When Ye Wudu woke up, it was already mid-afternoon.
He had slept so deeply that the world seemed to fade away, leaving him feeling utterly refreshed.
Seeing that Murong Wanyin still hadn’t returned, he planned to go out and casually buy something to fill his stomach, then cook properly once she came back.
But the moment he opened the door, a graceful figure stood outside.
It was Gu Shuang’er.
“Sir, I knocked for quite a while but no one answered. Did you just wake up?” Gu Shuang’er looked at him with a hint of delight, carrying a food box in her hand.
Ye Wudu smiled. “I slept a bit late last night, so yes, I just woke up. Miss Gu, have you been waiting here long?”
Gu Shuang’er shook her head. “I just arrived not long ago.”
Ye Wudu felt she was lying. She had probably been waiting for some time, but he didn’t expose her and instead invited her into the courtyard.
Soon, the two sat in the pavilion.
Gu Shuang’er opened the black food box. “Sir, you haven’t eaten yet, right? I made some dishes. Try them!”
Ye Wudu looked at the delicate dishes and thought to himself… these were definitely made by her household servants. There’s no way she has this kind of skill.
He wasn’t a fool. It was obvious that Gu Shuang’er had some interest in him, deliberately choosing to come when his wife was not around.
It wasn’t that he was pretending to be a gentleman. It was just that when Gu Shuang’er appeared, the system didn’t react.
That meant she wasn’t qualified to be bound by the system, so he couldn’t farm rewards from her.
With that in mind, his interest in her faded significantly.
“Thank you, Miss Gu. I indeed haven’t eaten. Let me try.”
Ye Wudu picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of fragrant white rice, then picked up a piece of braised pork.
Gu Shuang’er had brought three dishes and one soup. The taste was quite good, just enough for him alone.
Seeing him eat with such appetite, a faint smile appeared on her face.
While eating, Ye Wudu asked, “Miss Gu should know that I am already married, correct?”
Gu Shuang’er nodded and softly asked, “Would that bring trouble to you?”
Ye Wudu shook his head and countered, “Miss Gu is bringing me food. Aren’t you afraid of gossip?”
Gu Shuang’er looked slightly embarrassed. “I brought it quietly. No one saw!”
In truth, she didn’t harbor any improper thoughts. She simply found Ye Wudu’s appearance very much to her liking.
She just wanted to see him up close and talk with him.
Gu Shuang’er also knew how beautiful his wife was. She didn’t think Ye Wudu would take an interest in her.
Hearing this, Ye Wudu didn’t say much more.
“Sir, you haven’t heard yet, right? Young Master Liu was killed,” Gu Shuang’er said, trying to find a topic, clearly intending to wait until he finished eating before leaving.
Ye Wudu pretended to be surprised. “Which Young Master Liu?”
“Going to such a place of pleasure, having no self-restraint… and now look what happened!”
“Unlike you, sir, always staying by your wife’s side. You’re different from other men.”
“…”
Ye Wudu’s lips twitched slightly. Clearly, Gu Shuang’er had misunderstood him.
Just last night, he had toyed with the Courtesan Queen of the Drunken Flower Pavilion until she couldn’t even move.
Yet he replied without shame, “That’s right. A man should have some self-restraint. People like that deserve their fate.”
Gu Shuang’er’s eyes curved into crescents. “If… if I could also find a man as devoted as you, sir… that would be wonderful. I just want someone whose eyes are only for me.”
Ye Wudu smiled faintly. “Miss Gu is so beautiful, gentle, and virtuous. You will surely find a good match.”
Gu Shuang’er nodded. “Thank you for your kind words!”
As Ye Wudu continued eating, he calculated inwardly… Murong Wanyin should be back soon. It would be best for Gu Shuang’er to leave early.
After all, he had already been caught once with the scent of a sachet. He didn’t want Gu Shuang’er to interfere with his efforts to gain favorability.
