At night, the atmosphere in the private room at the back of Wangji Building was a little subtle. Everyone could see that Xi Wen was deliberately making things difficult for Yu Shu by asking Xue Rui to toast wine to her, but it was not easy to persuade her. Who would have thought that Yu Shu would drink to her heart's content? She did not show weakness and offered a whole jar of Huadiao wine to Xi Wen, making things difficult for her instead.
The group of people at the table stared at each other and saw that Xi Wen's expression was a little ugly. As the elder brother, Liu Jiong was the first to speak. He coughed and stood in front of Xi Wen. He smiled and said to Yu Shu, "Xi Wen's body is not good and can't handle alcohol. How about I drink this jar of wine on behalf of Miss Lianfang? "
One sentence had two meanings. On one hand, Liu Jiong reminded Yu Shu of his identity, and on the other hand, he found an excuse to step down. In fact, he was telling Yu Shu to stop before going too far, and he wanted her to take advantage of the situation.
If Yu Shu was tactful enough and pushed the boat with the current, she could give face to the heir and everyone would be happy.
However, Yu Shu looked at Liu Jiong drunkenly and held the jar of wine in her arms. She shook her head and said with a naive face, "I'm afraid that won't do. If the heir wants to drink wine, he has to win the lantern riddles first. It was not easy for me to win this afternoon. Hiccup, the princess had previously rewarded me with many cups of wine and said that she wanted to be close to me. I was really flattered and embarrassed because I could not return the favor. This jar of wine shows my sincerity."
As she spoke, she burped again and actually walked around Liu Jiong with the jar of wine. She went to the other side of Xi Wen and pushed the wine jar forward. She said slowly, "Your Highness, if you don't drink this wine today, it means that you don't appreciate my kindness and look down on me."
Yu Shu's words were very sincere, but Xi Wen gritted her teeth when she heard it. She really looked down on Yu Shu, but she couldn't openly show it. Otherwise, if she showed her pettiness in front of this table of people, how could she have the face to interact with them in the future?
Liu Jiong looked at the unappreciative Yu Shu and frowned. He wanted to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by a faint voice, "Your Highness, this jar of wine can be drunk by my sister, but your sister can't? If this is the case, don't bring her next time we get together. It will spoil the fun."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone at the table was able to discern that Xue Rui was slightly angry. Well, it was Xi Wen who targeted Yu Lianfang at the beginning and bullied Yu Lianfang. Fortunately, Yu Lianfang was sensible and was still grinning up until now. If it was any other young girl, her eyes would have probably turned red long ago.
Now that Yu Lianfang had drunk the wine, everyone at the table could see that she drank the entire jar. They couldn't help but admire her magnanimity. When it was Xi Wen's turn, if she reneged on her debt, wouldn't it be obvious that she was bullying others?
It was fine if she wanted to bully others, but this Yu Lianfang was clearly brought here by Xue Rui. He had asked everyone to take care of her in advance. If she bullied his people, how could he be happy? If any of them helped to persuade her, wouldn't it be obvious that they were making things difficult for Xue Rui?
Everyone understood this logic, and Yu Shu understood it even more. She first had the 'reason', and then she had the 'affection', so she unscrupulously forced Xi Wen to drink the wine. She knew that Xi Wen would have to drink even if she didn't want to!
"Fine, I'll drink!"
Xi Wen saw that Xue Rui was protecting an outsider, and that no one at the table was speaking up for her. She was so angry that her eyes turned red. She snatched the jar of wine from Yu Shu's hands and raised her head to gulp it down. However, because she drank too quickly, she accidentally choked and coughed violently, spilling the wine. Xie Miaoyun, who was beside her, hurriedly went to help her, but she knocked him away with her elbow and forced herself to drink the entire jar of wine.
"Peng!" Xi Wen heavily placed the empty wine jar on the table and coughed a few more times. She raised her head and looked at Yu Shu with a sorry expression. Her voice was hoarse as she said, "Miss Lianfang toasted me with this jar of wine today. Xi Wen will remember it."
Yu Shu coldly snorted. If this little girl wanted to remember a grudge, then let her. She was afraid of poverty, death, and boredom, but she wasn't afraid of trouble!
Grinning, as if she didn't hear the meaning behind her words, Yu Shu gave Xi Wen a thumbs up and praised, "Junzhu has a good capacity for alcohol."
Xi Wen clenched her fists in her sleeves. She wanted to open her mouth to regain some face, but her throat was burning hot. Afraid that she would make a fool of herself after drinking, she could only endure her anger and sit back down. Xie Miaoyun hurriedly helped her back, handed her tea, and whispered his concern.
At this time, Yu Shu was almost at her limit. The ten year old wine was really strong. Not long after drinking it, her stomach felt like it was on fire and her head was dizzy. She resisted the urge to vomit, slowly turned around, walked back to her seat, and held onto the edge of the table to sit down.
"Lianfang, are you okay?" Feng Zhaomiao asked in a small voice.
Yu Shu shook her head and didn't dare open her mouth as she was afraid that she would spit out if she spoke another word. When she raised her head, she met Xue Rui's gaze, and when she saw the frown that appeared between his brows, she forced herself to grin at him to indicate that she was fine. Yet she didn't know that this silly appearance of hers caused others to be infuriated and pained.
Liu Jiong saw that things had gotten to this point and ruined the atmosphere. He sighed inwardly and said to ease the situation, "Miss Yu and Xi Wen are both emotional people. Today, you've guessed the riddle of the Lantern Festival and drank wine. You're both drunk. I think it's better to disperse and go back to do your own things. Let Brother Rui clean up the mess. What does Ninth Brother think?"
