Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 529 The Princess Who Wants to Compilation 26

Dusk fell and the wind and snow grew stronger.

The thick curtains of the hot spring villa blocked out the cold, the heating in the warm room was burning brightly, and the air was filled with a slightly bitter warmth mixed with herbs and styrax.

Yun Chu, wrapped in a silver fox fur coat, leaned against the soft couch, her fingertips carelessly tapping the fine porcelain medicine bottle on the small table beside her, and said to the personal maid standing beside her:

"Send the blood stasis and pain reliever to Gu Tingzhou in the West Wing. He probably shook his ankle when he stepped on a cracked icicle. Give the muscle-growing ointment to Shen Ji. Although the injury is minor, his fingertips still need to hold a pen and tune the piano. Give the best tendon-regulating powder to Bai Mo. His wrist is under great pressure. As I said, let them all rest well. The wind and snow are so strong, there is no need to walk back and forth to pay respects."

The maid obeyed the order and quietly retreated with the tray.

Under the corridor outside the warm room, Liu Rufeng, wrapped in a turquoise green brocade fox fur coat, was hidden in the shadow of the vermilion lacquered pillars.

The maid's words drifted into his ears word for word, each name like a fine needle prick. He pinched his knuckles until they turned white - everyone received gentle words and meticulous care, but he alone was forgotten in the snowy corridor.

The fake smile that habitually curled up the corners of his lips was now as stiff as an ice shell frozen on his face.

The carefree demeanor she had put on when changing clothes vanished completely. A dark fire ignited in her eyes, a mixture of shame and resentment at being ignored, burning his heart.

With a light "click", he pushed open the carved door of the warm room without hesitation, and rushed into the warm and fragrant world wrapped in the biting cold air.

***

In the warm room, the candlelight flickers red.

Yun Chu was sitting alone on a large rosewood couch inlaid with jade. On the low table in front of her was a translucent glass cup filled with a clear, slightly green liquid that seemed to be the finest green plum wine.

She was holding a small jade cup slightly larger than her finger and pouring liquid into the glass cup.

The lingering aroma of wine, mixed with the incense from the warm stove, filled the quiet space. She seemed unsurprised by Liu Rufeng's intrusion. She simply raised her still slightly vacant eyes, glanced at him nonchalantly, and then focused on the movements in her hands again.

"The wind and snow outside are driving people crazy, but Your Highness seems to be in a good mood." Liu Rufeng closed the door with his backhand, locking Lin Dong behind him.

While casually undoing the silk sash of his fur coat, he walked to a yellow pear wood armchair diagonally opposite the couch and sat down. His posture was as relaxed as a bird returning to its nest, but the cold light in the depths of his eyes had not yet subsided.

"Rufeng saw that Your Highness was drinking alone and felt a little lonely, so he came to keep you company. I hope Your Highness won't think Rufeng is... superfluous, right?"

The ending tone of his last sentence was slightly raised, deliberately suppressing a bit of aggrieved softness, but with an obvious tentative edge, as if reminding her of the loneliness in the conversation just now in the corridor.

Yun Chu picked up the glass cup and touched the cool wall of the cup to her lips, which were particularly red due to the alcohol.

She took a slow, measured sip, the clear liquor sliding down her throat, her hazy eyes seeming to clear for a moment. Putting the cup down, she looked directly at Liu Rufeng, her lips curling up in a faint, lazy, yet uninhibited expression.

"As long as you're here, you're a guest. Why should you be so extraneous?" She tapped the table lightly with her fingertips twice. "This green plum wine is really well brewed. It's as clear and crisp as mountain spring water, and the aftertaste is as sweet as... a newly blossomed plum blossom. Since Rufeng is here, please make yourself at home."

She pointed to another set of plain small cups on the other side of the low table, and her meaning was very clear - the wine is here, pour it yourself if you want to drink, don't expect her to serve you personally.

This behavior was totally different from the drunken and reckless behavior during the day, and there was no intention of comforting Liu Rufeng's "grievance". She was still the Sixth Princess who controlled everything and was high and mighty.

The aftertaste of "the new plum blossoms just blooming" subtly pricked Liu Rufeng again - just now in the snowy mountains, it was she who reached out and grabbed the slipping Bai Mo, and it was also her black hair mixed with Bai Mo's breath entangled with the snow.

At this moment, she is savoring the "newly blossomed plum blossoms", what is she reminiscing about?

Liu Rufeng's eyes darkened, but the smile on his face did not fade at all.

He leaned over and took the small jade cup himself, filling it up for himself, his movements smooth and deliberate.

The clear wine in the glass reflected the candlelight and also reflected the undercurrent surging in his eyes.

He raised his glass and gave a false toast to Yun Chu from a distance: "Your Highness is so magnanimous. It's just..."

He changed the subject, his smile deepening, yet revealing a chill. "Just now I saw that Your Highness has made such meticulous arrangements. Gu Tingzhou, Shen Ji, and Bai Mo are all recovering from their injuries... Rufeng, who wasn't injured, seems to have nothing to do, and has gained some free time for nothing."

He deliberately omitted the three people's honorific titles and addressed them by their names. The subtle sourness and resentment in his tone was like a needle tip wrapped in velvet.

Yun Chu took another sip of wine, her gaze fixed on his feigned composure. The faint smile at the corner of his lips seemed unfathomable. "Nothing to do?"

She repeated softly, her fingertips caressing the slightly cool cup wall. "Inside this manor, the stove is cozy, the aroma of wine lingers, while outside, the wind and snow rage. Rufeng doesn't have to risk her life to gather information, doesn't have to force a smile, and doesn't have to worry about how to respond to my sudden 'concern'... Isn't this true peace and quiet? Why dwell on that little 'matter'?"

Her voice was not loud, and even had a hint of hoarseness from drinking, but every word was as if wrapped in ice, instantly piercing through the disguise and mask that Liu Rufeng was proud of!

No need to risk your life to get the news - point out his identity; no need to force a smile - reveal his expression; no need to bother calculating - go straight to his heart!

Liu Rufeng's fingers gripping the wine glass suddenly tightened, their knuckles turning white. The wine swayed in the glass, nearly spilling out.

The warm air in the warm room seemed to freeze into ice in an instant. Silent pressure came from Yun Chu's phoenix eyes, which seemed blurred but were actually as clear as seeing through fire, and almost suffocated him.

For the first time, his eloquence, which he was so proud of, was completely blocked.

It turns out she knows everything!

She saw through every spying on him, every flattery he gave, and every hidden hatred in his heart so clearly!

The word "take care" turned the bottle of medicine that he had secretly mocked for not delivering into an invisible whip of ridicule, slapping him hard in the face!

Cold sweat instantly soaked the silk lining on his back.

The huge shock, the shame and anger of being completely seen through, and the bottomless fear wrapped around his heart like a cold poisonous snake.

He tried hard not to lose his composure immediately and tried to raise a more perfect smile to hide his embarrassment, but the curve of his mouth was as stiff as a frozen ice ridge.

The candlelight flickered in the warm room, and the clear and subtle fragrance of green plum wine floated in the sudden and tense silence.

The sound of wind and snow outside the window seemed to be louder, whimpering and slapping against the window frames, making this warm world even more suffocating.

Yun Chu quietly watched his face drain of blood and his eyes shaken, without saying anything else.

She simply picked up the clear glass cup again, shook it slightly towards the candlelight, and watched the jade liquid reflect a cold and mysterious halo.