klisemfg Chapter 236: Fate
Chapter 236: Fate
Chapter 236: Fate
Ji Meiqing didn't ask any more questions, but having slept too much during the day, she really couldn't fall asleep again. Lu Yu then accompanied her to do some strange exercises to aid digestion, as she requested. For example, he sat on Ji Meiqing's lap, and she would get up and kiss him, which she called sit-ups. Actually, Ji Meiqing had always wanted to try this, but never had the chance; she never expected it to happen now.
Ji Meiqing didn't stop until she was sweating profusely. She lay on the bed, panting, and rested for a while before taking a shower. She fell asleep soon after returning, clearly exhausted from the exercise.
Lu Yu had already fallen asleep before she returned.
The two set off for West Lake the next day. While in the car, Ji Meiqing asked Lu Yu, "Do you know what fun things there are to do at West Lake?"
“I know, and I also know that I won’t let you drink anymore.”
"Ah! Why?" Although Ji Meiqing didn't like alcohol, she couldn't resist the temptation of delicious wine, but Lu Yu wouldn't let her drink anymore. She naturally believed that Lu Yu would do this.
"How dare you say that? You have such a low alcohol tolerance, you could easily get drunk and pass out. You've already missed Shaoxing, are you going to miss West Lake too?"
Ji Meiqing shook her head. "Alright, for the sake of the beautiful scenery, and so as not to have come for nothing, I won't drink. Then you're not allowed to drink either."
Now it was Lu Yu's turn to be confused. "I have a high alcohol tolerance and I almost never get drunk, so why won't you let me drink?"
"No means no. You can't make me watch you drink. Let's quit drinking together at West Lake then."
"Okay," Lu Yu agreed without hesitation.
As they chatted, they arrived at West Lake. Ji Meiqing got out of the car, stretched, and took a deep breath of the lake. "Mmm, the air is so fresh right now."
Lu Yu corrected her, saying, "It's because the air here is really fresh." Ji Meiqing was too lazy to argue with him. She had originally planned to stroll around West Lake for a while, but unexpectedly, it started to drizzle, and the scenery of West Lake was completely different.
Lu Yu, who was holding an umbrella for Ji Meiqing, said, "It's raining. Why don't we go find an inn first?"
Ji Meiqing didn't want to leave, so she said, "I don't want to go back. West Lake is beautiful even in the rain. Doesn't it look like the line, 'West Lake is like Xi Shi, beautiful whether lightly or heavily adorned.' Ah?"
Lu Yu replied with "like," but he hadn't actually paid attention to the scenery. His attention was entirely focused on whether Ji Meiqing would get wet or catch a cold. However, seeing that she was determined not to leave, he could only do his best to take care of her.
Fortunately, the rain stopped after a short while. Ji Meiqing bought some lotus pods to taste, then strolled around for a while before going to find an inn with Lu Yu.
They quickly settled in and went out for a stroll again. Ji Meiqing bought some small souvenirs. She spotted an oil-paper umbrella and was about to reach for it when she saw another hand reach out at the same time.
She withdrew her hand and looked across the street. It was Zhang Yang. Lu Yu also saw him, and his face immediately darkened. Zhang Yang walked around the stall and greeted them, "Gentlemen, long time no see! I didn't expect we'd meet here. What a coincidence!"
Just as Ji Meiqing was about to reply with "What a coincidence!", Lu Yu preemptively answered, "Not a coincidence." Ji Meiqing tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to speak less. Although Lu Yu was displeased, he obediently shut up.
Zhang Yang wasn't as awkward as he'd imagined, and even invited them to his home. Ji Meiqing was initially reluctant, but she agreed out of curiosity to see his family's wine. Zhang Yang led them to a large house. "Don't worry," he said, "I had plenty of evidence when I returned. I gave it to my father. My stepmother has been divorced, and my father is getting old, so I'll be in charge of this house. Please make yourselves at home; don't be shy." Zhang Yang led them to a room to rest while he went to attend to his business.
Lu Yu whispered to Ji Meiqing, "I think this Zhang Yang is not simple. He has only been here for a few days, but he has already taken control of the whole family. Even if he has some dirt on him, his stepmother is deeply entrenched and it will not be easy to get rid of her. If he really uses some means, it must be extremely terrible. It's better to be on guard."
Ji Meiqing wasn't a fool. Although she felt something was off earlier but didn't know what it was, Lu Yu's explanation made things much clearer.
"Okay, I understand. Let's finish our meal here and head back quickly."
Zhang Yang was as lively as ever, but the atmosphere during the meal was still quite tense. To avoid arousing his suspicion, Ji Meiqing remained composed. Lu Yu, as always, didn't say much.
After the meal, Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu exchanged pleasantries and left. Once they were gone, Zhang Yang immediately acted as if he'd been given a free rein. He instructed the butler beside him, "Go and investigate the Mandarin Duck Tower in Rongcheng!"
Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu returned to the inn and began preparing for their return journey. Ji Meiqing started yawning, and Lu Yu noticed this and said, "Go and rest if you're sleepy. Leave these things to me."
Ji Meiqing didn't make a fuss and went to bed. Lu Yu spent some time tidying up before also going to bed.
The next day, Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu embarked on their journey home. After all, it had been a while since they had been back, and they didn't know how the business was doing.
Lu Yu noticed her worry and comforted her, "Don't worry, we have to trust them. What if we need to come out in the future and they can't take the lead?"
Although Ji Meiqing felt the same way, she couldn't help but worry, since no one knew what the Ji family might do while they were away.
As if the ship was conspiring against them, it caught a headwind, delaying their return by many days. Ji Meiqing even suddenly fell ill on the ship; after finishing her meal, she suddenly clutched her stomach and collapsed to the ground.
Lu Yu was so frightened that he quickly found the ship's doctor to treat her. After taking her pulse, the doctor concluded, "Young Master Lu, Madam Ji has a stomach ailment. It's probably because she can't get used to the food on the ship, coupled with the recent long journey. There's not much medicine on this ship that can treat it. I'll give you some emergency medicine to drink first. Once we get to land, we can get more medicine from my house. For now, eat light food and drink some porridge."
"Thank you, doctor." After everything was done, Lu Yu went to the kitchen to get some porridge and also cooked the medicine and brought it over. However, Ji Meiqing was unconscious and could not be fed. In desperation, Lu Yu drank all the medicine himself and then gently fed it into Ji Meiqing's mouth.
It took Ji Meiqing a long time to wake up after taking the medicine. Lu Yu then slowly fed her some porridge before letting her fall asleep again.
The next day, when Ji Mei woke up, she saw Lu Yu asleep by her bedside. It seemed he had taken care of her all night. Feeling sorry for her, she woke him up and told him to go to bed with her. Lu Yu said he was fine and then asked with concern, "Are you feeling better?"