Transmigrated Female Official

"I want to become a disciple of Qingluo!"

Wu Yang gripped the fabric on his knees tightly with both hands. The slight redness that had started at the base of his ears spread all the way to his neck, and a bead of sweat slid down his cheek. He looked extremely nervous.

Chu Qingluo hurriedly looked at Gongsun Yu and found that he was also looking at her, with an expression she had never seen before... complex.

She didn't know how to respond for a moment, so she said, "...It's alright, let me think about it first."

"Okay." Wu Yang knew that his request was too sudden and didn't dare to hope that Chu Qingluo would agree immediately. On the contrary, the fact that she didn't refuse already relieved him.

Wu Yang was feeling awkward and unsure how to end the situation when Chu Qingluo warmly invited him, "Since you're here, let's have dinner together."

Gongsun Yu, who was standing to the side, also nodded in a friendly invitation.

"This..." Wu Yang hesitated, worried that it might be inconvenient.

Chu Qinglu waved her hand and said readily, "Stop with the 'this' and 'that', it's decided then. Tell Nine-Tailed Fox to prepare an extra pair of bowls and chopsticks."

"...I have already had dinner."

"Eat some more after you've eaten."

"..."

In the end, Wu Yang was kept by Chu Qingluo and they had dinner together at Ningxiang Courtyard. During the meal, Wu Yang was somewhat dazed and couldn't taste the food.

Seeing the slightly awkward atmosphere, Chu Qingluo frequently asked him about his upbringing, trying to get him talking and ease his reserve. Gongsun Yu, meanwhile, chimed in, attempting to engage her in conversation...

After dinner, Wu Yang left the Chu family, and Chu Qingluo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You seem quite concerned about him, asking such detailed questions." Gongsun Yu's tone sounded somewhat jealous.

Chu Qinglu leaned over, looked left and right, and then asked, "Hey? Aren't you supposed to have a big heart? The kind that can hold an elephant!" She gestured a large circle with her hand at the same time.

Gongsun Yu hooked his arm around her neck, pecked her lips, and said, "I regret it!"

"Pfft—" She laughed, a sweet feeling welling up from the bottom of her heart, but she didn't let him off the hook: "Our young master Gongsun has always been very generous, how can he change his mind so easily?"

"I haven't changed, I just don't want to hide it anymore." Gongsun Yu said, as he swept her up in his arms. He teased, "Now Gongsun Yu is going to bathe Master Qingluo—"

Chu Qingluo was startled by his sudden move and exclaimed, "You bastard Gongsun Yu! You really are a wolf in sheep's clothing! Put me down right now, or I'll rip off your wolf skin!"

Gongsun Yu laughed heartily, carried her back to the room, and sat her on a stool. Seeing her face flushed red, he found it quite amusing, kissed her again, and said, "Just teasing you."

Phew, thank goodness Gongsun Yu was just joking, otherwise she would have been mortified! Although she had tried mixed-gender bathing parties in the palace before, that was just to embolden herself in a crowd and take advantage of the chaos. But now, just looking into his deep brown eyes made her feel breathless!

"I'm not going to argue with you anymore. Everything's fine. What do you think?" she asked, feigning composure.

Gongsun Yu raised an eyebrow: "I was just being generous because I thought you liked Wuyang."

"what about now?"

"Right now? I just want to have you all to myself. Even if I can't have you forever... I'll have as much as I can!"

Chu Qinglu laughed: "Are you on cheat mode now? You're so good at sweet talk!"

Gongsun Yu looked completely innocent: "What do you mean by cheating? I've actually been saying sweet words all along, you just haven't noticed."

She looked at him suspiciously and asked, "When did you say that?"

"They mentioned it on the very first day we met."

"How can it be?!"

He gently stroked her hair and said slowly, "On the day we first met, before I left, I told you that we were 'destined to be together'." Seeing that she was trying to recall, he added, "And on the day I entered the family, I also said that I only had eyes for you."

"...Are you kidding me? Who would notice if you were being so subtle? Besides, we weren't familiar with each other back then, who knows if you were just talking nonsense?" She always automatically ignored sweet words from people she didn't know well, treating them as sugar-coated bullets. So, you can't blame her for not noticing.

"Does someone as serious as me look like someone who would talk nonsense?"

"Tsk." Chu Qingluo stared at him and shook her head: "With your unhurried personality, if I were an observer, I would be anxious for you!"

Gongsun Yu grinned and said, "Now you can worry for me too."

Chu Qingluo chuckled and lightly patted his arm, saying, "What should a decent person do if nothing's wrong?"

"Sigh—" he sighed, feigning difficulty, "With my unhurried personality, I haven't even been able to take care of my own affairs, let alone others."

She glanced at him, her expression unreadable, and tentatively asked, "...Then I'll have to make the decision myself?"

"Hmm." Gongsun Yu suddenly reached out and hugged her, pressing her head against his shoulder, not wanting her to see his expression at that moment.

Sensing his strange behavior, Chu Qingluo wrapped her arms around his waist to offer him warmth.

She really needed to think carefully about Wu Yang's request for help.

……

Chu Qingluo was extremely busy in the palace with the matter of selecting male servants for her.

Thanks to Gongsun Yu's help in managing things, and the hard work of Lingnan and Dongxu, Mingyifang has completed all of its previous orders in just two months since opening, and is now rushing to produce new orders.

The thousand taels of gold owed to the original manager had been collected. However, Chu Qingluo wasn't in a hurry to repay it. Instead, she first repaid the five hundred taels of gold that Gongsun Yu had borrowed by using his face. She was overjoyed. At the end of the month, she gave everyone in the clothing store a raise and then treated them to a celebratory meal at Yibin Pavilion.

They would treat themselves to a meal after making money, a tradition she and He Yun continued.

Chu Qingluo chose the largest private room on the second floor of Yibin Pavilion. She invited Shaoyao, Luo Lifei, and Wuyang, who had helped with the opening, and a large group of people gathered around the table, creating a lively atmosphere.

Chu Qingluo watched them chatting and laughing, then looked at Gongsun Yu beside her... This was truly one of her favorite scenes!

A group of good friends gathered together, with their lovers sitting beside them, they felt so content.

She stood up first and said, "Come on, everyone, raise your glasses." After everyone raised their glasses, she said, "A toast to He Yun and Momo!" Then she drank it all in one gulp.

She truly hoped that the two of them would know that she was happy now.