Chapter 55
“Alright, alright, now that you know what the three of us are called, that means we’re friends.”
Zuo Xiaoya was quite sociable. Seeing Lu Dieqing standing there all alone, her little face exquisite but with a hint of confusion, she felt an indescribable fondness.
“In the future, in the academy, if you run into any of those black-hearted, blind people who bully you, just mention our names.”
She patted her chest, very righteous.
Lu Dieqing was surrounded in the middle. From being all alone just now, she had suddenly become the center of attention.
Zuo Xiaoya was extremely enthusiastic, paying attention to her every move. Zuo Manzhi was a bit colder, her aura somewhat like the Crown Princess’s, with a serious expression. But if Zuo Xiaoya said something and turned to look at her twin sister for confirmation, Zuo Manzhi would also smile.
The two sisters seemed to have a very good relationship, which made Lu Dieqing a little envious. Her parents had only had one child. Sometimes she had also thought, if she had siblings, they would be inseparable.
But now… touching the little doll in her sleeve, Lu Dieqing’s heart inexplicably settled down.
She wasn’t lacking company.
Her Xinxin was clearly always by her side.
She kept touching her sleeve, her movements reserved, often with her head lowered. With such a stunning face, yet she seemed to have no arrogance.
This was noticed by Gu Shuyuan, who had been paying attention to her.
“Miss Lu, you don’t need to be so reserved. Our Caiyun Academy is very good. We are classmates now, and if we all enter the court as officials in the future, we will be colleagues. With these two friendships combined, we’ll be too busy helping each other. Who would be so thoughtless as to bully someone? You mustn’t think we’re all those degenerate dandies.”
Zuo Xiaoya at the side nodded repeatedly. “That’s right, that’s right.”
All three of them looked at Lu Dieqing with concern, clearly having seen her discomfort and wanting to use their words to ease her tension.
Lu Dieqing, being cared for by so many people of her own age at once, could only smile, but there was a hint of moisture in her eyes.
She was very surprised. She hadn’t expected to be welcomed.
When she had made the decision to go to the Caiyun Academy, she already knew that her status was not suitable for this place, but she had a selfish thought, unable to refuse what she wanted, so she had eagerly agreed.
She had thought that after really entering the Caiyun Academy, perhaps she would be a loner, perhaps others would gather to laugh at her and tell her to leave the academy.
She had imagined many scenarios, but none of them included being so harmoniously accepted and welcomed by others.
Lu Dieqing’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, tightly gripped her wooden doll, trying hard to adapt to her new identity.
She was grateful to the Crown Princess in her heart, so grateful that when she thought of her, her heart would feel a little complex, feeling that she owed the other too much.
Her heart was heavy, filled with unfamiliar and turbulent emotions, making her unable to sort out her thoughts.
It wasn’t convenient right now. She couldn’t get away, couldn’t hold the little doll and whisper secrets to it.
She just felt… very happy.
So happy that she wanted to share it with Xinxin immediately, to share it with the Crown Princess.
In the past, Lu Dieqing had envied people who had friends. By the time she had come of age, she had only known A’Sang from the Library Pavilion and had no other friends.
However, everything seemed to have started to get better from the moment she began to study the art of puppetry.
She had chanced upon the Crown Princess and received her help.
She had Xinxin.
And now… this scene today.
“Have you had breakfast?”
Zuo Xiaoya asked her.
Lu Dieqing hesitated and nodded. “I have.”
After waking up today, she had hurriedly bathed and groomed, and then quickly eaten a pancake to fill her stomach.
Zuo Xiaoya skillfully took her arm. “Come, come, you don’t look like you’ve eaten your fill at all. I’ll take you to try the food at our Caiyun Academy. It’s truly a delight.”
Does the academy also provide meals?
Lu Dieqing was dazed. Before she could react, she had already been led away by Zuo Xiaoya.
A step behind, Gu Shuyuan rubbed his nose and said to Zuo Manzhi in a low voice, “I thought only our Gu family had the most up-to-date information and knew about the Crown Princess’s move. Why is your Zuo family also joining in the fun?”
Usually, when they came to the Caiyun Academy, they would never come so early.
Let alone the three of them coming together.
The three of them had clearly just run into each other at the palace gate.
And it was not a coincidence.
It was just that they had already reached the academy gate and had seen Lu Dieqing, so some things didn’t need to be said so clearly.
Looking at Zuo Xiaoya’s back as she spoke kindly to Lu Dieqing in front, Gu Shuyuan was puzzled.
“Doesn’t your Zuo family always support the Second Prince? Why are you stealing my job?”
The people in the Caiyun Academy were not simple.
The moment Lu Dieqing had been arranged to enter last night, those with a keen sense of smell had almost all gotten wind of it.
The Gu family had been part of the Crown Princess’s faction in the past. Now that they knew Lu Dieqing had been arranged to enter the academy by the Crown Princess, it was only natural for them to be more friendly and take care of her.
