Resplendent – Chapter 564

Chapter 564: The Kiss Interrupted

Under the warm candlelight, the little girl’s bright black eyes shimmered, and her rosy lips puckered slightly, as if sending an irresistible invitation. Ling Juechen’s Adam’s apple moved; he gently lowered his head, slowly leaning toward those enticing cherry lips.

Could… a kiss be about to happen? It was the first time Brother Chen was taking the initiative. Before, she had either stolen kisses from him or given him a quick peck before running away. They had never shared a proper kiss! 

Gu Ye’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as she unabashedly puckered her lips to meet his.

“Miss, Third Young Master says he thought he saw a white figure vanish into Mingzhu Pavilion. The Duke is worried about you and has come with him,” Meijing’s voice drifted in from outside her bedroom door.

Lips less than an inch apart abruptly parted. 

Gu Ye’s eyes widened as she teased her Brother Chen, “Well, well! Caught stealing a kiss, were you? Didn’t you boast your martial arts are unmatched, that you couldn’t be caught?”

Ling Juechen frowned slightly: “Impossible. I’m certain no one noticed me entering. Your third brother is cunning. In the Duke’s Manor, he’s like a sly fox among a pack of tigers, impossible to guard against. I suspect that fellow deliberately set us up!”

Gu Ye pondered and realized he was right! She had only confessed to her family that day that she was the Invisible Grand Pharmacist. Prince Ning, who constantly watched over her, would surely make his move tonight. Regardless of whether Brother Chen had come or not, her father and Third Brother would likely make this trip.

Gu Ye called out to the outside, “Tell Dad and Third Brother to wait a little longer in the small reception hall. I’ll change clothes and be right over.”

Ling Juechen gestured toward the entrance, and Yin Ba, clad in black, appeared before them. Yin Ba flattered Gu Ye with a smile: “Congratulations on becoming the youngest Grand Pharmacist in history, Miss…”

“Xiao Ba, long time no see. What’ve you been up to?” Gu Ye waved at him.

Ying Ba pulled a miserable face. “What else could a slave like me do but toil and sweat? Whatever my master commands, I’ll leap through fire and water, giving it my all!”

Ling Juechen couldn’t be bothered with his whining. He stripped off his white outer robe and draped it over Yin Ba’s shoulders, then grabbed him by the collar and flung him out the door. Almost instantly, the furious voice of the Duke bellowed: “You thief! Don’t you dare run!”

Yin Ba, betrayed by his master, scrambled to put on the white robe while using his qinggong to escape. Resentment boiled in his heart: Sneaking into someone’s daughter’s boudoir in the dead of night, wearing that glaring white robe for all to see, and when caught, tossed your loyal subordinate out as a distraction? Master, you’re being downright ungrateful!

The Duke had indeed intended to bluff his way in, never expecting to actually flush someone out. That damn Prince Ning actually snuck into his daughter’s boudoir at night. He was utterly shameless! 

Don’t let me catch you, or I’ll skin you alive!!

The Duke pursued with fury, while Yin Ba ran headlong. In terms of qinggong skills, he outpaced the Duke by miles, but bearing the mission to lure the enemy away, he naturally kept his master’s future father-in-law dangling at just the right distance!

The diversion had lured away the Duke, but a cunning fox still lay in wait for Ling Juechen! Chu Mutong leapt onto the window ledge of his younger sister’s pavilion and tapped lightly on the glass: “Sister, are you alright?”

Gu Ye raised an eyebrow at Prince Ning, who stood before her clad only in his undergarments: “Your Highness, you have appeared in my chambers so disheveled. Are you not deliberately ruining my reputation?”

Ling Juechen wore an expression of utter helplessness: Why must it be so difficult to spend time alone with his little girl and celebrate her success in the Great Pharmacists Convention exam?

He pulled the girl close, planted a firm kiss on her forehead, and vanished from the room in an instant. 

Gu Ye searched high and low but found no trace. The doors and windows were securely shut, yet he was gone. Had her Brother Chen learned Japanese ninja arts to vanish into thin air?

Her glass window rattled as it opened from the outside, revealing her Third Brother’s head peering in. She was currently bent over, searching under the bed…

“Sister, what are you looking for?” One couldn’t just barge into a younger sister’s boudoir. Chu Mutong sat on the windowsill, gently fanning himself with a folding fan.

Gu Ye straightened up, looking at him innocently. “Didn’t you say a white figure entered the pavilion? I’m checking the rooms for intruders…”

“Just now, a white-clad figure escaped from your courtyard. But don’t worry, sister, Father has already given chase!” Chu Mutong’s gaze swept twice around the young lady’s boudoir before settling on a dagger resting on the dressing table.

“Young lady, what are you doing with a dagger out in the middle of the night?” Though some distance away, Chu Mutong was certain it was a dagger sharp enough to slice through iron like mud.

