Chapter 13: He Wants to Offer Himself

Well, at least it wasn’t entirely unacceptable.

Knock, knock, knock. The door was rapped upon.

After a whole day on her feet, Yun Fu finally had a chance to lie down. She frowned, set aside her phone, clearly impatient, rubbed at her brow, and the chill around her seemed to deepen.

“Come in,” she called.

Lian Hanqi pushed open the door, only to see Yun Fu sprawled lazily on the bed, and couldn’t help but laugh. He realized now that this young woman truly embodied the phrase: if she could lie down, she would never sit, and if she could sit, she would never stand—exactly like the girl in his dreams.

Connecting all these details, all these coincidences, he was sure that despite her different appearance, this girl before him was the very one who’d haunted his dreams. She was the fated one the abbot had spoken of—she had truly materialized.

“I brought you a glass of milk,” Lian Hanqi said softly, placing the cup on the table. “You’ve had a long day. Drink it and rest early. If you need anything, just press the bell on the table.”

Yun Fu glanced at him, her gaze cold beyond words.

“Your motive,” she said, her voice as icy as the heart of winter.

“What?” he asked, only to realize she was questioning the reason behind his actions.

He could only sigh. “There’s no particular motive. But if you must know, since you saved my grandmother, perhaps I can offer myself to you in gratitude—is that acceptable?”

Outside the door, Gu Zhishu, who was eavesdropping, nearly jumped out of his skin. Cousin, you’ve changed! You used to be so aloof, claiming we’d be bachelors together forever. And now you’re betraying our single men’s pact? Let’s see how you handle being rejected.

Yun Fu, too, was briefly surprised by his words. Yet the flicker lasted only a moment before her demeanor returned to its usual distant coolness. “Not necessary,” she replied.

Gu Zhishu, who had barely gotten to his feet outside, was so startled by her refusal that he tumbled over again. His cousin, typically so detached, was actually flirting—and then got turned down! What a sensational piece of news!

But then, something even more astonishing happened. He heard Lian Hanqi’s voice, not the least bit offended, but carrying a hint of amusement: “That’s fine. I’ll wait until you’re willing to accept my offer.”

Yun Fu raised her head slowly, recalling the rumors she’d heard about this man over the past few days. Cold-blooded, ruthless, formidable—able to turn the world upside down with a wave of his hand. Yet no one had ever mentioned that he could be so shameless.

Her delicate brows knit in confusion, which only added an unexpected touch of youthful innocence to her otherwise aloof beauty.

Lian Hanqi felt as if something inside him was gently stirred, a ticklish sensation he couldn’t shake.

He cleared his throat and looked at the girl still lounging languidly on the bed. “Get some rest,” he said, then turned to leave.

Outside, Gu Zhishu, who hadn’t managed to escape in time, was caught red-handed. Their eyes met, and the awkwardness was palpable.

“Heh, heh, cousin, what a coincidence! You’re here to see Miss Yun too?” Gu Zhishu tried to laugh it off.

Lian Hanqi gave his cousin a look that clearly called him a fool, his tone reverting to its usual icy indifference. “Tomorrow you and Ah Yuan are heading to Y City.” Eavesdropping on him, indeed.

“What? Y City? That godforsaken place? I’m not going!”

The protest barely left his lips before Lian Hanqi shot him a glance, and Gu Zhishu deflated like a punctured balloon. “Fine, fine, I’ll go. It’s not like I haven’t been there before.”

Perhaps it was the comfort of the bed, or maybe the warm sunlight streaming in from outside, but Yun Fu enjoyed a rare, peaceful night’s sleep. When she opened her eyes, it was already broad daylight.

She picked up her phone and saw it was past nine in the morning.

Nestled beneath the covers, her long, pale fingers held her phone. Her just-awakened eyes were still misty, but there was an untamed wildness within them that could not be hidden.

Her fingers flew rapidly over the phone, filling the screen with a string of indecipherable characters. But she showed no sign of impatience, remaining utterly unruffled, as though nothing in the world could disturb her calm, methodically tapping away.

In the next moment, a black screen with red borders appeared, displaying nothing but a single input box.

Yun Fu poked her head out from under the blanket, a few strands of her hair sticking up from all her tossing and turning.

She tapped a few more times, and the page shifted, this time filled with English text. Yun Fu glanced at it, exited the app, and was just about to settle back down when someone knocked at the door.

“Miss Yun, are you awake?” came a servant’s voice. “Old Madam said if you’re up, please come down for breakfast.”

“I know. Thank you.”

She raked a hand through her hair, making the already messy strands even wilder, then threw off her covers, quickly freshened up, and padded downstairs in her fluffy slippers.

Downstairs, only the old lady was seated at the dining table.

At the sight of Yun Fu, the old lady’s face broke into a radiant smile, the wrinkles deepening in a way that only made her look kinder and more benevolent.

“I knew you young people would sleep late. Come, come, have some breakfast.”

Yun Fu made her way over and was about to sit down when the old lady couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Child, you haven’t even bothered with your hair! What a waste of such a pretty face. Come, let Grandma fix it for you. Don’t mind, now—back in the day, I could do all sorts of lovely hairstyles. It’s just that I never had a granddaughter to dress up, or I’d have made her beautiful every day.”

Before Yun Fu could refuse, the old lady had already pulled her to sit in front of her, gesturing for the butler to fetch some hair ties.

She felt gentle hands smoothing and arranging her hair—a sensation utterly unfamiliar to her.

Yun Fu’s head was bowed, her eyes shadowed and unreadable, but her fingers curled ever so slightly.

She remembered, when she was very young, how her little sister would snuggle in their mother’s arms, begging her to braid her hair. As for herself, she could only stand quietly to the side and watch.

“All done—look how beautiful you are.”

The butler handed her a mirror. Yun Fu looked up, and in the glass, saw a girl with a face like a silver plate, eyes like clear apricots, lips red without rouge, brows green without paint. The old lady had braided her hair into a fairy’s plait, finishing it off with a ribbon. At that moment, she looked every inch a woodland sprite.

Seeing her own reflection, Yun Fu’s lips parted slightly, and finally she managed a soft, “Thank you.”

The old lady was very good to her, but Yun Fu knew she would have to leave.

When she went to bid farewell, she discreetly checked the old lady’s health.

“Miss Yun, is Old Madam’s health all right?” the butler asked.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Just follow this prescription for three days.”

The butler accepted it reverently. “Thank you, Miss Yun.”

With the old lady’s reluctant blessing, Yun Fu left the Lian household and returned to the new house she had just purchased.