Chapter 41: What’s Wrong with Su Liluo? She Just Likes Me Too Much.

“Brother Pei~~~”

Pei Ziye had just gotten off his carriage when he heard the call. Looking up, he saw a brilliantly cheerful young woman standing in front of the Wansong Bookstore, smiling broadly as she rushed toward him.

The sixteenth time.

In just a few days, they had run into each other sixteen times.

Each time, she appeared in an unexpected way—either around a corner or turning back, and whenever he looked up, she was right there.

Moreover, each time he saw her, she was dressed differently—on the first day, she wore a pink gauze dress and peach blossom makeup; the next day, a crimson robe paired with peony patterns…

Carefully dressed, always changing her look.

Was he really that charming, and was she so infatuated with him?

Pei Ziye couldn’t help but curve his lips into a smile, chuckling softly.

“Brother Pei.”

Pei Ziye was still grinning foolishly when Su Liluo reached him. Her eyes were crescent shaped from her smile, and her joy couldn’t be hidden. It was as if seeing him made her incredibly happy.

“Brother Pei, I just knew I’d meet you here today, so I waited for you,” Su Liluo said in a delicate voice, holding back her disgust as she playfully spoke.

Apologies.

She had acted so much in front of Shen Luchu that now, performing for Pei Ziye made her slightly nauseous.

Luckily, Pei Ziye, despite his playboy reputation, was rather simple-minded. The moment she called out “Brother Pei,” his face turned as red as a monkey’s bottom.

It was clear that the rumors about him were not to be believed people said Pei Ziye was a rake, a man who flirted with women everywhere. But to her, he seemed very clean.

In fact, people also spread rumors about her being the daughter of a Minister, and her “Minister father” doted on her like a precious gem.

But that was all nonsense!

“Little Fish, are you looking for me for something?” Pei Ziye asked.

Su Liluo, lost in her own thoughts, was stunned for a moment before realizing that Pei Ziye was calling her.

“Little Fish,” a new name she had given herself.

Yes, she had never told Pei Ziye her real name, instead inventing a new identity as the daughter of a wealthy merchant. After all, she only wanted to annoy Jiang Shiyuan, not really become involved with Pei Ziye.

Pei Ziye and she had never interacted before. She had done her homework and spun a flawless story, and Pei Ziye had no clue.

Su Liluo pulled herself out of her thoughts, looked up at Pei Ziye, and began explaining the reason for her visit today. “Brother Pei, I’ve prepared a surprise for you.”

Half an hour later—

Su Liluo led Pei Ziye to the Ministry of Revenue’s prison.

Pei Ziye pointed to the dark and gloomy jail, puzzled. “Are you sure there’s a surprise here?”

It is a scare.

Su Liluo nodded and didn’t keep him in suspense. “I heard from Shopkeeper Qian that you’re looking for a scholar who writes stories, right?”

Pei Ziye was shocked. “You found him?”

Now that was a surprise.

He had gone to Qian Shan Bookstore several times, and despite Shopkeeper Liu’s usual greed, this time he had bargained with him for hours but still hadn’t been able to get the man to meet.

He had been hoping to find the man and send him to his uncle to get a reward.

“My father knows some people and helped me find him,” Su Liluo vaguely explained. She certainly wasn’t going to tell him that she had used her connections to raid Qian Shan Bookstore and capture the person.

“Where is he? Let me see him!” Pei Ziye asked eagerly, not suspecting a thing.

Su Liluo lifted her chin. “He’s right inside.”

She pulled Pei Ziye into the prison, where they saw—

In the dimly lit cell, a slender figure was sitting quietly on a pile of dry hay.

Hearing footsteps, the person looked up.

The three of them froze in shock, eyes wide.

Pei Ziye: “!”

Su Liluo: “!!”

Jiang Shiyuan in the prison: “!!!”

The three were so shocked they couldn’t speak.