Zuo Manzhi didn’t even look at him.
“Ignorant.”
She didn’t even deign to speak to the Gu family’s youngest son, just strode forward to catch up with her sister and Lu Dieqing.
It was precisely because their Zuo family had been close to the Second Prince in the past that they now had to “mend their ways” and quickly find a chance to follow the Crown Princess.
Originally, the Zuo family had been worried that they couldn’t get a word in with the Crown Princess.
Now, seeing Lu Dieqing, the Zuo family was more concerned than anyone about how to treat her well and make her happy, so that the Crown Princess would see it and know their Zuo family’s heart to “abandon the dark and turn to the light.”
The Second Prince was now crippled. If the Zuo family didn’t plan for the future early, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t be settled with later.
Welcoming Lu Dieqing and getting closer to her was a matter that had set aside personal feelings.
But after personally seeing Lu Dieqing, Zuo Manzhi felt that even without the Crown Princess’s protection, a girl like Lu Dieqing wouldn’t be without friends in the Caiyun Academy.
A girl who was even cuter than her sister when she smiled—Lu Dieqing was the first Zuo Manzhi had ever seen.
Even without the Zuo family’s intention to get close to the Crown Princess, if she saw Lu Dieqing, she would have wanted to help.
Lu Dieqing didn’t know about the conversation between these two behind her.
She hadn’t found a chance to continue talking to Xinxin.
The Caiyun Academy really did have a place to eat.
It was a small building built like a restaurant. Zuo Xiaoya expertly led the way and then had the kitchen bring up breakfast.
“Hurry up and eat. After you’re full, you can go listen to the teacher’s lecture.”
When Zuo Xiaoya looked at Lu Dieqing, her eyes were full of pity.
“You’re so thin.”
Lu Dieqing pressed her lips together, a little at a loss.
She hadn’t been so thin before.
It was the few days when the Crown Princess was in trouble that she had been so worried and had eaten less, which was why she had lost some weight.
Zuo Xiaoya propped up her chin and watched Lu Dieqing eat. The latter was too embarrassed to move her chopsticks.
Zuo Xiaoya urged her, “Just pretend I’m not here. It’s okay, eat.”
She made a “please” gesture and then gave a silly smile.
“In the past, when I saw the Crown Princess, I would wonder what her future husband and consorts would look like. Today, seeing you, I finally know.”
Zuo Xiaoya slapped the table. “It has to be someone like you, so as not to disgrace Her Highness!”
Unfortunately, in the past, their Zuo family had wholeheartedly supported the Second Prince’s ascension, which made her, who favored the Crown Princess, seem like an outsider.
Now it was great. The whole family had to listen to the Crown Princess. She was the boss!
Lu Dieqing was dumbfounded. The meat bun she had just bitten into was stuck in her throat, and she almost choked.
“I… I’m not…” She waved her hands, trying to say that she wasn’t…
Zuo Xiaoya, however, had already taken Lu Dieqing’s hands and made a solemn request.
“Can you plead with the Crown Princess for us, whisper a few words in her ear for us? Just say that our Zuo family didn’t recognize people clearly in the past, but now we have turned over a new leaf and know…”
Lu Dieqing didn’t hear the rest of the words. All that was ringing in her ears were the words “whisper a few words in her ear for us.”
The wooden doll, who had been listening in the sleeve for so long, inexplicably felt that this Zuo Xiaoya of the Zuo family was very good with her words.
Yes, it might not be a bad idea for the little crybaby to come and whisper a few words in my ear.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Lu Dieqing finally choked.
She coughed until her little face was red, constantly looking for water to drink. After finally catching her breath, she looked up at Zuo Xiaoya with her watery almond eyes and shyly denied it.
“I’m not… the Crown Princess and I are not like that.”
Zuo Xiaoya froze for a moment, but then her face lit up with a smile, and she came closer.
“Then what do you think of me?”
“Although I’m not as cool and fairy-like as the Crown Princess, I know how to dote on people. I’m faithful, I’m the youngest in my family, I have no burdens, and my family will be generous with either the betrothal gift or the dowry. What do you think of me?”
“You won’t have to suffer if you live with me, and I don’t have three thousand beauties. My name is Zuo Xiaoya. I’m also quite pretty when I smile. If you don’t believe me, look at my dimples. Of course, you can also touch them.”
Zuo Xiaoya pointed at her dimples, her smile a mix of charm and shyness.
The half-eaten bun in Lu Dieqing’s hand fell onto the table.
She was so shocked her mouth hung open, her clear almond eyes filled with confusion.
The wooden doll, which had been silent all morning, couldn’t bear it any longer and gritted its teeth in Lu Dieqing’s mind. “Make her shut up!”
How outrageous!
Shameless!
I haven’t even spoken to the little crybaby like this!
😆😆😆 😆