Chapter 16 Today, he seems particularly handsome…

At night, Gu Fan was serving Fu Jizhou before bed. As he lifted the bed curtains, Fu Jizhou was sitting at the table, lost in thought. Gu Fan couldn’t help but call out to him: “Young Master…”

Fu Jizhou came back to his senses and picked up the sour milk pastry from the table, walking towards the bed.

“Young Master, this…” Gu Fan was somewhat troubled. The outer layer of the sour milk pastry was deep-fried. Although it was wrapped in delicate oiled paper and likely wouldn’t stain the bed, eating in bed was still improper. “Are you hungry? Gu Fan will have the kitchen prepare a bowl of white fungus soup right away.”

Fu Jizhou shook his head and put down the item in his hand: “I was just distracted earlier and grabbed the wrong thing.”

Fu Jizhou was still young, and it was not uncommon for young ladies and gentlemen his age to be fond of snacks. So Gu Fan didn’t take his words entirely seriously and instead advised: “Gu Fan has heard of that pastry shop. Their pastries are considered one of the best in Wejing. It’s only natural that you like them. In the future, if you want to eat them, just tell the young lady. She will surely bring some back for you.”

Fu Jizhou turned his head to look at him, a hint of expectation hidden in his eyes as he parted his lips slightly: “Really?”

Gu Fan put down the bed curtains in his hand and stepped forward to smooth out the quilts and brocade blankets on the bed. With his back to Fu Jizhou, he said: “Of course. Gu Fan has watched the young lady grow up, and she has never been this good to anyone before. Since you arrived, the young lady seems much more sensible than before.” Gu Fan chuckled lightly, “It seems the young lady knows it’s time to grow up.”

Detecting the teasing tone in his words, Fu Jizhou’s ear tips turned red. He lay down without a word and closed his eyes, his raven-black hair spreading like flowing clouds on the pillow.

Seeing his embarrassment, Gu Fan smiled faintly and stepped back, instructing the servants to blow out the candles and telling the night watchman to keep guard in the outer chamber, staying alert and not falling into deep sleep.

Hearing the commotion outside gradually subside, Fu Jizhou slowly opened his eyes. Thinking of what Wen Ru had said during the day and what Gu Fan had just said, he felt alternately anxious and hopeful.

He vaguely felt that a little voice in his heart was saying: “Isn’t everything since coming to the Wen mansion proof enough of Wen Ru’s kindness towards you? Why are you so uneasy?”

Another voice said: “Haven’t you seen enough of how fickle people’s hearts can be? Moreover, with the marriage contract in question now, is Wen Ru’s kindness towards you as a future husband or as a cousin and relative? How can you tell the difference?”

Torment.

Unbearable torment.

He couldn’t help but clutch the brocade blanket tightly, his mind suddenly flashing back to the scene from earlier in the day – Wen Ru lying face down on the brocade blanket, half her face buried, pretending to be pitiful in front of him.

He wanted it.

He wanted it very much.

But the brocade blanket he was clutching now was not the one from earlier today. Although Gu Fan hadn’t seen Wen Ru lying on his brocade blanket, he had seen the blanket being taken out and spread on the arhat bed. Suspecting it might have gathered dust from outside, he had taken it upon himself to change it. Fu Jizhou wanted to stop him but felt too embarrassed to speak up.

In that moment of hesitation, he could only watch helplessly as the brocade blanket was replaced and taken away for washing.

It shouldn’t be like this.

It can’t be like this.

Cold sweat beaded on Fu Jizhou’s temples as he feared that if things continued this way, he would eventually be left with nothing.

He couldn’t leave it to fate, shouldn’t just let things take their course. The marriage contract was shaken because of him, and it should be him who stabilizes it again. He wouldn’t let go.

*

The Hengxue Courtyard was still brightly lit.

Wen Ru sat at her desk, organizing the articles Fu Jizhou had helped her copy. She sighed inwardly: The little villain is truly a meticulous person. Each stroke was so precise, as if trying to match the printed original exactly. If only he had written more casually, how much effort could have been saved.

“Young Lady, aren’t you going to rest yet?” Hua Ting entered from the outer room to remind her, “You still have classes tomorrow.”

