Chapter Fifty-One: Bah! Heartless Woman!

Li Yunjie turned around, suspicion in his eyes, scanning the room, but found no sign of anyone.

“This shouldn’t be,” he muttered. “This scent…”

The image of Yun Qiwu flashed through his mind, startling him so much that he quickly shook his head.

“It must be because I spent all night in the dungeon without sleep, hallucinating from exhaustion.”

Li Yunjie reassured himself.

Eleven had run back and forth several times, finally filling the bath.

“Master,” Eleven said, letting out a relieved breath, “the water’s ready.”

“I’ll wait outside.”

With that, he cast a thoughtful glance out the window, a faint smile curling his lips.

Li Yunjie gave a tired response, dragging himself from the bed, shedding the clothes saturated with the stench of the dungeon, and plunged into the water.

He blew a few bubbles, then surfaced with closed eyes, petals floating atop his head. Running his hands through his hair, he revealed a look of deep satisfaction.

A fine scene of a handsome man bathing.

“So refreshing!—what the—!”

No sooner had Li Yunjie opened his eyes than he saw a shadow by the window, and the shock made his voice tremble.

Looking closely, he discovered Yun Qiwu’s face, brimming with a foolish smile.

Li Yunjie crossed his arms over his chest, trying to cover the essential parts.

“Not bad,” Yun Qiwu appraised him up and down, “solid build, strong voice.”

“No wonder you’re the man I’ve set my sights on.”

Li Yunjie glared, arms crossed even tighter.

“How did you get in?!”

Yun Qiwu calmly stepped down from the window sill, sauntering to his side, as if it were perfectly natural. “I climbed in.”

“How did you know I was here?!” Li Yunjie edged away from her.

“A wealthy young master like you, always drawing attention, isn’t hard to find,” Yun Qiwu replied without hesitation.

Li Yunjie was momentarily stunned, his brow furrowing. “What exactly do you want?!”

“Nothing much,” Yun Qiwu grinned, “I just want to borrow something from you.”

Li Yunjie instinctively sank two inches deeper into the water, leaving only his face above.

“What do you want to borrow?”

“Your seed.”

What the—

Li Yunjie nearly cursed aloud.

What kind of woman throws herself at a man upon first meeting?

Shameless!

A scoundrel!

Li Yunjie spat inwardly.

Thank heavens Su Qingmeng wasn’t here. If she’d heard this, he wouldn’t hear the end of it.

Li Yunjie considered himself a carefree rake, but in Yun Qiwu’s presence, he felt like a raw recruit.

Seeing her wicked smile and utter lack of embarrassment, Li Yunjie couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

She looked ethereal, yet who could have guessed she was a flower-thief!

“You must be joking, miss,” Li Yunjie said awkwardly, “you’re beautiful beyond compare, how could I possibly be worthy?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Yun Qiwu’s smile was dazzling. “I trust my own taste!”

With those words, she leapt lightly and sat on the edge of the tub as if weightless, not disturbing the water at all.

Li Yunjie’s brow flickered—what extraordinary skill!

“What, you don’t fancy me?”

Yun Qiwu dipped her bare, flawless foot into the water, her gaze provocative.

“No, no, not at all,” Li Yunjie struggled inwardly.

By nature, he was hardly a gentleman who regarded beauty as mere dirt.

But Yun Qiwu’s approach was so aggressive he dared not respond.

Was this the Crown Prince’s honey trap?

Or did Su Ming send her to test his loyalty to Su Qingmeng?

For a moment, thoughts whirled in Li Yunjie’s mind.

Suddenly, a chill on his shoulder snapped him back to reality.

Yun Qiwu had somehow draped her foot over him.

Li Yunjie immediately shifted away. “This isn’t proper!”

“Are you afraid your lady will be angry?” Yun Qiwu withdrew her foot, disappointed.

“Of course not!” Li Yunjie tried to salvage his pride. “I’m a man of stature—why would I fear a woman?!”

Fear was putting it mildly; that fierce woman would draw her blade at the slightest provocation—who could bear it?

Yun Qiwu seemed to see through his thoughts, offering a seductive smile. “Rest assured, I won’t breathe a word to anyone.”

She leaned in close, her fingertip lifting his chin.

The water soaked her pale violet gown, revealing her lithe figure.

“You and I don’t seek lifelong fidelity, only a fleeting joy.”

Li Yunjie’s heart tightened instantly.

What outrageous words!

This was no ride to kindergarten!

“Move aside!”

Suddenly, Su Qingmeng’s voice shattered the ambiguous atmosphere.

“Ah,” Yun Qiwu sighed, her tone graceful and melodious. “It seems today isn’t the right day. Master, we’ll meet again another time.”

With those words, her figure flickered and vanished.

Almost simultaneously, the door flew open.

Su Qingmeng swept the room with cold eyes, her voice low. “Where is she?”

“Who?” Li Yunjie feigned composure.

Su Qingmeng didn’t answer, striding quickly to the window, where she keenly spotted scattered petals on the sill.

“This is bad,” Eleven thought, sighing inwardly.

“What’s this?” Su Qingmeng demanded, holding up the evidence.

“Petals,” Li Yunjie replied truthfully.

“These were in your tub!”

“So?”

“How did they get here?” Su Qingmeng’s expression grew ever more severe.

Li Yunjie’s mind worked fast, and he replied smoothly, “The water was too hot, so I took them out to cool.”

“Here?” Su Qingmeng clearly didn’t believe him.

“Yes.”

“Naked?!”

“What else?”

“With the window open?!”

“What’s wrong with an open window?” Li Yunjie remained calm. “I told you, the water was too hot.”

Su Qingmeng was momentarily speechless, glaring at Li Yunjie, the petals in her hand crushed out of shape.

Just then, a golden light flared from the tub at an inopportune moment.

Li Yunjie’s face changed, and he quickly covered the glow, trying to hide it.

The preservation spell—could it be delayed in activating?!

The scene was awkward beyond words.

“Then explain this,” Su Qingmeng’s voice was icy as she slowly gathered power in her hand, inching closer to Li Yunjie. “Why is this happening?”

“I remembered something happy!” Li Yunjie replied, tense.

“So happy?” Su Qingmeng’s tone grew fiercer as she advanced.

As she drew near, Li Yunjie grew anxious. “What are you doing? I warn you! No peeking!”

Su Qingmeng, her anger boiling, ignored him and smashed the bath with a single blow.

Water splashed everywhere, petals flew.

Fortunately, Li Yunjie reacted quickly, twisting his body with a flourish and grabbing a long robe from the rack to preserve what dignity remained.

“Miss Qingmeng, that was rather reckless,” Li Yunjie sighed as he tightened his belt.

“Didn’t you say the water was too hot?” Su Qingmeng replied with a false smile. “I was just helping you cool off.”

“If you can’t behave, next time it won’t be so simple.”

Her eyes were sharp as blades, pinning Li Yunjie in place. With a cold huff, she strode out.

Eleven swiftly shut the door and let out a long breath.

“Master, you were far too careless.”

“What do you mean I was careless?!” Li Yunjie’s anger flared. “That rogue barged into my room and tried to seduce me!”

“I understand,” Eleven squinted and grinned mischievously. “I understand everything.”

“Master is barely twenty, after all.”

“Full of youthful vigor—quite normal!”

Youthful vigor, my foot!

Li Yunjie rolled his eyes and dressed.

“Where are you going, Master?”

“To find a hole and bury myself!”

With that, he slammed the door and left…