Warm medicine emits fragrance

Anger welled up inside him, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the waist of the person in his arms, his voice low and menacing, "Is it because you can't refuse, or because of that two-courtyard house?"

Fan Liuer felt conflicted upon hearing this. Regardless of whether she was tempted by the two-courtyard house, she couldn't refuse, could she?

Why be so fixated on this kind of question?

Looking up at Li Chenbi's face, the words left his mouth without hesitation the moment he saw his expression.

"Of course, it's because I can't refuse!"

My intuition tells me that because of the second courtyard house, she might be thrown out again.

If she were thrown out dressed like this, it would be incredibly shameful.

After she finished speaking, she met the gaze that fell upon her, and the person in the gaze was suspicious, clearly not believing her words.

Fan Liuer added, "I'm not stupid. The Second Master's concubine status is worth far more than a two-courtyard house. If I were really after that money, wouldn't I get even more by becoming the Second Master's concubine?"

These words made Li Chenbi feel much better.

This person finally said something that pleased him.

He loosened his grip, looked at the person in his arms, and felt that she was even more adorable. He couldn't help but reach out and pinch her earlobe.

They're so nice to squeeze, I can't put them down.

"Since you can't refuse anyway, why don't you want to be my concubine? Being my concubine is better than what you are now, having your status tarnished and not getting what you deserve."

Fan Liuer is now starting to figure out what this person is thinking and why he was angry just now.

She was probably holding a grudge against him for refusing the title he offered.

If this matter isn't brought up, this person will keep using it to cause her trouble in the future, so it's better to tell the truth.

Moreover, she could tell that although this person's emotions were volatile, he wouldn't actually do anything to her.

Perhaps if we discuss it properly, we can make things clear.

After mentally arranging her words, she spoke in a low voice: "Second Master, as you know, I suffer from a cold-related ailment. The winters are long in my hometown, and I spend most of the year in excruciating pain."

"My family wasn't well-off, and we couldn't afford good charcoal. The fact that my parents let me stay in bed all day in winter instead of going out to work was already a huge sign of their love for me."

"Later, my parents passed away one after another, and my sister-in-law took charge of the household. She didn't like me and felt that the expenses spent on me every winter were too much, so she cut back on my charcoal money."

"Last winter, I almost froze to death at home."

"After finally getting through that winter, my sister-in-law, not wanting to spend any more money on me, introduced me to a family."

"I've never seen that person before, and he lives far away from home, but I still came here because it's warmer here than at my house, and the winter should be easier."

"Second Master." As she spoke, she looked at Li Chenbi, her expression devoid of its usual fawning and flattery, instead displaying a seriousness as she recounted the past.

"I don't have any grand ambitions. I just want to be able to eat my fill, stay warm and cozy. I've come a long way from the brink of death, and for the rest of my life, I just hope to live a simpler existence."

"Following you, Second Master, you will certainly eat well and dress well, but you were born into a wealthy family, so you should know that a concubine's fate is not in her own hands."

"You are certainly wonderful in every way, but your future wife may not be able to tolerate me."

"I know I shouldn't speculate about your future wife's character. You can punish me if you want, but I don't want my future to suffer any more hardships."

"I just want my life to be more stable from now on."

Fan Liuer's words made Li Chenbi feel uneasy, but this unease was not because she refused to become his concubine.

It started when she said that she had a hard time every winter.

Li Chenbi understood her better than anyone else, just as summer was also a painful torment for him.

At least he had medicine to suppress his symptoms, his family had money to support his extravagant summer expenses, and he didn't have to worry about anyone else's opinion.

But she had neither medicine to suppress the symptoms nor money to spend, so every winter she could only rely on the cheap charcoal fire for warmth to get through one winter after another.

Last year, they didn't even have good quality charcoal.

Put yourself in his shoes. If he had no medicine to drink in the summer, let alone ice to cool off, it's hard to say whether he could even survive the summer.

But she pulled through.

At this moment, his feelings were complicated, including pity, sympathy, and empathy.

What Fan Liuer said was not without reason. He had grown up in a wealthy and powerful family, so how could he not know the true situation of concubines?

He was confident he could protect her, but it was understandable that she didn't want to entrust her trust to him.

This is not her fault.

However, even if she did nothing wrong, Li Chenbi would never let her go again.

It's one thing if he hasn't experienced it, but once he's felt how comfortable it is to hold her, letting him sleep alone again would be torture for him.

The reason he hadn't seen Fan Liuer these past few days was not only because he was holding his breath, but also because he was too busy.

If he hadn't been distracted by a backlog of things, he definitely wouldn't have been able to resist seeing her.

Now that he knows she doesn't look down on the title he gave her, nor is she deliberately going against him, but rather has her own reasons, his awkwardness and anger dissipated, and he felt even more reluctant to let go.

He released his grip on her earlobe and pressed it against her face.

His hands were warm, and the moment they touched, Fan Liuer was like a cat seeing a stove, pressing herself against them and unconsciously rubbing against his palm.

Her obedient and affectionate appearance stirred something in his heart.

An inexplicable itch spread from my heart to my whole body.

"I understand. Since you're unwilling, I won't make things difficult for you in this matter in the future."

Fan Liuer was very happy and was about to express her gratitude, but before she could speak, Li Chenbi cut her off with his next words.

"However, you can choose not to have my status, but you should never think about getting married again."

"Fan Liuer, I like you very much. Just like you said before, I don't want a title, everything else will remain the same. I won't treat you badly, and I will give you everything you deserve."

He gently stroked Fan Liuer's cheek with his fingertips a few times, and then added another sentence.

"how?"

Fan Liuer secretly pursed her lips.

She had no choice, what else could she do?

However, Fan Liuer had already prepared herself for this, so she didn't feel too bad.

After all, she was the one who initially proposed this idea.

This is the best outcome than being forced to take a concubine by Li Chenbi under duress.

Turning her face to the side and burying it in Li Chenbi's palm, Fan Liuer whispered, "Okay, I'll do whatever you say, Second Master."

When she turned her head, half of her snow-white neck was exposed, which caught Li Chenbi's eye.

Coupled with her docile appearance, Li Chenbi's breath hitched, and he felt an itch in his throat.

He cupped Fan Liuer's face in his hand, leaned down and pressed his lips to her earlobe.

He asked in a low voice, "How did you originally plan to seduce me?"