"A lifetime." Qin Xiaoyou murmured, only realizing what she had said when she heard a suppressed laugh above her. She quickly blushed and pushed away the person who was embracing her.
Chapter 4, Identity
Taking a few steps back and regaining her balance, Qin Xiaoyou finally looked up to examine the owner of the Spring Breeze Pavilion. What she saw captivated her completely. His demeanor, his beauty—how could she describe it? Qin Xiaoyou racked her brains, but couldn't find a suitable word, her brows furrowing in frustration.
Wenren Qi looked at Qin Xiaoyou's face, which was almost scrunched up like a bun, and asked with a smile, "Qin'er, what are you thinking about? You're so worried that your eyebrows and nose are almost squeezing together."
Wenren Qi's call of "Qin'er" was like a thunderclap, instantly snapping Qin Xiaoyou out of her infatuation. She gave an awkward laugh, her mind racing. It seemed this handsome man knew the original owner of this body, but she wondered what their relationship was. If they were enemies, she was doomed. However, judging from his demeanor, he didn't seem like the type to scheme. But in novels and TV dramas, the more gentle and harmless someone appeared, the more cautious she was. Ugh, what a headache! She didn't know which type this man belonged to.
After a few moments of thought, Qin Xiaoyou came up with a plan. Feigning helplessness, she slowly asked, "The Qin'er you're talking about, is that me?" Wenren Qi nodded. Qin Xiaoyou glanced at Wenren Qi out of the corner of her eye, seeing his expression was normal, and continued, "Last night when I woke up, I suddenly couldn't remember anything. I don't know who I am, where I come from, or who I know."
Hearing Qin Xiaoyou say this, Wenren Qi frowned in confusion and said, "No wonder we agreed to meet here yesterday, but you only showed up today, and dressed like this."
"Dressed up like this? What's wrong with dressing up like this?" Qin Xiaoyou glanced down at herself, and finding nothing amiss, decided to ignore Wenren Qi's words for now. Instead, she said with a hint of embarrassment, "Actually, I came last night, but... but I don't know why I woke up to find myself in a room with the top courtesan in this brothel. That Jade Flute Master said I specifically requested him to accompany me, but I can't remember anything."
"Young Master Yuxiao? Who is this Young Master Yuxiao?" Upon hearing Wenren Qi's question, Qin Xiaoyou was so startled that she almost jumped up from the ground. She pinched herself hard, barely managing to control the urge to slam her fist on the table and curse. Qin Xiaoyou asked innocently, "Isn't Young Master Yuxiao the top courtesan of this Spring Breeze Pavilion?"
"There has never been a person named Jade Flute Young Master in this building," Wenren Qi replied with a serious expression. Thinking about her conversation with Jade Flute Young Master last night, Qin Xiaoyou felt strongly that she had been played. At this moment, she was burning with anger, thinking about how to teach Jade Flute Young Master a lesson next time she encountered him, to let him know that she, Qin Xiaoyou, was not someone to be trifled with.
Qin Xiaoyou stood there lost in thought, not even hearing Wenren Qi call her several times. It wasn't until Wenren Qi waved his hand in front of her face a few times that Qin Xiaoyou snapped out of her reverie. Seeing Qin Xiaoyou staring at him blankly, Wenren Qi couldn't help but laugh, patting Qin Xiaoyou's head and saying, "Although you've lost your memory, your temperament is still the same as before. Every time you're talking to me, your soul seems to wander off somewhere, and it takes a while for someone to call you back to your senses."
Qin Xiaoyou scratched her head sheepishly and asked, "By the way, young master, I still don't know your name. I can't keep calling you 'young master' all the time."
Upon hearing this, Wenren Qi was slightly taken aback. After realizing that Qin Xiaoyou had lost her memory, he said calmly, "My surname is Wenren, and my given name is Qi."
"Oh, so it's Brother Wenren! Brother Wenren, your name is so beautiful!" After learning his name, Qin Xiaoyou immediately used all thirty-six stratagems of flattery to try and get close to Wenren Qi. After all, Wenren Qi was the first person she met in this world, and it was necessary for her to build a good relationship with him and find out about the body's original owner, to see how many enemies he had, and whether he owed any huge debts. After all, she was the one using this body now, and she needed to figure out the relationships to avoid running into enemies without knowing why.
