Chapter 032
Chapter 32: I Didn’t Expect You to Still Hate Me So Much
Once the steward left, only Chu Zhi Rou remained in the room.
The nearly one hundred million spirit stones were enough to shatter her delicate facade, the softness and coquettishness she had so carefully maintained.
“Shi Zi Chu!” The words squeezed out from between clenched teeth, and she could almost feel herself tearing him apart in her mind.
“Rou Rou!” Pei Qing You’s voice, full of joy, came from afar and grew nearer. “Don’t worry about the drifting flower! I begged father. That woman just brought back a drifting flower from the secret realm, and she’ll send it to you soon!”
In an instant, Chu Zhi Rou’s fierce, ghostly expression softened into one of pitiful vulnerability, her eyes glistening as if about to cry.
She glanced at the evidence nearby, and with a clever glint in her eyes, a new idea took shape.
Shi Zi Chu, you don’t think this little sum of spirit stones can defeat me, do you?
Pei Qing You strode into the side hall and found Chu Zhi Rou, small and delicate, sitting in a chair, tears streaming down her face.
“A’You.” The girl’s voice was trembling, her eyes wet with unshed tears. She gazed up at him helplessly. “Second senior sister… second senior sister… she… sniffle…”
Pei Qing You hurriedly approached, pulling her into his arms, his tone full of concern and urgency. “That venomous woman bullied you again? Are you hurt anywhere?!”
“A’You…” Chu Zhi Rou’s voice caught in her throat as if she were about to lose herself entirely. “Second senior sister gave me a purple card, saying it was an apology… to mend our sisterly bond, but… but…” Her voice broke, and she began to sob uncontrollably. “How could second senior sister treat me like this?”
Pei Qing You instantly recalled the events from last night in the private room.
“She gave you the spirit stone card, and then deliberately claimed it was stolen?!” His voice was filled with restrained fury, careful not to scare Chu Zhi Rou.
Chu Zhi Rou pulled herself out of Pei Qing You’s embrace. The beauty with tear-streaked eyes bit her lip gently, looking both innocent and yearning, a soft, helpless creature.
“Second senior sister probably didn’t mean to,” Chu Zhi Rou said, trying to sound understanding, “but the moneylender is asking me to return one hundred million spirit stones. A’You, what should I do?”
Her tears fell along with her words, and Pei Qing You, filled with compassion, gently wiped them away. “I’ll take you to find her! She set you up, and I’ll make sure you get justice!”
Before Chu Zhi Rou could say anything, Pei Qing You had already wrapped his arm around her, walking briskly toward the exit.
On their way, they encountered Xu Zhou Ye. After Pei Qing You quickly explained, Xu Zhou Ye joined them without hesitation.
The three of them arrived at the South Courtyard, but they were met with disappointment—Shi Zi Chu was not in her quarters.
After questioning the guard, they headed straight to the Bamboo Cloud Courtyard.
In the Bamboo Cloud Courtyard, the guard arrived at the flower hall to deliver a message. Inside, Shi Zi Chu and Ye He Qi were enjoying breakfast.
After hearing the guard’s report, Ye He Qi glanced at Shi Zi Chu, silently asking for her opinion.
Shi Zi Chu lowered her gaze and smiled. “Clan Chief Ye, don’t you find eating breakfast like this a bit dull?”
The meal was tasty, but it was too bland. Now that fun had come knocking, how could they ignore it?
Ye He Qi set down his chopsticks, and his calm, commanding voice carried across the room. “Let them in.”
The guard acknowledged and soon led Pei Qing You and the others into the side hall.
As soon as Pei Qing You entered, his eyes landed on the elegant, dignified Ye He Qi, and his words of reproach were swiftly swallowed.
“Clan Chief Ye,” Pei Qing You bowed respectfully.
Xu Zhou Ye did the same.
“Big brother.” The voice, laced with a hint of a sob, sounded pitiful.
Shi Zi Chu put down her spoon and looked up. “Why does Sixth Junior Sister look like she’s been crying so early in the morning?”
Looking at Shi Zi Chu’s feigned innocence, both Pei Qing You and Xu Zhou Ye’s eyes sharpened with cold, cutting glares.
“Second senior sister…” Chu Zhi Rou bit her lip, her expression one of restrained anger, daring not to speak out directly.
