Chapter 48

Rong Shu's mind was hazy, yet instinctively, she knew she shouldn't be dreaming about him again.

It was because she no longer liked him.

She didn't like Gu Changjin and had let go of him, so she shouldn't be dreaming about him anymore.

"Oh, I see now. It must be because you were so rude this afternoon, and I'm still upset, so that's why I dreamed about you."

She chattered to herself as if he were truly the figure in her dream.

Gu Changjin observed her expressionlessly, unsure whether the girl was pretending to be drunk or genuinely lost in her inebriation.

In the darkness, his vision remained sharp, his eyes fixed intently on her face.

The young lady muttered to herself for a moment before pushing aside the crescent-shaped pillow between them and leaning closer, speaking to him clearly, "Gu Yunzhi, you must have no idea why you're appearing again, right?"

Gu Changjin acknowledged with a soft "Mm," then lowered his voice, following her train of thought, "Why am I here?"

Rong Shu chuckled softly, her peach blossom eyes curving into crescents. With her slender fingers, she pinched the right cheek of Gu Changjin and tugged it forcefully.

"Naturally, it's because of your impolite behavior this afternoon. Do you understand, Gu Yunzhi? How could you tell a lady she's plump right to her face? Do you have any idea what it means to see through something but not say it out loud? Hm?"

With that questioning "Hm?", her grip tugged even harder, increasing the force from before.

Gu Changjin felt a sharp pain from her pull, now thoroughly realizing that she wasn't pretending to be drunk but was genuinely inebriated.

He scoffed inwardly and instinctively tried to shake off the little drunkard's hand.

She might look delicate and weak, but her grip was surprisingly strong.

Yet before he could react, Rong Shu promptly released her grip, regretful as she said, "No, I can't take advantage of you just because you couldn't defend yourself in the dream. Besides, you're Gu Yunzhi, not Gu Changjin."

She then gently stroked his reddened face and continued, "But it doesn't matter anyway. You once said that you don't feel pain in dreams. However, Gu Yunzhi—uh—" Her shoulder twitched as she belched. "Don't worry, I'll repay whatever I owe to Gu Changjin. But I don't want to dream about you anymore. So, Gu Yunzhi, please don't come looking for me again, okay?"

With her moon-like face resting on the crescent-shaped pillow, the young maiden closed her eyes after posing this question, seemingly exhausted. She slumped down onto the bed like a winter melon with no support, landing with a thud and falling into a deep sleep.

The room was deathly silent.

After a long while, a scoff could be heard coming from within the curtains, tinged with gritted teeth.

The following morning, well before dawn, Gu Changjin rose to prepare for his duties at court.

Rong Shu stirred at the sound of him leaving bed, her long lashes fluttering as she debated whether to feign sleep or rise to help him dress.

She had no recollection of when Gu Changjin had entered their chamber the previous night. Seeking an earlier slumber, she had deliberately consumed two cups of fruit wine before retiring.

Since childhood, Rong Shu had found that a small amount of alcohol helped her drift off quickly into a peaceful, undisturbed sleep. She was very well-behaved in her slumber, save for the occasional foray into dreams.

Yesterday was no different; after drinking, she had retired early and slept soundly, waking up feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Rong Shu battled with her inner conflict for a short while, eventually getting out of bed. She planned to take a nap once he had left. The previous night, she had dressed in layers, wearing an undergarment, an inner robe, and a middle robe. Now, all she needed was to throw on an outer robe before leaving the bed.

"Lord, you must be heading to your duties. Allow me to fetch your attire," she said gently.

Yingyue had already hung his official robes on a huanghuali wood rack the previous evening. Rong Shu moved towards the wooden stand after stepping out of bed.

Gu Changjin's gaze followed her every move, fixated on the back of her head.

In any other situation, he wouldn't have bothered her to fetch his official robes.

But last night, this girl had acted wildly while drunk, pinching and scolding him. Upon waking up, she appeared as if nothing had happened, not even offering an apology or explanation.

Was she trying to pretend she didn't bully him after the fact?

There was no such thing as getting off that easily!

Rong Shu was completely oblivious to the penetrating gaze behind her.

She had no intention of serving Gu Changjin as he dressed. After fetching the robes, she placed them respectfully on the couch and said with a gentle smile, "My lord, please change first. I'll go call for someone to fetch water and also ask the kitchen staff to bring over your medicine."

With that, she walked around the screen and toward the door.

Gu Changjin watched her graceful departure, his brows slightly furrowed, lost in thought.

After changing into his official robes and freshening up, he took the medicine from Rong Shu's hand and spoke slowly, "Madam doesn't have a good tolerance for alcohol. You should drink less in the future."

Rong Shu was taken aback.

What has been going on with him these past two days?

First, he mentioned her weight gain, then he came to sleep in the Songsi Courtyard, and now he's bringing up her drinking.

Back then, he never cared whether she drank or not; occasionally, he would even encourage her to have a couple of cups with him. When did he become so concerned with such trifles?

"I have a problem with sleeping in unfamiliar beds. Last night, I was afraid I wouldn't sleep well, so I had a couple of glasses of wine. After that, I went straight to bed and didn't wake up until just now," Rong Shu said hesitantly. "Did I talk in my sleep last night?"

Come to think of it, she seemed to have dreamed again last night, but the dream was hazy, and she couldn't recall any details at all.

Gu Changjin lifted his gaze to meet hers.

She had freshened up but not yet combed her hair. Her long, silk-like tresses were loosely tied with a dark green ribbon embroidered with blessings, draping over her right shoulder, giving her an enchanting, lotus-like freshness.

At that moment, uncertainty flickered in her clear eyes, as if she was genuinely trying to recall if she had indeed spoken in her sleep the previous night.

Who was Gu Changjin?

He was the master of uncovering truths from the slightest clues. In this very moment, he could clearly see that this young lady from the Rong family, his nominal wife, tended to behave wildly when drunk and then, afterward, remembered nothing at all.

In other words...

He, Gu Changjin, had been openly taken advantage of by this young lady yesterday.

The man gazed at Rong Shu for a moment before his lips curved into a faint smile. He said softly, "No, my lady slept soundly last night. It's just that the alcohol on her was too strong, permeating my senses."