The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night-Chapter 42: You’re Going to Ruin His Reputation

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: You’re Going to Ruin His Reputation

Lu Zhan’s expression was grim. He ignored Wei Jinyi and looked directly at Zhi Wan. "What are you doing here?"

Zhi Wan’s heart sank. She replied, "Jinyi hasn’t visited the Duke Dingguo Mansion in a long time, so Aunt asked me to show her around. I wasn’t paying attention for a moment, and we... ended up here."

"Cousin, please don’t blame Wan’er," Wei Jinyi said, her face a mask of self-reproach. "It was my fault. I don’t know the layout and was just wandering aimlessly. I almost bumped into you just now. I’m deeply ashamed."

Ouyang Zhenzhu scoffed. "It certainly is your fault. The three of us were walking along just fine, but then you suddenly ditched me and Wanwan to rush ahead. Wanwan tried to stop you, but it was too late. And are you sure you didn’t see Mr. Lu and deliberately bump into him? It’s a good thing he dodged so quickly, or you would have ruined his reputation."

"Y-you’re spouting nonsense!" Wei Jinyi’s face flushed red, and she looked as if she might collapse. "Miss Ouyang, we have no quarrel. Why must you slander me like this?"

"That’s right, we have no quarrel," Ouyang Zhenzhu said confidently. "So why would I slander you? Because everything I said is the truth."

"You... you..." Wei Jinyi turned to Lu Zhan, looking aggrieved. "Cousin, please don’t listen to her nonsense. I truly didn’t see you just now."

Seeing the displeasure in Lu Zhan’s expression and fearing his anger might be directed at her, Zhi Wan quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. "It’s all a misunderstanding, Cousin. Please don’t take it to heart. I’ll take Jinyi and Zhenzhu for a walk somewhere else."

Lu Zhan gave her a cool glance with his dark eyes and murmured an assent. Without another word, he walked straight into Qingyun Residence.

Zhi Wan breathed a sigh of relief. When she turned, she caught the flash of disappointment in Wei Jinyi’s eyes and grew thoughtful.

Wei Jinyi sensed her gaze and quickly lowered her head, concealing her expression.

"Alright, let’s get going. Time for a walk in the garden." Ouyang Zhenzhu’s tone was exceptionally cheerful, as if she was relishing Wei Jinyi’s embarrassment. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

This time, Wei Jinyi didn’t rush ahead, instead trailing behind the other two.

As they passed through the Moon Cave Gate, she suddenly said, "Wan’er, I feel like Cousin treats you differently from everyone else."

Zhi Wan looked at her in surprise, wondering what she meant by that.

"How so?" Ouyang Zhenzhu asked, her interest piqued.

Wei Jinyi recalled how, just moments ago outside Qingyun Residence, her cousin’s eyes had been fixed on Zhi Wan, never once sparing her a glance. A bitter feeling rose in her chest.

She was Lu Zhan’s own flesh-and-blood cousin, yet he treated her with less regard than he showed Zhi Wan, a mere orphan.

She lowered her eyes to hide the jealousy within them and shook her head. "I can’t explain it, but I can feel it."

Zhi Wan thought she was being ridiculous. ’Lu Zhan is cold to everyone. Why would he treat me any differently?’

She said lightly, "You’re overthinking things. If he treats me any differently, it’s only because I grew up here in the Duke Mansion. Cousin has... watched me grow up, in a way."

Ouyang Zhenzhu nodded in agreement. "That’s true. Even though you’re not part of the Lu Family, in Mr. Lu’s eyes, you must be like a sister to him. So naturally, he’d be closer to you than to ’others.’" As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at Wei Jinyi, making it obvious who she meant by "others."

Wei Jinyi was furious.

’This Ouyang Zhenzhu isn’t even part of the Lu Family, yet she’s always trying to pick a fight with me.’

’And she was just spouting nonsense in front of Cousin.’

Though she secretly loathed Ouyang Zhenzhu, Wei Jinyi showed none of it. Instead, she affectionately linked her arm with Zhi Wan’s other arm and said softly, "Sister Wan’er, let me stay with you tonight."

