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Upon hearing that he was penniless, the pragmatic women scattered. Zhu Bafu lost his charm; instead, the handsome young man before them, dressed in brocade robes and exuding an extraordinary air, was clearly a wealthy patron.

As soon as she finished speaking, the sales pitches about which brothel had the best drinks and which had the Pink Pavilion came back again. This time, however, Zhu Bafu was safely shielded behind Li Chenjing, with no trace of Rouge obstructing her view.

Hiding behind Li Chenjing, Zhu Bafu finally had a chance to catch her breath. She raised her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her forehead. The firm shoulder and back blocking her way made her unable to look away. Unlike her slender frame, a man's physique was something that couldn't be imitated by simply striking a heroic pose. His arms, shoulders, and the masculine aura in every gesture, along with his sudden domineering action—lifting her out of her predicament with one hand and shielding her from the chaos with a simple lift of his Wide Sleeves —was this what they called a reliance?

Rely on?

Is she... relying on Li Chenjing?

Are you kidding me...?

When has Zhu Bafu ever relied on a man? Ever since her Old Man was raided and he was imprisoned, she has never relied on a man to make a living!

When my home was ransacked, I had no one to rely on; when my engagement was broken off, I had no one to rely on; when I had no money to live on, I had no one to rely on.

She hasn't relied on a man in ages; all she's doing is being harassed by a few girls. Why is he meddling in her business?

She pouted and hurriedly shook off the hand that was still clutching Lai's Confucian Robe, eager to erase the memory of her delicately nestled beside him. She walked around him, intending to ask the girls who had surrounded them.

"Ladies, if I may be so bold as to ask a question..."

Before she could finish speaking, Li Chenjing frowned and interrupted, ordering her, "The attendant must remain silent."

She glanced sideways. Did he really think she was some kind of servant? Why wouldn't he let her speak? Was he trying to interrupt his flirting with his girlfriends? What was he doing? If he wanted to play around, why didn't he come alone another day to enjoy women? She had important business to attend to. Too lazy to pay attention to his interruption, she continued with her hands clasped in a polite bow, asking, "Excuse me, but have you ever seen a...?"

"Don't speak."

"..." Again? Hmph, "Have you ever seen a young master, dressed in fine clothes, holding Cat?"

"You... are not allowed to answer his questions. Otherwise..." Li Chenjing calmly pulled out a silver note, and his next sentence stunned everyone, "Don't expect me to patronize your business."

In other words, as long as you don't talk to that poor kid hiding behind the handsome young master, everyone gets a silver note, right?

That's right!

Li Chenjing answered the women's doubts with his actions.

He reached into his sleeve pocket, pulled out a handful of silver notes, and calmly distributed them.

"What a loser you are!" =Dan=You get money or something just because you don't talk to her? How could there be such a good thing in the world? Then does she get rich just by standing in front of the mirror without saying a word for a whole day?

"I'm happy." A nonchalant hum, laced with schadenfreude that anyone could hear. See? Women are such pragmatic creatures. Once you give them money, no one cares about you anymore. They won't like this kind of thing, will they? Compared to this mercenary species, isn't he better? Isn't this willful and childish man better?

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Don't waste money on poor people!" Unable to bear his generosity, Zhu Bafu disregarded his earlier decision not to rely on him and couldn't help but grab his sleeve, stopping his hand from carelessly tossing away the silver notes. "If you don't let me talk to them, how am I supposed to find out where the Emperor is...?"

"...That makes sense." He grinned contentedly, his dark eyes darting around, then suddenly flashed with a brilliant idea. "Here's what we'll do. You tell me what you want to say first, and I'll talk to them. That way, you won't have to talk to them."

"... Is it really necessary to go through all this trouble, Young Master?!" He was definitely just playing with her, teasing her because she was bored. She had a mouth and a tongue; she could have asked him herself. Why bother the Grand Secretary of the Dongxu Grand Secretary?

"Yes." A single, firm word. Beyond that, Zhu Bafu also understood the unspoken meaning. "If you don't agree, you won't get anything out of me. Just you wait and see."

I tolerated it!

With a flick of his finger, Zhu Bafu glared at Li Chenjing, who had gone to all this trouble.

"What?" he asked, puzzled.

"Lower your head! Come closer! You're not saying I can't talk to them, do you want me to tell you what I want to say?" He's a whole head taller than her; if he doesn't bend down, she can't talk to him properly at all.

"Oh... oh." Looking at that flirtatious posture, it's hard not to have some wandering thoughts. Li Chenjing pursed his lips, coughed lightly, and slowly bent over.

She leaned closer, eager to tell him what she wanted to say.

"Wait." He raised his hand to stop him.

"What's wrong now?"

She gently brushed a strand of black hair behind her ear, letting it Dark Hair. Unintentionally, Li Chenjing's subtle movement tugged at her heartstrings. That gesture... seemed to say... how much he cared about every word she said, not allowing even the slightest interruption. He wanted to hear her entire voice, every word, every sentence... carefully and attentively.

"Come on, tell me."

"..."

"Hmm? I've been waiting for you."

"..." She was all set to whisper, his beautiful, delicate earlobe right in front of her face. All she had to do was lift her lips and tell him. Why was she suddenly hesitant? They weren't saying anything intimate, nor were they discussing vows of eternal love. What was she so embarrassed about, two grown men whispering to each other?