Chu Liuyue’s tone was sincere, and she appeared to be serious and determined.
One look at her, and Mu Qinghe knew that she was serious about moving out. As he drummed his fingers against the table, he said, “You have no friends and relatives in Xi Ling, nor do you know many people here. Isn’t it more convenient to stay here? With the Mu Residence backing you, you’ll be spared a lot of trouble.”
Chu Liuyue hurriedly explained, “Lieutenant Mu, being outsiders, we’d just be imposing on you if we carry on staying here—”
“Even though my residence can’t be compared to those of prestigious families, I’m more than capable of supporting the two of you.” At that, Mu Qinghe shot her a meaningful look.
Ah, he hasn’t forgotten about the 90,000 white crystals I spent previously… Chu Liuyue let out an awkward cough. “…I appreciate your goodwill, Lieutenant Mu, but… I owe you a lot already. I really don’t wish to disturb you any further…”
Despite her tactful approach, everyone present could tell that her mind was set.
While Mu Qinghe fell into deep thought with his eyelids lowered, Chu Liuyue remained silent as she waited for his reply.
The pin-drop silence in the hall was deafening.
After a while, Mu Qinghe rose to his feet. “Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t stop you from doing so. But do know that you’ll no longer enjoy the benefits you had while staying here the moment you leave.”
He walked a couple of steps before stopping and adding, “I’ll give you 10,000 white crystals for emergency purposes.”
His willingness to help her despite her insistence on leaving surprised Chu Liuyue a lot. She hurriedly said, “Thank you for your goodwill, Lieutenant Mu, but I can’t accept this money.”
Mu Qinghe eyed her suspiciously. Given how fast she spent my money previously, 10,000 white crystals wouldn’t even be enough to last her for a few days. Yet, she’s refusing them? Is she planning to starve herself?
Chu Liuyue could naturally tell what was on his mind, and her eyes curved as she said, “Don’t worry. Young Master Jian promised to give me a portion of his winnings from betting on me. That money should be able to last me for quite some time.”
A frigid look flashed across Mu Qinghe’s face before he left wordlessly.
A slight frown settled on Chu Liuyue’s forehead as she watched Mu Qinghe leave. For some reason, I have this feeling that he’s somewhat upset.
However, this thought disappeared in no time because she reckoned that a busy man like him wouldn’t have the time to care about trivial matters like where she was going to stay.
She then looked at Duan Ziyu. “It’s getting late now, so Little Zhou and I will have to impose on you for just one more night before we leave tomorrow.”
What else can I say to that? It’s clear that Lieutenant Mu wants her to stay; otherwise, he wouldn’t have said all those things. I don’t know if she really couldn’t understand what he was saying or if she was just acting dumb when she refused him so flatly.
“Be my guest.” Duan Ziyu took his leave after that.
Thus, Chu Liuyue returned to the small courtyard with Qiang Wanzhou.
“It’s been tough on you for the past few days of the competition. Go get some rest tonight. We still have to go to Xin Li Garden tomorrow.” She then headed toward her room.
But just as she was about to step inside, Qiang Wanzhou suddenly said, “He must’ve offended you before.”
She looked back and shot him a curious glance. “Pardon?”
He stared squarely at her. “Otherwise, there’s no reason why he’d look so guilty when facing you.”
Her expression froze for a moment before she curled her lips. The smile, however, didn’t reach her eyes as a cold, complicated look flashed across them. “You got it wrong. It wasn’t directed at me, nor was it guilt.”
After saying that, she turned around and entered her room, leaving Qiang Wanzhou standing there in confusion for a long while.
I’ve always been astute to people’s emotions, so why did she say that? Did I… really get it wrong? Qiang Wanzhou couldn’t come up with an answer even after pondering for some time, so he decided to put it aside and go back to his room instead.
…
The night silently passed on just like that.
Early the next morning, Chu Liuyue went to bid Mu Qinghe goodbye after waking up and packing her belongings but was told by Duan Ziyu that the lieutenant had already left the house. Thus, she simply left with Qiang Wanzhou without saying farewell.
Although the Wan Zheng Competition had ended, there was still a buzz going on in the city. Many people recognized the duo as they walked on the streets.
It was inevitable because the two of them had very unique presences and appearances, making them stand out in the crowd.
Nevertheless, nobody dared to approach them, and everyone very wisely stayed clear of their path.
As they got closer to Xin Li Garden, there were fewer and fewer people around them.
Chu Liuyue noticed that there were Black Guards stationed around when she reached the end of a street and led Qiang Wanzhou forward.
The security was clearly much tighter than before, which showed that the people who were coming today were all of extraordinary statuses.
Guarding the entrance of Xin Li Garden were two elders from the royal family, which further affirmed her guess.
Chu Liuyue calmly went up to them.
Even though the two elders recognized the two youngsters, they only let them pass after conducting a stringent check.
A pageboy then approached them. “Please follow me.”
Chu Liuyue and Qiang Wanzhou nodded and followed him. She asked, “May I know where we’re heading to now?”
The pageboy replied, “Thousand View Garden.”
Surprised, her footsteps halted for a moment, which earned her a curious look from Qiang Wanzhou.
She quickly returned to her usual state. I can’t believe we’re being taken there…
“The purplish-gold Buddha leaf is located in that direction!” the legendary three-eyed eagle suddenly said to her.
