Transmigrated Female Official

Upon hearing that the sedan chair had returned, Chu Qingluo quickly put down her bowl and chopsticks, stood up, and said, "Don't eat yet, everyone! Hurry up and go grab your seats."

Upon hearing this, everyone put down their bowls, stood up, and hurried out of the Yibin Pavilion.

Chu Qingluo called over the waiter to settle the bill.

The waiter pointed to a private room upstairs and said, "Someone has already settled the bill for Lord Chu."

"..." Chu Qinglu stared at the closed door of the upstairs room and asked, "Is the Seventh Prince here too?"

The waiter smiled ambiguously and said only, "Sir, they are all still waiting for you."

Chu Qinglu glanced at Gongsun Yu, who was waiting for her at the door, then glanced at the door of the side room, and said, "Thank him for me."

The waiter bowed slightly and saw Chu Qingluo out.

By the afternoon, the snow had stopped, and the number of people watching the spectacle in the market center had noticeably increased. Chu Qingluo and Gongsun Yu finally managed to squeeze to the front and join Jiuwei and the others.

Inside the sedan chair, Luo Lifei had already revealed the object of her affection. It was an orange purse, bulging with what appeared to be something hard inside.

At this moment, Tongmu was still standing closest to Luo Lifei. He slightly raised his head, watching intently.

Luo Lifei's raised hand remained frozen in mid-air, not falling for a long time. This made the people below impatient, who shouted, "Throw it quickly!" "Lord Luo, throw it this way!" "Hey, hey, don't block my way!"

Seeing this scene, Chu Qingluo had to hold her breath. Watching Luo Lifei's eyes begin to redden, she felt a pang of sadness in her own heart…

Chu Qinglu's gaze inadvertently passed through the sedan chair, and she saw Shaoyao standing on the other side of the sedan chair, also watching the ceremony. Beside her stood Gongsun Yanlu.

Peony wore a calm smile as her gaze met Chu Qingluo's. Instead of looking away, she raised her hand and waved at Chu Qingluo…

Chu Qingluo felt her tense nerves suddenly relax with a 'bang'! After a moment of stunned silence, she smiled and waved to the peony.

The peonies she knew and loved had finally returned!

Luo Lifei's raised arm was aching terribly, and her palms were sweaty. Staring at the dense crowd below, she suddenly shouted, "Chu Yilin, you bastard—! If you don't show up, I'll never speak to you again for the rest of my life—!"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar below.

Chu Qingluo's first concern was Tongmu's reaction.

His gaze remained fixed on Luo Lifei, showing no surprise or embarrassment, only a fleeting, bitter smile that vanished quickly.

Just as Chu Qingluo was in a daze, a clear male voice rang out from the crowd: "I'm here—!"

Upon hearing the sound, Chu Qingluo quickly turned her head... and saw Chu Yilin, dressed in purple, walking through the crowd and arriving in front of Luo Lifei's sedan chair.

Chu Qingluo was so excited that she just wanted to cheer! She subconsciously grabbed Gongsun Yu's arm beside her!

"...Why did it take you so long to come?!" Tears welled up in Luo Lifei's eyes, and her voice trembled uncontrollably.

Chu Yilin stared intently at her and said, "I don't really want to hurt you, but it seems like I always end up making you sad. I didn't really want to be here either... but when you called out, I couldn't help but come out."

“…Bastard!” Luo Lifei was completely choked up.

“I’m not sure I can be the best person for you right now, but I can’t just watch you choose someone else. So… I want to give it a try. Luo Lifei, please give me this chance.” After saying this, Chu Yilin crossed his arms and solemnly bowed to Luo Lifei.

Faced with Chu Yilin's heartfelt words, Luo Lifei was completely stunned, alternating between crying and laughing! People around them started to cheer, but Luo Lifei seemed not to hear them at all.

She wiped away her tears and sobbed, "You better catch it! If you can't, I won't let you off easily!"

"Absolutely sure," Chu Yilin assured him.

Seeing him say that, Luo Lifei burst into laughter through her tears, and with a strong flick of her arm, the orange purse in her hand flew into Chu Yilin's hand in a beautiful arc.

After throwing the object away, Luo Lifei was finally free to be polite. She shouted to the onlookers, "You can all leave now!"

Immediately afterwards, she had the sedan bearers alight from the sedan chair, and she quickly came to Chu Yilin's side, saying, "Guess what's inside?"

Chu Yilin touched the purse in his hand and found it to be very hard. He couldn't help but frown slightly and said, "It's so hard, is it a stone? If I didn't catch it properly, wouldn't I be smashed by this thing?"

Luo Lifei pouted and snorted, saying, "That's your own fault."

Chu Yilin smiled, untied the purse, and took out the contents... A perfectly intact white jade box came into view.

This is the rouge he gave her.

"How did this end up back in your hands?" he asked, his eyes wide. He remembered that this thing was still in Chu Qingluo's hands on New Year's Eve, and she had sworn that it was something Luo Lifei had thrown away.

"Where else could it be if not with me? This is mine!"

"I thought..." Chu Yilin thought for a moment, realizing that how the rouge returned to her hands and how Chu Qingluo deliberately provoked her were no longer important. Instead, she said, "I didn't expect you to use it as a token of good fortune."

Luo Lifei stared silently at the box of rouge for a long time before saying, "...This was originally prepared especially for you. I'm so glad you came!"

Hearing her say that, Chu Yilin's heart skipped a beat, and he was speechless for a moment. He gasped and opened his arms to Luo Lifei.

If you can't express it in words, it's best to show it through actions.

Without the slightest hesitation, Luo Lifei threw herself into his arms, her face beaming with an unprecedented smile of happiness...

Chu Qingluo watched this scene with emotion; the lovers were finally together. But when she saw Tongmu's Adam's apple bob, her joy instantly plummeted.

Where there is laughter, there is also tears.

Too many perfect endings are built on the sacrifice of others.

"Paulownia wood..."

Chu Qingluo tried to comfort him, but Tongmu was much stronger than she had imagined. Facing the hesitant Chu Qingluo, he forced a smile and said, "Master, don't worry, I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's a good thing that Lifey got what she wanted."

Hearing these words from him, Chu Qingluo felt even more heartbroken.

Seeing Chu Qinglu staring intently at his face with a sorrowful gaze, Tongmu couldn't help but gasp and said, "Master, don't look at me like that. I still have a chance."