Ouyang Zhenzhu immediately piped up, "Absolutely not! I’m staying with Wanwan tonight. Her bed is too small for so many people."

Wei Jinyi shot her a sideways glance. "If you sleep in the guest courtyard, there will be."

Ouyang Zhenzhu was furious. "Do you not understand the principle of ’first come, first served’? If anyone should sleep in the guest courtyard, it’s you!"

"One must distinguish between close relations and distant ones. Madam Lu is my biological aunt, after all," Wei Jinyi said matter-of-factly.

Ouyang Zhenzhu couldn’t argue with that.

Compared to her, Wei Jinyi’s connection to the Duke Dingguo Mansion was undeniably closer.

She was only able to visit the Duke Dingguo Mansion thanks to Zhi Wan.

Just then, Zhi Wan spoke up. "Jinyi, if you don’t want to stay in the guest courtyard, I can speak with Aunt later. Lan Courtyard has plenty of empty rooms. You could stay there, and that would also allow you to be closer to her."

Ouyang Zhenzhu’s spirits lifted instantly, and she shot Wei Jinyi a triumphant look.

’My loyalty to Wanwan paid off,’ she thought. ’When it counts, she’s still on my side.’

Wei Jinyi was displeased, but then a thought restored her mood: ’I can stay in the Duke Dingguo Mansion for many days, but Ouyang Zhenzhu can’t.’

’Besides, it’s not like I really wanted to stay with Zhi Wan. I just want to use her to get closer to Cousin.’

’Even though Zhi Wan is an orphan, she grew up in the Duke Dingguo Mansion. Her relationship with Cousin is bound to be closer than anyone else’s.’

After finishing their stroll through the garden, the three of them saw it was getting late and headed to Lan Courtyard.

Seeing them return, Lady Wei smiled. "I was just about to have Nanny Fang look for you. Your timing is perfect. It’s time for dinner."

Attended by servants, the three young women washed their hands before taking their seats at the dining table.

The dinner was a lavish spread. Even though Zhi Wan and Ouyang Zhenzhu had eaten their fill of delicacies at the Hundred Flavors Building at noon, the sight of the dishes now before them still whetted their appetites.

After dinner, Zhi Wan and Ouyang Zhenzhu stayed to chat with Lady Wei for a while before heading back.

During the day, they hadn’t thought much of it, but now that darkness had fallen, both Zhi Wan and Ouyang Zhenzhu found their minds turning to the tragedy at the Hundred Flavors Building that afternoon.

Even with servants carrying lanterns before and behind them, the surrounding darkness felt pitch-black and unnerving.

They held hands tightly, drawing courage from one another.

It wasn’t until they returned to Yaoguang Pavilion that their fear finally began to subside.

Even so, Zhi Wan had the servants light every lamp and candle in the room.

Only when the room was brightly lit did they finally feel safe.

After quickly washing up, the two of them snuggled under the covers and began to talk.

"Wanwan, I have a feeling there’s more to Wei Jinyi lingering at the Duke Dingguo Mansion than meets the eye," Ouyang Zhenzhu said confidently.

Zhi Wan recalled how Wei Jinyi had deliberately walked to Qingyun Residence earlier. She paused, then asked, "Are you suggesting she has ulterior motives concerning Cousin?"

"You noticed it too?" Ouyang Zhenzhu shot up, propping herself on her elbows and looking at her with gleaming eyes.

Zhi Wan nodded. "This isn’t her first time visiting the Duke Dingguo Mansion. She stays for several days each time, so there’s no way she doesn’t know Qingyun Residence is where Cousin lives. Her sudden appearance there today must have been an attempt to arrange a ’chance’ encounter with him."

"Our Wanwan is so smart," Ouyang Zhenzhu praised.

Zhi Wan laughed. "Are you praising me or teasing me?"

"Praising you, of course," Ouyang Zhenzhu giggled, settling back under the covers. "Still, she really did manage to ’run into’ Mr. Lu. But from what I saw, he was cold as ice. He certainly didn’t soften his expression just because she’s his own cousin."

Picturing her cousin’s frosty expression, Zhi Wan smiled. "Cousin is always like that. He’s stern with everyone."