Taking her home (Part three)
“The establishment feels stuffy. I’ve been telling Ah Gou that we need to add a skylight here,” Ye Youqing slightly curls her lips, as if nothing had happened, then turns and leaves.
She can feel her face turning red for a moment, but it’s just because she recalled the scene from that day. Blushing is just a natural reaction, Ye Youqing thinks.
In the room, only Shi Li and Ci Ke remain. Shi Li blows gently on the wound on Ci Ke’s hand, then starts pouring powder from a bottle onto it.
“What’s going on?” Shi Li’s tone softens, just like her slowed-down movements.
“It’s because Ye Youqing, Qin Wang suspects me,” Ci Ke’s eyebrows raise slightly, her voice smooth and delicate.
Shi Li nodded and after a while, spoke again, “Qin Wang is naturally suspicious and ruthless. For Ziqiu to let you get close to him is too dangerous. If it weren’t for Ye Youqing this time, you might have…”
“Aunt is solely dedicated to the Zhou family. I have to listen to her,” Ci Ke interrupted, lifting her gaze.
Shi Li looked at Ci Ke’s face, so much like Zhou Ziqiu’s, then bit her pale pink lips and remained silent.
Ci Ke kept her gaze without flinching. After a while, she continued, “Why doesn’t Sister Shi Li allow me to tell Aunt that you are still alive?”
Shi Li paused for a moment before continuing to bandage her with a piece of fine cloth, indifferent, “The matters between me and your aunt are too complicated to be explained in a few words.”
“What’s going on between you and Ye Youqing?” After Shi Li finished bandaging the wound, she used a sharp knife to cut the cloth and tied a knot.
Ci Ke’s heart skipped a beat but she remained silent.
She couldn’t tell Shi Li that her closeness to Ye Youqing was just a scheme.
Shi Li seemed even more puzzled, but before she could speak, the sound of Ye Youqing’s footsteps came from outside the door. Soon after, the door was pushed open, and Ye Youqing walked in carrying a bowl of fragrant Yangchun noodles.
The noodles were placed in front of Ci Ke, with spring onions and sesame oil floating on top, resembling sunlight and grass. The fragrance and heat surged together, making Ci Ke’s hungry stomach churn with saliva, feeling instantly refreshed.
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She picked up the chopsticks beside her, picked up the golden noodles and put them in her mouth, only to burn her tongue, causing her to inhale sharply.
“Take it slow,” Ye Youqing gently said, “Ah Gou cooks slowly, so I had him make a bowl of noodles first to start.”
Such a normal tone, caring like she would for anyone she felt sorry for. Ci Ke quietly focused her gaze and then, regardless of the hot temperature, took large bites.
Shi Li sat aside, sipping her wine, looking at one then the other. The snowball of confusion in her mind swelled, but with both people present, she couldn’t inquire.
“Disciple, what do you plan to do?” Shi Li suddenly asked, her slender hand resting on her chin, looking at Ye Youqing for answers.
Ci Ke’s actions paused as she ate the noodles.
Ye Youqing also hesitated for a moment. She hadn’t thought so much when saving someone, her words just slipped out. However, the idea of keeping Ci Ke by her side had never crossed her mind.
Ci Ke carried too heavy a burden, and Ye Youqing had no connection to her, so there was no need to get involved in her troubles.
Seeing her rejection, before Ye Youqing could speak, Ci Ke, who had put down her chopsticks, with her cherry lips flushed from the hot noodles, spoke first, “Miss Ye graciously rescued me, this servant is deeply grateful and dares not trouble you any further.”
Though her words were polite, the raised fox-like eyes that accompanied them looked rather sarcastic.
Ye Youqing nodded slightly, feeling a hint of anger rising in her. She had gone to help her early in the morning, yet Ci Ke’s attitude was frustrating. It was hard not to feel annoyed, so her tone turned colder: “Indeed, you have been handling things smoothly in the capital, so you probably don’t need my assistance.”
