But if he doesn't leave, he can't be alone with the beauty, which is really infuriating.
"Brother!" Accompanied by a pretty, familiar female voice, a woman in a rouge-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) walked over slowly.
Shen Lixue was taken aback. How did she end up on the pleasure boat too?
"Youlan, when did you arrive?" Li Fan looked at Li Youlan, his eyes lighting up, and he smiled meaningfully. His younger sister was most skilled in using poison. She could definitely help him get rid of that guy surnamed Chu and let him be alone with Chu Youran.
"Just now, my friends and I were boating on the lake when we saw you on the pleasure boat, so we came over to check on you. This must be Miss Chu." Li Youlan smiled as she looked at Chu Youran.
"Miss Li!" Chu Youran met Li Youlan's appraising gaze with a slight smile and a polite nod.
Chu Youran smiled. Her best friend had heard that Li Fan and his fiancée were on the pleasure boat, so she urged her to come and see her future sister-in-law. Chu Youran was beautiful, gentle, elegant, polite, and humble. Such a woman was worthy of her older brother. She could show off to her best friends when she got back.
His gaze shifted to Shen Lixue, only to see her rubbing her temples, her small hand obscuring most of her face, making it impossible to see her features: "And who is this?"
"This is Young Master Chu, You Ran's elder brother!" Li Fan explained, looking at Shen Lixue with 'concern': "Young Master Chu, what's wrong?"
"I think I drank too much and have a headache!" Shen Lixue's voice was hoarse, and her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she was in great discomfort.
"Big brother, how are you?" Chu Youran touched Shen Lixue's forehead with concern, her eyes full of anxiety: "If you are feeling unwell, let's go back and see a doctor."
Li Fan was startled. He had finally managed to arrange a date with this beauty, and he hadn't even had a chance to touch her. How could he let her go? "The wine from the Qionghua wine is quite strong, but it's nothing serious. Drink some soup to sober up, rest a bit, and you'll be fine!"
"Young Master, Young Master Chu, Miss Chu!" A servant brought over three bowls of sweet soup and placed them in front of Shen Lixue, Chu Youran, and Li Fan respectively. The sweet aroma was mouthwatering.
Taking advantage of Shen Lixue and Chu Youran's inattention, Li Fan quickly gave Li Youlan a wink.
Li Youlan frowned, not quite approving of her elder brother's behavior. Chu Youran would be his sooner or later, so why was he in such a hurry?
Looking to the side, he saw Chu Youran caring for Shen Lixue. Her eyes and actions were truly filled with concern, worry, and anxiety. She didn't even glance at Li Fan, nor did she seem to want to ask him for help. It seemed that this young lady of the Chu family had no interest in his elder brother.
My older brother really likes her. With the elders around, no matter what happens, he will definitely marry Chu Youran. I'll help him this once.
Her gaze darkened, and with a flick of her slender fingers, she quickly added something to Shen Lixue's sweet soup.
Li Fan didn't see what Li Youlan did, but he saw her gaze turn serious one second and her eyes brighten the next. He knew that she had succeeded. With her eyes sparkling, she took the first sip of the sweet soup. The sweet aroma filled her mouth, and she exclaimed with great relish, "It tastes sweet and refreshing, and it also helps with hangovers. Young Master Chu, please try it!"
"Really?" Shen Lixue rubbed her temples with one hand, picked up the sweet soup with the other, and took a sip under Li Fan's overly expectant gaze: "It does taste quite good!"
Li Fan smiled, a smug smile, but in that smile he saw Shen Lixue's expression suddenly change, beads of cold sweat appearing on her forehead, her hand clutching her stomach, her brows furrowed as she said, "You two chat, I'll go to the cabin."
"What's wrong with Young Master Chu?" Li Fan asked with feigned ignorance, though inwardly he was overjoyed.
"Maybe she ate something wrong!" Shen Lixue said urgently. As she turned to leave, she secretly squeezed Chu Youran's hand and gave her a wink.
Chu Youran understood and nodded almost imperceptibly.
Watching Shen Lixue flee quickly into the distance, Li Fan almost burst out laughing with smug satisfaction. That Chu fellow has absolutely no sense of judgment, so he'll give him some croton seeds to help him improve his eyesight. There are quite a few croton seeds in there; it'll take him at least half an hour to poop.
Turning to look at the beautiful and elegant Chu Youran, Li Fan's eyes sparkled, and a smug smile played on his lips. He could finally be alone with the beauty, whispering secrets and doing private things.
