?”

I spoke with complete naturalness. “I like the Director, so of course I’ll miss the Director.”

“You shameless creature, stop telling such lies in the future!” I couldn’t see his expression, but his tone grew even colder, as if he were even angrier.

“I’m not lying.” Feeling like he wasn’t quite angry enough, I rubbed my nose against him and said piteously, “Why is the Director always angry with me? Does the Director hate me?”

He went still.

I gradually loosened my grip, drawing away from him inch by inch.

The next moment, Cheng Xiu grabbed my hand, preventing me from retreating. I saw his expressionless face as he looked down at me, asking devoid of emotion, “What do you want to eat?”

Knowing when to stop, I lowered my head submissively. “Anything is fine.”

He touched my face, his thumb rubbing over my lips-perhaps an intentional act of mischief, or perhaps a mindless gesture. He asked casually, “It’s getting late, and Huai Pavilion is quite lively now. Shall this one accompany Madam for a stroll there?”

Huai Pavilion was the most prestigious restaurant in the capital. Neither my father nor my eldest brother went there often. Only during festivals or when distinguished guests visited would they have dishes from the restaurant delivered to the house. I had eaten their food a few times, and it was so heavenly it made me suspect our family cook usually prepared meals with his feet.

I was just about to agree when he seemed to see right through my excitement. He chuckled, rubbing my face, and said with feigned regret, “Never mind. Madam doesn’t like to eat; she’s always refusing food at every turn.”

Dead eunuch!

I had many words in my heart to curse him with, but I still said with a beaming smile, “If the Director accompanies me, I’ll have an appetite.”

His eyes crinkled at the corners, and he seemed to be in a good mood. I hurriedly stood up and took his arm, acting coy. “Good Director, I’m hungry. Won’t you please take me?”

My eldest brother said no one in the world was better at acting cute and spoiled than I was, and I agreed. After my Second Elder Sister died, my mother spent her days washed in tears, and my eldest sister was constantly depressed. My third sister knew she should coax them to be less sad, but her smiles were too fake; her eyes were full of sorrow, so she couldn’t comfort anyone.

I pretended to be a youth who didn’t understand life and death, acting spoiled every day to demand my mother and sisters’ company. I coaxed my mother into happiness day and night, slowly dragging them out of their grief.

Acting cute and well-behaved isn’t a long-term strategy. It’s better to make people worry about you-to have them constantly fretting and fussing over you. Only then will they have no time to think about anything else.

I came to a conclusion: people don’t like women who are too clever, nor is it good to be too foolish or too delicate. Being too delicate is annoying; being too foolish is loathsome. It’s best to be charmingly innocent yet sensible. But one can’t just be sensible; one must also have a bit of an edge and a knack for getting into trouble. That way, people can’t quite pin you down; they love you and hate you, and they can never let their guard down.
That was the only way to truly tie someone’s heart to yours.

Ordinary men were easy to deal with, but for a sinister and suspicious man like Cheng Xiu, one had to be more delicate, more foolish, and more demanding. I had to keep him on his toes so he wouldn’t have time to overthink things. I wanted his eyes and heart to be filled only with me; the moment his gaze drifted, I would do something to make him fume with rage.

Cheng Xiu let out a cold snort and pinched my cheek. “I should just let you starve!”

The manager of Huai Pavilion recognized Cheng Xiu and greeted us with exuberant enthusiasm. Knowing that Cheng Xiu disliked idle chatter, he led us directly to the Xianzi Pavilion. However, as we were heading upstairs, we ran into the Regent Prince.

That dead old man just wouldn’t stay away.

Years ago, he had wanted to take my eldest sister as a concubine and had intentionally approached her multiple times. If I hadn’t reacted quickly, my sister would have been lured away by him long ago!

Meeting me today was his bad luck.

“What a coincidence to run into the Director here.” The Regent Prince was decent-looking, but he was a weakling. Back then, I had dressed up as a ghost to scare him, and he was so terrified he stayed bedridden for four or five days.

