Although Chu Yin was a playboy prince, he seemed to have endless affairs and papers to attend to. Yu Jiao wasn’t curious; at this moment, she was busy with important matters in the brothel.
“Sister Chunhua, how is it?” Yu Jiao looked into the mirror expectantly.
Chunhua froze. This… this… the person in the mirror—was that really her?
“Xiao Yu’er, not bad.” Chunhua touched her own face. The makeup was the same as usual, yet under Yu Jiao’s hand, it looked so exquisite.
Yu Jiao touched her nose. She might not know how to make cosmetics, but her makeup skills were extraordinary. In her previous life, aside from her deep research on poison insects, she had even done makeup on corpses.
She had been spending days in the brothel. At first, she could excuse herself for not having silver, but after a while, even her mother suspected something was off. When pressed, she admitted she had no money.
Her mother threatened to take her to the authorities, and Yu Jiao immediately flattered her by saying she could do makeup. She managed to stay and even, with her masterful face-changing skills, got along well with everyone.
Qiu Yue pushed Chunhua aside. “My turn, my turn! Xiao Yu’er, today I want a smoky eye makeup.”
“All right!” Yu Jiao picked up her tools and started applying makeup while chatting. “Sister Qiu Yue, why is the rouge here better than the one at Yufangzhai?”
Qiu Yue snorted. “Yufangzhai? Don’t underestimate it. Even though this is a brothel, outside officials’ madams secretly come to get our goods.”
Yu Jiao laughed ingratiatingly and nodded. “Of course, of course. Then, Sister Qiu Yue, do you know how to buy in bulk outside?”
Qiu Yue eyed her warily. “What are you trying to do?”
“Nothing, nothing!” Yu Jiao waved her hands. Seeing how guarded Qiu Yue was, she changed the topic. “Sister Qiu Yue, do you think this makeup looks good?”
In her mind, she was scheming how to get her hands on the rouge.
Several more days passed, and Yu Jiao still couldn’t get any information. She thought, maybe she should bring Chu Yin to the brothel.
If he came, even moving the brothel home wouldn’t be a problem.
No, no, she shook her head. That wouldn’t be very fair.
As she pondered, she bumped into someone’s back, making her nose sting.
Looking up, Yu Jiao froze.
A woman held a dagger, its tip glinting silver, pressed against Qiu Yue’s neck.
“Don’t come closer! Take one more step and I’ll kill her!” the woman shouted wildly.
“Put it down, don’t be rash!” Yu Jiao’s mother cried, anxious as she looked at Qiu Yue. “Let her go, and you can have whatever you want. Silver, anything at all.”
Yu Jiao was surprised—her mother usually valued silver above all else.
“What do I want with silver? My family is gone, all because you foxes seduced my husband and caused him to divorce me!”
Her mother frowned, trying to calm her. “Put the knife down. This isn’t her fault. Let’s sit and talk.”
The woman grew more agitated, then suddenly calmed, sneering, “Yes, you’re right. Not her fault.”
Yu Jiao cursed inwardly. The woman was looking at her mother—if her mother dodged, the blade could hit Yu Jiao instead.
She moved left to get out of the way, but in the moment the woman turned, she lunged silently.
Even more unexpectedly, her mother didn’t dodge.
Yu Jiao watched the dagger approach and felt her heart drop.
This was it—she wouldn’t get to see Chu Yin one last time.
She hadn’t kissed him today.
He would definitely get unreasonably angry again.
“Bang—”
At the last moment, a blade knocked the woman’s dagger aside. She screamed and fell to the ground.
Yu Jiao opened her eyes wide, calling out in surprise, “Wang—”
“Qiu’er, are you all right?” A man held her carefully, checking her over with concern.
For a moment, Yu Jiao’s heart felt like it had fallen into an abyss, echoing nothing. She felt a deep, unexplainable loss.
She wanted to return home. She really wanted to go back.
