Xie Daoyun, who had been paying attention to their side of the room, felt her face heat up. She pulled her little brother’s ears, flustered. “Stupid brat, what the heck are you saying?”

Even though she did think of Zu An favorably, it would never be at the level where she would be willing to marry him. Besides, was he really going to say that right in front of Chu First Miss? How was she even supposed to show herself in public in the future?

Xie Xiu chuckled. “I’m going back to my old habits, haha. Let’s drink, let’s drink.”

Fortunately, Murong Qinghe helped him out of his embarrassment. She got up and proposed a toast to Zu An. “Brother Zu, I know that my grandfather has troubled you quite a bit during this period. I hope you can forgive him. That’s just his nature.”

She was still thinking about marrying into the Chu clan. Chu First Miss seemed to be the one managing the household, and her big brother Chu seemed to trust and adore this brother-in-law greatly, so it was best to remain on good terms. Otherwise, if he talked badly about her, he might end up ruining her relationship with her big brother Chu!

Zu An smiled and said, “Qinghe, you don’t need to worry. Your grandfather was only acting out of duty and not for petty revenge. How could I blame you guys?”

That old fart Murong Tong had probably had thoughts of getting revenge, but he still hadn’t gone against the verdict in the end. As such, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Since Murong Qinghe was already humbling herself like this, it was clearly because of Youzhao. He couldn’t just interfere and get in the way of those lovebirds, right?

Murong Qinghe sighed in relief when she heard Zu An’s words. She drained her glass in one gulp, and then said with a big smile, “Thank you, big brother Zu!”

…

As they drank and chatted, the atmosphere quickly became more and more lively. Time gradually passed.

It was already quite late by the time they finished. Jiang Luofu and the Xie siblings left one after the other.  On the other hand, Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe didn't leave. It wasn’t that they wanted to stay behind, but rather that they were completely drunk. The two girls rarely drank to such an extent, but because of the festive mood, they had downed one glass after another and had quickly become drunk.

That fellow Xie Xiu had tried to go after Murong Qinghe again. He was definitely a part of the problem, encouraging her to drink more. As such, Chu Youzhao had obviously become unhappy, drinking in her partner's place. However, how could she be a match for Xie Xiu, who lived and breathed this type of atmosphere? She was quickly defeated.

Murong Qinghe had stubbornly stepped forward to help out her big brother Chu when she saw such bullying going on. It was unknown whether the reason was her bloodline, but even though she was young, she could definitely hold a substantial amount of alcohol. Furthermore, Chu Youzhao had already fought part of the battle for her.

In the end, the drinking contest had ended in mutual defeat. The two girls were completely defeated, but Xie Xiu wasn’t much better off, needing the help of the Xie clan’s servants just to walk.

When he saw the unconscious Murong Qinghe, Zu An said with a sigh, “She’s really quite the little hot pepper. Even Xie Xiu was unexpectedly defeated today.”

Chu Chuyan harrumphed. “That fellow had bad intentions anyway, so he had it coming. But Little Qinghe had to suffer for this.” She knew that this girl was close to her little sister, which was why she was also concerned. She arranged for some servants to clean up the table while supporting Murong Qinghe, taking her to a room to rest.

As for Chu Youzhao, Zu An had to carry her back. After all, in front of everyone else’s eyes, she was a man. As her big sister, it wasn’t too appropriate for Chu Chuyan to carry her back.

When Zu An picked her up and followed behind Chu Chuyan, he thought to himself, This girl really is soft. Who would believe she was a guy if they carried her like this?

“Mm…” In her drunken slumber, Chu Youzhao instinctively twisted her body to adjust to a more comfortable posture. Her small tongue licked her bright red lips, as if she were still drinking while asleep.

Zu An’s face heated up and he averted his eyes. I’ve sinned, I’ve sinned!

“What are you coming in for?” Chu Chuyan rebuked, suddenly turning around to look at him.

Zu An was stunned, asking, “Aren’t we moving them to a bed so they can get some rest?”

“That doesn’t mean you can sleep here too.” Chu Chuyan said in annoyance. “Even though we know they’re both girls, no one else knows. This might tarnish Qinghe’s name.”

“Oh…” Zu An realized what was happening. He had almost made a crucial mistake. As such, he carried Chu Youzhao to the room next door, and then helped her take off her shoes. When he saw her cute toes, he was a bit stunned.

You’re a disgusting beast! he thought to himself. Then, he pulled over the covers and covered her up.

But just when he was about to leave, Chu Youzhao grabbed his arm, saying, “Brother-in-law… Brother-in-law…”

Zu An was stunned. “What is it?”

“Don’t leave…” Chu Youzhao muttered. Her voice was sweeter than usual.

Zu An pinched her cheeks, which still had some baby fat on them. “Alright, I won’t leave.” At the same time, he controlled a bit of water and slowly moved it across her face to help her wash away the residual effects of the alcohol, and also to serve as a cold compress.

When he saw that she didn’t react even after a long time, Zu An couldn’t help but chuckle. He thought that she had woken up, but she had just been subconsciously dreaming. He had no idea what she was dreaming of, that even he would appear.