Fortunately, Murong Wanyin was easy to fool. After he made up a story and went to bathe, she didn’t question him further.
Gu Shuang’er looked at him and brought up another topic. “But it’s quite strange. Five people died last night. I wonder if it was the same killer.”
Ye Wudu froze slightly, his face showing surprise. “Who else died?”
He had only killed three people!
How did it become five?
Gu Shuang’er blinked her beautiful eyes and said softly, “The Courtesan Queen of the Drunken Flower Pavilion and her maid also died.”
“Pfft—”
Hearing this, Ye Wudu spat out the rice in his mouth.
When he left, Zhou Yuanyuan had been perfectly fine!
Don’t tell me… he had played her to death?
No… that didn’t make sense.
Then how did the maid die?
“Sir, what’s wrong? Are you alright?” Gu Shuang’er didn’t understand his reaction and hurried over to pat his back.
“I… I’m fine. Ate too fast… choked a bit.”
Ye Wudu was truly shocked. Just last night, she had still been with him, and now she was suddenly dead?
He couldn’t say he was sad, but he did feel a bit regretful.
Miss Yuanyuan had been quite… enjoyable. He had even planned to keep enjoying it for free.
And now, after just one night, she was gone.
Swallowing the remaining food, Ye Wudu asked, “Are you sure the Courtesan Queen died last night?”
Gu Shuang’er shook her head. “That’s not certain. The bodies were only discovered not long ago. But Young Master Liu definitely died last night. Many people heard the screams.” This chapter is updated first at novelping . com.
Ye Wudu nodded slightly and said nothing more.
After he finished eating, Gu Shuang’er cleaned up the dishes and took the initiative to leave.
Once she was gone, Ye Wudu fell into thought.
“Why hasn’t my wife returned yet?”
He felt that Murong Wanyin was returning later than usual today and decided to go out and take a look.
Not long after stepping out of the courtyard, he saw Murong Wanyin pushing her stall, already close to the entrance.
Fortunately, Gu Shuang’er had left in time. Otherwise, he would have been caught again.
“My wife, I was just about to come look for you.” Ye Wudu took the stall from her and smiled slightly.
“Mm,” Murong Wanyin responded softly, her attitude the same as usual, speaking little.
Ye Wudu asked curiously, “Why haven’t all the nougat been sold today?”
Since Zhang Douhua had been watching the stall, it was natural that the nougat hadn’t sold out.
After all, those men who came just to catch a glimpse of Murong Wanyin hadn’t shown up to buy.
Murong Wanyin shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe I was bored last night and made too much.”
Ye Wudu thought… you couldn’t even find me last night, and you still had the mood to make that much nougat?
Seeing her lowered gaze, he felt she seemed somewhat guilty.
Without revealing anything, he said, “My wife has worked hard. Go rest when we get back. I’ll roast some Flood Dragon Meat for you.”
Murong Wanyin didn’t look at him. “Alright.”
After returning home, Murong Wanyin first went to the second floor to bathe.
Then, wearing a thin nightdress, she sat in the pavilion and sipped tea.
She sniffed lightly, her brows furrowing. “Why does it smell fragrant here too?”
Ye Wudu thought… do you have a dog’s nose?
It must be because Gu Shuang’er had just been here.
Feeling slightly guilty, he replied, “I don’t know. Maybe it’s the scent of osmanthus?”
Murong Wanyin naturally knew it wasn’t osmanthus, but she didn’t press further.
While roasting the meat, Ye Wudu asked, “My wife, have you felt any discomfort these past two days?”
Murong Wanyin replied, “No.”
As expected.
The side effects of the Flood Dragon Meat didn’t affect her. Either her cultivation was too high for it to have any effect, or it simply provided no benefit to her at all, making it no different from ordinary meat, aside from better taste.
Ye Wudu continued roasting in silence.
Murong Wanyin quietly drank her tea, not even looking at him, her gaze fixed on the distant sunset.
Two guilty people… each pretending that nothing had happened.