In the next half an hour, Pei Yu finally witnessed the "quiet" side of Shen Cuiyu after getting drunk. She either picked up the kitten dozing under the corridor and insisted on reading its palm, or claimed that she wasn't drunk and could still walk in a straight line... After an hour of such antics, Pei Yu looked at this Shen Cuiyu, who was so different from her usual self, and deeply regretted his previous comment that she was "easy to handle".
As the sky in the distance began to turn pale, Shen Cuiyu finally got tired and slumped softly against the edge of the couch. Her face looked rather unwell, clearly indicating that the alcohol was still taking effect and her stomach was feeling queasy.
Pei Yu stared at her for a while, then slightly raised his hand. A dark figure silently landed beside him, as if merging with the night, and knelt on one knee:
"My lord, what are your orders?"
The voice of the secret guard was extremely low. His sharp side - eye swept over Shen Cuiyu. He had witnessed clearly from the dark that this woman had been torturing the lord. The lord must be extremely angry. Glancing at Pei Yu's expressionless face, the secret guard had a guess. Could it be...
"Make a bowl of hangover soup." Pei Yu's voice showed no emotion.
"Yes!" The secret guard immediately responded. He had drawn out his sword two inches before he realized Pei Yu's order. He abruptly stopped his action and almost tripped over himself. "....Ah?"
At the same time, without opening her eyes, Shen Cuiyu added casually, "Add more sugar."
Pei Yu:.......
Secret guard:.......
This scene was already strange enough, but what was even stranger was that instead of showing any anger, Pei Yu nodded almost imperceptibly.
The secret guard strongly suppressed his surprise and disbelief and took the order. With a flash, he disappeared into the dim light before dawn.
He rushed all the way towards the dining area. His mind was still in turmoil. The lord had always had a strange temper and was unpredictable. Logically speaking, if someone had humiliated him like this, he would have killed them long ago. How could he not turn angry after being tormented for so long? And even... He scratched his head, completely puzzled.
The room fell silent again. Pei Yu silently looked at Shen Cuiyu, who had finally calmed down. After her chaotic antics, the gloomy and violent aura in his heart caused by the nightmare had actually dissipated unconsciously.
Just then, another secret guard quietly arrived. His gaze carefully passed over Shen Cuiyu before he reported in a low voice:
"Your Highness, there is another incident in the main palace. They are urgently summoning you back."
Pei Yu's expression remained unchanged. He just let out a soft "hmm" and walked out. However, after taking a few steps outside the door, he suddenly stopped for some reason.
He looked back. The warm halo of the long - burning lamp was still quietly shining, illuminating the peaceful room. There was no more sound inside, so it seemed that Shen Cuiyu had fallen into a deep sleep.
Pei Yu stood still for a moment and finally turned away. But his heart was no longer as carefree as before.
The next day, Shen Cuiyu didn't wake up until late in the morning. She felt refreshed.
She sat up and found that although she was still wearing yesterday's outer robe, the hairpins in her hair had been carefully removed and neatly placed on the small table beside the pillow.
Shen Cuiyu rubbed her temples and tried hard to recall the fragmented scenes of last night. Pei Yu seemed to have come, but she was so sleepy that she didn't seem to talk much to him... Later, she must have fallen asleep because she couldn't hold on any longer. Pei Yu must have left on his own.
She lifted the quilt and got out of bed, but her gaze suddenly stopped when she saw the objects on the table. She stood there, stunned.
On the table were neatly placed the rare ancient book she had been searching for for a long time, the large - stuffed dumplings from the east city, and several delicate pastries newly made by the Weirui Pavilion...
Shen Cuiyu was in a daze for a long time, suspecting that she was still dreaming.
Could it be that some kind of kind - hearted fairy or a passing god had heard her thoughts and brought these things to her while she was sleeping?
Shen Cuiyu hesitantly opened the ancient book. There were many written annotations between the pages, obviously made by the person who had read this book while reading. The calligraphy was strong and powerful.
Shen Cuiyu recognized it. It was Pei Yu's handwriting...
Shen Cuiyu was absent - minded all morning and couldn't remember what had happened yesterday.
At the same time, she was worried that she might have blurted out the truth about him being her destined partner while drunk.
Shen Cuiyu was thinking about how to face Pei Yu when Pei Yu didn't show up for several days.
Shen Cuiyu felt a little relieved. She took advantage of these days off to recuperate. When she checked her spiritual power, she found that after half a month of study and practice, it had obviously increased. Although it hadn't returned to its peak state in her previous life, she was still a little pleased.
The five - day break passed in a flash. The quiet academy was once again filled with the lively noise of the students.
Pei Yu naturally returned for class. But for some reason, Shen Cuiyu had the feeling that his face seemed paler than usual and there was a faint trace of weariness under his eyes.
Shen Cuiyu hesitated for a moment and was thinking about how to casually ask about that day. Before she could organize her words, Pei Yu had already keenly noticed her gaze and turned to look at her.
His eyes were cold, with the usual sense of alienation. But the corner of his lips curled up in a half - smile as he took the initiative to say:
"After resting for so many days, Miss Shen, are you finally completely sober?"
There was clearly a hint of settling scores in his words. Shen Cuiyu felt a little nervous and forced a dry smile on her face: "That day... if I said something inappropriate, or..."
Pei Yu gave her a cold look and interrupted her. His tone was calm but full of meaning: "There's no need to probe. You should know what you did."
Shen Cuiyu:......?
This sounded as if she had taken a huge advantage or committed an unforgivable mistake. But with her personality, what could she have done that was out of line?
Could it be that she really said something?
Shen Cuiyu wanted to ask a few more questions, but Pei Yu had already averted his gaze. He clearly showed an attitude of "this matter is over, no need to mention it again" and closed his eyes to rest.
Shen Cuiyu was completely confused by his attitude and felt extremely uneasy. But seeing that he ignored her, she simply calmed herself down and temporarily suppressed all her doubts, pretending that nothing had happened. After all, if she really found out an embarrassing truth, it would be better not to know.
After returning this time, all the students were eager and looking forward to it because they were finally going to the Wenshi Hall to receive their first practice tasks!
The tasks in the Wenshi Hall were divided into four levels: A, B, C, and D according to their difficulty. Level A was the most difficult, and level D was the easiest. Different levels also corresponded to different points.
For the freshmen, most of them would carefully choose a level - C or even a level - D task to test their skills, so as not to suffer a setback at the beginning and damage their confidence.
After a team received a task, they would immediately go down the mountain. Only after completing the current task could they return to the Wenshi Hall to receive the next one.
The other groups had successively received their tasks and left, but only Shen Cuiyu's group remained motionless.
It was because Zhong Shengwan still hadn't returned.