Cui Wangshu chuckled lightly and said helplessly, “I’m not running a fever.”
Jiang Chenbi pursed her lips, recalling this person’s odd behavior since waking up that day. A guess rose in her heart, but she feared it might be her own wishful thinking. Perhaps she was just habitually considerate toward people?
Jiang Chenbi laughed at her own thought. Cui Wangshu was meticulous in her actions, but… considerate toward people?
Remembering this person’s cold words at their first meeting and how she kept a sense of distance from everyone, Jiang Chenbi shook her head inwardly.
Cui Wangshu was cool by nature and definitely not considerate toward everyone. So why toward her…
Jiang Chenbi lowered her gaze and pretended to be casual as she teased, “Little Lord Cui is so good to me. Don’t tell me you like me?”
Cui Wangshu stared at Jiang Chenbi, the words circling in her mouth several times. She chuckled lightly before saying, “Just like Miss Jiang said back then—you like my face and my body, so you’re willing to trade a kingdom for a beauty.”
Holding her breath, she observed Jiang Chenbi’s expression and continued softly, “I’m the same. Because I like you, I’m good to you.”
This statement expressed her feelings without spelling them out clearly—was it Jiang Chenbi the person she liked, or just like Jiang Chenbi liked her, the face and body?
The answer hid in her words. If what Jiang Chenbi liked was Cui Wangshu’s body and face, then “I’m the same” referred purely to the physical. But if Jiang Chenbi liked Cui Wangshu the person…
Jiang Chenbi couldn’t help but let her lips curve upward. She smiled and said, “Little Lord Cui, saying things like that could lead to misunderstandings. Aren’t you afraid I’ll misinterpret your meaning?”
Cui Wangshu hooked her lips and said seriously, “The answer depends on you. You can interpret it however you like.”
Jiang Chenbi’s breath hitched, her fingers curling up. Her heart filled to the brim, swelling until it ached dully. She could barely contain her tense excitement, and her slightly trembling hand reached for Cui Wangshu’s collar.
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. Jiang Chenbi grabbed Cui Wangshu’s collar, forcing her to lean up slightly, and bit down on her lips.
Amusement flickered in Cui Wangshu’s eyes. She knelt on one knee to match the height, wrapped her other arm around Jiang Chenbi’s waist, and shared a lingering kiss with her.
The two didn’t pierce that layer of window paper, but the answer was self-evident. They just awaited the right moment.
In the following days, Cui Wangshu went to Yunyu Fang to learn cooking from Jiang Ci whenever she had time, and she accompanied Jiang Chenbi for meals every day.
The taste of the dishes varied wildly from day to day, and naturally, Jiang Chenbi learned of Cui Wangshu’s cooking lessons. Whenever she had a spare moment, Jiang Chenbi would run over to Miaoqu Pavilion to watch Cui Wangshu cook.
Affection passed between them with every glance, and both enjoyed this mundane life. The only unhappy one was Jiang Ci.
Jiang Ci resentfully watched Jiang Chenbi and Cui Wangshu, her gaze as if it could bore holes through them.
She suddenly regretted it a little. Ten thousand taels of silver—she could earn that herself. Why had she been greedy for Cui Wangshu’s petty offer and brought this trouble on herself?
She couldn’t figure it out—what exactly did these two see in each other?
One appeared aloof and dignified on the surface but was moody in private, manipulating court officials with grand ambitions, doing things that could cost her head.
The other…
Had poisoned the imperial heir, become reviled by thousands, faked her death in the Cold Palace, and plotted rebellion—acts of a true rebel.
On second thought, they really did seem well-matched.
One infamous, the other a beast in fine clothes.
Jiang Ci sighed, her probing gaze lingering on them. She saw Jiang Chenbi say something with a smile that drew a light laugh from Cui Wangshu.
The former lacked that sinister air from that night, and the latter lost her usual untouchable distance. It was as if the presence of the other softened their sharp edges.