However, Wenren Qi was clearly not used to Qin Xiaoyou's warm address. Faced with her calling him "Brother Wenren," even the usually elegant Wenren Qi faltered slightly. However, he quickly composed himself and said with concern, "Qin'er, this Jade Flute Young Master's origins are unknown, and you lost your memory after meeting him. This is really strange. These next few days, you should stay in the backyard and not go out, lest..."
"No, no, I don't want to stay cooped up in my room. I just arrived here, I just arrived in this place, I haven't even had a chance to look around yet!" Qin Xiaoyou retorted before Wenren Qi could finish speaking. She almost blurted out that she had just arrived in this world, but luckily she stopped herself in time, otherwise she would have had to explain herself later.
Seeing Qin Xiaoyou's flustered appearance, Wenren Qi shook his head and comforted her, "Don't worry, it's not that I don't want you to go out, it's just that we haven't found out what the Jade Flute Young Master's background is yet, and you've lost your memory. I'll have someone invite Mr. Fan to come and take your pulse to see what caused your memory loss and whether there's any possibility of recovery before I let you go out."
Wenren Qi's words were reasonable, and Qin Xiaoyou couldn't think of a way to refuse, so she could only nod in agreement. Seeing that Qin Xiaoyou had agreed, Wenren Qi continued, "We've been talking for so long, Qin'er, you must be hungry. I'll have someone bring the food in right away. After you eat, you can go to the backyard and rest well."
"Okay, by the way, Brother Wenren, please don't call me Qin'er anymore, just call me Xiaoyou. Because I have amnesia, when that Jade Flute Gentleman asked me last night, I gave myself the name Qin Xiaoyou. Now you keep calling me Qin'er, and I'm a little confused." Qin Xiaoyou said with a harmless smile.
Wenren Qi nodded, saying nothing more, and instructed Xiao Feng, who had been waiting outside the door, to serve the meal. Looking at the large table of dishes, Qin Xiaoyou's mouth was practically watering, but since Wenren Qi hadn't started eating, she felt embarrassed to do so herself and could only watch him longingly. When all the dishes were finally served, Wenren Qi looked at Qin Xiaoyou's hungry expression and smiled slightly, saying, "Xiaoyou, eat."
Since Wenren Qi had said so, Qin Xiaoyou didn't stand on ceremony and began to eat heartily, all the while vaguely asking about her background. Wenren Qi elegantly sipped his tea and replied unhurriedly, "Your real name is Qin Qin. As for the rest, I don't know much."
Wenren Qi's words nearly made Qin Xiaoyou's jaw drop. What was going on? What did he mean by "not quite sure"? Could it be that Wenren Qi and Qin Qin weren't even acquainted? Seeing the confusion in Qin Xiaoyou's eyes, Wenren Qi continued to explain, "My father was on good terms with your master. Every two or three years, your master would take you to stay at the manor for a while. But your master never mentioned your background, and I never asked. So, all I know about you is that your name is Qin Qin."
Hearing Wenren Qi's words, Qin Xiaoyou felt as if a flock of crows had flown over her head; the explanation was practically meaningless. However, a crucial figure appeared in Wenren Qi's words: her master. She truly hadn't expected Qin Qin to have a master. Although Qin Xiaoyou was completely unfamiliar with this world, the existence of a master automatically made her a disciple of a reclusive master. Thinking that the body she possessed might have unparalleled lightness skills or some other kind of martial art, Qin Xiaoyou couldn't contain her excitement. She even stopped eating and urged Wenren Qi to quickly take her to the backyard. Qin Xiaoyou's mind raced with calculations, planning to chase everyone away once they reached the backyard, then test what moves the original owner of this body knew, so she'd have a better understanding before facing enemies in the future.
Chapter 5, Under House Arrest
"Miss, for your health's sake, you'd better stay in your room." It was that same phrase again. Qin Xiaoyou felt like she was going crazy. Looking at the two tall, burly bodyguards standing like guardian deities at the door, she swallowed hard, slammed the door shut, put down the vase she'd been carrying, silently berated herself, then opened the door again, flashing a bright smile, and said, "Oh, we're all just trying to make a living, so please be lenient with me, brothers. I promise I'll just walk around in the yard this time, really, you can trust me."