“Xiao Yu’er!” Her mother grabbed her hand, tears in her eyes. “You’re all right?”
Qiu Yue and the others gathered around, murmuring anxiously, some even with tears in their eyes.
Yu Jiao’s own eyes stung. She wanted to cry too.
That man was holding Qiu Yue—she wanted to hold Chu Yin too.
Her mother wiped her tears, shaking as she held Yu Jiao’s hands. “Xiao Yu’er, I didn’t expect you to risk yourself to save me!”
“I didn’t expect it either. You really value me so much.” Qiu Yue broke free from the man and hugged Yu Jiao, crying.
Yu Jiao froze. What… what were they saying?
Sitting down, she finally understood. That man and Qiu Yue had secretly agreed to marry. His family looked down on Qiu Yue’s background and transferred him away to arrange an engagement with another woman.
Her mother, unwilling to entrust Qiu Yue to him, held back, repeatedly bringing up redemption money. When the man returned, he learned about the secret engagement, refused it on the spot, and the other woman insisted it counted as a divorce. That was why it escalated.
Her mother held Yu Jiao’s hands. “You wanted the rouge formula, didn’t you?”
Yu Jiao was stunned. “How did you know?”
Her mother only smiled. “This is our unique formula. You risked your life for me, so today I will give it to you.”
Yu Jiao was shocked. “How can I accept it? I… I don’t need the formula. You can let me pick up the goods later.”
Returning it to the Tailor’s Shop, buying one garment could get her a bottle of rouge no one else could. Soon, her new designs would become a craze.
Her mother finally nodded, saying she was tired and would rest. Only Chunhua, Qiu Yue, and Yu Jiao remained in the room.
Chunhua’s eyes were full of mischief. “Xiao Yu’er, be honest. Your husband doesn’t come home at night, so you came looking for us?”
Yu Jiao paused. “No. Chu Yin comes home every night, no matter how late.”
Not right!
“How did you know I’m a girl?”
Qiu Yue covered her mouth, laughing. “We knew on your first day. Which man spends heavily on rouge and clothes?”
Chunhua stepped closer. “Xiao Yu’er, do you… like someone?”
Yu Jiao’s heart skipped. For some reason, the first person she thought of was Chu Yin.
She shook her head, trying to deny it, but said instead, “What does it mean to like someone?”
“Hmm… does your heart race when you see him?”
Yu Jiao thought and nodded. “Yes!”
Whenever he threatened to peel her skin or break her legs, her heart raced.
“Do you think about him often?”
Yu Jiao nodded without hesitation. “Yes!”
Last time at the Yu family warehouse, she immediately thought of him. Just now, too, she had. If he had been there, he could have scared that woman.
“Then you like him. Does he like you?”
Yu Jiao didn’t nod. Did he like her?
He seemed to enjoy holding her to sleep, liked sucking her fingers, but he scolded her for being silly.
She shook her head softly. “I don’t know.”
Chunhua pinched her chin and snapped her fingers. “If you want to know, watch him. See what he looks at. Then…”
“…when you stare at him for a moment, if he likes you, he won’t be able to resist kissing you.”
Qiu Yue agreed. “Cook him a meal. If he likes you, he’ll praise it and finish it all.”
In the evening, Yu Jiao returned to the residence thoughtfully. She glanced at the study room light and walked over.
“Prince?” Yu Jiao stood beside Chu Yin, wrapping her arms around his neck, tilting her head to look at him, a strand of hair brushing his neck.
Chu Yin glanced at her, snorted. She hadn’t behaved and had been running around all these days. No surprise for him either.
Hmph. Ying Feng, tomorrow you’ll be punished!
“Prince? Prince, Prince? Prince?” Yu Jiao climbed onto his lap naturally.
Chu Yin lazily lifted his eyelids. “What is it this time?”
“I want the Prince to look at me.” Yu Jiao blinked rapidly.
Chu Yin twitched at the corner of his mouth. “Throwing flirty eyes at me again?”