"You're here to talk to me?"
Song Yanrou's expression held a hint of strangeness. "Grandmother sent you to talk to me? Has the sun risen from the west?"
Without waiting for Song Yanrou to say anything, Song Chaoyu sat down beside her. "I've come to chat with you, sister. Are you unhappy about it? Sister, must we be so distant from each other?"
She simply sat down beside Song Yanrou. "I don't care, I'm determined to stay here today! If you're going to turn me away, sister, you wouldn't kick me out after I've come to eat a meal at your courtyard, would you?"
"You!"
Song Yanrou, still preoccupied with her own matters, stepped forward and pulled at Song Chaoyu. "Get up quickly! You're not welcome here. No matter why you've come, you're not welcome! Grandmother's words have been conveyed to you, and I don't want you here. Just go back."
Song Chaoyu was not swayed by her tactics.
She pulled her hand out of Song Yanrou's grasp and then winked at her. "Sister, what are you so flustered about? Aren't you perhaps going to see that pillar again?"
"You... what are you trying to say now!"
Song Yanrou almost let something slip and quickly covered her mouth.
Song Chaoyu smiled slightly and frankly revealed, "Third sister, I know. You insisted on picking a fight with me because of this pillar, didn't you? He's close to me, so you're unhappy, aren't you?"
Song Yanrou narrowed her eyes. "Have you come to my place today just to say these provocative words? I'm telling you, don't provoke me! Otherwise, I'll make you pay!"
"Tsk—"
Song Chaoyu chuckled softly and then looked at Song Yanrou seriously. "I'm not here to provoke you, third sister. I just want to tell you that you shouldn't have such unrealistic hopes! It's you and I who are truly in love now. As a daughter of the Song family, why must you fight with me for him?"
"Shut up!"
Hearing this, Song Yanrou became even angrier. "How can you say such things? You have no shame! What do you think you are in his heart? Which eye of his has ever seen you? How dare you speak to me like this!"
She stepped forward to drive Song Chaoyu away. "Go! Leave my courtyard! I can't be bothered to say more to you today, or I would make you realize who is truly more important in his heart!"
Song Chaoyu was not angered. Instead, she stood up and sighed at Song Yanrou. "If third sister wants to provoke me with these words, then there's no need. We'll see whose he is! If third sister insists on opposing me at every turn, then I certainly won't give him to you. I hope sister will be kind and give us a way to live!"
If Song Yanrou hadn't been so fixated on him, Song Chaoyu might not have found an opportunity to provoke her like this.
"Go, go, go, hurry and leave my courtyard."
Song Yanrou no longer wanted to talk to Song Chaoyu. She stepped forward again to pull Song Chaoyu. "We'll wait and see who he likes, you or me! Hurry and go, don't bother me here. If you dare to come again in the future, I'll beat you out with a big stick!"
Song Chaoyu was pushed out the door by her. Before leaving, she didn't forget to say to Song Yanrou, "Don't worry, third sister, he and I will definitely show you our happiness!"
—
Song Chaoyu left the second concubine's courtyard. Tiaohong looked at Song Chaoyu with a smile in her eyes and covered her mouth as she chuckled. "If the third young lady was still hesitant before, after you provoked her today, she'll surely make up her mind!"
Song Chaoyu nodded. "She will definitely go see him today. As long as she goes, it doesn't matter what they do or don't do. We've also prepared everything. It's just the final push, and we absolutely cannot make any mistakes."
Tiaohong nodded. "Don't worry, young lady, everything is under control!"
Song Chaoyu and Tiaohong returned to the Painting Book Courtyard and saw that Xunlü had also returned.
She happily stood before Song Chaoyu's dressing table, intending to tie Song Chaoyu's hair and pick out the most beautiful jewelry. "Today is your big day, young lady. You must dress beautifully!"
Song Chaoyu looked at the shrewdness and joy in Xunlü's eyes through the bronze mirror and smiled. "Indeed. I must dress up nicely today. Tonight, you two help me watch over this courtyard. No one is allowed to know I've gone out, do you understand?"
Xunlü nodded and then placed the hairpin she had chosen on Song Chaoyu's head.
Looking at herself becoming more and more charming in the mirror, dressed by Xunlü, Song Chaoyu couldn't help but ask, "Xunlü, do you think by doing this, I'm disgracing the Song family? What should I do if father and mother find out?"
"Young lady, you don't need to worry."
Xunlü was trying to find ways to "comfort" Song Chaoyu. "You are different from other young ladies in the mansion. You have to rely on yourself for everything. The second young lady has the eldest son of the Lin family, and the third young lady always has the second concubine to worry about her. But what do you have? Nothing! Although he is just a servant, he is considerate and attentive, and can take good care of you!"
At this moment, Xunlü seemed to have a very clear line of thought. "Could it be that you still want to be chosen by some young master and become someone's concubine, like last time? If you become a concubine, you'll never be able to hold your head up again!"
Xunlü even sighed. "Moreover, if you marry too well, I'm afraid the second and third young ladies will be jealous of you. On the other hand, if you marry lower, they won't be watching you every day, constantly scrutinizing you. In the future, you and he will live your own small lives. Isn't that better than anything?"
She gently stroked Song Chaoyu's hair. "Perhaps the master will be angry now, but when you have children and he has a little grandson, that anger will naturally dissipate. So, do what you need to do with peace of mind. You need to plan for your own future!"
The more she spoke, the more genuine Song Chaoyu's expression became. "You rarely said these things to me before. It seems you truly care about me?"
Xunlü didn't realize the purpose of Song Chaoyu's question and nodded repeatedly. "Of course! I've been serving you since I was little, so of course, I have to consider everything for you."
"Yes."
Song Chaoyu finally lowered the disappointment in her eyes and smiled faintly. "You've been by my side since I was little. Our relationship is different from others! Xunlü, thank you for staying with me for so many years."
This was the first, and the last, time Song Chaoyu said the word "thank you" to Xunlü.