Gu Ye showed no sign of panic, shrugging calmly. “I’m used to keeping my dagger within arm’s reach when I sleep. Just now I noticed my nails had grown a bit, so I trimmed them with the dagger…”

The first part of her excuse was barely believable, but the second part? That was just ridiculous! Who would use a dagger sharp enough to slice through iron to trim their nails? Didn’t she fear accidentally slicing off her finger? Yet her expression was too earnest, her gaze too sincere, leaving Chu Mutong speechless, unable to voice any criticism.

He felt as if his thousand schemes suddenly were rendered useless around his sister, leaving him no room to maneuver. Clearing his throat, he said softly, “It’s getting late, Sister. Get some rest. Don’t worry. With Father and your brothers protecting you, this dagger won’t need to be used.”

Gu Ye nodded vigorously, her face lighting up with emotion. “With Dad’s love and my brothers’ protection, I am truly blessed! But… winter is almost here, and you are still fanning yourself with that fan. Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?”

Chu Mutong’s fan-waving motion froze instantly. He awkwardly closed the fan, tapped his palm, and laughed, “I train in martial arts year-round. My constitution is strong. This fan is merely for decoration…”

Gu Ye nodded earnestly, her eyes suddenly filling with a mix of trepidation and anticipation. “Third Brother, I’m a little scared. I don’t dare to sleep…”

Chu Mutong, radiating brotherly strength, promised, “Don’t be afraid, little sister. I am here!”

“Third Brother, wait until I fall asleep before you leave, okay?” Gu Ye scampered onto the bed, pulled the quilt up to her chin, her eyes sparkling brightly in the lamplight.

Chu Mutong nodded, shifting into a more comfortable position as he leaned his head against the window. He offered her reassurance, “Alright! Sleep soundly. Third Brother will watch over you!”

Gu Ye closed her eyes contentedly. Not long after, she suddenly opened them and whispered faintly in the darkness: “Third Brother, are you still there?”

“Right here! Sleep now, I am with you!” Moonlight from outside cast a tall, slender shadow inside the room. That shadow looked up at the moon, occasionally fluttering the fan in his hand. 

Chu Mutong never imagined he’d be the one his little sister depended on. Though the night air was cool as water and a light breeze blew, the feeling of being needed was genuinely not bad.

Inside, his sister’s slightly anxious voice drifted out from time to time. Each time, he would respond with a reassuring tone, calming her emotions. That night, his sister slept restlessly. Perhaps the experiences of her childhood had left her feeling insecure?

Chu Mutong remained vigilant outside his sister’s window all night. Even after the little girl inside had fallen into a deep sleep, he did not leave. Only when the eastern sky began to glow with the first light of dawn did he depart, his eyes heavy with fatigue.

Little did he know that his sister deliberately kept him awake out of displeasure that he had interrupted her time with Brother Chen. 

Fear? Insecurity? The girl who’d slept through the roars of mutant beasts in her past life? How could she possibly lose sleep over mere fright?

Sleepless nights meant sluggishness the next day. Sluggishness meant certain death at the beasts’ jaws. Even if knives were falling from the sky, as long as none pierced her, she’d snore away. There was no choice, she had trained herself to sleep through anything!

Gu Ye kept her third brother up until midnight, sleeping soundly until the sun was high in the sky. While washing up, she learned from Yue Yuan that her third brother had actually stayed up all night watching over her. Today wasn’t a day off, and he still had to report for duty at the magistrate’s office…

A twinge of guilt stirred in her heart. How could she deliberately take advantage of her family’s genuine affection to torment them? She resolved to apologize to Third Brother the moment he returned home from work!

The month-and-a-half-long assessment finally concluded. With her hands free, Gu Ye turned her attention to constructing the western suburb pharmaceutical factory.

After the convention ended, her Sixth Brother and Gu Ming plunged into grueling study sessions. Originally, Chu Mushan had been attending lessons at another family’s private academy. After Gu Ming arrived, the Duke arranged for him to attend a private academy and dragged his youngest son along too, under the pretext that the two could study together and look out for each other.

Thus, the task of escorting Gu Ye to the western suburbs fell to the twin brothers, Chu Xiaosi and Chu Xiaowu. Having just graduated from the academy and without any other duties, they were the most idle members of the household.

As the Gu siblings approached the western suburbs, they spotted numerous workers bustling about the estate Gu Ye had purchased. Drawing nearer, they realized these masons were busily constructing factory buildings.

The original manor house remained untouched. The pharmaceutical factory was being built on a vacant plot at the foot of a small hill. Several large trees once stood there, providing shade where the local children loved to climb and cool off during summer. This spot, bordering the lake, offered convenient access to water. Had Gu Ye chosen the location herself, she would have selected this very spot for the factory.

“Young Miss, Young Masters, you’re here!” Steward Zhou, holding blueprints, greeted the three young masters with a smile as he approached. “The construction site is a bit messy… mind your step!”

“Construction started so quickly!” Gu Ye had planned to begin building the factory only after the convention concluded, but someone had already made arrangements for her. The feeling of having family support was truly wonderful!