Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Unspoken Feelings

Ji Meiqing couldn't help but smile as she watched his retreating figure.

A hot bath felt nice; she sat in the water. The temperature was just right, and after soaking for a while, she got out and lay down on the bed.

The window was still open, so she went to the back and got a jar of wine, then sat on the windowsill. The cold wind blew in, and she felt exceptionally clear-headed.

A sip of wine, a glance at the moon. These days are quite leisurely. She took another sip of wine, gazing at the moonlight, and slowly fell into deep thought.

She closed her eyes, and in her dream, she was wearing a wedding dress, slowly walking forward. Beside her was her father, and in front of her was someone...

Ji Meiqing suddenly woke up with a start, her eyes and forehead covered in sweat. Her mind was filled with the scene from just now—her groom, his face peeling off bit by bit.

She was startled awake. The moonlight was like a painting. The sky was clear, and the stars still hung in the sky. Everything seemed normal. Ji Meiqing shivered, then quickly went back to bed. The quiet night felt increasingly eerie.

The bed was cool, and she curled up, her mind replaying the scene from earlier every time she closed her eyes.

It was too terrifying; there was no way to calm her down.

She could no longer fall asleep peacefully; nightmares would rush in the moment she closed her eyes, as if someone were under the bed behind her.

After a while, there was a knock on Lu Yu's door.

He groggily got up to open the door, and a dark figure immediately rushed over. When he came to his senses, he looked at Ji Meiqing, who was curled up on the bed, feeling somewhat helpless and confused.

"what happened to you?"

"I'm scared," she murmured. "I can't sleep. Can you let me sleep for a while...?"

"Go to sleep." He sat down on the edge of the bed and quietly watched her. The unusual smell and warmth of the cup calmed Ji Meiqing down, and sleepiness quickly overcame her; she fell asleep in no time.

Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, Lu Yu felt inexplicably calm down.

Thinking about how she had suddenly run over, he smiled helplessly, then tucked her in. He went to another room, got a blanket, and laid it on the floor to sleep.

She slept soundly, and when she woke up and looked at Lu Yu on the ground, she felt a little guilty.

Ji Meiqing tidied the bed, then quietly knelt down beside him. Looking at the man before her…

He has a straight, prominent nose and well-defined features. His eyes and brows are deep-set, giving him a somewhat exotic look. If he cut his hair, he would probably be a handsome man.

She picked at his hair and then looked him over carefully.

The hair was stiff and long. Straight and long, as if it had been stretched. It seemed to have been washed with something, carrying a strange smell.

Lu Yu just opened his eyes. He looked at Ji Meiqing in front of him, and at the confusion and curiosity in her eyes.

"You...you...you're awake?" She stood up hurriedly, wiping her hands. "I just wanted to see you, I didn't do anything..."

Lu Yu sat up from the ground and looked at Ji Meiqing, whose ears were already bright red.

"Good morning."

"Good...good morning," she stammered, her fingers nearly snapping from being twisted. Looking towards the door, she found a good excuse. "I'll go make breakfast first."

"Hmm..." Lu Yu was about to get up when he yawned. Ji Meiqing couldn't help but want to look back, but in the end she held back.

She was a little distracted while making breakfast, waving the spatula haphazardly in the wok. Lu Yu happened to come over to get some water and, seeing her like this, couldn't help but remind her, "The eggs are going to burn."

"Ah...ah!" She frantically tried to get the blackened egg out, and then accidentally broke the spatula from its handle.

Lu Yu reluctantly grabbed a pair of chopsticks and used them to remove the spatula and handle from the pot. Ji Meiqing quickly hid to the side and watched his actions.

"I didn't mean to..." She was on the verge of tears, never expecting such a stark contrast in her behavior...

Lu Yu scooped the rice out of the pot; it was almost inedible. He set it aside, cleaned the pot, and then started cooking again. Ji Meiqing stood obediently to the side like a child who had done something wrong.

Lu Yu had finished preparing breakfast and placed it on the table. Ji Meiqing obediently followed him.

It was a very simple fried rice. Lu Yu somehow found some milk and placed it directly in front of her.

"Eat." It was a simple sentence. Ji Meiqing glanced at it and, like a puppet on a string, hoped to start eating.

Li brought over a few more people, and Ji Meiqing glanced at them.

His gaze swept across their faces, and after looking at each one, it stopped on one of them.

"What's your name?" she asked as she walked over.

The young man looked up and, seeing Ji Meiqing, was not surprised. His expression remained normal as he calmly said, "Er Gouzi."

Such a name contrasted sharply with his calm demeanor. Ji Meiqing almost burst out laughing, but quickly suppressed it.

It's someone else's name after all; we can't disrespect it, but we must. It's just that the thought of that serious face and that unserious name... um... funny.

She returned to her seat with a serious expression, and then said to Li, "These people, stay here."

Mrs. Li was startled. "You don't need to look at it again."

"After the probation period ends, I will officially select people."

Li remained silent, looked at the row of people, and nodded.

Ji Meiqing didn't want to watch anymore, so she handed over all the remaining matters to Li Shi and went to do her own thing.

She went straight to find Lu Yu in the back. After what happened yesterday, Lu Yu took the initiative to take care of washing the clothes. Thinking about falling into the water yesterday... Ji Meiqing thought of the necklace again, so she went back to her room and looked through it.

She found the necklace in her clothes and took it to Lu Yu. The necklace had been cleaned, but it was damaged in some places, and the gemstones in some places had been dented. It looked terrible.

"I found it in the river yesterday, isn't it beautiful?"

She looked at Lu Yu as if presenting a treasure, waving the necklace in her hand. Under the sunlight, it shimmered with iridescent colors.

Lu Yu nodded calmly, "Not bad."

“I think so too.” She looked closely at the necklace. The design was novel, unlike the style of this time… more like a modern style…

A string of thoughts suddenly flashed through Ji Meiqing's mind, and she quickly became serious.

"I have something to do." She put the necklace away and hurried out of the room. Lu Yu watched her retreating figure, somewhat puzzled. What on earth happened...? It was rare to see Ji Meiqing in such a rush.

She went directly to the pawnshop, which was quiet and dark with few people.