Chapter 240: Chapter 104 Jade Pillow Hairpin Sound Breaks_3
Qi?
Lu Tong immediately realized, this person was Qi Yutai!
She wanted to lift her head, to see clearly the true face of the murderer who had killed Lu Rou. She had come all the way from Changwu County, plotting for a long time just to get close to this person. Getting close to Qi Yutai had been much harder than approaching Ke Chengxing and Fan Zhenglian; for a long time, she had even gathered precious little information about Qi Yutai.
However, her body was restrained by Pei Yunmeng, and after struggling a couple of times without freeing herself, she didn’t dare continue for fear that Pei Yunmeng would become suspicious. Thus, she could only give up and listen helplessly as the man conversed with Pei Yunmeng.
The man spoke with some surprise, "I didn’t expect Marshal Pei to be here today as well..."
Pei Yunmeng replied politely, "I’m not on duty today, what brings Young Master Qi here?"
"My guard spotted some suspicious individuals mingling on this floor, wandering around nearby. Hasn’t Marshal Pei seen them?"
With her head lowered, Lu Tong couldn’t see Qi Yutai’s expression, but she could tell from his polite yet skeptical tone.
Pei Yunmeng didn’t lie—indeed, there were Qi Family’s secret guards on this floor.
Lu Tong felt Pei Yunmeng hold her a bit tighter, and from above her came the young man’s frivolous voice, "No, I’ve been very busy, haven’t seen anything at all."
The room quieted down again, and Lu Tong felt a scrutinizing gaze coming from above.
She could guess how she appeared right now, her clothes disheveled and blush on her delicate face. Clinging tightly to Pei Yunmeng, the room was filled with an atmosphere of spring love; anyone would think they had been in the midst of an intimate tangle.
Qi Yutai paused, and when he spoke again, his tone indeed carried a sense of realization, "I see..."
"I haven’t yet congratulated Young Master Qi on his birthday," Pei Yunmeng said with a laugh.
With those words, Qi Yutai’s demeanor seemed to relax a bit, his suspicions lessened, and he even took the initiative to invite Pei Yunmeng, "I’ve disrupted Marshal’s fun—it’s my fault. Today is my birthday, why don’t Marshal join me for a sit?"
Lu Tong’s heart sank, and her fingers threateningly pinched Pei Yunmeng’s waist.
Pei Yunmeng’s body tensed, but then he chuckled and declined, "Forget it, the night is fleeting, I won’t join this bustle."
The conversation had reached this point, and with such a large group around, lingering near someone’s bedside would ultimately be impolite. So, Qi Yutai didn’t say much more. He signalled to his companions to leave, and before going, he reminded Pei Yunmeng that since today was hasty, they must meet again another day.
After the group left and there was no more movement outside, Pei Yunmeng looked down calmly and said, "Doctor Lu can let go of me now, they’re gone."
Lu Tong released her hold and immediately stood up from the bed.
Pei Yunmeng didn’t take offense at Lu Tong’s abrupt change of attitude, bending his head to adjust his belt. Lu Tong glanced at him and feigned ignorance, "Who was that just now?"
"The son of the current Grand Preceptor’s Mansion, Qi Yutai," he answered briskly.
Lu Tong probed, "He’s trying to win you over?"
Pei Yunmeng had brushed Qi Yutai off with just a few words, but Lu Tong didn’t think it was all due to fear. Hearing Qi Yutai voluntarily inviting Pei Yunmeng for another gathering, it rather seemed like a deliberate attempt to ingratiate.
If Qi Yutai won Pei Yunmeng over, then Pei Yunmeng would also become her adversary.
"I don’t plan to accept," he said casually, turning to see Lu Tong walking to the window and gently pushing it open, the cold air from the wind and the rain immediately rushing in.
Lu Tong asked, "When can I leave?"
Qi Yutai’s men were on this floor, and although Pei Yunmeng had dealt with them briefly, Lu Tong wasn’t sure the other party had completely let down their guard. If they were also laying in wait outside, her departure would be like walking into a trap.
"Not now, we’re still in the middle of a one-night affair, let’s keep up the act. After a while, I’ll have someone escort you out," he said as if these things were of no consequence, very different from the unnatural way he had been on the bed beforehand.
Lu Tong frowned, "Do you princely young masters always have so many secret guards attending you when you’re out?"
"Depends on the person," Pei Yunmeng said as he sat down at the table, "He does, I don’t."
Lu Tong was silent, something fleeting brushed through her mind too swiftly to grasp, yet she instinctively felt something was amiss.
Seeing her standing still, Pei Yunmeng took a Jade Cup from the tea set, "It’s still early, how about some tea?"
"Tea?" Lu Tong was startled, "Isn’t it supposed to be wine?"
"Drinking leads to trouble," he said matter-of-factly, "I had it changed to tea."
Lu Tong was momentarily speechless.
No wonder she hadn’t smelled alcohol when the wine was poured before, she had thought the room’s incense was too overpowering. So it wasn’t wine at all. It was just as well she hadn’t come up with some fool’s plan to get Pei Yunmeng drunk; otherwise, how would she be any different from a monkey being laughed at during a play in the marketplace?