Chapter 130:
Seeing that she had her own opinion, Xie Wanning did not persuade her further.
Just at that moment, hurried footsteps sounded outside the courtyard, and soon Er Qing walked in.
“Young Madam, Pei Er is seeking an audience outside.”
Hearing this, Xie Wanning was stunned for a moment.
Pei Er was Pei Yuqing’s long-time attendant, and his sudden hurried request to see her clearly meant some urgent matter had arisen.
Thinking this, she stood up and quickly walked out of the inner hall.
Pei Yuxuan followed closely behind.
Outside the courtyard, Pei Er saw Xie Wanning come out and quickly cupped his hands in salute, “Greetings, Young Lord’s Consort.”
He raised his head, about to say something, but then he saw Pei Yuxuan, and his words stuck in his throat, neither up nor down.
Pei Yuxuan was no fool; seeing his demeanor, she understood this matter could not be heard by her, though she was extremely curious, she did not dare delay her elder brother’s affairs.
She tugged at Xie Wanning’s sleeve and said, “Sister-in-law, I’ll head back first.”
Xie Wanning naturally did not keep her.
Once the person left, she looked at Pei Er and said, “Speak, what is the matter.”
Pei Er looked around and, seeing no one else, finally spoke a few words in a low voice.
As Xie Wanning listened, her expression changed.
“You say he was drugged!” She widened her eyes: “Where did it happen?”
Pei Er jumped in fright and stammered, “……Cuiyun Pavilion.”
Xie Wanning, as a young lady, had of course never been familiar with the brothels in the capital city, but a place with “cui” and “yun” in its name where one could be drugged with aphrodisiac—could it be anything good?
A surge of anger suddenly rose in her heart.
These past few days, because of Ji Chengfeng, the two of them had thoroughly quarreled for several days, and now he went off in broad daylight to drink with courtesans and came back drugged with aphrodisiac…
Thinking this, Xie Wanning sneered coldly, “Did he send you?”
“No……no,” Pei Er shrank his neck and denied it subconsciously.
Immediately after, he dropped to one knee and said bitterly, “Our Young Lord has always had a weak body, and taking such a fierce aphrodisiac by mistake, he endured it for a long time and dared not let you know; your subordinate truly could not bear to watch and came to beg you to go see him.”
Xie Wanning pursed her lips, “Since he went to the brothel, he never thought of finding a girl there…”
At this point, she stopped herself, feeling it useless to say such things to a servant.
But Pei Er would not let his Young Lord be so misunderstood by his beloved, and explained, “I dare not hide it from you; today the Young Lord was invited by Lord Lu, and Cuiyun Pavilion was also booked by Lord Lu.”
“Lu Ziyan?” Xie Wanning was startled for a moment, then instantly understood.
So, this drug…
Must have been administered by Lu Ziyan as well.
Based on Xie Wanning’s understanding of Lu Ziyan, with just a turn of her thoughts, she figured out the whole story.
He wanted to test whether Pei Yuqing truly could not perform.
If under the aphrodisiac he felt no desire, then he could rest assured.
If he could, then naturally a girl would be arranged to serve him.
With Lu Ziyan’s madness, knowing Pei Yuqing’s body was fine, he would probably turn around and come to trouble her.
Xie Wanning secretly cursed her bad luck and hurriedly walked toward the front courtyard.
The matter was urgent, and she was concerned about Pei Yuqing’s frail body, so she did not think much about why Lu Ziyan was foolish enough to let his love rival, drugged with aphrodisiac, return just like that.
…………
Front Courtyard.
Pei Yuqing’s study was very large; he had always kept himself clean and disliked women near him, so even the servants who served with ink and did the cleaning were all men.
As Xie Wanning walked over, the air carried only the scent of ink, without a trace of scented powder.
Led by Pei Er, she went up the steps in a few strides and arrived at a tightly closed door.
Not a single maidservant could be found in the entire courtyard; Pei Er scratched his head awkwardly and said, “I’ll go boil water.”
“……” Xie Wanning’s footsteps halted, thinking of what she would face going in, and felt somewhat embarrassed, “Go call someone from my room to serve.”
Pei Er immediately agreed and sent all the servants from the study side away.
The entire courtyard was empty, so quiet that Xie Wanning could faintly hear the heavy breathing from inside.
Her chest tightened, she took a deep breath, and gently pushed open the door.
In a few steps, she rounded an ink screen, and what met her eyes was a couch.
On the couch, the man’s handsome face was flushed, his hairpin removed, his ink-black long hair scattered, the knot buttons of his lapel and collar undone three at a time, revealing his slightly protruding adam’s apple and two nicely shaped collarbones.
The low panting came from there.
As if hearing the footsteps, his slightly closed eyes lifted toward her.
His eye corners, tormented by desire, were bright red, no longer bearing their usual bright gentleness; just one look made one’s heart panic.
……Truly vivid and alluring.
The man who was always aloof and self-possessed actually had such a vivid and alluring side.
Xie Wanning felt her throat go dry, her footsteps stopped in place, and she stared dazedly at the man on the couch.
“Wanwan……is that you…” Pei Yuqing seemed to regain his consciousness, or perhaps not; his eyes were misty, he suppressed his urgent panting, and reached out to her, “Is it you?”
“……” Xie Wanning swallowed, and slowly stepped forward.
Just as she reached the couch, her wrist was seized, and with a dizzying spin, her back pressed against the bed, a person already atop her, and her chin lifted by him.
She thought he would kiss her crazily, and she had already prepared herself.
But the person on her looked at her carefully for several breaths before, as if confirming, lowering his head to kiss her.
This kiss was not hurried, but earnestly savored the taste of her lips for a while, and only then did the hand gripping her chin tighten slightly.
A kiss full of immersion.
Before this, they had kissed many times, but never a kiss carrying such undisguised desire.
Xie Wanning was kissed until her head spun, her mind unclear, and she could vaguely hear his thirsty swallowing sounds.
Instantly, her face flushed completely.
Unnoticed, her sash had also been undone by him.
The man’s hand, with slight calluses, reached in…
The moment her waist was touched, Xie Wanning’s whole body stiffened uncontrollably.
Then she clearly felt it.
That pair of beautiful hands moving upward bit by bit.
“Pei Changqing!”
Xie Wanning pushed against the chest of the person on her, shoving hard.
Her voice was loud, carrying shame and anger, extremely urgent.
Pei Yuqing’s movements paused, as if his consciousness was called back, and he lowered his eyes to look at the girl beneath him.
“Who am I?”
Xie Wanning simply cupped his face, gritting her teeth as she asked him, “Tell me, who am I!”
Offering herself as the antidote was already grievance enough; she absolutely could not just offer herself so unclearly!
At least……at least he had to know who it was he was holding right now.
The grievance in her eyes was clearly visible; Pei Yuqing’s adam’s apple bobbed, he lowered his head to take her lips, and his desire-reddened eyes still held a trace of gentleness.
“Who else but you.” His voice was hoarse: “Wanwan, I really love you so much…”
Such sweet words made Xie Wanning’s mind sway, and when she came back to herself, her clothes had already been stripped clean.
The man’s scorching lips kissed almost her entire body.