After disembarking from the deck, Shen Lixue did not rush to the purification room. Instead, she slowly stopped, her calm gaze and composed face showing no trace of the pain from her stomachache.
She reached into her sleeve, took out a white silk handkerchief, and gently wiped her lips. Her gaze was cold as ice. She had already seen the little interaction between Li Youlan and Li Fan. She didn't drink a single drop of the sweet soup, only touching her lips with it as a gesture.
It is only proper to reciprocate, so Li Fan and his sister conspired to give her croton oil, and she had to give them something in return.
A strange smile appeared on Shen Lixue's lips as she turned around and quietly glanced at Li Fan and his sister on the deck.
Under Li Fan's constant prompting, Li Youlan frowned, turned around, and slowly walked to the side, seemingly preparing to leave Huafei to accompany her good friend.
Li Fan quickly straightened his clothes, revealed what he thought was a charming smile, and slowly walked towards Chu Youran: "Youran!" His voice was gentle and pleasant, with a hint of allure.
“Young Master Li!” Chu Youran stood up, smiling slightly, and subtly stepped back, distancing herself from Li Fan. His behavior was too frivolous, and she didn’t want to get too close to him.
“We are already engaged, so there’s no need to be so polite. Just call me Afan.” With only the two of them on the deck, Li Fan no longer suppressed his feelings, his eyes flashing with intense lust as he approached Chu Youran step by step.
Chu Youran retreated slowly, step by step, glancing furtively in the direction where Shen Lixue had disappeared, and said coldly, "Young Master Li, please have some self-respect!"
"We're getting married soon, why is Youran keeping me at arm's length?" Li Fan smiled smugly, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. His eyes gleamed with lust. Chu Youran was the daughter of a high-ranking official, and her parents had a good relationship. He couldn't go too far, but holding her hand and kissing her lips should still be possible.
On the wooden ladder below the deck, Shen Lixue saw that Li Fan's back was mostly to her. Her gaze sharpened, and with a flick of her slender fingers, a silver needle shot swiftly towards Li Fan's acupoint.
The silver light entered his acupoint, and Li Fan, who was about to steal a kiss, suddenly felt a numbness in his body. The scenery before his eyes blurred instantly, his thoughts became chaotic, and his mind was completely out of control. His adoring gaze was fixed on Chu Youran, and he suddenly pounced on her, uttering words of love: "I love you!"
Chu Youran suddenly turned around, avoiding Li Fan, her brows furrowed, and ran quickly towards Li Youlan. Her clear, panicked voice echoed across the entire clear lake: "Help! Help!"
A warm breeze blew gently, carrying Chu Youran's cries for help far and wide. Guests on several nearby pleasure boats, who were writing poems, sipping tea, and watching songs and dances, were all drawn to the scene: "What happened?"
"It's too far away, we can't see clearly. Move the pleasure boat closer!" Noble young men can write poems and lyrics, drink tea and watch dances anytime, but this excitement only lasts for a fixed period of time. If you miss it, you'll never see it again. Put everything else aside for now, watching the excitement is the priority.
As a result, four or five luxurious pleasure boats simultaneously sped up and moved closer.
Li Youlan walked very slowly, while Li Fan was so impatient. Therefore, when the incident occurred, Chu Youran was not far from Li Youlan and quickly ran up behind her.
"Help!" Chu Youran's clear cries for help grew closer and closer. Li Youlan frowned. Her elder brother was truly useless. His urgent plea had frightened Chu Youran, and he couldn't even calm her down. If this matter were to spread, the Prime Minister's Mansion would be utterly disgraced.
A fragrant aroma wafted over, and hurried footsteps were close at hand. Li Youlan turned around, intending to stop Chu Youran, but saw Chu Youran cleverly turn around, avoiding her interception, revealing Li Fan behind her with lustful eyes.
Li Fan ran too fast and couldn't stop. He pounced straight at her. Li Youlan couldn't dodge in time and was knocked to the ground. Her back hit the hard deck hard, and her face contorted in pain. She cursed silently, "Damn it."
He pounced on the wrong person, but instead of sitting up, Li Fan pressed down on her with bloodshot eyes, his hands groping haphazardly over her body, his breath reeking of alcohol as he moved closer to her lips, muttering, "I like you, I like you!"
"Big brother, look carefully, it's me, Youlan!" The strong smell of alcohol hit her face. Li Youlan frowned and slapped Li Fan hard, causing half of his face to swell up instantly.
But Li Fan didn't stop; instead, he became even more frantic, tearing at Li Youlan's clothes.
No, my brother's reaction is wrong!