“Mm, I know.” Wen Ru straightened the papers in her hand, rolled them into a bundle, tied them with a purple ribbon, and placed them carefully aside before standing up to follow Hua Ting to wash up.

“Young Lady, the day after tomorrow, the young master will be going to study at Zhulan Pavilion,” Hua Ting wrung out a hot towel and handed it to her, “There are many people in the outer courtyard with loose tongues. Since the young master has just arrived, if it’s convenient for you, why don’t you go together?”

Zhulan Pavilion was next to Mingli Academy, and not everyone coming and going was from their household. He didn’t want anyone to thoughtlessly offend Fu Jizhou.

After all, he was to be the young lady’s future husband. In Hua Ting’s eyes, that meant he bore the young lady’s mark as her own person. Offending Fu Jizhou would be like bullying their own young lady, which Hua Ting naturally wouldn’t allow.

“Mm.” Wen Ru responded vaguely, thinking to herself: With the little villain’s submissive nature, wouldn’t he get bullied if he went out? “Can he bring a personal attendant to Zhulan Pavilion?”

“Yes, he can,” Hua Ting understood and wanted to smile, but fearing the young lady’s displeasure, he dared not do so openly, “When the time comes, Gu Fan will accompany him.”

Hearing this, Wen Ru, who had been focused on washing up, felt somewhat relieved. Although Gu Fan had a good temper, he was still one of the top stewards in the household and could shield Fu Jizhou from some trouble.

The next morning, Wen Ru was woken up by Hua Ting. She clung to her warm blanket, unwilling to wake up. It was just the Chen hour, seven o’clock, a perfect time for sleeping in. She didn’t want to get up; the literature class was too early. She didn’t want to go anymore. She knew all those articles already, and even if she didn’t, she would learn them eventually. She really didn’t want to get up.

“Young Lady, the young master is here—” Hua Ting stood by the bed and said softly.

Wrapped in her blanket and frowning as she tried to stay in bed, Wen Ru suddenly opened her eyes, slightly dazed: “Who?”

“The young master, Fu Dalang Jun,” Hua Ting explained from the outer room, “He said you dropped something in his courtyard yesterday. Fearing you might need it for class, he brought it over before you left for the academy.”

“Ah? What did I drop? Why didn’t he just send a servant to deliver it?” Wen Ru had no choice but to climb out of bed. After quickly running her fingers through her hair like a comb, she lifted the bed curtains herself and walked out.

Hua Ting smiled as he stepped forward with today’s clothes, helping her dress and then leading her to the dressing table to carefully groom her: “Hua Ting doesn’t know. The young master is sitting in the outer room, so Hua Ting came in to wake you.”

Alright then.

When Wen Ru was finally ready and stepped out of the inner room, she immediately saw Fu Jizhou sitting at the round table in the outer room.

He was wearing an indigo-colored silk robe with dark trousers today, covered by a light, smoke-colored gauze outer garment. At his waist was the jade lock she had given him. Instead of his usual headband, he wore a matching jade crown, which was rare. His visible profile seemed somewhat cold, with lowered brows and eyes, lost in thought.

Perhaps it was the dim light, or because Wen Ru was still not fully awake, but for a moment she thought she saw an immortal. The only shortcoming was that this immortal was still young, his ability to bewitch not yet fully developed. Wen Ru snapped out of her daze after a brief moment.

Today, he seemed particularly handsome.

Hearing the sound, Fu Jizhou stood up and walked towards her with light steps. As soon as he got close, he grabbed the hem of Wen Ru’s sleeve and looked up at her with smiling eyes: “You left your book at my place yesterday.”

Wen Ru wanted to say that the book was bought for copying and could be left there, but—

Fu Jizhou’s eyes were slightly upturned at the corners, they should have been phoenix eyes, but the entire area around his eyes was rather round, giving him a much more coquettish and innocent look. In modern terms, it would be called “pure yet seductive.”

Being looked at by such a pair of eyes, looking up at her, looking at her so clearly, so intently, Wen Ru couldn’t bring herself to say what she had intended. In the end, she could only say properly: “Thank you for bringing it over so early in the morning.”

Fu Jizhou tugged at Wen Ru’s sleeve, shaking his head lightly, his voice soft and low: “It’s no trouble. Bringing a book to Jinyi is no trouble at all.”