The beauty was soft and graceful, her gauzy robes clinging to her exquisite figure, revealing just enough to entice the imagination.
Her slender fingers, smooth as white jade, were painted with crimson nail lacquer, every movement brimming with feminine charm.
Holding a cup of wine, she glided toward Ji Junjiao.
Watching the willowy beauty sway her supple waist, Qin Buwen couldn’t help swallowing.
The beauty approached Ji Junjiao’s side, lifted the wine cup, and raised it toward his lips. At the same time, her snake-like waist slowly leaned against him.
Ji Junjiao’s expression remained unchanged. Calmly, he said,
“This humble official is unable to drink alcohol. My thanks, Miss.”
Cold.
His tone was simply too cold.
The flirtatious smile froze on the beauty’s face, and her movements halted awkwardly.
She was visibly embarrassed.
Even Song Chengxuan’s face darkened as he lounged against the beauty couch.
Ji Junjiao seemed completely oblivious. Turning his gaze toward Song Chengxuan, he asked evenly,
“Your Highness summoned this humble official here. May I ask what you wished to discuss?”
Business was business.
Ji Junjiao had never been one to curry favor with the powerful.
The atmosphere in the room instantly dropped below freezing.
To put it kindly, Prince Xian, Song Chengxuan, was flamboyant, uninhibited, and free-spirited.
To put it bluntly—
He was a spoiled playboy.
Or at least, that was the impression he deliberately gave.
Song Chengxuan cared deeply about appearances. Having Ji Junjiao embarrass him in front of so many beauties left his expression indescribably ugly.
Ji Junjiao paid it no mind.
He sat upright in his wooden chair, composed as ever, simply waiting for Song Chengxuan to speak.
Song Chengxuan’s face was so dark it looked ready to drip water. Then, in the next instant, he waved the women away before looking toward Qin Buwen behind Ji Junjiao.
Qin Buwen immediately understood.
He wanted everyone else to leave.
Pretending not to notice, she merely looked at Ji Junjiao with complete dependence.
Ji Junjiao lifted his eyes and said gently,
“Wait outside for me. I’ll take you home afterward.”
Qin Buwen nodded timidly before following the other beauties out of the room.
Outside, one of Song Chengxuan’s guards stood watch.
Unable to get close enough to eavesdrop, Qin Buwen waited a short distance from the door.
At first, she hadn’t known whom Ji Junjiao was meeting, so she couldn’t guess the purpose.
But the instant she saw Song Chengxuan, everything became clear.
He was here to smooth things over for Li Yunmu.
If her guess was correct, Ji Junjiao had already finished memorializing the emperor about the irregularities in Li Yunmu’s account books.
All that remained was to present the memorial in court tomorrow.
Unfortunately, Song Chengxuan had learned of it.
To protect Li Yunmu, one of his own men, he’d personally arranged this private meeting with Ji Junjiao.
If Qin Buwen wasn’t mistaken, Song Chengxuan intended to alternate between persuasion and intimidation.
A cold smile curled across her lips.
Back then, when Li Yunmu led troops to annihilate her Chengping Army, Song Chengxuan had done plenty behind the scenes to aid him.
She didn’t know whether Song Chengxuan had been aware of Li Yunmu’s collusion with the enemy.
But one thing was certain—
He was far from the idle, useless wastrel he pretended to be.
She was curious to see how Ji Junjiao would handle him.
“Hey! You there! Come here!”
Qin Buwen was still deep in thought when a sharp, coquettish voice snapped her back to reality.
She turned to see the very beauty who had tried to feed Ji Junjiao wine earlier.
Dressed in striking red, the woman glared at her with undisguised hostility.
Qin Buwen feigned confusion.
“Big Sister… what is it?”
“I said come with me. Didn’t you hear me?”
The woman folded her arms across her chest. Several younger beauties stood behind her, clearly acting as her support.
Before Qin Buwen could react, someone grabbed her wrist.