Jiang Ci kept watching and saw Cui Wangshu staring fixedly at Jiang Chenbi’s moving red lips, seemingly not listening to a word she said.
Jiang Ci: “…”
She turned and left the room. She really couldn’t bear to watch anymore; she felt like an outsider, even interrupting their intimacy.
“So, that child really wasn’t Li Cong’s. But back then, I planned to enter the Cold Palace anyway, so I took the blame for him. Now he thinks I’m some submissive pushover.”
Jiang Chenbi rolled her eyes, utterly speechless at Li Cong’s behavior.
Cui Wangshu said nothing, her gaze lingering darkly on Jiang Chenbi’s moving lips.
Jiang Chenbi talked until her mouth went dry, only to turn and find no reaction from her. She’d been the one to ask earlier, but now that she’d explained, this person hadn’t listened?!
Jiang Chenbi frowned and poked Cui Wangshu’s chest, feigning anger. “Did you even hear what I said?”
Only then did Cui Wangshu’s gaze shift from her lips to meet her eyes. Her dark eyes were deep as she hooked her lips and said, “I heard.”
Jiang Chenbi didn’t believe her. “Then what were you just thinking about?”
Cui Wangshu took a step forward, her palm covering the back of Jiang Chenbi’s hand. She drawled playfully, “Do you really want to know?”
Jiang Chenbi blinked, a bad premonition rising. She licked her lips and stammered, “N-No, I don’t want to know anymore.”
The sight of Jiang Chenbi’s red tongue tip brushing her lips acted as a catalyst in Cui Wangshu’s eyes.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, dark depths churning. Cui Wangshu averted her gaze and turned to look at the mixed filling in the bowl.
That dangerous, predatory stare vanished with her turn, and Jiang Chenbi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Today, Jiang Ci was teaching dumplings. Cui Wangshu had already mastered the key filling ratio; the rest was just wrapping it in dough skins—should be simple.
Cui Wangshu figured her hands were dexterous enough, after all, she wielded the Onyx Iron Fan quite nimbly.
But when that large, ugly dumpling sat on the plate, Cui Wangshu began to doubt herself.
Jiang Chenbi: “…” So ugly.
Cui Wangshu propped her chin on her hand, her expression grave and serious as she stared down the plate of dumplings, as if she were contemplating some national affair rather than an ugly dumpling.
Jiang Chenbi’s lips twitched a few times. She pursed them but couldn’t hold back—a faint laugh escaped her throat, followed by unrestrained mockery.
Cui Wangshu ground her molars, her ear tips turning red. She squeezed the words through clenched teeth, “Don’t laugh.”
Jiang Chenbi laughed until her stomach hurt, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. She steadied herself unsteadily by draping her arms around Cui Wangshu’s neck, hanging her weight on her as she snarked, “Sorry, it’s just that I’ve never seen such an ugly bun before.”
Cui Wangshu: “…” They were dumplings.
If her hands weren’t dusted with flour and she didn’t want to dirty Jiang Chenbi, she would have pinched that infuriating laughing face right then and sealed that poisonous mouth.
Cui Wangshu pursed her lips and said sadly, “Is it really that ugly?”
Jiang Chenbi suppressed her laughter: “…” Was she actually hurt?
She softened her voice, planted a kiss on Cui Wangshu’s lips, and said solemnly, “Very ugly.”
A vein throbbed at Cui Wangshu’s temple. She finally couldn’t hold back and pinched Jiang Chenbi’s cheeks. Though she inwardly sighed at the wonderful feel, she was still mad.
Jiang Chenbi didn’t mind her face getting dirty and grinned cheekily. “If Little Lord Cui can make some pretty dumplings today, I’ll eat a few more.”
Cui Wangshu looked up. “Really?”
Jiang Chenbi lifted her chin. “Really. I’ll eat all the pretty ones you make.”
