Chapter 010: Trying to Please Him?

Chapter 010: Trying to Please Him?

In the study, although there weren’t many political matters to attend to over the past two days, Jiang Ming noticed that the Prime Minister seemed unusually distracted. Instead of looking over the reports from various departments, he leisurely drank his tea.

He An sipped his tea and, glancing at the rim of the cup, smirked as he recalled the kiss they shared in the carriage earlier.

"Has my father sent any letters? When will he and my mother return?"

Jiang Ming: "Master plans to return home by tomorrow."

Jiang Ming observed the Prime Minister with some confusion. In the past, when the Prime Minister’s parents went on trips, he rarely inquired about their schedule. Why had he asked twice this time?

He An paused for a moment. "How is the progress on the renovations of the Liu residence? How much longer will it take to complete?"

Jiang Ming: "Actually, there wasn’t much that needed repairing. But Miss Liu expressed that she misses her brother and wishes to renovate several parts of the residence to resemble the old Liu family estate. If that’s the case, it will take some time. It should be completed within a month at the earliest, or a month and a half at the latest."

"That long?"

Now he finds it too long?

Jiang Ming sighed inwardly. "Didn’t you promise Miss Liu before?"

He An thought for a moment and remembered that there was indeed such a matter. After General Liu died on the frontlines, out of respect for him, He An and Ji Lingchuan couldn’t neglect his only sister.

However, after what happened with Liu Yueru confronting Ruan Qinghuan, He An did feel it was inconvenient to have her stay at the residence. After a brief thought, the best option he could think of was Ji Lingchuan. "Go to the Ji residence and see if Ji Lingchuan has returned."

Jiang Ming: "Yes."

During his stay at the Ruan residence these past few days, He An had witnessed Ruan Qinghuan’s temper. It seemed the rumors weren’t entirely false.

While she had a short fuse, she was also incredibly sharp. Her actions might have been rash, but her mind was meticulous. It wasn’t easy for a woman to uncover the embezzlement by the second branch of the family.

But how did she manage to keep her cool when Liu Yueru provoked her at Changchun Garden?

No matter how much He An pondered, he couldn’t figure it out. Eventually, he gave up thinking about it. With Liu Yueru gone, Ruan Qinghuan shouldn’t lose her temper again, right?

In Changchun Garden, Xia Lian stood by, confused. Since returning to the residence, the Madam had been in a funk, pacing restlessly like a caged animal.

Xia Lian couldn’t stand it anymore. "Madam, what’s troubling you?"

"That jerk, He An..." Ruan Qinghuan’s words came to an abrupt stop. "It’s... nothing. Please go and instruct the kitchen to prepare some sweet soup to cool my fire."

After sending Xia Lian away, Ruan Qinghuan lay stiffly on the bed, her mind filled with the memory of He An forcing a kiss on her. This man, usually cold and aloof, not showing interest in women, had turned out to be cunning, domineering, and audacious...

The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she got. What troubled her even more were He An’s words before they left the Prime Minister's residence. He had said that he would be resting at Changchun Garden in the future.

How could that be allowed?

In the original story, their relationship had always been troubled. No matter what methods his mother tried to mend their relationship, nothing worked. For two years, they quarreled non-stop, unable to live in peace. Eventually, when He An wanted to divorce her, his parents no longer interfered.

That meant she needed to argue and make a fuss, right?

After all, He An had already witnessed her fiery temper at the Ruan residence. As long as she took the opportunity to quarrel with him, and he got angry, he wouldn’t want to return to Changchun Garden, would he?

Ruan Qinghuan regretted her earlier decision. She hadn’t seen the need to compete with He An or be jealous. When Liu Yueru provoked her, she had chosen to brush it off.

Even if He An made her his mistress, she wouldn’t care.

She had missed a golden opportunity to create some drama.

During dinner time, Liu Yueru arrived at the side hall ahead of Ruan Qinghuan, but upon entering, she didn’t see He An. She turned to ask the maid at the door, "Where’s the Prime Minister?"

