Transmigrated Female Official

Emerging from the room where the ancestral tablets of the Chu family were placed, Chu Qingluo walked ahead, then suddenly turned around to look at Gongsun Yu behind her, intending to catch him off guard.

Gongsun Yu bumped into her because of her sudden turn. He quickly steadied her, looking innocent, and asked, "What happened?"

Chu Qingluo looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Gongsun, were you secretly laughing just now?"

"..." A smile slowly widened on Gongsun Yu's lips. He said, "I'm not chuckling. I'm smiling very obviously."

"Ugh—" Chu Qinglu gritted her teeth indignantly. Even Gongsun Yu is so sarcastic these days.

Back at Ningxiang Courtyard, Chu Qingluo's first act was to confront the two traitors, Jiuwei and Tongmu. "You two are turning against each other? I've treated you so well all this time. Tell me, how did you manage to sell me out under my mother's coercion and enticement?"

Nine-Tails and Kirito knew they were going to be scolded, so they exchanged a glance and obediently bowed their heads in admission of guilt: "Please punish us, Miss."

Chu Qingluo stared at the two of them and asked, "Nine-Tails is one thing, he talks too much. But Kirito, why can't you keep things in check either?"

Tongmu looked at Chu Qingluo with some difficulty, then glanced at Jiuwei, hesitating to speak.

Chu Qingluo then turned to the Nine-Tailed Fox and asked, "What do you say?"

Nine-Tailed Fox pouted, looking slightly aggrieved, and said, "Madam came to interrogate us today. Even if we had the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard, we wouldn't dare to lie to her."

Kirito muttered to himself, "That's not the point..." Kurama immediately glared at him fiercely.

Seeing this, Chu Qingluo asked again, "Anything else?"

Nine-Tailed Swallowed hard before saying, "Well... Madam said if all else fails, she'll find Miss a few more male servants... and then..."

"And then what?" Chu Qingluo raised her voice eight octaves, indicating that she had lost her patience.

"Then I could only tell the truth..." Nine-Tails answered, avoiding the main point.

Tongmu couldn't stand it anymore and chimed in, "Then Nine-Tailed Fox told Madam that he wanted to be Miss's male servant!" Before Tongmu could finish speaking, Nine-Tailed Fox rushed over and covered Tongmu's mouth with his hand to prevent him from exposing him, but he was too late. Chu Qingluo had already heard everything clearly.

She glared at Nine-Tailed Fox, both amused and annoyed, and said, "So you're volunteering yourself?!"

Nine-Tailed Fox hurriedly knelt down: "Miss, I was wrong! I will accept whatever punishment you may give me!"

"Fine! Since that's the case, your punishment is... no dinner tonight!" Seeing that Nine-Tails seemed relieved, she added, "Also, stop thinking about these things all the time, or I'll give you away!"

"Ah! Miss! I really know I was wrong! I will never do it again!" Nine-Tailed Fox took two steps forward on her knees and kept shaking Chu Qingluo's arm, begging for her forgiveness.

Chu Qinglu rolled her eyes at him: "Alright, this is a light punishment. If it happens again, it won't be so easy. I will definitely throw you out of the Chu family."

"Thank you, Miss! Our young lady is the best, the very best in the whole of Yancheng!" Even at the very end, Jiuwei couldn't resist giving a compliment.

……

While taking a bath, Chu Qingluo thought that Gongsun Yu had long since become the most important person to her. Having him around always made her feel safe, so she had habitually relied on him.

It's no exaggeration to say that she crossed a thousand years to meet such a wonderful man.

If her initial dislike for Gongsun Yu stemmed from the incident with the sachet, after so many months of getting to know him, he'd only gotten better. Such a wonderful, warm-hearted man, and their relationship was already set in stone… what reason did she have to resist?

After thinking it over, it all seems reasonable and justifiable.

Chu Qingluo had already made a silent decision in her heart: even if her mother didn't make the decision on her own, she would still give Gongsun Yu a future. So, she straightened up and quickly changed into her dress.

She opened the door and saw Gongsun Yu leaning against the side of the corridor, seemingly lost in thought. She smiled and called out, "Gongsun, come in."

Gongsun Yu snapped out of his daze and walked towards her. The room was brightly lit by candlelight, and seeing that her hair was still dripping wet, he casually picked up a handkerchief from the side, went behind her, and naturally began to wipe it dry. "Be careful not to catch a cold."

Chu Qinglu chuckled: "It's not that cold yet, how could it be so easy to catch a cold?"

"Just in case." Gongsun Yu continued to wipe her down.

Feeling the gentle touch of his hands, she felt a warm glow inside. "...Will you dry my hair for me from now on?"

Hearing her ask this, Gongsun Yu laughed: "Of course. I will wipe your hair even when you are old and gray."

Chu Qinglu couldn't help but turn around and look at him. She had seen him smile countless times, but tonight his smile was especially beautiful and never got old. "Gongsun, how come you're so good with words?"

"I'm not good at speaking, I just say what I think."

A smile played in her eyes as she tilted her head and asked, "I've wanted to ask you this for a long time..."

"Ok?"

"Why did he strike up a conversation with me at Yibin Pavilion?" Given Gongsun Yu's personality, he's not a womanizer like Chu Yilin, so why would he take the initiative to chat me up? Could he have used this tactic to flirt with other women before?

"I..." He paused for a moment before speaking again, "If I said that from the first moment I saw you, I was willing to give everything for you, would you believe me?"

"..." Chu Qingluo was stunned. She was not someone who fell in love with others easily. Even though she believed in love at first sight, she had never experienced or understood the kind of feeling of being willing to give everything for someone on the first meeting.

Just because you don't have something doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

So she replied earnestly, "If you say so, I will believe you."

Gongsun Yu smiled faintly, placed her hand in his palm, and then covered it with his other hand. Staring intently at her, he said, "Then listen carefully, I, Gongsun Yu... from the moment I saw you, I decided to take care of you for the rest of my life."

After their first meeting, he immediately inquired about her privately and learned that she was about to turn sixteen. So, on the day of her coming-of-age ceremony, he followed her sedan chair meticulously, not daring to be careless in the slightest. Only when she was about to throw out her sachet did he decisively intercept it, becoming her destined partner. One could say that he himself seized the fate between them…

"Take care of?" Chu Qinglu stared into his eyes and asked him in a coquettish tone, "Just take care of? Am I old, weak, sick, or disabled, which makes you feel sorry for me?"

"Pfft." Gongsun Yu laughed out loud: "You know that's not what I meant."

Chu Qingluo turned her head away, feigning anger: "I don't know! I have no idea how many people you've said that to!"

Chu's mother forced the two of them to live in the same room. Gongsun Yu did not want to rush things and did not intend to confess to her. He was afraid that his actions or words would burden her. However, she asked first.

He was at his wit's end with her, so he looked at her with tender eyes, took a deep breath, and said sincerely, "Qingluo, I have never said these words to anyone before." Seeing that she remained silent, he turned her shoulders back and made her look into his eyes, saying, "Chu Qingluo, I love you, I only love you, I will love you in this life and the next."