A Bloody Conflict Triggered by a Kiss

Gu Fei felt as though she had been trapped in a hazy, indistinct dream.

In the dream, aside from herself, there was someone else. Yet no matter how hard she tried, she could not make out the person's face. Instead, all night long, she felt as if something was nibbling at her lips—a sensation that was both numbly tickling and tinged with a slight, stinging pull. Then, that person seemed to have said something, though she could not catch what it was. Flashing through her mind at the very end were first the face of Le Qingbo, and then You Hu's seductive, devastatingly handsome visage. The two faces alternated and intersected, keeping her restless and uneasy the entire night.

When she woke up early in the morning, the space between her brows still throbbed with a dull ache. Combined with the lingering effects of a hangover, her entire body was limp in bed, unable to muster the strength to get up.

She groaned in discomfort, wrapped tightly in the quilt, wriggling slowly like a silkworm. A cascade of dark, cloud-like hair spilled across the soft pillow, and when the cool silk coverlet accidentally brushed against her lips, she hissed and drew in a sharp breath.

Pain. It was the exact same pain she had felt in her dream, carrying an unbearable, burning sensation.

She sat up abruptly, reached out to gently touch them, and sure enough, her lips felt scorching hot to the touch.

She remembered You Hu congratulating her the night before on becoming the president of the Yizhou Ink Merchants' Association, after which the two of them drank a great deal of alcohol. Following that, she could remember nothing at all—she had no impression whatsoever of how she had managed to make it back to her bed.

Her cat-like apricot eyes narrowed as Gu Fei tried hard to recall. She had a strong intuition that something must have happened after she got drunk last night; otherwise, no matter how severe her hangover, her mouth wouldn't ache for no reason, would it?

Nightingale walked in carrying a basin of hot water just in time to catch Gu Fei's dazed expression.

She hurriedly picked up an outer robe and draped it over Gu Fei's shoulders, saying, "My lady, be careful not to catch a chill. The morning dew is heavy."

Gu Fei looked at her and asked, "Who carried me back to my room last night?"

Nightingale turned away to soak a face towel in the hot water, her back to Gu Fei as she replied, "Naturally, it was Mother Ku. You and Young Master You were both completely drunk and senseless yesterday, so Mother Ku looked after you, while Second Brother You took care of Young Master You."

With that said, she looked down at the warm, damp towel in her hands and curled her lips slightly. Everyone in the courtyard knew that it was actually Young Master You who had carried the young lady back to her room last night. Afterwards, Young Master You had even issued a stern warning to all of them, forbidding anyone from revealing even the slightest whisper of it to the lady.

At this thought, Nightingale suppressed the extra thoughts in her mind, leaving not a trace of abnormality on her face. She turned around and handed the towel to Gu Fei. "My lady, wipe your hands. Your head must hurt a bit, right? Would you like this servant to massage it for you?"

With that, she reached out and began to gently press and knead Gu Fei's temples with moderate pressure, which finally made Gu Fei feel a little more comfortable.

After wiping her hands, Gu Fei could still feel a fiery, stinging pain on her lips, so she instructed, "Go fetch the bronze mirror."

Nightingale complied. When the rhombic, vine-wrapped bronze mirror was presented to her, Gu Fei instantly noticed that her lips were abnormally red and swollen. She touched them lightly, astonishment welling up in her heart. "Can being drunk make your mouth look like this?"

Nightingale mentally spat at You Hu. She had seen clearly everything the two of them had been up to in the courtyard last night, but there was simply no way she could tell Gu Fei the truth now. She could only press on, saying, "After you got drunk last night, my lady, you kept biting your own lips and wouldn't let go. If Young Master You hadn't used his fingers to stop you later, who knows, you might have ended up with bloody scars."

She delivered this lie without her face turning red or her heart beating fast. If she hadn't been afraid of offending Young Master You, Nightingale would have thought the man was no different from a scoundrel, capable of uttering such deceitful nonsense—and more importantly, forcing everyone around them to back up the story.