The Ninth Prince nodded and said, "Let's do it like this."
Xue Rui said, "Okay, let's end it here for today."
So everyone left the table. Xue Rui and Yu Shu stood up to send them off. When they walked to the door, Feng Zhaomiao suddenly said, "Eh? Did you guys forget that His Imperial Highness also won a lantern riddle? We haven't said anything yet. "
Everyone stopped and looked at the Ninth Prince. The latter glanced at them and then his eyes finally fell on Xue Rui and said, "There's no hurry. Let's leave it for now and talk about it next time."
Xue Rui said, "Then next time."
The group of people left the private room. Lin Fu led the way at the front and they walked toward the stairs. The sky was already dark outside. Colorful lanterns were hung at the bottom of the corridor and by the railings. The entire place was filled with colorful lights. The night breeze blew gently and scattered the lanterns. Xue Rui and Yu Shu walked at the back of the crowd.
When they turned the corner and went down the stairs, Yu Shu's legs went weak and she stepped on empty air. She didn't have time to hold on to the railing, but Xue Rui, who was behind her, grabbed her with one hand and put his other arm around her shoulder. He steadily helped her step on the ground.
Xue Rui looked down at Yu Shu who was leaning on his chest. The tip of his nose touched the fragrance of her hair and his eyes darkened.
"Phew." Yu Shu was startled. She turned her head and whispered a word of thanks. After standing firmly, she struggled to get away from Xue Rui's support. She heard him say, "Let me help you."
"It's okay. I can walk by myself." Yu Shu was about to push his hand away when a gust of wind blew past her ear. The hand on her shoulder tightened and said, "Don't force yourself."
Yu Shu blinked her eyes before lowering them right after. She looked at the stairs below and felt dizzy. She had no choice but to allow Xue Rui to hold her arm with one hand and support her back with the other as they walked down the stairs.
Feng Zhaomiao walked to the next floor and inadvertently looked up. From his point of view, he saw the tall Xue Rui holding Yu Shu's slender figure as they walked down. The two people's intimate posture made him stare blankly. There was a lantern on the hanging beam. His sharp eyes saw the expression on Xue Rui's face at this moment. Feng Zhaomiao quickly lowered his head and quickly walked to the front of the crowd. His eyelids twitched. He felt that he had discovered a secret and was flustered.
As soon as they arrived downstairs, Xue Rui let go of Yu Shu. Even if they called each other brother and sister, it was not too polite. It would not be good for her if other people saw them.
There were many people in the front building. Lin Fu brought this group of noble people to the door of the backyard and asked someone to carefully light up the lanterns to light the way.
"Let's send them here. We'll meet another day." The Ninth Prince said to Xue Rui.
"Take care. When you go back, send someone to my residence to report that you are safe. Zhaomiao …"
"Ah!?" Feng Zhaomiao heard Xue Rui call him and suddenly raised his head.
Xue Rui looked at him strangely and said, "Don't run around and cause trouble. Go back early."
"Oh, oh." Feng Zhaomiao nodded quickly and secretly glanced at Yu Shu. Then, he quickly followed behind Liu Jiong and left.
Xi Wen was held by Xie Miaoyun and Qi Mingxiu's fiancée. She half-closed her eyes and looked back at Xue Rui and Yu Shu who were standing together in the courtyard. Biting her lips, she finally turned around and left without saying a word.
After sending everyone away, Yu Shu really did not have the strength to go upstairs. So, Xue Rui took her to his resting room on the first floor. He helped her lie on the soft couch in the living room and called Xiao Qing and Xiao Die to serve her. He sat on the side with a cup of hangover tea and looked at her lazy and tired appearance.
Yu Shu drank half a bowl of the soup and wiped her hands and face with hot water. Only then did she feel better. However, she felt dizzy and weak and her throat was sore. Fortunately, she did not eat much at the banquet. Otherwise, she would have vomited by now.
Lying on the bed with the blanket, Yu Shu opened her eyes a slit and said to Xue Rui weakly, "I originally planned to pick up Xiaoxiu and my mother to celebrate the Lantern Festival together. Now, I can't. Send someone to my godmother's house to tell her so that Xiaoxiu won't be able to wait."
"En," Xue Rui ordered the people guarding outside the door and turned around to look at Yu Shu, "Are you uncomfortable?"
Yu Shu rubbed her temples and said in a muffled voice, "Of course I'm uncomfortable."
"If you know that you're uncomfortable, will you still be so impulsive next time?" Xue Rui's voice suddenly turned cold, "In order to make things difficult for others, you will suffer first?"
Yu Shu's ears twitched. She could tell that he was going to settle the score later. She rolled her eyes and exclaimed, "Aiyo!" She covered her forehead and moaned, "Don't, don't talk to me first. I feel like vomiting."
"Don't." Xue Rui knew that she was pretending to be stupid, but seeing her uncomfortable appearance, he didn't have any temper. He sighed and his voice softened, "Xi Wen has been spoiled since she was young, so her temper is unreasonable. Today, you went against her and made her suffer in front of others. She must be angry with you and will settle the score with you later. If you meet her in the future, try to stay away from her and don't fight with her, so that she won't make things difficult for you again."
Yu Shu pricked up her ears to listen to his words. The meaning of his words was that he was more biased towards her than his cousin. So she stopped groaning and put down her hand. She looked at him and smiled, "For your sake, the next time I see her, I will ignore her."
Hearing this, Xue Rui couldn't help but laugh. He reached out and rubbed her head and said in a low voice, "Be obedient."
Yu Shu didn't move away. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but she didn't have any strength. She could only let him rub her head gloomily, like coaxing a child.
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