newbobooks 29 has already lost all memory.
29 has already lost all memory.
How could you forget?
……
Chu Qingluo was like a lost soul, not knowing how she got back to Ningxiang Courtyard. Ji Qiran's words kept replaying in her mind, and her heart felt as if it were being squeezed by something.
She took out the jade pendant of the Pixiu that he had dropped earlier from her bosom, and gently ran her fingers over it; it felt icy cold. Flawless white jade, the color of solidified fat, it was absolutely a top-quality piece.
"Sigh..." she sighed helplessly.
Although Ji Qiran spoke in a drunken stupor, it wasn't entirely baseless.
This girl not only took the official exams for him three times, but also openly confessed her feelings to him?!
Assuming all of this is true...
Is the "difficult person" Chu Yilin was referring to actually her?
I recalled Chu Yilin's hesitant yet meaningful smile...
"Holy crap—" Chu Qingluo became even more certain of her judgment: It must be!
If she has a crush, she has a crush, why confess?! How is she supposed to face Ji Qiran after this?!
That night, Chu Qingluo had a sleepless night.
……
The next day, around four in the morning, Nine-Tailed Fox came to call her.
Her eyes were dark and swollen, and she finished her breakfast listlessly. Just as she stepped out into the main hall, she was surprised to see Chu Yilin and Ji Qiran standing there.
She frowned slightly and groaned, "Those two drunkards woke up early!"
"Third sister, we've been waiting for you for ages." Chu Yilin yawned repeatedly, looking rather lazy.
Chu Qingluo, her face tense, glanced at him and said, "What are you waiting for me for?!"
Chu Yilin was puzzled as to why Chu Qingluo's attitude had changed so drastically overnight. "It's all because of yesterday. Qi Ran heard that you were going to be the first to offer incense and wanted to share in the joy." If Ji Qi Ran hadn't wanted to go, he wouldn't have bothered, especially since he was still hungover.
Chu Qingluo then glanced at Ji Qiran and found him looking at her calmly, his eyes clear and without any sign of anything amiss.
I suspect that the events of last night are now completely forgotten.
It's convenient that he doesn't remember.
It was just an unconscious kiss, and it evened things out with the 'accident' from last time. There was no need for the two of them to continue entangled; Chu Qingluo wasn't the type to hold a grudge like that.
She handed over the jade pendant, her tone curt: "It's yours!"
Ji Qiran was taken aback, realizing that what she was holding was his personal belongings, and asked in surprise, "How did you lose it again..."
"Sigh—" Chu Yilin sighed, "Such a good thing, and you keep losing it, one after another. Luckily, this time my third sister picked it up."
"Thank you, Qingluo." Ji Qiran shook his head helplessly, tied the Pixiu jade pendant back to his waist, and tied another knot.
At this moment, Gongsun Yu was already waiting at the gate and called out, "Qingluo, it's time to go."
"Okay, here we come."
The group went out together. Chu Qingluo, Gongsun Yu, Chu Yilin, and Ji Qiran sat in the carriage, while Jiuwei and Tongmu drove the carriage.
The wheels rumbled on, and the four of them couldn't find anything to talk about for a while, so they all fell silent.
"Achoo—!" Chu Yilin sneezed and sniffed. "I slept on the ground all night last night, how awful!" He then stretched.
Serves you right! Chu Qingluo chuckled inwardly.
"It's a bit chilly this morning, Qingluo, are you cold?" Gongsun Yu reached out and touched the temperature of her hand, asking considerately.
Chu Qinglu shook her head and replied with a smile, "I'm not cold."
Upon seeing this, Ji Qiran let out a low, cold laugh, crossed his arms, leaned his head against the carriage wall, and closed his eyes to rest.
His unspoken disdain was only noticed by Chu Yilin beside him.
"..." Chu Yilin's two dark eyes darted around, silently observing everything. Ji Qiran's reaction was truly intriguing...
……
When they arrived at the Temple of the Goddess, the area in front of the temple was already crowded with people.
At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), when the temple gates open, everyone rushes into the temple. Whoever is the first to insert incense into the giant cauldron wins the grand prize.