Nightingale silently apologized to her mistress in her heart, but under such formidable coercion, she had no choice but to submit.

Gu Fei only looked for a moment before letting the matter drop. She had once heard people say that some individuals held their liquor poorly when drunk, and she figured she must be one of them. Therefore, she resolved privately to try her best never to get drunk again in the future to avoid making a spectacle of herself.

Once Nightingale had finished tending to Gu Fei's grooming, she noticed that Gu Fei seemed to have put last night's incident behind her. She sighed with deep emotion—how could a mistress who was usually so astute and intelligent fail to discover a single flaw this time, deepening the guilt in her own heart all over again?

By the time it was breakfast, the moment Gu Fei stepped into the dining hall, she discovered that You Hu was actually there as well. One had to know that during these hours, he was rarely ever seen.

You Hu was already eating, and he hadn't bothered to wait for Gu Fei, the mistress of the house, to join him. In his eyes, it seemed there was no distinction of master and servant between him and Gu Fei at all.

With her sharp eyes, Gu Fei inadvertently caught sight of You Hu's right index finger, which was wrapped in gauze with a few spots of scarlet blood seeping through.

She suddenly recalled what Nightingale had said just moments ago. Her brow furrowed, and to her surprise, she felt an unnatural surge of annoyance.

Nightingale pushed Gu Fei's wheelchair to the head of the table and seated her before bringing out the rest of the breakfast dishes.

Gu Fei picked up her chopsticks, refusing to spare You Hu a single glance as if he didn't exist. She scooped a spoonful of white congee with a silver spoon, but before she could bring it to her mouth—the moment it merely brushed against her lips—she drew in a sharp hiss of pain.

It hurt. It hurt even more than before.

Her distinct, black-and-white eyes even welled up with a fine mist of moisture.

You Hu had kept his peripheral vision fixed on Gu Fei the entire time. Seeing her pitiful appearance, he couldn't help letting out a soft laugh. When Gu Fei shot him a cold glare, he looked away, deliberately picking up all of Gu Fei's favorite dishes and stuffing them into his own mouth.

Those dishes were all savory and seasoned. Since even plain white congee caused Gu Fei pain upon touching her lips, seasoned food was obviously completely out of the question.

The slight annoyance she had felt earlier over biting You Hu's finger instantly transformed into genuine anger. Gu Fei dropped her silver spoon, which struck the lotus-leaf bowl with a crisp clatter, and ordered Nightingale, "Take these away. I'll eat at noon."

Even if she couldn't eat it, she'd be damned if she let someone else take advantage of it!

Nightingale hesitated for a split second, then—under Gu Fei's increasingly frosty gaze—was forced to clear away the dishes. In a flash, only a bit of white congee was left on the table.

"Hmph," You Hu scoffed coldly, deliberately holding up his injured index finger and waving it in front of Gu Fei. "This scholar's injury is on my right hand, and I won't be able to hold a writing brush for quite a while. Doesn't the lady plan to offer some form of compensation?"

Carrying the stack of plates, Nightingale had just reached the door when she heard these words. Her left foot tangled with her right, and even without a threshold to trip over, she almost took a tumble.

The commotion made both Gu Fei and You Hu turn their heads.

Nightingale forced an awkward laugh. "This servant was clumsy."

Before she could finish her sentence, she hurried off with nimble, flying footsteps, terrified that if she stayed a moment longer and You Hu said anything else, she might lose control and blurt out the truth to Gu Fei.

As for that bite on his index finger, it was indeed Gu Fei who had bitten him, but Nightingale knew for a fact that the reality was nothing like what You Hu claimed.

Last night, Gu Fei had been drunk. For some reason, she had grown intimate with You Hu out in the courtyard. Later, after You Hu carried her back to her room, he didn't come out for a long, long time—so long that Mother Ku had even considered kicking the door down.

Yet right at that moment, the few of them outside had watched You Hu emerge with his clothes completely neat and intact, after which he issued a stern warning to them all. At that exact time, she had caught a faint scent of blood, and once back in her room, Bai Lu had quietly whispered to her that she had witnessed Young Master You's index finger bitten and bleeding.