Ye He Qi’s gentle voice addressed Shi Zi Chu. “The Cloud Riding Bank’s steward just left not long ago.”
Shi Zi Chu understood immediately, though she feigned confusion. “What does this have to do with Sixth Junior Sister? Could it be that Sixth Junior Sister…”
Seeing Shi Zi Chu still pretending to be innocent, Pei Qing You’s temper flared. “You deliberately set a trap to harm Rou Rou!”
Before Shi Zi Chu could respond, Xu Zhou Ye interjected coldly.
“Shi Zi Chu, you can’t stand seeing Junior Sister succeed at anything! Go to the Cloud Riding Bank now and admit that you gave the purple card to Junior Sister. If not, don’t blame me for disregarding our sect’s bond!”
Ye He Qi took a bite of an emerald shrimp dumpling, dipping it in vinegar. His calm demeanor, contrasted with the drama unfolding before him, made breakfast suddenly feel much less boring.
Shi Zi Chu picked up her spoon and ate a mouthful of red date rice porridge, her graceful movements slow and elegant, completely ignoring the three of them.
After swallowing the porridge, Shi Zi Chu slowly raised her gaze to Chu Zhi Rou, her expression shifting from confusion to surprise. “So the purple card I lost is in your hands, Sixth Junior Sister?”
Chu Zhi Rou bit her lip, her eyes glistening as she looked at Shi Zi Chu, on the verge of tears.
Seeing Shi Zi Chu’s elegant indifference, Chu Zhi Rou retreated a step and said with feigned humility, “Second senior sister… sniffle… It was me, I stole your spirit stone card. It’s my fault.”
Watching Chu Zhi Rou break down into dramatic sobs, Shi Zi Chu seemed to pause for thought.
Her crying wasn’t convincing enough. The tone emphasized grievance, but the sense of innocence was lacking. If it were her… cough, never mind.
Pulling her thoughts back, Shi Zi Chu sighed lightly. “But my purple card was indeed lost. What’s wrong with retrieving the spirit stones that were stolen from me?”
“And…” Shi Zi Chu paused, her gaze on Chu Zhi Rou turning somewhat pitying. “If Sixth Junior Sister had found my purple card, why didn’t you return it to me?”
At this point, she lowered her gaze, her long lashes casting a shadow across her face. She looked strangely melancholic.
“The tens of millions of spirit stones were a gift from my master for becoming his disciple. I’ve been reluctant to use them.”
Her usually gentle voice was softer now, and though she didn’t say it outright, there was an unmistakable hint of sadness and loneliness in her tone.
Ye He Qi glanced at Shi Zi Chu, then at Chu Zhi Rou, and finally continued eating his remaining shrimp dumpling.
Shi Zi Chu’s acting was far more convincing.
“Sixth Junior Sister, I’m really disappointed in you…” Shi Zi Chu’s gaze held a note of disillusionment as she looked at Chu Zhi Rou. “You found the purple card, used the spirit stones in it, and now you come to accuse me of framing you…”
She sighed deeply. “Sixth Junior Sister, I thought the Sixth Rank Rejuvenation Pill had smoothed over the rift between us. I didn’t expect you to still hate me this much.”
The events from three years ago were now long past, and Chu Zhi Rou no longer had any evidence in her hands.
As long as she insisted the purple card was lost, without evidence, Chu Zhi Rou would appear unreasonable and, when exposed, would be the one who falsely accused Shi Zi Chu.
Chu Zhi Rou hadn’t expected Shi Zi Chu to not be swayed by her manipulation.
Pei Qing You, seeing the situation unfold, suddenly had a thought.
Shi Zi Chu’s words didn’t seem wrong?
Why didn’t Rou Rou return the purple card she found?
And she had indeed spent the tens of millions of spirit stones… but there was no evidence?
Finally, Pei Qing You’s sharp mind clicked, and he looked at Chu Zhi Rou with a questioning gaze.
If Shi Zi Chu were innocent, then Rou Rou…
Feeling Pei Qing You’s gaze, Chu Zhi Rou’s heart burned with resentment.
Seeing that the situation was turning against her, she pressed her hand to her chest, her face filled with anguish. “I… I…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Chu Zhi Rou collapsed into a faint.