Transmigrated Female Official

Seeing Luo Lifei's eagerness to deny it, Chu Yilin didn't say anything more, only muttering, "What a pity, but the color is quite nice." After saying that, he turned his gaze to the wooden box on the stone table and asked, "What good thing is this?"

"This is an inkstone, it's very beautiful, Second Brother, take a look too." Chu Qingluo gestured for him to open it.

Chu Yilin's eyes lit up immediately upon seeing it, and he quickly picked it up to admire it. "A Duan inkstone? What a treasure! This must be worth at least twenty taels of gold, right?"

Chu Qingluo had no idea how to appreciate such antiques; she only noticed the fine, warm texture of the stone. If she could bring a few of these antiques back to the modern world… that would definitely be exciting.

Seeing Chu Yilin's admiring expression, Chu Qinglu realized that Luo Lifei hadn't just bought her randomly from the roadside, but had carefully selected her... Chu Qinglu quickly asked, "Second Brother, do you like her?"

Chu Yilin nodded without hesitation and said, "Of course I like it." He kept fiddling with the inkstone in his hands.

When Chu Yilin said he liked it, Chu Qinglu noticed a hint of pleasure flash across Luo Lifei's expression, so she took it upon herself to say, "Since Second Brother likes it, then I might as well take advantage of this and give this inkstone to Second Brother."

"Huh?" Chu Yilin was taken aback at first, then said happily, "Then thank you very much, Third Sister!"

"Don't rush to thank me, this was given to you by Luo Lifei. If you want to thank someone, you should thank her."

Chu Yilin was taken aback again, then nodded to Luo Lifei: "Thank you."

Luo Lifei, feeling forced into the situation, smiled sheepishly and said nothing. Because she remained silent, Chu Qingluo became even more certain of her feelings; she was definitely interested in Chu Yilin.

Since Luo Lifei had already come, Chu Qingluo naturally invited her to stay for dinner before letting her go home, and even asked her to take two jars of pickled vegetables with her. Finally, using all sorts of excuses such as the pickling jars being too heavy and the road being too dark, she had Chu Yilin escort Luo Lifei home.

Chu Yilin had just accepted Luo Lifei's generous gift, and being indebted to her, he naturally couldn't refuse...

When the carriage was still some distance from the Luo residence, Luo Lifei suddenly called for a stop. She looked at Chu Yilin, who looked puzzled, and asked, "Could you accompany me for a while?"

Chu Yilin was a little confused, then blinked: "...Of course."

He helped her down from the carriage, and the two walked side by side on the street, with the carriage following slowly behind.

The night was cool and breezy. The road I was walking on was far less bustling than the city center, with only a few figures hurrying by occasionally.

Seeing that Luo Lifei kept her head down and was not saying anything, Chu Yilin couldn't help but shiver: "What's wrong with you? You're so quiet it's almost eerie."

Luo Lifei rolled her eyes at him: "...Do you want to get splashed with water again?!"

"It's getting cold, let's not play water splashing."

Luo Lifei's lips twitched, as if she wanted to laugh, but she held it back. "I heard you're going to participate in the selection?"

Chu Yilin pursed his lips: "Your wording is wrong. It's not that I want to go, it's that I'm forced to."

Why don't you try to find a solution?

"...Why do you care about this?"

"Isn't it all because you used me as a shield to make the Eighth Princess give up on you! Now you don't even struggle, you just deliver yourself to her doorstep!" Luo Lifei got angry when she talked about this.

"What else? Even if I wanted you to continue acting with me, you couldn't do it."

"..." In that instant, she suddenly felt a pang of resentment towards herself for not being born a few months earlier!

Seeing that she remained silent, Chu Yilin asked, "Has the Eighth Princess continued to make things difficult for you recently?"

"No."

"That's good, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."

With the gates of the Luo residence right in front of him, Chu Yilin said, "It's getting cold, you should go in quickly. Also, thank you for the Duan inkstone."

Luo Lifei glanced at him, then silently walked up the steps. She knocked twice, and the Luo family gate opened. She lifted her foot to step inside, but suddenly stopped. She turned back to Chu Yilin and said, "I don't want you to participate in the selection!"

"Huh—?" Chu Yilin thought he had misheard.

She continued, "I don't want you to enter into the lives of other women either!" After saying this, she quickly hid inside the door.

With a bang, the gates of the Luo residence slammed shut, leaving Chu Yilin completely bewildered...

Based on his years of experience, he knew that Luo Lifei had fallen in love with him.

"Sigh." He smiled helplessly, touched his chin, and muttered to himself, "Looks like my handsome face not only attracts peach blossoms, but also roses with thorns... Sigh."

He leisurely returned to the Chu family home, and upon entering, he saw Chu Qingluo and was startled: "What are you doing standing here so late at night?"

"Second brother, what do you think of Luo Lifei?" Chu Qingluo blinked her long eyelashes.

"What do you mean, how?" He didn't answer her directly, but continued walking inside.

Chu Qingluo grabbed him and asked, "How is he?"

Chu Yilin sighed impatiently. "So annoying."

The less he said, the more curious she became: "What's bothering you?"

Chu Yilin raised an eyebrow and smiled wickedly: "I mean, being handsome is also a kind of trouble."

Chu Qinglu rolled her eyes: "Second brother, you really have no shame."

Chu Yilin laughed heartily and continued walking towards Zhuqing Courtyard, causing Chu Qingluo to stomp her feet in frustration. She was determined to make progress by giving the two of them a chance to be alone! But Chu Yilin wouldn't say anything, truly keeping her in suspense.

……

As Chu Qingluo had predicted, the selection process was progressing as planned. By the seventh day, the last group of people had arrived. This meant that on this day, Nine-Tailed Fox, Kirito, and Chu Yilin, who hadn't appeared before, along with the three from the Famous Clothing Shop, would all be coming.

When Nine-Tailed Fox and Kirito brought Chu Qingluo here, they still hadn't given up their last hope and were still trying to persuade her. Chu Qingluo was annoyed by them and told them clearly that, based on her observations over the past few days, they had absolutely no chance of being selected, and that they could rest assured.

A few days ago, the Fourth Princess selected eighteen, the Eighth Princess selected twelve, and the Sixth Princess, who only occasionally attended the event, selected seven. These women were all either exceptionally beautiful, had excellent figures, or possessed some other outstanding qualities.

People like Kurama and Kirito, who are 5/5 in looks and 5/5 in physique and don't have any special talents, will definitely be able to pass safely.

Today is the last day of the selection process. Just like on the first day, the Sixth Princess took her place on time along with the other two princesses.

Nine-Tailed Fox and Kirito arrived early and were on the second list to enter the palace. When they appeared, their heads were hanging low and their faces looked particularly unpleasant... Chu Qingluo couldn't help but exchange a smile with Peony.

As expected, the princesses only glanced at the group and moved on. Before leaving, Nine-Tailed Fox and Kirito couldn't help but steal a glance in Chu Qingluo's direction. Chu Qingluo even gave them a "See? I told you so" look, which made the two of them smirk.