Seeing the atmosphere between the two reaching freezing point, Shi Li hurriedly cleared her throat and changed the subject, saying, “Why hasn’t Ah Gou’s food arrived yet? I’m starving.”
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a knock on the door. Ah Gou’s troubled head popped in, looking distressed, “Eldest Miss, the owner of the clothing shop refuses to sell me clothes and even insults me.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Youqing couldn’t help but rub her forehead. She was about to get up but was stopped by Shi Li.
“I’ll go.” She said, and with that, she extended her long legs over the bench and dragged Ah Gou away like escaping.
The door closed, leaving only Ye Youqing and Ci Ke in the room, making the atmosphere even more awkward. Ci Ke didn’t touch the bowl of noodles again, instead keeping her head bowed, lost in thought.
Ye Youqing truly didn’t know the grudges between the original owner and Ci Ke, so she also decided not to speak first. She stood up and began tidying the package that she had scattered into pieces earlier.
A soft breath came from behind her, causing Ye Youqing to pause. Something felt off about the sound, so she turned around. A beam of sunlight shone through the window, illuminating Ci Ke’s cheek and the gap between her bowl of noodles.
Two crystal-clear tears fell, creating two halos of light in the sunlight.
Ye Youqing’s heart trembled, and she instinctively set down what was in her hands, feeling a bit at a loss. What had she said just now? She didn’t remember saying anything harsh.
“Ci…” Ye Youqing began, but the woman in front of her cried even more fiercely, almost like a downpour.
In the end, Ye Youqing couldn’t bear to see her like this. She sighed, took a step forward, pushed the tear-soaked bowl of noodles aside, and pulled out a handkerchief from her sleeve to hand to Ci Ke.
“Why are you crying?” Ye Youqing was touched by her tears, having never seen a woman who shed tears so easily. It was frustrating because it was hard to confront someone who cried at the drop of a hat.
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Ci Ke didn’t take the handkerchief but let it fall to the ground. She suddenly let out a bitter laugh, accompanied by the dampness of her tears.
“I don’t want to enter the palace, but my humble status forces me to work like a slave to survive. Qin Wang keeps trying to find ways to kill me.” Her words flowed like a warm stream.
Ci Ke stood up slowly as she spoke, her graceful figure swaying elegantly in mid-air as she approached Ye Youqing.
To get closer to Ye Youqing, she had to let go of all her dignity. Ci Ke locked eyes with her.
Raising her eyes, she seemed like the most beautiful flower, with a subtle fragrance spreading in the air. In no time, she was just inches away from Ye Youqing. There were faint scars on her face, and her hair was disheveled, yet she still exuded a stunning presence.
Ye Youqing couldn’t help but want to step back, but unbeknownst to her, there was a bench behind her. She almost sat down but quickly regained her balance, maintaining a calm expression.
“So?” Ye Youqing suddenly reached out and placed her hand on Ci Ke’s shoulder, controlling the distance between the two.
“So.” Ci Ke parted her lips, gently covered Ye Youqing’s hand with hers, lifted it, and placed it at her throat, tilting her head slightly. The woman’s delicate, pale neck was now exposed in front of Ye Youqing.
“You still despise me, don’t you? You can do whatever you want to me.” Her voice trembled slightly, filled with a tone of defiance.
Ye Youqing suddenly felt a surge of heat rising straight from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. She quickly moved her hand aside, gently tilting the woman’s head back with a finger hooked behind her nape.
Avoiding eye contact, Ye Youqing sighed deeply before speaking after a moment, “You don’t need to do this. I am not like those lunatics who bullied you before.”
Ci Ke raised her eyes slightly coquettishly, her gaze fixed on Ye Youqing, clearly showing disbelief.
Not knowing what misunderstandings she had about herself, Ye Youqing rubbed her nose.
She then bent down to pick up the fallen handkerchief, shook it off, and placed it on the table. She said lightly, “Change into clean clothes later and come back with me.”
To her surprise, Ci Ke agreed so quickly. She lowered her head to look at the pristine handkerchief, her lips moving for a moment.