As for her own mistress, she certainly didn't have the habit of biting her own lips, so You Hu was undoubtedly lying through his teeth.

Nightingale reined in her wandering thoughts and returned to the dining hall carrying a pot of fresh tea. Just as she reached the entrance, she heard Gu Fei speaking in icy tones, "You probably hurt yourself and tried to pin it on me. Everyone was drunk, who knows what happened."

Hearing this, Nightingale silently cheered for her mistress. Her lady's strategy of flatly denying everything was brilliantly played.

Following that, she heard You Hu say, "It doesn't matter. After all, last night the lady mistook this scholar for Le Qingbo and threw herself into my arms. If this scholar hadn't always abided by the teachings of the sages and understood sage-like principles, I'm afraid Gu Fei would already..."

The rest of the sentence was left unfinished. As Nightingale quietly entered the dining hall, she immediately felt waves of bone-chilling cold radiating from Gu Fei, enough to make one's heart tremble.

Meanwhile, You Hu raised his long, slanted brows, seemingly oblivious to it all. He gazed at Gu Fei's face, involuntarily recalling the charming, artless creature she had been in her drunken state the night before. The contrast between then and now was truly worlds apart. Decidedly, a young lady who was at the mercy of others and didn't bare her claws made one feel much more at ease.

Gu Fei gripped the armrests of her wheelchair, took a deep breath, and stated, every word falling like beads of ice, "If you ever dare to utter such words again..."

As she spoke, she deliberately glanced pointedly at You Hu's injured finger. "...Don't ever expect to hold a writing brush again."

Such a threat possessed zero deterrent power. If it were the old Gu Fei, she would never have spoken such a spineless line. You Hu didn't expose her either; he simply covered his lips with one hand and chuckled. Through the gaps between his fingers, the curved line of his smile was visible. "My lady, next time, are you planning to bite this scholar's finger right off?"

Only he himself knew the true thoughts hidden behind those words.

His gaze remained glued to Gu Fei's lips. Usually as pale pink as cherry blossoms, ever since last night they were now dripping and alluring, glowing with a vibrant red that made one want to viciously bite down and swallow them whole. The tip of his tongue swept across the waterdrop-shaped, upturned tip of his own lip, as if savoring the lingering taste of the previous night.

For some inexplicable reason, Gu Fei felt a wave of scorching heat wash over her. She straightened her posture, utterly repulsed by You Hu's gaze, which carried the predatory covetousness of a beast. "Bite? I'd consider it too filthy."

You Hu propped his chin on one hand, his phoenix eyes staring unblinkingly at Gu Fei. Although he had been deeply disgruntled and downright angry at being used as a substitute last night, he still had to admit that because of last night, he had suddenly realized this woman possessed far more captivating qualities than ordinary maidens.

"I suppose I won't have the opportunity," You Hu lazily brushed a lock of hair from his temple. "Did the lady forget what this scholar said last night? Once I finish helping you manage the Ink Merchants' Association over the next few days, it'll be time for me to leave."

Reminded thus, Gu Fei abruptly remembered this matter.

As if in an instant, with parting imminent, the petty grievance she had felt moments before vanished. She lowered her eyes to stir the white congee in her lotus-leaf bowl, remaining silent for a while before saying, "Understood. When you leave, remember to find Mother Ku to settle your stipend as a strategist."

The white congee had grown completely cold. Gu Fei scooped a bit up, carefully touched it to her lips, and finding it wasn't too painful, began to sip and eat it in small, dainty bites.

You Hu simply watched her movements, etching her refined and elegant manners into his heart. After a long moment, he teased with a smile, "It seems the lady still holds this scholar in her heart after all, terrified that I might run out of money and suffer hardships."

The five fingers gripping Gu Fei's silver spoon tightened so hard she almost splashed the spoonful of white congee right at him.

This man was always so improper, pushing his luck step by step and easily provoking her bottom line. Continuing to associate with him was truly not a good idea.