The girl felt her scalp go numb.
No way, could it be that even in a different body, she would still have allergies?!
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and the itch on her wrist grew stronger.
Leng Yaoda placed her hands under the table, unable to resist scratching a few times with her right hand.
Just as she had intertwined her hands, Zhou Yingkui’s chilly gaze shifted toward her again.
Leng Yaoda: “…”
She remained silent as if nothing had happened, stopping her fidgeting.
The man in the black robe lowered his eyes, as if he could see the girl’s hands through the tabletop.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
His voice drifted over, directly interrupting Su Luo’an, who had just been about to speak.
Hearing this, the young man also turned to look at Leng Yaoda, suspecting she might be up to some trick, his eyes filled with scrutiny.
Leng Yaoda shook her head. “Nothing.”
Leng Lin, concerned for his sister, frowned slightly. “Is little sister feeling tired? Usually, she would have just woken from her nap around this time.”
Hearing this, Leng Yaoda seized the opportunity to reply, “Yes, it must be as Second Brother said. I feel a bit drowsy after eating.”
Zhou Yingkui, however, persisted. “This prince doesn’t think it looks like that. Could it be that Daji’s wrist is bothering her?”
The girl was inwardly shocked by Zhou Yingkui’s perceptiveness but still didn’t take her hand out.
At that moment, disregarding the others present, the man reached out and gently took hold of the girl’s slender, fair wrist.
And this hand happened to be Leng Yaoda’s left wrist.
As her wrist was lightly held—right on the itchy spot—Leng Yaoda shuddered, every hair on her body standing on end.
Su Luo’an widened his eyes and whispered, “Master…”
Leng Qi and Leng Lin opened their mouths but remained silent, while Leng Yaoda tried to pull her hand back.
“Regent, this is improper…”
She nearly said it—even if you hold a high position, you can’t just grab a woman’s wrist, especially one who is unmarried.
Zhou Yingkui seemed to sense her resistance. After revealing the girl’s wrist, he said, “This prince studied medicine for two years under my mentor. Let me take a look to ease everyone’s worries.”
With these words, he glossed over his earlier somewhat rash behavior, and even the Leng brothers felt inclined to thank him.
Leng Yaoda had no choice but to relent, quickly thinking of an excuse in her mind.
The man glanced at the red swelling on the girl’s snow-white, slender wrist, then chuckled softly and let go.
Seeing Zhou Yingkui’s expression, Leng Yaoda was puzzled. “May I ask, Regent, what is…”
She trailed off halfway, lifting her own hand to look, and then fell silent as well.
It turned out to be a mosquito bite…
Leng Yaoda finally relaxed, reaching out to scratch it lightly a couple of times.
Leng Qi, unaware of what had happened, pressed on, “Yaoyao, what’s wrong with your wrist?”
Although he was asking Leng Yaoda, his eyes were fixed on Zhou Yingkui.
Noticing his gaze, the man replied, “It’s nothing. Your little sister was just bitten by a mosquito. Apply some anti-itch ointment when you return home.”
Su Luo’an also pursed his lips. For some reason, he had unconsciously worried earlier, thinking something might have happened to Leng Yaoda.
After this minor incident, the three siblings prepared to take their leave. Zhou Yingkui specifically mentioned that he had already settled the bill and told them to head home directly. After thanking him a few more times, they left.
Leng Yaoda walked with her back straight, and this time, she didn’t have the habit of looking back as she left.
But the two men in the room were watching her—one puzzled and confused, the other deep in thought with lowered eyes.Su Luo’an watched them leave and close the door before muttering, “How strange.”
The man with fox-like eyes glanced at him. “What is it?”
The young man pursed his lips. “It’s that Leng Yaoda. After not seeing her for months, she’s become oddly different, though I can’t quite pinpoint what exactly is off.”
Zhou Yingkui lowered his gaze and suddenly smiled. “Indeed, I feel the same.”
Su Luo’an ate several pieces of the pastries brought by the servant. Finally, as Zhou Yingkui stood up, ready to leave, the young man stopped eating.
“Let’s go. After dinner, I’ll test you on poetry.”
Hearing this, the young man felt a headache coming on. He cautiously suggested, “Master… perhaps we could skip the test today? Luo’an feels—”
Before he could come up with an excuse, Zhou Yingkui gave him a cool look. Su Luo’an immediately nodded. “Test it is!”
Master and disciple left Victorious Spring Court one after the other, mounted their horses, and rode off toward the southern lane closest to the imperial palace.
In the opposite direction, a pair of handsome twins sat atop two chestnut steeds, followed a few meters behind by a carriage.
Taking advantage of the fine weather, the three siblings were in no hurry, leisurely making their way toward Huarong Lane. Leng Yaoda lifted the small curtain and leaned her face out the window.
By the grace of the founding emperor, only first-rank ministers of great merit were permitted to reside in Huarong Lane. The Leng family had moved into the area a century ago.
The Lu family, however, had only entered the lane over thirty years ago, when Lu Xuan was still a child. At that time, only three prominent families resided in Huarong Lane.
Apart from the Leng family, who held the title of Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army, there were the Zhao family, the maternal family of Zhao Yujin, who held the title of Grand Guardian, and the Wen family, who served as the Crown Prince’s Tutor.
For some reason, Leng Yaoda felt that the original body’s memories were growing increasingly unclear in her mind, and even her recollection of the original story was beginning to blur.
This was a bad sign. Over the past two days, the young woman had been pondering these thoughts, striving to remember everything clearly to avoid making mistakes in the future.
The small procession slowly entered Huarong Lane. First, they had to pass the street where the Chancellor’s Mansion was located, crossing it to enter the lane where the Leng family resided.
Seeing the outer wall of the Lu family, Leng Yaoda listlessly lowered the curtain, closed her eyes, and leaned against the soft seat, pretending to doze off.
Leng Lin, who was closest to the Lu brothers, raised his voice and asked the two, “Elder brother, younger sister, why don’t we stop by for a visit? After all, we have nothing to do once we return home today.”
Leng Qi beside him had no objections, but Leng Yaoda remained silent.
“Younger sister?” Leng Lin called out toward the back.
Leng Qi said, “Perhaps Yaoyao has fallen asleep. Why don’t we take her home first?”
Inside the carriage, Leng Yaoda sighed helplessly and decided to play along, pretending to be sound asleep.
The events of the day had exhausted her. Leaning against the soft cushion, the young woman truly felt drowsy and began to drift off.
Just as they were passing the main gate of the Chancellor’s Mansion, perhaps alerted by the earlier voices, the gate opened and a young man stepped out.
The heavy sound of the gate opening startled Leng Yaoda awake. She sat up straight and frowned.
Was it Lu Zhiyou?
She remained silent inside the carriage, pressing her ear against the small window to listen carefully.
The Leng brothers on their tall horses spotted the figure emerging and immediately greeted him warmly. “We were just thinking about whether to stop by for a visit, and here you are!”
A clear and gentle voice replied, “I was just about to head to Xunyang Street to buy some books. What a coincidence indeed.”Then the young man turned his head and saw the carriage. After this commotion, Leng Yaoda could no longer pretend to be asleep. She leaned forward and lifted the door curtain to look.
The girl nodded slightly and smiled, saying, “Brother Shixiu, what a coincidence.”