Pei Ziye stayed silent, his mind racing faster than it ever had in his life. He blinked a few times—though the person inside was wearing men’s clothing, that face could only belong to Jiang Shiyuan!

Pei Ziye was stunned: The noodle-eating scholar was his little aunt??

But soon he realized, if his little aunt was that noodle-eating scholar, why did she need him to find anyone?

There was only one possibility—Su Liluo had caught the wrong person.

Su Liluo had arrested his little aunt, the future Grand Tutor’s wife!

Could his uncle forgive her?

Moreover, he had a hunch that his uncle would show up soon—maybe he was already on his way!

He was done for!!

What should he do?

What should he do?

Ahhh, his brain was spinning, but it wasn’t spinning fast enough!

Su Liluo remained silent too because speaking would expose her identity. All the hard work she had put into creating this story, the new clothes she had bought, the peach blossom makeup, and the sixteen “coincidental” encounters with Pei Ziye—it would all be for nothing.

She glared at Jiang Shiyuan in frustration: Damn it, why was it Jiang Shiyuan? When did she start writing stories? She didn’t know!

No, she had to turn this around.

Strong-willed, Su Liluo thought, and suddenly grabbed Pei Ziye’s arm, giving Jiang Shiyuan a provocative look: “See, Jiang Shiyuan, your fiancé is in my hands.”

Jiang Shiyuan had been about to speak, but when she saw their suddenly intimate gesture, her mouth dropped open in shock. She couldn’t say a word.

Huh?! When did Su Liluo and Pei Ziye become so close?!

Could it be…?

This was the reason Pei Ziye had been avoiding marriage for so many years—he liked Su Liluo!!

Jiang Shiyuan blinked in disbelief. Today was just too much. First, the noodle-eating scholar was…

Wait, wait—

This wasn’t the street, this was a prison, and she had been captured by the officials. So why were Pei Ziye and Su Liluo here?

Could it be—

No way, no way?

Jiang Shiyuan’s mind raced as she looked at Pei Ziye in disbelief: “Pei Ziye, what’s going on?”

Before Pei Ziye could respond, he grabbed Su Liluo’s hand and, like a man on the run, dashed out of the prison.

Inside the cell, Jiang Shiyuan stared dumbfounded as Pei Ziye ran away… ran away…

She was stunned.

“Ah… ahh…”

Pei Ziye and Su Liluo ran for three miles, from the Ministry of Revenue’s prison to the street.

Pei Ziye stopped, bent over, and gasped for breath, like a dog panting.

Su Liluo wasn’t in any better shape. Her mouth was dry, and she almost ran out of breath.

“Pei Ziye, what are you running for?”

She had wanted to enjoy seeing Su Liluo’s furious, embarrassed expression.

Pei Ziye wasn’t trying to save Jiang Shiyuan’s face, was he?

“I heard that the so-called scholar writes disgusting stories—vulgar and crude. She should have been caught to prevent her from corrupting young girls!” Su Liluo, though she loved reading “The Hairpin Record” late into the night, didn’t hesitate to badmouth Jiang Shiyuan.

Pei Ziye turned to her, a wry smile on his face.

She still didn’t know how big of a mess they had made.

It was fine if his uncle didn’t get angry, but if he did, he wouldn’t even know how he’d die.

But what did Su Liluo do wrong? She just liked him too much.

“We caught the wrong person.”

“Forget about today. Don’t mention this again. You don’t know anything. I’ll take the blame.” Pei Ziye instructed.

Su Liluo was confused. “Why?”

Pei Ziye chuckled. “What’s there to explain? The prison is filthy. It’s not a place for you. I’m worried you’ll get your embroidered shoes dirty.”

Su Liluo paused, staring at the man in front of her.

Pei Ziye looked around, ran off, and returned with a fire crystal persimmon in his hand.

“I’ll take care of things. You go home. I won’t walk you back.”

Pei Ziye handed her the persimmon. “Here, this will quench your thirst on the way.”

The persimmon had a thin layer of sugar frosting on it, probably quite delicious.