The two burly men exchanged a glance, seeing the same worry in each other's eyes, and then shook their heads together, saying, "No!"
"Why, why, why not?" Qin Xiaoyou persisted, clinging to the doorframe and asking incessantly. The burly man on the left, unable to bear Qin Xiaoyou's incessant nagging any longer, finally spoke up to explain, "Miss, please don't make things difficult for us. Last time you said you'd just walk around in the yard, but..."
"So you pretended to have a stomachache and asked us to inform the landlord. After we left, you tried to escape by climbing over the wall. Luckily, Da Huang was outside the wall flirting with Ahua next door that day, otherwise... sigh, girl, I advise you not to even think about escaping. No matter what, the landlord doesn't mean you any harm. He has his reasons for wanting you to stay in the house. So, girl, please go back!" Qin Xiaoyou was so shocked that her jaw almost dropped as she watched the burly man on her right speak so much without even panting. The burly man on the left wasn't much better off; his eyes were wide with surprise, it seemed that this was also the first time he had heard his companion speak so much.
It's understandable that Qin Xiaoyou was making a fuss. Ever since that day she was tricked and deceived—well, no, that's not fair—actually, Qin Xiaoyou herself insisted on coming to this courtyard. She originally thought this was the back wing, far from Wenren Qi's residence, where she could do whatever she wanted, that it was her domain. Who knew that after only one night of excitement, the next morning when she opened the door, she found two door gods standing there, dutifully blocking her from entering. No matter how much Qin Xiaoyou pleaded, they only said one thing over and over: "The master ordered you not to leave." In the following days, Qin Xiaoyou discovered that the burly man on the left, although fierce-looking, was actually a nice person. Generally, if Qin Xiaoyou asked the same question five times, he would eventually give in and answer. The burly man on the right, however, could completely ignore Qin Xiaoyou's nagging all day long, without even flinching, as if he hadn't heard a thing. Therefore, during the few days that she was under de facto house arrest, this was the first time Qin Xiaoyou had heard the big man say so much.
For a moment, Qin Xiaoyou was probably too shocked to react, and she obediently closed the door and went back to her room. After sitting down at the table and taking a sip of cold tea, Qin Xiaoyou finally realized what she had done. She had actually given up on her ABC escape plan, which she had been painstakingly devising all night. This was truly unbelievable. But since the plan had failed, Qin Xiaoyou stroked her chin, wondering what other way she could get out.
After racking her brains for a long time, still without a clue, Qin Xiaoyou suppressed the urge to smash everything in the room. She took several deep breaths and decided to think carefully about why Wenren Qi had placed her under house arrest. It didn't seem like he suspected her of being an imposter. If Wenren Qi thought she was a fake, shouldn't he be interrogating her now, demanding detailed information about who was behind it all? Why was he treating her so well? Was Wenren Qi planning a trap, waiting for Qin Xiaoyou's companions to rescue her so he could capture them all? But that didn't make sense. If Wenren Qi had that intention, the courtyard should have been surrounded by experts these past few days. Even if Wenren Qi was confident in himself and didn't have so many experts staking out the area, it wouldn't be necessary to have two servants with no martial arts skills, whose only redeeming quality was their burly build, guarding her. Wasn't that practically handing her over for a successful rescue? Of course, that was assuming someone actually came to rescue her.
She thought about it from every angle, but nothing seemed right. Her already messy hair was now practically a bird's nest from all the tugging, but she still couldn't figure out Wenren Qi's purpose in confining her. For money? Unlikely. Wenren Qi owned such a large building; the little money in Qin Xiaoyou's bag shouldn't bother him. For lust? Even less likely. If he had his eye on her, Wenren Qi wouldn't need to confine her. A simple gesture—a bare shoulder, a flirtatious wink—and Qin Xiaoyou would pounce on him like a wolf. But if it wasn't for money or lust, what else could it be? Ah, could it be...?