At this moment, he smiled as warmly as a spring breeze, his gaze landing on me with a playful glint. “When I last saw Yinliu, she was just a child. Now, it seems she has indeed grown up.”

Acting as if I didn’t understand the look in his eyes, I gave a brilliant smile. “This humble lady greets the Regent Prince. Everyone has to grow up eventually.” Just as everyone eventually dies.

The Regent Prince’s gaze became even less restrained in its affection.

Cheng Xiu curled his lips into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “It is my honor to meet the Regent Prince. Your Highness is busy with state affairs; I wonder if the manager here has served you well.”

The Regent Prince burst into laughter. “When it comes to serving, who could possibly best you, Eunuch?”

Cheng Xiu remained unfazed, letting him laugh. “Your Highness overpraises me.”

“Yinliu, Eunuch Cheng is the best at serving people. You are quite fortunate.” The Regent Prince and his attendants walked away, laughing.

Cheng Xiu’s expression didn’t change as he began to walk forward. After a moment’s thought, I reached out and gently tugged on his sleeve, leaning in to whisper in his ear, “I vented some frustration for you.”

The Regent Prince had always been a lecher. Seeing the Fourth Miss of the Liang Family made his heart itch with desire, yet he feared the methods of that dead eunuch and didn’t dare to offend him. He could only order his carriage toward Yanliu Lane.

As the carriage moved forward, he felt dazed and sleepy.

Suddenly, he felt someone touching his hand.

He snapped his eyes open, but there was no one there.

He looked around, only to suddenly see blood seeping out from beneath the floor of the carriage. Startled, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Stop the carriage!”

The guards rushed over with their swords drawn. “Is Your Highness alright?”

“Are you blind? Can’t you see there’s blood here?” The Regent Prince lifted his feet to avoid the blood, but upon closer inspection, he found nothing there.

How sinister!

His body trembled. It had to be a ghost!

It was happening again!

“Aaaah!”

“Back to the manor! Hurry, back to the manor!”

Cheng Xiu and Liang Yinliu heard the Regent Prince’s screams from the shadows. She beamed with joy, looking at Cheng Xiu with a face full of pride.

Cheng Xiu couldn’t help but look at her, a faint smile unconsciously tugging at the corners of his lips.

This was the first time in his life someone had stood up for him.

Even if it was childish.

Noticing his smile, she looked even more triumphant and leaned in close to him.

The smile on Cheng Xiu’s face vanished, and he shot her a look, warning her to keep her distance.

Liang Yinliu didn’t notice his gaze, turning back to see if the Regent Prince’s carriage had gone far enough.

Cheng Xiu clicked his tongue.

Looking at her smug expression, he wondered what kind of noble lady would come up with such ghostly tricks.

What was the point of such petty squabbles?

True revenge was dragging an enemy to the dungeon, slicing off his flesh piece by piece, peeling off his skin, and then hanging that skin up to dry in the wind before feeding it to the dogs.

One had to endure and exercise extreme self-restraint before taking revenge; only then could one achieve the maximum pleasure when finally striking.

He looked at Liang Yinliu. She was wearing a light green gauze dress that swayed slightly in the night breeze, along with the two long ribbons tied into butterflies on her chest.

This idiot clearly didn’t understand that logic, getting so proud over a bit of medicinal powder.

“Director, aren’t you curious how I did it?” She leaned in a bit closer and asked in a low voice.

Her bright, beautiful face wore a triumphant smile, the corners of her eyes tilted up with her grin. The ribbons on her chest swayed with her movements-swaying and swaying, fluttering until he felt irritated.

It was just like earlier tonight at Mingxuan Hall. Even though he knew she was lying, he was still left feeling flustered by her.

He lowered his eyes, not exposing her and letting her enjoy her moment of pride. He only wanted to wait for those two ribbons to stop moving. Her cheerful voice reached his ears: “I have a hallucinogenic powder that makes people see what they fear most. My Brother Xiuran gave it to me for self-defense. It’s very powerful.”

Cheng Xiu suddenly grabbed those two ribbons and looked up at her.

Just how many ‘brothers’ did she have?