“Xie Yu’an? What is he doing here?”
Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Xie Yu’an had already made his way to Qiao Yin.
Lu Jinzhi was still gripping Qiao Yin’s hand tightly, her brows furrowed with displeasure.
“Lu Shizi, you’re hurting her.”
Xie Yu’an stepped forward and grasped Lu Jinzhi’s hand, effortlessly peeling it away from Qiao Yin.
Lu Jinzhi tried to resist, but Xie Yu’an’s strength was like an iron clamp, flinging him aside.
Freed at last, Qiao Yin quickly produced the pastries she had specially bought, her eyes filled with anticipation as she asked,
“General Xie, you really are here? I thought I might have come for nothing. Look, I brought you some pastries. Would you like to try them?”
Xie Yu’an raised an eyebrow, glancing at Lu Jinzhi with a smile. “Bought especially for me?”
Qiao Yin nodded. “Especially for you. I didn’t know what flavors you like, so I bought a bit of everything—sweet and savory.”
Xie Yu’an turned his gaze to her, noticing the hairpin on her head teetering precariously. He reached out to steady it. “Did you run all the way here?”
“You have no idea how hard it is to buy Zhang’s pastries. The place is packed every day, and if you’re even a little late, they’re sold out. I had to fight for the last box and got pushed right into a puddle. Look.”
Qiao Yin lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing her embroidered shoes caked in mud.
If it had been Lu Jinzhi, such an act would have earned her nothing but disdain and a scolding.
A proper young lady would never lift her skirt in public, let alone show her shoes to others.
Qiao Yin realized her behavior was improper and awkwardly lowered her skirt.
“Then should I thank Second Miss Qiao’s embroidered shoes for their hard work?”
Xie Yu’an’s gentle voice instantly dissolved Qiao Yin’s embarrassment. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with genuine admiration.
Oh, family, who understands? A warm-hearted man with an eight-pack—how rare, how precious!
In her heart, Qiao Yin cursed that damned System another eight hundred times!
If it had been Xie Yu’an from the start, why would she have suffered for three years and eleven months?
She would have long been living a blissful life, falling asleep every night on an eight-pack.
From the moment Xie Yu’an appeared, Qiao Yin’s gaze had been fixed on him.
Lu Jinzhi felt an inexplicable pang of jealousy, his face stern as he said coldly, “Today, I have reserved the Star-Gazing Tower. What business do you have here uninvited, Xie Gongzi?”
Xie Yu’an turned to look at Lu Jinzhi, his gaze suddenly turning icy, as if the gentle and amiable person from moments ago had vanished.
Ignoring him, Xie Yu’an turned and led Qiao Yin upstairs.
Lu Jinzhi wanted to step forward and argue, but at that moment, the manager of the Star-Gazing Tower approached, his expression cold as he handed a silver note back to Lu Jinzhi.
“Lu Gongzi, our proprietor has given orders that from now on, we will no longer accept business from you or any of the guests present here. This is the refund for today’s reservation. Please gather your belongings and leave the Star-Gazing Tower immediately.”
“What?”
“What did you say?”
“How audacious! Who is your proprietor? Bring him out!”
Like a thunderbolt striking out of nowhere, the crowd erupted into an uproar. Everyone present belonged to families of the highest nobility in the capital, accustomed to wielding influence and commanding respect. Never had they imagined that a mere restaurant would dare to drive them out so rudely!Yan Ruyu looked up at the figure disappearing at the top of the stairs, then turned back to glance at Lu Jinzhi.
Lu Jinzhi’s lips were pressed tightly together, his handsome face as crumpled and unpleasant as a piece of paper that had been trampled on.
“Let’s disperse. The owner of this place is someone none of you combined can afford to offend.”
Yan Ruyu instructed her maid to carefully pack up the flowerpot, then rose and walked out.
Some of the guests, finally grasping the situation, stood up one after another to take their leave.
In the blink of an eye, only Lu Jinzhi and Chu Wenjing remained. Chu Wenjing hadn’t yet caught on.
“Why did everyone leave? Who is this owner? Who’s so arrogant they dare not even spare a thought for the Duke’s household?”
Lu Jinzhi glanced toward the staircase. There was no trace of Qiao Yin to be seen.
Qiao Yin had followed Xie Yu’an upstairs without so much as a backward glance.
Fine, Qiao Yin. She was deliberately trying to provoke him, wasn’t she?
She had succeeded, and he was indeed furious! This time, he would definitely teach her a lesson!
Lu Jinzhi flung his sleeve and stormed out the door. Chu Wenjing hurried after him, squeezing into Lu Jinzhi’s carriage.
“Jinzhi, why are you leaving too? The owner of a mere tavern dares to slight you—you should teach him a lesson!”
Chu Wenjing’s noisy chatter grated on Lu Jinzhi’s nerves. Irritated, he snapped, “Go on, then. Xie Yu’an is right inside. Go teach him a proper lesson!”
“Teach Xie Yu’an a lesson? Why would I teach Xie Yu’an a lesson? I wouldn’t dare provoke Xie Yu’an. The Xie Family is… wait.” A sudden chill ran down Chu Wenjing’s spine. He instinctively hunched his shoulders and lowered his voice. “Could it be… the Star-Gazing Tower is Xie Yu’an’s property?”
The moment the truth dawned on him, Chu Wenjing’s face turned deathly pale. His legs went weak, and he nearly slid off the carriage seat.
He sat dazed for a long moment before warmth slowly returned to his body, as if he had just survived a disaster.
“But that doesn’t make sense. The Xie Family is vast and powerful, so it’s not strange for the Star-Gazing Tower to be Xie Yu’an’s property. But why would Xie Yu’an cooperate with Qiao Yin to put on a show just to anger you?”
This was precisely what Lu Jinzhi couldn’t understand. “Perhaps they’ve been secretly involved for a while now.”
Secretly involved?
Chu Wenjing hadn’t expected to hear such a crude term from Lu Jinzhi’s mouth.
“That’s probably not it. Putting everything else aside, Qiao Yin’s devotion to you is beyond question.”
Although Chu Wenjing looked down on Qiao Yin’s unconventional and unrestrained behavior, her single-minded devotion to Lu Jinzhi was absolutely undeniable.
Once, during a journey, Lu Jinzhi’s horse had panicked, dragging the carriage toward a cliff. At the critical moment, it was Qiao Yin who leaped from the carriage onto the horse’s back and cut the reins, saving Lu Jinzhi’s life.
Chu Wenjing had joked back then that even if Lu Jinzhi’s parents were to abandon him, Qiao Yin never would.
Lu Jinzhi also couldn’t believe that Qiao Yin would stop liking him and turn her affections to someone else.
“So it must be Xie Yu’an deliberately seducing Qiao Yin!”
This was the most reasonable explanation Lu Jinzhi could come up with.
Chu Wenjing was taken aback. “Why would Xie Yu’an seduce Qiao Yin? Because she’s beautiful?”
Aside from Qiao Yin’s devotion to Lu Jinzhi, Chu Wenjing also acknowledged her beauty.
Though Qiao Yin didn’t possess the refined elegance of Yan Ruyu, she exuded a vibrant vitality, like peach blossoms forever blooming on the branch—alluring, passionate, and full of life.
“No, Xie Yu’an is targeting me,” Lu Jinzhi declared with certainty.