"Miss Qin, dinner is ready." The maid Xiaoyun came in carrying the food. Upon seeing Qin Xiaoyou's messy hair, she chuckled, then immediately shut up, put down the food, and walked over with a smile to pull Qin Xiaoyou to the dressing table. She quickly combed Qin Xiaoyou's hair, then pushed her to the table and said, "Miss Qin, don't be angry. The master will come to see you tonight. Eat your food first. If you have any questions or want to vent your anger, we can talk about it when the master arrives."
"Huh, Wenren Qi has finally decided to show up?" Already seething with anger, the thought of the culprit who had imprisoned her finally showing up made Qin Xiaoyou grind her teeth so hard that the plate of tofu in front of her suffered as well, being poked and stabbed beyond recognition by her chopsticks.
Looking at the dishes she had brought, Xiaoyun realized that most of them had been ruined by Qin Xiaoyou. To prevent Qin Xiaoyou from finding nothing left to eat after she had finished, Xiaoyun asked her to tell the kitchen to make another serving. Xiaoyun then said, "Miss Qin, you should eat something. That way, you'll have the energy to talk to the host when he comes tonight, right?"
"Oh right, there's another big battle waiting for me tonight." Xiaoyun's words instantly jolted Qin Xiaoyou awake. She remembered that she had important business to attend to that night and needed to eat well and conserve her energy to ensure she could overpower Wenren Qi in terms of momentum and make him realize that no matter what his reasons were for confining her, it was wrong.
With that thought in mind, Qin Xiaoyou's subordinates didn't sit still either, and started eating with great gusto, while Xiaoyun, who was serving them on the side, was stunned.
This is understandable. Ever since Qin Xiaoyou was inexplicably placed under house arrest, she couldn't eat or sleep properly. At first, she thought Wenren Qiguan intended to make her a member of the brothel and work as a prostitute. She was prepared to die rather than comply and even went on a hunger strike for several days in protest. But nothing happened. Regardless of whether she ate or not, three meals a day were still delivered. Gradually, she felt that the hunger strike was pointless. Actually, the main reason was that Qin Xiaoyou couldn't stand the hunger. She gave up after only one day of the hunger strike, thinking that she would have the strength to resist if she was full. But even though she thought that way, being locked up in such a small place all day long would make even the gluttonous lose her appetite. So, although Qin Xiaoyou didn't go on a hunger strike again, she only ate a tiny bit at each meal. But today was different. The thought that Wenren Qi was coming meant that she might, probably, possibly be able to leave this godforsaken place, so she couldn't help but feel great. With a good mood, her appetite naturally improved, and she ate until she was a little stuffed. In doing so, she also gave her maid Xiaoyun, who had been serving her for the past few days, a little fright.
Chapter 6. Miracle Doctor or Charlatan?
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Qin Xiaoyou waved her hand dismissively and said, "That's enough, you can go now. I want to rest for a while." Xiaoyun cleared away the dishes, meekly replied "Yes," and turned to leave. Glancing out of the corner of her eye as Xiaoyun closed the door, Qin Xiaoyou immediately changed from her previous lazy demeanor on the couch to energetically jumping around the room, seemingly searching for something. After a while, Qin Xiaoyou revealed a sly smile, contentedly sitting at the table awaiting Wenren Qi's arrival, muttering to herself, "Just wait and see how I get you."
She waited and waited, but he didn't come. She waited and waited, but he still didn't come. Qin Xiaoyou lost her patience and opened the door, yelling, "You bastards, do you think I'm easy to fool? Didn't you say Wenren Qi was coming tonight? Where is he?" After she yelled, she was met with a deathly silence. Of course, this silence was only possible if you ignored the cicadas that had been chirping all day without stopping.
Qin Xiaoyou rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Yes, it wasn't a dream; there really was only one moon in the sky. Then, Qin Xiaoyou gritted her teeth and pinched her thigh hard. Ouch, that hurt like hell! It seemed it wasn't a dream after all. So, so, what she was seeing was real? Happiness came too suddenly; Qin Xiaoyou was so excited she was shaking like a sieve. She waved her hands wildly in the air for a while before realizing that now was the perfect time to leave. Surprisingly, there weren't those two door gods standing at the entrance; this was the perfect opportunity to escape!
