The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 142 Even closer than cousins...

Lu Zhan was taken aback, then realized what was going on, and his cold gaze swept over Chen Jiu, who had followed him in.

Chen Jiu shrank his neck, lowered his head, and silently walked to the side, not daring to look into his young master's cold eyes.

Sigh, he's having such a hard time.

Everything he did was for the sake of the Crown Prince.

Even that corrupt official Liang Qixian could see that the young lady was the prince's beloved. As his close subordinate, how could he not have any insight?

So he personally went to Panyun Manor and invited Miss Biao back.

He guessed that the young master must be secretly pleased to see how concerned the young lady was about him.

But he couldn't expose it.

After all, the Crown Prince has always been unfathomable and rarely lets others guess his inner thoughts.

Seeing the little girl's worried expression, a smile flashed in Lu Zhan's cold eyes, and he shook his head, "No..." However, he had only uttered one word when his arm suddenly hurt, and he groaned.

"Cousin!" Upon hearing this, Zhiwan was shocked and, without thinking, rushed forward and carefully lifted his arm. "How are you? Does it hurt a lot?"

Suddenly, his arm was lifted up by the girl's soft fingers. Lu Zhan was taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "You..."

"Does it hurt a lot?" Zhiwan asked anxiously.

Lu Zhan lowered his eyes, his long, raven-feather eyelashes fluttering slightly, and his long fingers resting on his knees curled up. This was the first time his cousin had taken the initiative to get close to him in real life.

The girl's faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils, momentarily disorienting him, making him think he was dreaming.

But he quickly realized what was happening, his expression instantly clearing, his handsome face filled with cold anger as he looked at Duan Ling beside him with a warning.

Duan Ling had already withdrawn his hand, ignoring his warning look. He sighed and said to Zhiwan, "Cousin Zhiwan, your cousin is in so much pain. You didn't see it, the wound on his arm is this long..." He gestured and continued, "But your cousin is a man, so naturally he's embarrassed to say he's in pain. But the injury can't be faked. When it hurts, no matter how strong he is, he still can't help but cry out. You heard it just now, didn't you? Alas, what should we do?"

When Zhiwan saw his gesture, her face turned pale. She quickly advised, "Cousin, since the wound hurts, don't push yourself. Let's go back to the other courtyard and ask a doctor to take a look again."

Seeing this, Lu Zhan gently comforted him, "Don't be nervous, it's just a minor injury, it's nothing serious."

Duan Ling sighed and said, "Old Lu, I know you're proud and embarrassed to admit it, but what's more important than your health? Besides, your cousin isn't an outsider. Why do you have to put on a brave face in front of her? You should listen to her and go back to the villa to rest. Otherwise, if your injury worsens, your arm might be ruined."

"What?" Upon hearing this, Zhiwan's voice choked with sobs as she looked at Lu Zhan in fear. "How could it be so serious?"

Seeing tears welling up in her eyes, as if they were about to fall at any moment, Lu Zhan's heart softened, and he gently comforted her, "Nothing like that, don't listen to his nonsense."

“Your Highness, you really don’t take your health seriously. I haven’t even taken the blood-stained gauze that was just changed to be disposed of yet, and you’ve already forgotten about it? If something really happens to your health, how am I supposed to explain this to the Duke and his wife when I get back?” Chen Jiu said worriedly from the side.

Lu Zhan's temple throbbed, and he glared at him coldly, "Shut up!"

Chen Jiu looked at Zhi Wan, as if to say, "You see? I didn't lie to you. The young master won't listen to anyone's advice and doesn't take his own health seriously."

Zhiwan wiped away her tears, put on a stern face, and looked at Lu Zhan seriously. "Cousin, you don't need to hide it from me. I have eyes and I can see. Even if you are seriously injured, you don't seem to care."

Lu Zhan: "..."

Zhiwan's voice softened, "Cousin, please listen to my advice and go back to the villa to rest, okay?"

Meeting her watery eyes, Lu Zhan paused, finding it difficult to utter the words of refusal.

He raised his hand to rub his temples, glancing at Duan Ling, the instigator, and Chen Jiu, who had added fuel to the fire, his eyes filled with a strong warning.

The two quickly looked away, one pretending to look at the roof and the other pretending to look at the floor.

Lu Zhan withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhi Wan, saying, "It's really just a minor injury, nothing serious. I still have a lot of official business to attend to at the government office. You should go back to the villa first." As he spoke, he was about to have someone send Zhi Wan back when he heard his cousin angrily say, "Since you don't care about your own health, then don't bother me."

Lu Zhan: "..."

Duan Ling rarely saw him make a fool of himself, so he suppressed a laugh and deliberately stirred things up, "That's right, Cousin Zhiwan is right. If someone doesn't even cherish his own body, what right does he have to care about others?"

Lu Zhan: "..."

“Cousin, your health is the most important thing. Go back and rest well first. You can deal with official business tomorrow.” Zhiwan said, and then turned directly to Duan Ling and Chen Jiu, “Come and help me take my cousin back to the villa.”

Without saying a word, the two rushed forward and helped Lu Zhan up, one on each side.

Just as Lu Zhan was about to get angry, Duan Ling slowly called out, "Cousin Zhiwan, your cousin isn't cooperating."

“Cousin, can you cooperate a little? Everyone is just concerned about you,” Zhiwan said sternly.

Seeing the serious-looking girl, Lu Zhan immediately fell silent.

Duan Ling laughed out loud and teased him in his ear, "Old Lu, I never knew you were afraid of your wife! It seems that the fearless Lord Lu is only afraid of his little cousin! Haha... uh!"

His unrestrained laughter abruptly stopped.

He glared at someone, baring his teeth, "You're using dirty tricks!"

Lu Zhan gave him a cold look and withdrew his foot. "You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth!"

When they returned to the Lu family villa, the doctor that Zhiwan had asked Ouyang Zhenzhu to invite had also arrived.

Since it was inconvenient for Zhiwan to go into her cousin's room, she waited outside the door.

When the doctor finished his examination and came out, she rushed forward and asked, "Doctor, how is my cousin's injury?"

"The wound is a bit long, but it was bandaged and treated in time, so it won't have any problems. However, you'll need to rest well for the next few days, and the wound shouldn't get wet. I've already looked at the medicine prescribed by the doctor we consulted earlier, and it's all appropriate for the condition, so I won't prescribe any more medicine," the doctor replied.

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan finally felt relieved.

"Thank you, doctor."

After seeing the doctor off, Zhiwan had the servants prepare the medicine, while she went to the kitchen and used the available ingredients to make some wontons.

Considering that Duan Ling was also there, she cooked an extra bowl and had a servant take it to Lu Zhan's courtyard.

"Cousin, you still need to take your medicine later. Eat something first to fill your stomach." Zhiwan stood outside the door and knocked.

Duan Ling immediately opened the door and came out, grinning as he asked, "Cousin Zhiwan, is there any for me?"

“Of course there is.” Zhiwan said, taking the tray from Shuang’er and handing it to him.

Duan Ling's face lit up when he saw two bowls on the tray. He said sincerely, "Cousin Zhiwan, you are so kind and considerate. Can you be my cousin?"

Before Zhiwan could speak, a deep voice refuted her first, "Of course not."

It's Lu Zhan.

He came out of the house.

"What gives you the right to make decisions for your cousin Zhiwan? She's not your biological cousin; she has the right to choose for herself," Duan Ling retorted.

Lu Zhan paused, his gaze falling on the little girl in front of the door. "Although she is not my biological cousin, she grew up in my family. Our relationship is even closer than that of biological cousins."

(End of this chapter)