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

Chapter 42 Your reputation is about to be ruined.
Lu Zhan's face was ashen. He ignored Wei Jinyi and looked only at Zhiwan, "What are you doing here?"

Zhiwan's heart sank, and she replied, "Jinyi hasn't been to the Duke's mansion for a long time. My aunt asked me to show her around the mansion, and I didn't notice for a moment, so... we ended up here."

"Cousin, please don't blame Wan'er. I didn't know the way and wandered around aimlessly. I almost bumped into you just now. I feel very ashamed," Wei Jin Yi said with a self-reproachful expression.

Ouyang Zhenzhu scoffed, "It was indeed your fault. The three of us were walking along just fine when you suddenly ditched me and Wanwan and walked ahead first. Wanwan wanted to stop you, but it was too late. Also, are you sure you didn't deliberately bump into Lord Lu just now because you saw him? Luckily, Lord Lu dodged quickly, otherwise you would have ruined his reputation."

"You...you're talking nonsense!" Wei Jinyi's face flushed red, and she swayed as if she were about to collapse. "Miss Ouyang, I have no grudge against you, why are you slandering me like this?"

“Yes, we have no grudges, so why would I slander you? Because what I said is the truth.” Ouyang Zhenzhu said confidently.

"You, you... Cousin, please don't listen to her nonsense. I didn't see you at all just now." Wei Jinyi looked aggrieved.

Seeing that Lu Zhan's expression showed displeasure and that he might take it out on her, Zhi Wan quickly spoke up to defuse the situation, saying, "It's all a misunderstanding, cousin, don't take it to heart. I'll take Jin Yi and Zhen Zhu to go for a walk somewhere else."

Lu Zhan glanced at her with his dark eyes, responded softly, and said nothing more before heading straight into Qingyun Residence.

Zhi Wan breathed a sigh of relief, turned her head and saw the disappointment flash in Wei Jinyi's eyes, and seemed to be deep in thought.

Wei Jinyi noticed her gaze and quickly lowered her head to hide her unusual expression.

"Alright, let's go, let's take a stroll in the garden." Ouyang Zhenzhu's tone was quite cheerful, perhaps because she had seen Wei Jinyi make a fool of herself.

This time, Wei Jinyi didn't rush ahead, but followed behind the two.

As she passed through the moon gate, she suddenly said, "Wan'er, I feel that my cousin treats you differently than he treats others."

Zhiwan looked at her in surprise, not understanding why she said that.

"What's different?" Ouyang Zhenzhu asked with interest.

Wei Jinyi felt a pang of resentment when she thought about how her cousin's eyes had been fixed on Zhiwan the whole time outside Qingyun Residence, without even glancing at her.

She was Lu Zhan's biological cousin, but Lu Zhan treated her worse than Zhi Wan, an orphan.

She lowered her eyes, concealing the jealousy within, and shook her head, saying, "I can't quite put my finger on it, but I can sense it."

Zhiwan found her strange.

Lu Zhan is indifferent to everyone, so why would he treat her differently?
She said calmly, "You're overthinking it. If there's anything different, it's because I grew up in the Duke's mansion. My cousin practically watched me grow up."

Ouyang Zhenzhu nodded in agreement, "That makes sense. Although you don't have the surname Lu, in Lord Lu's eyes, you're no different from a younger sister. So naturally, he treats you more kindly than others." As she said this, she deliberately glanced at Wei Jinyi, clearly referring to her as "others."

Wei Jinyi was very angry with her.

This Ouyang Zhenzhu isn't even a member of the Lu family, yet she's always picking on her.

I was just talking nonsense in front of my cousin.

She hated Ouyang Zhenzhu to the core, but didn't show it on her face. Instead, she affectionately took Zhiwan's other arm and said softly, "Sister Wan'er, I'll stay with you tonight."

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Zhenzhu immediately said, "No, I want to stay at Wanwan's place tonight. Her bed is too small to fit so many people."

Wei Jinyi glanced at her and said, "Go sleep in the guest room, you'll have room to sleep there."

Ouyang Zhenzhu was furious. "Don't you know what 'first come, first served' means? If anyone's going to sleep in the guest quarters, it should be you."

“There’s a difference between close and distant relatives. Madam Lu is my own aunt,” Wei Jinyi said matter-of-factly.

Ouyang Zhenzhu couldn't refute this. Because compared to herself, Wei Jinyi's relationship with the Duke of Dingguo's mansion was indeed much closer.

She was only able to visit the Duke of Dingguo's mansion thanks to Zhiwan.

“Jinyi, if you don’t want to sleep in the guest courtyard, I’ll talk to your aunt later. There are many empty rooms in the Orchid Courtyard, so you can sleep there and be closer to your aunt.” Zhiwan said at this moment.

Ouyang Zhenzhu instantly perked up and gave Wei Jinyi a defiant look.

She really wasn't wrong in treating Wanwan well; when it really mattered, Wanwan still stood by her side.

Wei Jinyi was very displeased, but thinking that she could stay at the Duke of Dingguo's mansion for a few more days while Ouyang Zhenzhu could not, she felt at peace.

Anyway, she didn't really want to live with Zhiwan; she just wanted to use her to get closer to her cousin.

Even though Zhiwan was an orphan, she grew up in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, so her relationship with her cousin was always closer than with others.

After the three of them finished strolling through the garden, seeing that it was about time, they went to the Orchid Courtyard.

Upon seeing the three return, Madam Wei smiled and said, "I was just about to ask Granny Fang to look for you. You've returned just in time; it's time for our meal."

The three washed their hands with the help of servants and then sat down at the dining table.

Dinner was very lavish. Even though Zhiwan and Ouyang Zhenzhu had eaten a lot of good food at Baiweilou at noon, seeing these delicacies now made them hungry.

After finishing their meal, Zhiwan and Ouyang Zhenzhu chatted with Madam Wei for a while before returning home.

During the day, they didn't think much of it, but as darkness fell, both Zhiwan and Ouyang Zhenzhu thought of the tragedy that had occurred at Baiweilou at noon.

Even with servants carrying lanterns in front and behind them, the two still felt that the surroundings were pitch black and somewhat eerie.

The two held hands tightly, encouraging each other.

It wasn't until they returned to Yaoguang Pavilion that their fear subsided somewhat.

Even so, Zhiwan still ordered everyone to light all the candles in the room.

The room was bright and clean, and I was finally no longer afraid.

After a quick wash, the two lay down in bed and started talking.

“Wanwan, I don’t think Wei Jinyi’s stay at the Duke of Dingguo’s mansion is that simple,” Ouyang Zhenzhu said with certainty.

Zhi Wan paused, thinking of Wei Jinyi's deliberate visit to Qingyun Residence today, and asked, "Are you trying to say that she has impure feelings for my cousin?"

"You noticed it too?" Ouyang Zhenzhu quickly sat up, looking at her with bright eyes.

Zhiwan nodded. "This isn't her first time visiting the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. She always stays there for a few days each time. She couldn't possibly not know that Qingyun Residence is my cousin's residence. Her sudden trip to Qingyun Residence today must be because she wanted to run into him."

Ouyang Zhenzhu praised, "Our Wanwan is really smart."

Zhiwan was amused by her, "Are you praising me or insulting me?"

"Of course I'm praising you." Ouyang Zhenzhu chuckled and lay back down in bed. "However, she did run into Lord Lu, but he seemed cold and didn't treat her kindly just because she's his cousin."

Thinking of her cousin's cold face, Zhiwan smiled and said, "My cousin has always been like this; he never shows any kindness to anyone."

(End of this chapter)