Without hesitation, Qin Xiaoyou ran back to her bedside, grabbed the small bundle full of silver notes that she always kept by her pillow, and prepared to slip away. Before leaving, Qin Xiaoyou took one last, poignant look at the room she had stayed in for ** days, and said with a booming voice, "Damn it! I'm finally leaving you!"
"Leave whom?" This sudden question from behind chilled Qin Xiaoyou's previously fiery heart to the bone. It must be an illusion, a hallucination. After a moment of self-hypnosis, Qin Xiaoyou finally mustered the courage to turn around stiffly. The moment she saw Wenren Qi, her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground in a pathetic fashion. Luckily, there was a stool nearby that allowed her to sit down without looking too embarrassed.
Seeing her odd expression, Wenren Qi took two steps forward and asked with concern, "Xiao You, are you feeling unwell?" Qin Xiao You, clutching her small bundle, leaned back and said stiffly, "No, I feel perfectly fine." In her heart, she was already cursing Wenren Qi to the core. Why did he have to appear at the exact moment Qin Xiao You thought she could escape? The contrast between falling from the clouds of hope to the mud of reality was something only those who had experienced it could understand. Therefore, although Qin Xiao You had previously coveted Wenren Qi's good looks, she wouldn't hold back her curses now. He had blocked her way; no matter how handsome he was, he was going to be blacklisted.
Qin Xiaoyou rolled her eyes and cursed inwardly. Wenren Qi was not idle either. He stepped aside and pulled out a strange man with a full head of white hair and a black beard to introduce to Qin Xiaoyou: "Xiaoyou, this is Mr. Fan, whom I specially invited from the thatched cottage in Jiangnan."
"A thatched cottage in Jiangnan? I'd rather stay in a thatched cottage in Wolong Village!" Qin Xiaoyou muttered, pouting. Wenren Qi didn't hear her clearly and asked, "Xiaoyou, what did you say?" "Hehe, nothing, nothing. I was just saying that Mr. Fan has come all the way from Jiangnan, it must be hard for him." Qin Xiaoyou chuckled as she spoke, observing Mr. Fan's appearance. Seeing that Mr. Fan's lips curled into a seemingly ambiguous smile after hearing her words, Qin Xiaoyou silently raised her guard. This Mr. Fan didn't seem like someone to be trifled with, and besides, he had just overheard her mutterings. She had to be careful.
Seeing Qin Xiaoyou sitting there warily, clutching her bundle like a frightened little rabbit, Wenren Qi smiled and comforted her, "Xiaoyou, don't be nervous. I invited Mr. Fan to take your pulse and also to find out what's wrong with your amnesia. Don't worry, he won't hurt you."
Upon hearing Wenren Qi's words, "I won't hurt you," Qin Xiaoyou wanted to immediately jump up and retort, "If you won't hurt me, why did you put me under house arrest? Do you know how much mental damage this has caused me? You'll have to pay for my mental distress!" However, she then thought that she was still on someone else's turf, and besides, outnumbered, it was best not to act rashly. So, the roar that had been churning in her mind finally came to Qin Xiaoyou's lips as a soft "Mm."
Seeing that Qin Xiaoyou had relaxed and was no longer on high alert, Wenren Qi turned to Mr. Fan and said, "Sir, you may begin."
"Start? Start my ass! It's not like the customer can make a move." Qin Xiaoyou cursed inwardly again, then reluctantly extended her hand for Mr. Fan to take her pulse.
Mr. Fan stroked his beard with one hand and placed the other on Qin Xiaoyou's wrist. On the surface, he appeared to be taking her pulse seriously. However, only Qin Xiaoyou knew that Mr. Fan was actually looking at her with a scrutinizing gaze, as if she were some kind of monster, making Qin Xiaoyou feel uneasy. Fortunately, just as Qin Xiaoyou was about to shake off his hand and run away, Mr. Fan finally withdrew his gaze and began to speak to Wenren Qi in a deliberately profound tone: "Miss Qin's illness has come on rather strangely."
"Oh? I don't know what's strange about it, please enlighten me, sir," Wenren Qi asked.
Mr. Fan stood up and paced back and forth a couple of times, stroking his beard and thinking for a long time before finally speaking as if he had made a great decision: "Miss Qin is not pregnant."