The maid shook her head. "I have no idea, Madam."

Liu Yueru sat down and glanced outside the door, assuming that since He An had returned to the mansion, he would definitely come.

Fifteen minutes passed, then thirty minutes, but there was still no sign of him. It wasn’t until a maid came to clear the table and mentioned that He An had gone back to Changchun Garden for dinner that Liu Yueru, in a fit of anger, returned to the guest room.

In Changchun Garden, a table was set with four dishes and one soup, all of which were Ruan Qinghuan's favorites, but at that moment, she had no appetite.

She eyed He An across the table, unsure of what trick he was playing.

He An, however, naturally picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of braised pork ribs on his plate.

Xia Lian came over to pour wine for both of them and gave a playful smile when she looked at Ruan Qinghuan, glad that the Prime Minister had finally returned to Changchun Garden, which would stop the gossip.

Ruan Qinghuan couldn’t muster a smile. After holding it in for a long time, she finally couldn’t resist speaking up, "There’s a guest at the mansion. Isn’t it inappropriate for you to leave the guest alone, Prime Minister?"

Seeing her bring up Liu Yueru again, He An looked at her seriously. "Madam need not worry. I will find a way to send the person away."

"Send her away?"

Ruan Qinghuan waved her hands hastily. "No need, no need. You don’t have to consider my feelings. I think Miss Liu is rather pitiful. Her only brother is gone. It’s good that you’re kind-hearted and it’s only right that you take her in."

He An sensed something was off. Did she want Liu Yueru to leave or was she afraid she would leave?

Ruan Qinghuan felt uneasy under his gaze.

To make matters worse, Xia Lian, who had no sense of propriety, chimed in, "Madam, don’t let an outsider get under your skin. That Miss Liu clearly has ulterior motives. She deliberately came to provoke you the other day and should’ve been sent away long ago."

He An smiled faintly. "The other day, you suffered some grievances. I will compensate you, my wife."

Ruan Qinghuan let out a breath, feeling like she was talking to a brick wall. She waved her hand helplessly, signaling Xia Lian to go attend to other matters.

Otherwise, this maid might blurt something out without thinking.

As soon as Xia Lian left, noise could be heard from outside. Looking through the window, both of them saw none other than Liu Yueru.

"Miss, please return. The Prime Minister is having a conversation with Madam. It’s not convenient for outsiders to disturb them."

"I’ve personally made some sweet soup and brought it over for the Prime Minister and Madam to try. Could you please let him know?"

"Miss Liu, the Prime Minister has even sent me away. Do you think it’s appropriate for you to go in at this time?"

Ruan Qinghuan inside the room was speechless.

Meeting He An’s amused gaze, she felt utterly embarrassed.

When had He An ever sent her away just for some alone time with her?

Just then, He An praised, "That maid is pretty sharp."

Ruan Qinghuan said, "Maybe you should go see what she wants, just in case it’s important."

He An’s hand covered Ruan Qinghuan’s, startling her so much that she trembled. She looked up into his deep eyes, and He An raised an eyebrow. "If you’re upset, feel free to tell me. There’s no need to pretend to be accommodating."

Ruan Qinghuan felt a deep sense of helplessness.

Is she compromising just to keep things smooth?

This is clearly about making a clean break.

He An went on, "I’m not some guy who’s after every woman. The situation with Miss Liu came out of nowhere, and bringing her back to the Prime Minister's residence is just a temporary arrangement. So, you don’t need to worry about your position as the matriarch, and you definitely don’t need to throw other women at me to keep me happy."

Win him over?

How did he even get the idea that I was trying to win him over?

Ruan Qinghuan was practically sweating bullets from anxiety, and for the first time ever, she started to doubt whether her way of handling things was sending the wrong message.

She was just trying to keep her distance and end things on good terms—how did it turn into her looking like she was bending over backward for him?