“If A’Jing wants to ask something, then ask,” Luo Qingqing said as she looked up at Gu Jing’an.
“How did Qingqing think of using green vitriol to turn the tea water black?” he asked softly. He had wanted to ask her that earlier in the afternoon, but Manager Li had been standing nearby at the time, and he worried she might find it inconvenient to explain, so he had held back.
“I like reading miscellaneous books. I happened to come across it in one of them and thought it was fascinating, so it left a deep impression on me.”
Tonight had truly been a dangerous gamble. If Xiao Feng had not been frightened into confessing before entering the inner room, Luo Qingqing genuinely did not know what other method she could have used.
The green vitriol on Manager Li’s hand had been applied beforehand to the inside of his wrist. The first time, the water did not turn black because he had only dipped in his palm. The second time, his hand lowered slightly and brushed against his wrist, naturally causing the water to darken.
Seeing was believing. Visual shock was always the most convincing thing, so once the thief witnessed it with their own eyes, there was no way they would dare agree to take the medicine.
Unease flickered in Luo Qingqing’s eyes. “Will A’Jing think the things I said were vicious?” The words she had spoken to Xiao Feng, how would he view her because of them?
Gu Jing’an pulled her into his arms and gently stroked her soft hair as he comforted her in a low voice. “My Qingqing is the kindest young lady in the world. You were only protecting yourself, so what wrong had you done? The ones at fault are them. They were simply too greedy.”
Luo Qingqing suddenly straightened, as though she had thought of something. “Xiao Feng seemed to confess only after hearing the voices outside. Don’t you think the timing was a little too coincidental?”
A flicker passed through Gu Jing’an’s eyes as he calmly replied, “Heaven’s sins may still permit a man to live, but sins brought upon oneself leave no escape.”
Since someone had coveted what never should have been coveted, they naturally had to pay a price.
Gu Jing’an made a subtle gesture toward the darkness before taking Luo Qingqing’s hand and leading her back to their home in Tongzhi Alley.
After drinking her medicine, Luo Qingqing handed Gu Jing’an the pills meant to ease his coughing fits. The System Lord had only given her three pills in total, and after tonight, only one remained. Tomorrow, she would have to make more herself according to the medical text.
Gu Jing’an looked at her pitifully. “Qingqing, is it really impossible? The main room is very large, we can even place two beds inside.”
Luo Qingqing rejected him righteously. She was a light sleeper to begin with, and his coughing attacks at night were uncontrollable. He was always running outside, making it easy for him to catch a chill. In ancient times, even a simple cold could take someone’s life.
“Then let me hug you a little longer, alright?” Gu Jing’an spread his arms toward her and gazed at her expectantly.
At that moment, Luo Qingqing suddenly felt like a scumbag who pulled up his trousers and refused to take responsibility afterward, while Gu Jing’an looked exactly like a wronged little wife who had suffered grievances yet dared not voice them aloud.
Walking forward, Luo Qingqing wrapped her arms around his waist and rubbed lightly against him. “After the hug, go back to your room and sleep. It’s already very late, A’Jing.”
“Qingqing, Qingqing…” Gu Jing’an lowered his voice as he called her name again and again.
The intimate murmurs between lovers were so lingering and tender that her cheeks gradually flushed crimson.
Held firmly in his embrace, Luo Qingqing could feel Gu Jing’an’s warm breath spilling across the pale skin of her neck.
The sensation left her throat dry, and she instinctively licked her lips in discomfort. The very next moment, something cool pressed softly against them.
Like a fish stranded too long on shore, Luo Qingqing eagerly chased after that refreshing spring, so much so that by the time she regained her senses, she was already lying on Gu Jing’an’s bed.
Her face burning red, Luo Qingqing raised her fist and hit him lightly, while a certain someone smiled with unconcealed satisfaction.
“Qingqing, don’t hurt your hand punching me. Bite me a couple of times to vent your anger instead.”
“Go to sleep!” Luo Qingqing refused to look at him and turned her face toward the wall. She felt utterly mortified. It was only a kiss, yet she had been so thoroughly bewitched by it. How embarrassing.
Gu Jing’an leaned closer and kissed the back of her neck. “Goodnight, my Qingqing.”
A short while later, the young lady’s breathing gradually became calm and steady.
In the darkness, Gu Jing’an slowly opened his ink-black Phoenix Eyes, and a nearly inaudible sigh drifted through the room.
“I truly don’t know whether I’m tormenting you, or tormenting myself.”