As soon as Mr. Fan finished speaking, Qin Xiaoyou and Wenren Qi both felt an urge to collapse to the ground. So that's what he was trying to find out after taking her pulse for so long! Wenren Qi twitched his lips and said with an unnatural smile, "Xiaoyou is still a virgin; it's perfectly normal for her not to be pregnant." "Is that so?" Mr. Fan asked, drawing out his words, looking at Qin Xiaoyou with a suspicious expression.
This infuriated Qin Xiaoyou. "What did I ever do to you? Why do you keep questioning whether I'm a virgin?" she thought. Forgetting all pretense of modesty, Qin Xiaoyou slammed her bundle on the table, hands on her hips, and roared, "What do you mean by that? What do you mean 'really?'? What does it matter to you whether I'm a virgin or not? Wait, what gives you the right to doubt me? Did I ever have an affair with you?"
Seeing Qin Xiaoyou so angry that she was speaking recklessly and becoming increasingly vulgar, Wenren Qi couldn't help but step forward to pull her back, wanting to remind her to be mindful of her ladylike demeanor. However, Mr. Fan's words instantly struck both Wenren Qi and Qin Xiaoyou like a thunderbolt. Mr. Fan said, "Of course, we did have a past."
The news was so shocking and sudden that Qin Xiaoyou never expected her casual remark to become a reality. At this moment, she really wanted to drag the original owner of this body out and give him a good scolding. Who did she have to befriend? Of all people, she had to choose such a strange doctor! And now, he's come knocking on her door! What was she going to do? Was she supposed to marry him to protect the reputation of the original owner of this body? Just thinking about that possibility sent shivers down Qin Xiaoyou's spine. It was disgusting.
To avoid this possibility, Qin Xiaoyou decided to rely on her amnesia and deny everything, figuring Mr. Fan wouldn't be able to produce any evidence anyway. With this in mind, Qin Xiaoyou finally felt a little more confident and forced a half-smile, saying, "Mr. Fan, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. What you're saying puts my reputation, as a young woman, in jeopardy?"
Upon hearing this, Wenren Qi also said, "I have known Mr. Fan for so long, but I did not know that you had such a humorous side. However, this matter concerns Xiaoyou's reputation, so it would be better if you did not make a joke about it."
"I apologize for my rudeness, Young Master Wenren and Miss Qin." This Mr. Fan was truly strange. Hearing Qin Xiaoyou and Wenren Qi's words, he didn't argue, but instead apologized so readily. However, Qin Xiaoyou didn't have the mind to investigate why he changed his mind so quickly, because that damned Mr. Fan had told Wenren Qi that he couldn't diagnose Qin Xiaoyou's illness in the short term and needed a few days to figure it out. This "figure it out" meant that Qin Xiaoyou would have to stay in the room for the next few days so that Mr. Fan could consult her at any time. If he couldn't diagnose her condition within a day, she wouldn't be able to leave the room.
As Wenren Qi and Mr. Fan were about to disappear at the courtyard gate, Qin Xiaoyou, unwilling to give up, cursed at Mr. Fan's back: "You old charlatan who doesn't understand medicine and only knows how to talk nonsense! What kind of divine doctor are you? I think it's all just empty fame you made up!" After saying that, as if she was still not satisfied, she picked up a small stone and threw it at Mr. Fan, but she missed him and Mr. Fan caught the stone steadily in his hand.
Chapter 7. The Jade Flute Prince Appears Again
"Damn it, when I travel back in time, I'm going to become a little cloth doll and prick you ten or eight times a day, let's see how arrogant you are then." Judging from this powerful and unique way of cursing, it's obvious that Qin Xiaoyou said this.
At this moment, Wenren Qi and Mr. Fan strolled over through the flowers and willows, only to find Qin Xiaoyou with her legs propped up on a bench, eating grapes while unceremoniously berating Mr. Fan. Wenren Qi smiled slightly awkwardly at Mr. Fan and said, "Xiaoyou is just like that, please forgive her, sir." Mr. Fan stroked his beard and replied with a smile, "If I took such a small thing to heart, I would have been driven mad long ago." After saying this, the two of them gave a fake laugh and continued walking forward.
