Transmigrated Female Official

After the epiphyllum flowers bloomed one by one, the crowd gradually thinned out.

Chu Qinglu walked back alone... She noticed that everyone who came towards her, regardless of gender, would glance at her and then linger behind her. She subconsciously turned around and saw that Ji Qiran was indeed still a few meters behind her.

She gazed into his innocent eyes, her brows furrowing slightly.

But he was laughing.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and made an "X" gesture to him, signaling him to stop.

He was still smiling, his eyes filled with tenderness. He nodded, indicating that he understood.

Chu Qingluo turned around and continued walking forward. From the amazed looks of the strangers she passed, she knew that Ji Qiran must still be behind her.

She bit her lower lip, but a sweet feeling suddenly welled up inside her! This feeling made her afraid to turn around, and she quickened her pace.

……

"Qingluo, you're finally back! The flowers are all in full bloom!" Upon seeing Chu Qingluo, Peony hurriedly asked, "Did you find Luo Lifei and the others? Has Brother Yilin appeared?"

Chu Qingluo pouted helplessly: "So you do care about these things?" She looked around at Shaoyao and asked, "Where's the handsome man you were just chatting with?"

"You mean Young Master Yan? He was just pulled away by some friends."

"Young Master Yanlu? You two seem to be getting along quite well."

Peony smiled sheepishly: "It's alright. Enough about me, tell me, did you gain anything?"

"Sigh—" Chu Qinglu couldn't help but sigh. "My second brother did come, but it was completely different from what I expected. The big show we were looking forward to didn't happen at all."

"So tonight is a complete failure?"

“…You can’t say that, at least he came.” Chu Qingluo paused, then said, “Ask Luo Lifei again tomorrow. If she and Ling Nan have a good chat, that would be a good thing.”

The two walked out while talking, and Chu Qingluo said goodbye to Shaoyao before getting into the carriage.

It wasn't until she returned to the Chu family home and entered the gate that she was certain the burning gaze that had been following her had completely disappeared.

"Phew..." The tension in her heart finally eased. Only then did she realize that her palms were sweaty.

……

Early the next morning, Peony received a tip from the Imperial Hospital at Guangrentang. She finally managed to share it with Chu Qingluo after she returned from the morning court session. "Did you know? Princess Xile is pregnant too! The Imperial Hospital is in an uproar today."

"Yes, I understand. Princess Xile couldn't wait to share this news with everyone in the Qingming Hall just now," Chu Qingluo replied calmly.

The fourth and eighth princesses became pregnant one after another. Although both were happy occasions, at such a special time, they inevitably had many things to attend to. Doesn't this give the sixth princess a great opportunity to greatly increase her strength?

Peony was a little puzzled: "Everyone says that babies are very stingy, but Princess Joy is too bold. She dares to announce her pregnancy to the world so soon. Isn't she afraid that something might happen to the baby?"

Chu Qinglu smiled: "That does suit her personality quite well." Rather than saying the Eighth Princess is bold, it's more accurate to say she's always impulsive and always wears her heart on her sleeve.

If the capricious Eighth Princess were to become Empress in the future, everything would probably fall into chaos; I can't even imagine what that would look like. The Fourth Princess is cunning, and the Sixth Princess is a wolf in sheep's clothing… none of them are simple.

Of course, a simple person probably wouldn't be able to sit securely on the Empress's throne.

Realizing she was pondering such profound political issues, Chu Qinglu shook her head helplessly and said, "Never mind all that, the princesses will be taken care of. Let's just focus on doing our own thing."

Peony nodded: "Okay, then I'll go find Luo Lifei now." They still needed to think of a solution for Luo Lifei.

"it is good."

Before Chu Qingluo could finish saying "good," Ji Qili had already strode to the door of the inner hall like a hurricane.

He Qi anxiously tried to stop him, saying, "Fifth Prince, Lord Chu is really busy right now and it's inconvenient for him to receive guests."

Seeing Ji Qili, with a serious expression, appear at the door despite He Qi's attempts to stop him, Shaoyao glanced at Chu Qingluo in alarm. She was terrified that the Fifth Prince would do something wicked to Chu Qingluo again, so she froze, unsure of what to do next.

Sensing danger, Chu Qinglu subconsciously touched the chili powder that she had deliberately hidden in her sleeve. After confirming that it was bulging, she calmly nodded to Shaoyao: "Go ahead, I'm fine here."

She figured Ji Qili wouldn't dare do anything; this was Guangrentang, not his Changming Hall.

"Okay, then be careful."

After Shaoyao and Qi left, Ji Qili walked in. "It has become so difficult to come see you."

Chu Qinglu smiled dismissively: "Wasn't that all your fault?"

“It’s quite interesting.” Ji Qili ignored her sarcasm and sat down opposite her. “Back then, you were extremely hostile towards me, and I never understood why. I always felt suffocated. Now that you hate me, it gives me a sense of relief.”

"...Are you a pervert?" Chu Qinglu glared at him, showing no politeness whatsoever.

Ji Qili sneered: "Since we're all going to hate each other anyway, it's better to be hated clearly and openly, that would be more satisfying."

"Don't blame me for all the bad things you've done; that only makes you look more ridiculous."

“Qingluo, you don’t understand.” A complex look flashed in Ji Qili’s dark eyes, but it quickly disappeared. “You hold a grudge against me, so you’ll think about how to get revenge on me all day long. Today it’s the anti-itch powder, tomorrow it’ll be a beating. No matter what comes next, it shows that I’ve already been taken to heart by you.”

Hearing this, Chu Qingluo couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Fifth Prince, are you suffering from paranoia or pre-entry phobia?" She had no intention of taking any further revenge on him.

"...Fine, you don't have to admit it. Although I'm about to start my training tomorrow, I don't intend to let it go like this. It's only a matter of time before I make a comeback, so you'd better be prepared."

Damn it! To put it bluntly, Ji Qili just wanted to annoy her one last time before she entered the sect!

"Fifth Prince, life is short. I advise you not to be so obsessed with devising all sorts of evil schemes. Living a peaceful and simple life is the right way." Chu Qingluo felt that she had already given quite a bit of earnest advice.

After a moment of silence, Ji Qili stood up, gave her a deep look, and said, "Let's walk and see what happens."

A simple "we'll see" becomes "we'll see as we go" in his mouth? Anyone who doesn't know better would think he's saying something good. Chu Qingluo truly admires this kind of pretentious, even halfway through a fight.

"Don't look around while you walk, it's not safe! How about we discuss it and never see each other again?" She was extremely serious about ending things with him.

Unfortunately, Ji Qili didn't appreciate it. He said, "I don't know why, but I just can't stop here." Then, he stepped out the door.

Chu Qingluo stared at the doorway, where a gust of wind had stirred up dust, and muttered to herself, "What a terrible, utterly terrible thing!"

Who owed whom in their past life?

Since we're not in love, why bother meeting again?