A while later, Chu Chuyan entered and said, “I already sent the remaining people outside. No one will come in here.”

Her sister was cross-dressing as a man, so there was no way she would allow any male servants to serve her, but female servants also seemed unsuitable. Chu Youzhao was currently drunk and defenseless. It would be really troublesome if someone found out she was female.

When she saw them holding each other’s hands, Chu Chuyan said impatiently, “Even though Youzhao is young, you’re still different genders. You should pay more attention to that in the future.”

Zu An replied with a bitter smile, “She was the one who grabbed my hand and didn’t let me leave! I can’t just pry her hand off, can I?”

Chu Chuyan harrumphed. “I don’t know what kind of black magic you used. Youzhao normally has quite the bad temper, but she’s already getting along so well with you after such a short period of time.”

Zu An chuckled. “Didn’t I tell you that I was an incredibly charming man? Everyone who sees me can’t help but feel close to me. Wasn’t that true for you too?”

“Pah, shameless!” Chu Chuyan harrumphed. Immediately afterwards, she spoke with a serious expression, “Huanzhao is one thing, but Youzhao is our Chu clan’s heir! There is no way she’ll marry anyone, so you’d better not do anything to her. Otherwise, our Chu clan’s centuries of effort might be ruined.”

Zu An’s eyes lit up. “Then... That means Huanzhao is fine?”

Chu Chuyan’s eyebrows rose. “So you had those thoughts after all!”

You have successfully trolled Chu Chuyan for +66 +66 +66…

Zu An quickly interrupted her, exclaiming, “I was just joking!” But immediately afterward, he frowned. “But aren’t you all ruining Youzhao’s life?”

Chu Chuyan released a deep sigh. “What choice do we have? This is the fate of women. We enjoy the wealth and glory of our clans from childhood, so we should also bear our clan’s responsibility. Every one of us has made sacrifices, just like when I chose you back then…”

Her face reddened as she spoke. She had chosen a good-for-nothing off the streets as a drafted husband, truly intending to sacrifice a lifetime of happiness. But now, it seemed more as if she were pushing her luck too far.

Zu An laughed and took her into his arms. “What, was it really a huge sacrifice to be with me? Since you’ve already said it like this, then I guess I have no choice but to ravage this legendary ice queen.” He smiled in an evil manner. With just a single hand, he had made this publicly acknowledged cultivation genius completely weak.

“No… not here…” Chu Chuyan couldn’t hold back her bashfulness when she sensed him getting closer and closer. Her little sister was right there! Even though she was already asleep, Chu Chuyan was still too thin-skinned to do it here.

“But Youzhao won’t let go of my hand! I’m scared that I might harm her.” Zu An was a bit conflicted.

Chu Chuyan’s cold cheeks were flushed. It was unclear whether it was because of the alcohol, or because of the situation. There was a bit of charm in her expression as she said, “I was always a bit embarrassed when you did this to me before. But after experiencing it again and again, I’ve realized that there are really too many unexpected things in life. Since we’re together right now, then I should be giving myself to you to prevent us from having any more regrets.”

After she said those words, as Zu An watched in shock, she gently moved her hair behind her ears and then slowly lowered her head.

Zu An subconsciously grabbed her hair. His entire body went rigid, and he released a long exhalation...

…

A while later, when Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe woke up, Chu Chuyan took both of them back home. At the Murong clan’s main gate, they happened to run into a young master, Murong Qinghe’s older brother Murong Xiu.

Chu Chuyan subconsciously frowned. This man was always fawning upon her, and he had previously been one of her pursuers. No matter how she refused him, even after she had already gotten married, he had still never stopped persistently chasing her. But this was Murong Qinghe’s older brother, so she didn’t want to offend him too badly.

After both sides exchanged conventional greetings, Murong Xiu asked out of surprise, “Chu First Miss, why does your voice seem to be a bit rough today?”

Chu Chuyan’s face reddened. “It’s nothing much. It’s just that my throat is a bit sore.”

Murong Xiu quickly began firing off questions. “Have you taken any medicine for it?

“Did you catch a cold from dressing too lightly?

“You shouldn’t eat anything greasy.

“Make sure to stay warm at night.

“Is your forehead hot?

“Do you have any other symptoms?

“Should I bring you to an imperial physician and have him take a look?

“Don’t worry, I’m close to the imperial physician. I, Murong Xiu, have at least this much of a reputation.

“Also, as long as Chu First Miss wants me to, I’m free for twenty-four hours every day!”

…

Chu Chuyan was extremely uncomfortable under this endless barrage. She really wanted to completely shut him up by replying that it was because her husband had…

But she still had to keep up appearances. In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to say that. She replied indifferently, “Thank you, for your concern, young master Murong. I feel fine; I’ll be okay after some rest.”

Murong Xiu opened his mouth again, and was about to shower her with more words when Murong Qinghe finally couldn’t take it anymore and said, “Hey, why are you so freaking annoying? You just blabber on and on!”