As they were almost upon each other, Qin Xiaoyou remained completely oblivious. Wenren Qi couldn't help but cough twice, trying to get her attention. Unfortunately, Qin Xiaoyou was completely absorbed in the thrill of torturing Mr. Fan with all sorts of cruel methods, utterly deaf to any outside noise. Left with no other choice, Wenren Qi had to call out, "Xiaoyou." This call startled Qin Xiaoyou so much that she stumbled and fell off the stool.
Rubbing her sore bottom, Qin Xiaoyou yelled angrily at Wenren Qi, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? You only called me when you were right in front of me! You know that's terrifying!" Wenren Qi felt extremely wronged by Qin Xiaoyou's accusations. He had clearly coughed, but she hadn't heard him. However, before Wenren Qi could speak up in his defense, Mr. Fan, who was standing nearby, spoke up first, saying very seriously, "Miss Qin, that's very unfair of you. Young Master Wenren did inform you well in advance, but you were so engrossed in scolding me that you didn't hear him at all."
Hearing Mr. Fan's words, Qin Xiaoyou realized that the two men had overheard her outburst of profanities. Normally, Qin Xiaoyou should be blushing, head bowed in embarrassment, looking like a guilty thief caught in the act. Unfortunately, despite the "normal" scenario, Qin Xiaoyou was never one to play by the rules. She half-closed her eyes, scrutinized Mr. Fan from head to toe, and slowly but defiantly said, "So what if I cursed you?"
"Hehe, if Miss Qin thinks that scolding me will relieve your condition, I don't mind if you scold me a few more times," Mr. Fan said in a very sincere and serious tone. These words made Qin Xiaoyou feel like she was about to choke on her own blood. She was so angry she wanted to bite her teeth. Mr. Fan was clearly implying that she had mental problems; otherwise, how could her condition improve just by scolding someone? But she couldn't think of anything to say back, so in the end, Qin Xiaoyou could only snort and turn away, ignoring him.
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit tense, Wenren Qi stepped forward to comfort her, saying, "Xiao You, Mr. Fan's joke yesterday was not malicious, so don't keep it in mind. This morning, he said he has some clues about your condition and wants to come and take your pulse again."
"Hmph, taking my pulse? That sounds nice, but he's just taking advantage of me! Brother Wenren, I don't want this old lecher to examine me! Get him out of here!" Just thinking about how Mr. Fan might have some kind of ambiguous relationship with the original owner of this body made Qin Xiaoyou panic. What if he was an enemy or an old flame? Either way, it would be troublesome, so the most urgent thing was to get him out of her sight as quickly as possible. So, Qin Xiaoyou disregarded her anger at Wenren Qi for confining her and put on a sweet, cloying voice, calling out "Brother Wenren," pleading with him to quickly send this plague of a Mr. Fan back where he'd invited him.
However, no one knows what kind of spell Mr. Fan cast on Wenren Qi, because Wenren Qi completely ignored Qin Xiaoyou's eyes, which were blinking so hard they were almost cramping, and politely said to Mr. Fan, "I'll trouble you to take care of Xiaoyou's illness, sir. I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."
"Young Master Wenren, rest assured. Now that I'm here, I will do my utmost to treat Miss Qin," said Mr. Fan.
"In that case, I'll trouble you, sir." After exchanging pleasantries again, Wenren Qi gave Qin Xiaoyou a reassuring look before turning and leaving. Qin Xiaoyou had originally intended to follow Wenren Qi; she didn't want to share a room with this strange man—it was simply too terrifying. However, before she could even step out the door, Mr. Fan picked her up like a chick and dragged her back into the room, conveniently slamming the door shut with his foot.
Qin Xiaoyou clutched her clothes tightly, backing away step by step. Mr. Fan, a smile playing on his lips, pressed closer. The scene resembled a little white rabbit facing a big bad wolf, and this wolf was even taking off his clothes as he walked. Finally, when Mr. Fan was down to his undergarments, Qin Xiaoyou couldn't help but shout, "Stop taking them off! I'm going to throw up if you take any more off!" Mr. Fan was startled, then stopped what he was doing, gave Qin Xiaoyou a deep look, and then grabbed her sleeve, saying in a tone of infinite resentment, "Girl, how cruel you are! That night you clearly said you liked my body, that you wanted to redeem me and live happily ever after with me, how come you're starting to despise me today?"