Cui Wangshu pursed her lips and bent her head to wrap dumplings.
Jiang Chenbi smiled, didn’t disturb her, went out to wash her face, and returned to find Cui Wangshu had already made five or six. From the sixth onward, they started looking normal.
Jiang Chenbi watched from the side. The seventh, the tenth—by the twelfth, Cui Wangshu was making very pretty dumplings.
Seeing her speed up toward thirty, Jiang Chenbi’s smile froze on her lips.
Pretending to stretch, she thought thirty-six stratagems: run is best. She took one step before hearing:
“Dare to run, and you’re dead tonight.”
Jiang Chenbi froze, turned with a forced smile, and said, “Look, you’re rushing me again.”
Cui Wangshu didn’t stop her hands, glanced back with her lips curved high.
The room’s light was good, and Cui Wangshu’s lip-hooked smile made Jiang Chenbi think of one phrase: high-spirited.
Jiang Chenbi chuckled. If she ever died at Cui Wangshu’s hands, it would definitely be because she couldn’t let go of that face.
These past few days, with Cui Wangshu accompanying her and researching dishes she’d eat, her appetite had improved a lot—at least she wasn’t refusing food entirely.
Fine, she’d eat a bit more.
Once Cui Wangshu finished all the dumplings, Jiang Ci sauntered in from outside.
Seeing Cui Wangshu’s dumplings, she let out a “Whoa,” pointed at the first few, and asked innocently, “Aren’t these dumplings? Why are there buns too?”
Cui Wangshu: “…”
Jiang Chenbi, who had just forgotten, burst out laughing again with a “pfft.”
Seeing Cui Wangshu’s darkening face and Jiang Chenbi’s gleeful schadenfreude, Jiang Ci swallowed, her lips twitching as she said dryly, “Buns are fine too. Edible.”
Jiang Chenbi laughed even louder. Cui Wangshu’s brow twitched, and she slapped one “bun” flat with her palm, snorting coldly, “Now it’s a pancake.”
Jiang Ci clamped her lips shut tight, looking at the sky and ground—anything but that “pancake”—as she ran through a lifetime of sorrows in her mind.
At dinner, Jiang Chenbi’s portion was all the prettiest dumplings, Cui Wangshu’s the average-looking ones.
As for Jiang Ci’s: one “pancake,” a few uneven “buns,” and some embryonic dumplings.
Jiang Ci: “…”
Her lips twitched as she couldn’t hold back. “Hey, I just said it once. Is this necessary?”
Cui Wangshu swallowed her dumpling and raised a brow. “Weren’t you calling them ‘buns’ every day? Here, eat them if you don’t want to.”
Jiang Ci: “…” So petty, still holding a grudge!
She pointed at Jiang Chenbi accusingly. “She laughed too! Why favor your lover over friends?”
Jiang Chenbi stayed out of their bickering; she was still battling her sizable bowl of dumplings.
Cui Wangshu glanced coldly at Jiang Ci and snorted. “You said it yourself—favoring lover over friends. What do you think?”
Jiang Ci couldn’t outargue her, so she sullenly chomped down on the “pancake.” At least it was cooked.
As expected of her exclusive recipe—even a klutz like Cui Wangshu made it tasty.
Jiang Chenbi ate for a long time, leaving half, and begged, “I’ve eaten so much already. Really can’t anymore.”
Cui Wangshu eyed the remnants—indeed, quite a bit eaten—and nodded. “Mm.”
Relief washed over Jiang Chenbi’s face as she bolted away.
Cui Wangshu had started eating dinner too during this time accompanying Jiang Chenbi.
The filling today was perfectly seasoned. Cui Wangshu calmly pulled over Jiang Chenbi’s bowl and polished off the rest.
Jiang Ci, chewing a “bun,” nearly bit her tongue at the sight.
Jiang Ci: There must be hallucinogens in this bun; she’s seeing things.
