The moment Qu Shujie saw Gu Zhiruo, his eyes changed. He waited until Gu Zhiruo came out, then stepped forward, "Zhiruo!"
His eyes were filled with affection.
Deep, heartfelt devotion.
As soon as Gu Zhiruo saw Qu Shujie, her face instantly turned cold.
Qu Shujie cursed her inwardly as a bitch, daring to put on a cold shoulder to him. He would have plenty of opportunities later to teach her a good lesson!
"Zhiruo, have you thought it through these past two days? Everything between us is a misunderstanding. You absolutely cannot let Yun Shu sow discord between us," Qu Shujie said to Gu Zhiruo with earnest words.
Acha frowned and looked back at Yun Shu, remarking inwardly on how quickly the man's expression changed.
Yun Shu smiled faintly, saying nothing.
"Young Master Qu, some things have been made quite clear. I hope you will not pester me any further. It will do no good to fall out, and I will absolutely not agree to marry you," Gu Zhiruo said expressionlessly.
She had made herself clear before. Anyone with a functioning brain would know that her scheme had been discovered and would not dare to pester her again.
Yet, Qu Shujie acted as if he knew nothing, putting on a nauseating display.
He had even spoken disrespectfully to Yun Shu.
"Was it her? Did she say something to you?!" Qu Shujie suddenly pointed at Yun Shu, angrily questioning Gu Zhiruo.
Suddenly.
He let out a howl, "Ah! My hand! My hand!"
Yun Shu was seen grabbing Qu Shujie's fingers.
She didn't seem to exert much force.
Yet, Qu Shujie's fingers seemed to contort as if being gripped.
The crunching sound of bones could even be heard.
Qu Shujie wailed in pain, "Yun Shu, let go of my hand! Are you trying to break my hand?! Aren't you afraid everyone will call you a poison woman?"
There was a rumor circulating in the capital now, saying that Prince Ye was no longer interested in marrying Yun Shu.
Therefore, he was not afraid of offending Yun Shu at all.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that his and his mother's plan was flawless. Gu Zhiruo's family had fallen into their trap. It was impossible for them to suddenly renege. It was too unusual!
Unless someone was deliberately sabotaging it!
"Few people who dare to scold me and point fingers at me can escape unscathed, Qu Shujie. Consider this finger your apology to me!" Yun Shu said with icy words.
The next moment.
Qu Shujie cried out in pain again.
Wailing in agony.
*Crack.*
His finger broke!
Visible separation of flesh and bone, with only skin and sinew still connected.
Qu Shujie's face instantly turned pale, and he screamed, "Ahhh! Yun Shu! You're crazy, how dare you! I am from the Qu family!"
"Who told you to insult my lady and point fingers at her while slandering her? So what if you are a young master of the Qu family? Such unreasonable behavior, you're not even as good as a woman. When you scheme and insult others, you should know that others don't owe you anything. Breaking one of your fingers is a light punishment. Get out of the way, don't block my lady's path. If you don't want your finger to be completely broken, hurry and find someone to reattach it. Don't delay my lady's business," Acha said angrily.
She detested these ungrateful scumbag men the most.
Especially men like Qu Shujie who used women to achieve their goals; they were worse than beasts.
Yun Shu was astonished by Acha's ferocity.
Not bad, not bad.
Acha, no longer silent, was quite formidable.
There were some things she didn't need to say at all.
Gu Zhiruo was clearly startled by Acha as well. Suppressing the urge to give a thumbs-up, she looked at Qu Shujie with a complicated expression. "Qu Shujie, I hope this is the last time I see you in front of my house. I know very well what you and your mother want to do. Do you think I'm so foolish that I would still be deceived by you?"
Qu Shujie was already sweating cold from the pain. Hearing Gu Zhiruo's words, his pretense vanished, and a trace of his true nature emerged. He cursed furiously, "Gu Zhiruo, you will regret this! If you beg me in the future, I will absolutely not marry you!"
"And Yun Shu, you wait! If my finger can't be reattached, I will definitely not let you off!"
As he finished speaking, he clutched his hand and fled in utter disarray.
Watching Qu Shujie's panicked retreat, Gu Zhiruo tightly pursed her lips. A spot deep within her heart ached. She knew she shouldn't have harbored feelings for such a man, but she had genuinely cared for him these past few days.
The pain was still unbearable.
She moistened her slightly pale lips. "Shu'er, I'm sorry for implicating you."
"It's nothing. Let's go inside and talk," Yun Shu said indifferently. A mere Qu Shujie, a complete scumbag, was nothing to fear. Moreover, Qu Shujie's sister, Qu Jiaojiao, was already her enemy. It made no difference whether the Qu family had one or two enemies.
...
Prince Ning's Mansion.
The three little ones arrived at Prince Ning's Mansion in a carriage.
Although Prince Ning's Mansion was a newly acquired residence after Prince Ning returned to the capital, it was no smaller than Prince Ye's Mansion.
It looked very imposing.
This was Qiu Lu's first time at Prince Ning's Mansion. Upon seeing the grand and magnificent mansion, he narrowed his eyes and thought, "This is just a temporary residence? He clearly has no intention of leaving the capital. I must be careful of Prince Ning from now on. This Prince Ning is unfathomable, too deeply hidden."
After a bout of internal monologue.
Qiu Lu was the first to jump off the carriage.
Then, he carefully helped the three little ones down.
After alighting from the carriage, Zhan Xiaoli, with his hands behind his back, instructed Yun Xiaojing and Zhan Xiaofeng, "If we don't like it at Prince Ning's Mansion, we'll just play for a while and then leave immediately."
He didn't want Yun Xiaojing and Zhan Xiaofeng to feel wronged.
As their older brother, he couldn't let them stay in a place they disliked.
Because he met Uncle Qiu Lu almost every day, he could see that Uncle Qiu Lu was very wary of Prince Ning.
"Of course! I won't force myself to waste time with people I dislike," Yun Xiaojing, who had always been clear about his likes and dislikes since childhood, said.
Zhan Xiaofeng, deeply influenced by the two of them, immediately nodded. "Me too."
Qiu Lu had initially intended to give them some instructions, but he hadn't expected the three little ones to be wiser than him.
Truly worthy of being born to a Prince and the second daughter of the Yun family!
Each one of them was too clever!
In a few more years, his brain might not be able to keep up with them. He might even be tricked into counting money for them while he was still foolishly happy.
At the same time.
Inside Prince Ning's Mansion, Zhan Zichen was still sleeping.
Quan Zi, a servant, paced back and forth outside the room, unsure whether he should wake the young master.
The agreed-upon time with Prince Ye's three sons was around now.
The young master had woken up earlier, but after having breakfast, he had gone back to sleep. He had tried to dissuade him, but the young master had said it would be fine to wake him when they arrived.
This, this, this, the young master had invited them, but if he still made them wait, it didn't make sense from a moral standpoint!
This was the young master's way of giving them a strong first impression!
Suddenly.
Not far away, the gatekeeper was leading Qiu Lu and the three little ones over.