The six of them got out of the car, and Chu Qingluo, holding the incense, joined them in squeezing into the innermost part of the group.
After finally getting through the crowd and arriving at the temple gate, I was surprised to find two familiar figures already waiting there.
Ji Qiran: "Eighth Sister?"
Chu Qingluo: "Luo Lifei?"
The two women looked at each other, puzzled. Why were they here too?
The Eighth Princess, finding the ground dirty, was sitting on a male servant's lap, while the servant sat on the stone steps.
"Seventh Brother?" She was even more surprised to see Chu Qingluo standing next to Ji Qiran. She stepped away from the male servant's lap, stood up, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and pouted: "I'm going to be the first to offer incense today, and none of you can compete with me."
Luo Lifei, who was standing to the side, also stood up from the stone steps and patted the dust off her dress: "There is no need to worry about status when it comes to vying for the first incense offering. Princess Xile, please forgive me for not backing down today."
"you--!"
Those who manage to be the first to offer incense are considered to have received the blessing of the goddess and have their long-cherished wishes fulfilled. Even the Empress herself earned her place as the first to offer incense through her own abilities.
The Eighth Princess's identity was of no use here, and she was at a loss, but she still wouldn't give up: "If you go back today and come back another day, I will reward each of you with fifty gold coins!"
Wow! I can earn fifty gold coins with just this?! That's amazing!
Chu Qingluo almost agreed immediately, but then she heard Ji Qiran speak up first, saying, "Eighth Sister, this practice might be blasphemous to the gods. It would be better to pray sincerely."
"That's right!" Luo Lifei's eyes lit up when she saw Ji Qiran, and when she heard him speak up for her, she was overjoyed and couldn't contain herself.
The Eighth Princess was speechless and rolled her eyes in displeasure. Her Seventh Brother had never been on her side since childhood, so naturally he wouldn't help her.
"My extra income just vanished like that?!" Chu Qinglu glared indignantly at the meddlesome Ji Qiran.
He looked puzzled. Why was he being glared at after doing something good?
Chu Yilin watched the spectacle with a smile, finding their bickering far more entertaining than the competition to be the first to offer incense.
The Eighth Princess also noticed Chu Yilin and began to sized him up. He was dressed in a blue robe, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, a playful smile in his eyes, giving him a carefree and irreverent air. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "And who is this...?"
When the Eighth Princess asked him, Chu Yilin gave a slight bow and calmly introduced himself: "My name is Chu Yilin."
"Your surname is Chu? Could you be Chu Qingluo's brother?" The Eighth Princess noticed that the two did indeed share some similarities in their features.
"Yes." The tone was respectful.
Chu Yilin and Ji Qiran had been hanging out together for so many years, and he knew what kind of person Princess Xile was. Even though she was beautiful, he would only flatter her and never get involved with her.
"Hmm—" The Eighth Princess's lips curled into a smile. Chu Yilin was much more pleasing to the eye than Chu Qingluo. She wanted to continue speaking, but then noticed Luo Lifei staring at Ji Qiran with adoring eyes—it was quite jarring! She sneered, mockingly saying, "Keep looking? You'll be drooling!"
Following the Eighth Princess's gaze, everyone looked at Luo Lifei... She looked embarrassed, cleared her throat, and pretended nothing was wrong, turning her head away.
Ji Qiran was already used to being the center of attention and did not feel uncomfortable being stared at by Luo Lifei. He remained calm and composed.
Chu Qingluo had assumed Luo Lifei was interested in Ji Qili, which was why she had mocked her earlier. It turned out Ji Qiran was equally attracted to all sorts of men. Was it because they were all handsome? ...Or because they were all princes?
"Hey, who is she?" Chu Yilin whispered in Chu Qingluo's ear.
...Tsk tsk tsk, Chu Yilin's gossipy look is just like hers.
Chu Qingluo introduced in a low voice: "Her name is Luo Lifei, and she is an executive officer just like me."
"Thump—"
With a muffled thud, before the end of Yin hour (3-5 AM), the temple gates opened ahead of schedule!
"Whoa—" A chaotic roar erupted!
They were suddenly thrown apart by the surging crowd, and Chu Qingluo was forced to squeeze through the crack in the door!