Seeing a burly man with a full beard tugging at her sleeve, acting all coquettish and persistent, Qin Xiaoyou's heart trembled. It was terrifying, utterly terrifying—more terrifying than watching a horror movie in the middle of the night. Seeing that Qin Xiaoyou didn't react, Mr. Fan leaned closer, blew a warm breath into her ear, and said in a suggestive tone, "It's only been a few days, how could you forget me so quickly? You heartless wretch."
As soon as Mr. Fan finished speaking, Qin Xiaoyou, unable to bear the disgust any longer, decisively bent her knees and rammed into Mr. Fan's private parts. Seeing that he had finally left her side, Qin Xiaoyou took deep breaths of air and suddenly felt a sense of freedom.
However, Mr. Fan was not in a good mood. His face turned from white to green, especially after seeing Qin Xiaoyou's completely unrepentant attitude and her lack of understanding of the consequences of her collision. He gritted his teeth and said, "I was so kind to save you, and you not only forgot me, but also repaid kindness with enmity."
"Hey uncle, I didn't ask you to save me, it was all your own wishful thinking. Besides, I don't think there's anything wrong with staying here, who needs your help?" Qin Xiaoyou, having caught her breath, put one foot on the edge of the bed and said in a very roguish manner.
"Really? You really think this place is good?" After hearing Qin Xiaoyou's words, Mr. Fan calmed down and asked seriously.
"Of course, with food and drink, I'm happy." Although she was thinking about escaping all the time, she would rather stay in this small room than go with this strange man, so Qin Xiaoyou stubbornly refused to admit it.
“Sigh, I only came to save you because of our one night together, but it turns out I, Bai Yuxiao, was just being presumptuous. Oh well, since you feel this place is unsuitable, I won’t interfere any further.” With that, Mr. Fan began to slowly pluck off his beard and eyebrows as if by magic, then peeled off the thin layer of skin covering his face. Upon seeing the face hidden beneath the mask, Qin Xiaoyou leaped into Mr. Fan’s arms, clinging to him tightly, saying, “You should have said so earlier! I wouldn’t have stomped so hard! Why did you make yourself look like this? I can’t even recognize you! Let’s go, let’s go, take me away quickly! I don’t want to stay in this awful place for another second.”
Seeing the person's dramatic change, Mr. Fan, or rather, Young Master Bai Yuxiao, twitched his lips speechlessly. After forcefully pulling the person off him, he calmly asked, "But I just heard someone say that she really likes this place and doesn't want to come with me."
"Hey, Bai Yuxiao, stop 'reaching'! If you want to take me away, hurry up, or I won't redeem you!" Looking at the first face she saw upon opening her eyes in this world, Qin Xiaoyou instantly felt like she had found family. Good or bad, he was handsome enough as long as she could escape this awful place. She felt like she was about to suffocate if she didn't get some fresh air soon.
Bai Yuxiao blinked her long, narrow, almond-shaped eyes and asked, "Are you really determined to come with me?"
"Oh, really? Why are you being so long-winded? If you're going to leave, hurry up. Once that Wenren Qi guy comes back, we won't be able to leave." Qin Xiaoyou urged impatiently while packing her things.
Ignoring Qin Xiaoyou's urgency, Bai Yuxiao lowered her long eyelashes and continued to ask, "But you don't even know who I am."
Qin Xiaoyou turned around impatiently, grabbed Bai Yuxiao by the collar and said, "How come I don't know who you are? Aren't you the top courtesan of Chunfeng Yidu Pavilion, Yuxiao Gongzi?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Yuxiao looked up and smiled brightly, saying, "Yes, I am Yuxiao, the top courtesan of Chunfeng Yidu Pavilion. I just wonder how much silver you plan to offer to bribe me to run away with you?"
"No money, but I have a person. Take it or leave it!" Qin Xiayou replied gruffly.
Bai Yuxiao's eyes shifted, and he gazed at her affectionately, saying, "Although it feels a bit of a loss not to have any money, it's good to have someone around."
"Then why aren't you leaving yet?"