Lu Jiaojiao naturally refused to be moved. She crossed her arms and lifted her chin slightly. Want her to wait on him? Not a chance!
Seeing her standing there like a little poplar tree, every inch of her practically screaming uncooperative, Huo Shiran was in no hurry. Instead, he leisurely leaned back, lightly tapping the edge of the couch with his fingers as he drawled in a thoroughly teasing tone,
“Tut, tut.” He shook his head and pretended to sigh. “I wonder who it was that caused such a commotion at home some time ago—crying, making a scene, threatening to hang herself, and even going on a hunger strike…”
“If His Majesty and Her Majesty in the palace were to hear about it, those who didn’t know better might think our Huo family had been mistreating you. And if people started saying that the Lu family had failed to raise their daughter properly, I’m afraid your father-in-law and mother-in-law—no, your dear parents—wouldn’t look too good.”
His words struck precisely at Lu Jiaojiao’s sore spot!
She might not care about her own reputation, but she absolutely could not allow her parents or the Lu family to be criticized because of her!
“You!”
Sure enough, Lu Jiaojiao exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She shot up from the edge of the bed, her delicate brows drawn together and her almond-shaped eyes wide with fury. Pointing at Huo Shiran, she grabbed a piece of dried fruit from beside her and threw it at him.
Huo Shiran caught it with ease, peeled it, and casually popped it into his mouth.
That only made Lu Jiaojiao even angrier.
“Don’t you dare use that to threaten me! I—I’ve been obediently learning proper etiquette these days! I haven’t stepped outside the house at all! You’re not allowed to spout nonsense and slander my family!”
Her cheeks flushed crimson with anger, her chest rising and falling slightly. The anxious way she defended her family’s reputation, like a fiercely protective little cub, gave her a vivid and spirited charm that made Huo Shiran pause for a moment.
Then the amusement in his eyes deepened.
He seized the opportunity and raised an eyebrow, drawing out his words with obvious skepticism and teasing.
“Ohhh? You’ve learned proper etiquette?”
He deliberately emphasized the word proper, his gaze slowly traveling from her flushed cheeks to the decidedly unladylike way she stood with her hands on her hips—
and finally to the slender finger pointing accusingly at him.
The meaning in his eyes was unmistakable.
This is what you call proper etiquette?
Following his gaze, Lu Jiaojiao looked down at her hands and immediately realized how improper she appeared. As if she had been burned, she quickly pulled her hand back and tried her best to assume a dignified posture.
But the blush on her cheeks and the lingering anger in her eyes only made her look more like a tiny kitten putting on a fierce front.
“I—I was just…” she tried to explain, only to find herself at a loss for words.
Watching her struggle between maintaining her dignity and being unable to stop herself from showing her claws, Huo Shiran finally couldn’t hold back any longer.
He chuckled softly.
Then he crooked a finger at her. His voice remained lazy, though there was less teasing in it now.
“Tea.”
“…”
“Tea~”
Huo Shiran watched as her expression changed several times while she stood there, seemingly weighing something in her mind. He didn’t rush her.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Jiaojiao’s eyes darted to the side.
She said nothing and turned toward the table.
Huo Shiran watched her walk away and return with a teacup in her hands, assuming that she had finally given in.
Contentedly, he closed his eyes. His long lashes cast shadows beneath them, and he looked completely trusting—as though he were some pampered lord waiting to be served.
He even parted his lips slightly.
Lu Jiaojiao looked at how utterly defenseless he was.
Holding her breath, she bent down and steadily, precisely brought the rim of the steaming teacup to his slightly parted lips.
The next moment
“Hiss—! Cough! Cough, cough!”
The scalding liquid suddenly rushed into his mouth.
Caught completely off guard, Huo Shiran jolted violently. His eyes flew open, filled with disbelief and tears brought on by the pain!
He practically sprang upright from the couch, jerking his head to the side as he began coughing violently. His tongue and throat felt as though they had been set on fire, burning painfully!
“Lu. Jiao. Jiao!”
Covering his mouth, his voice came out hoarse and distorted from the scalding tea and his coughing. He lifted his head, the corners of his eyes reddened, and glared furiously at the culprit standing before him.
But when Lu Jiaojiao saw him grimacing in pain and looking so utterly miserable, she finally couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“Pfft!”
She burst out laughing.
“Hahahahaha!”
Her smile was bright and dazzling, full of the triumph of a successful scheme. Any trace of the obedient, demure act she had put on earlier had long since been tossed to the winds.
“Oh my, whatever is the matter, Husband?”
Imitating the teasing tone he had used on her earlier, she blinked her large, innocent eyes.
“Could it be that this tea was simply too passionate for you to handle?”