She was shoved and dragged into a nearby private room.
The chamber was dimly lit, leaving the women’s faces half-hidden in shadow.
The beauty in red spoke coldly.
“I’ve never seen you before. You’re new here?”
Perhaps because she’d earned Prince Xian’s favor tonight, every word she spoke dripped with arrogance.
Qin Buwen had barely opened her mouth to explain when one of the women behind her interrupted.
“Big Sister, why waste so many words on her? Someone who doesn’t know the rules deserves a lesson!”
As she spoke, the woman strode forward and raised her hand to slap Qin Buwen.
Qin Buwen frowned slightly.
She simply stepped backward with effortless grace, neatly avoiding the slap.
Feeling a trace of pity for these lovely faces, she didn’t intend to make things difficult.
She said patiently,
“You’ve misunderstood. I’m not one of the women here, so I don’t know your establishment’s rules.”
“If I’ve offended you somehow, I apologize.”
She’d already lowered herself this far.
She assumed they’d let her go.
Instead, the beauty in red blocked her path.
“So you’re saying you don’t work here.”
Her expression turned even colder.
“Which means you snuck in.”
Qin Buwen frowned.
Her patience was beginning to wear thin.
“Move.”
The beauty in red gave a disdainful snort.
In the next instant—
A basin of cold water was dumped directly over Qin Buwen’s head.
She froze.
Eyes wide, she stood there for a long moment without reacting.
Laughter immediately erupted behind her.
“Hahaha! Look at her! Doesn’t she look like a drowned rat?”
“Next time we should use boiling water instead and ruin that pretty face!”
“Exactly! How dare she cling to a man our Big Sister likes? Shameless!”
Qin Buwen slowly drew in a deep breath.
At the same time, she heard footsteps approaching outside the room.
Fine.
If they insisted on pushing their luck…
Then she wouldn’t hold back either.
Wasn’t this just a contest to see who could act better?
She’d been acting for sixteen years.
She’d never lost.
Letting out a slow breath, Qin Buwen looked at the woman in red. Her voice trembled with restrained sobs.
“I’ve never wronged you, Big Sister. Why are you treating me like this?”
“Why?”
The beauty laughed mockingly as she looked Qin Buwen up and down.
“A girl like you actually thinks she can seduce a man? You should take a good look at yourself before overestimating your charms.”
As she spoke, her gaze deliberately settled on Qin Buwen’s chest.
Qin Buwen: “…”
Wait.
Since when was that something people discriminated against!?
Compared to before, she’d already gotten much bigger, thank you very much!
For a brief moment, Qin Buwen actually started doubting herself.
Do I really not look like a woman?
Before she could think of a comeback—
The footsteps outside stopped.
The door was suddenly thrown open.
“A’Jin.”
Ji Junjiao stood there, his face cool and composed, his thin lips pressed into a line as he quietly called her name.
The instant Qin Buwen saw him, tears burst from her eyes.
“My Lord!”
She ran straight toward him—
And quite “accidentally” stumbled into his arms.
The chill surrounding her was immediately wrapped in the faint scent of sandalwood, along with the warmth of his body.
Ji Junjiao lowered his gaze to the woman clinging to him.
Her clothes were soaked through.
Her hair dripped with water.
She looked utterly miserable.
His brows drew together.
Remembering that Miss A’Jin’s injuries hadn’t yet healed, his expression became even grimmer.
He removed his outer robe and draped it over her shoulders before turning his gaze toward the stunned women.
“Y-Young Master, she doesn’t know the rules! She snuck into our establishment!”
“That’s right! We were only trying to teach her a lesson!”
“Young Master, this woman must have ulterior motives! She isn’t one of us!”
The women all began talking over one another.
Meanwhile, Qin Buwen merely buried herself in Ji Junjiao’s embrace, quietly sniffling.
Ji Junjiao truly was remarkably well-mannered.
He looked calmly at the women.
Without raising his voice…
Every one of them fell silent.