“Thank you,” she said very softly.
After having a meal, Ye Youqing took Ci Ke back to the Duke’s residence, now looking neat and tidy. They passed through layers of extending flower branches along the road and entered Ye Youqing’s courtyard.
“Eldest Miss!” Qin Xin leaped over, excited to show Ye Youqing two strange iron objects, but she met Ci Ke’s gaze head-on. Startled, she almost dropped the iron objects, nearly hitting her foot.
“Is it that foxy woman?” Qin Xin stepped forward, pulling Ye Youqing aside, looking wary at Ci Ke. “What mischief are you up to again!”
Ci Ke was stared at with hostility but seemed accustomed to it, locking eyes with her directly, making Qin Xin’s anger flare up. She almost jumped, but Ye Youqing quickly pulled her back.
“Qin Xin, no rudeness,” Ye Youqing said gently, pulling her away from Ci Ke by a distance. “She will be staying here for a while, and you are not allowed to bully her.”
“Bully her?” Qin Xin became agitated. “Have you forgotten how shameless this woman is? She…”
“Qin Xin!” Ye Youqing’s tone became stricter. Hearing this, Qin Xin quickly swallowed the rest of her words, her small face pouting.
“The dumbbells are ready.” Ye Youqing’s eyes lit up, and she picked up the two iron objects from the ground, one thicker in the middle and thinner on the sides. She lifted them up, each weighing about six pounds.
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Apart from teaching her martial arts, Shi Li informed her about the necessity of physical training. She had been confined to the backyard for years, and her body needed to be strengthened.
Watching Ye Youqing enter the house with joy, carrying the iron objects, Qin Xin met Ci Ke’s gaze again. She felt as if Ci Ke’s eyes were bewitching and haunting, sending shivers down her spine.
Pouting, she murmured in fear, “Who knows who’s bullying who,” as she wanted to run to Ye Youqing’s side but saw Ye Youqing suddenly turn her head, looking somewhat helpless at Ci Ke.
“Ci Ke, don’t bully Qin Xin either,” she said.
The goosebumps on Qin Xin’s back instantly disappeared. When she looked again, Ci Ke had adopted a calm demeanor, looking down with a meditative expression.
“Foxy woman,” Qin Xin mumbled in frustration.
That night, the moonlight scattered like shards of jade, casting a white glow on the ground as if it were a delicate veil. A pear tree danced in the moonlight, resembling falling snow.
A woman knelt by the window on a beauty couch, her eyes filled with sorrow and confusion as she gazed at the moon plate in the sky. Resting her chin on the back of her hand, she was so enchanting that it was hard to tell who was more beautiful, her or the pear blossoms.
She suddenly withdrew her gaze and touched the side of her face where her skin was hidden by strands of hair. In the moonlight, there was a faint white scar extending into her ear.
Her gaze turned cold and sharp once again.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound behind her. Ci Ke swiftly turned around, casting a glance at the dark lump on the bed. She got off the beauty couch and silently walked towards the bed, lighting a candle on the side.
“Ye Youqing?” She frowned suddenly, quickly crouching down and placing her cold hand on Ye Youqing’s forehead, which did not feel warm.
However, the woman was trembling uncontrollably, suddenly reaching out to hold her head in pain, muttering, her teeth biting her lips hard enough to draw blood.
“Ye Youqing!” Ci Ke panicked unexpectedly. She hurriedly pushed and shook Ye Youqing, shouting loudly for Qin Xin outside. However, Ye Youqing not only did not wake up but also started to pull her hair harder, as if trying to ease the pain.
For the first time, the woman’s cold yet beautiful face showed such a helpless expression in front of Ci Ke, her breathing becoming intermittent and erratic.
Not knowing what was happening, Ci Ke quickly helped her sit up. At the same time, Qin Xin, hearing the commotion, rushed in anxiously calling out to the Eldest Miss.
However, unable to bear the pain, Ye Youqing’s slender arm suddenly reached out and fiercely grabbed Ci Ke’s shoulder, pressing her down onto the bed.