Chapter 238: Chapter 238: Lu Zhan: Have a Child Early, So I Can Be a Father Sooner

’Also, what about her uncle? I wonder what happened to him?’

’Did Cousin capture him?’

’And how would Cousin deal with Uncle?’

Zhi Wan’s thoughts ran wild, and she eventually fell asleep without realizing it.

When she woke up, she was surprised to find herself back at the official post house, in the room where her cousin was staying.

It turned out her cousin was no longer in Yangzhou, but had returned to Jiangning.

Just as she thought this, she saw a man sleeping with his head down on a desk.

Seeing this, she instinctively lightened her steps.

She walked to the desk and suddenly stopped, staring in astonishment at the handsome face of the man who was resting his head sideways on the surface.

This time, she could actually see her cousin’s face clearly. It was no longer a blurry image.

She was so stunned that she froze on the spot.

So much so that she didn’t even notice when the man woke up.

Not until a warm hand clasped her wrist did she snap back to her senses.

Her eyes met her cousin’s dark, deep ones. Just as she was about to speak, a sudden, powerful force pulled her stumbling into his embrace.

"What are you looking at so intently?"

The man must have just woken up, as his voice was a bit hoarse.

Zhi Wan fell onto her cousin’s lap. Instead of answering him, she reached out and cupped his handsome face.

’Is it because I know he’s my cousin that I can see his face so clearly? In other words, am I just imagining what he looks like?’

Seeing her manhandle his face the moment she arrived, Lu Zhan’s lips curled up. He pulled her hands down. "What’s the matter? Is there something on my face...?"

He trailed off, looking at her in astonishment. "You..."

Seeing his reaction, Zhi Wan quickly asked, "You can see my face clearly too, can’t you?"

Lu Zhan raised a hand to touch her face, surprised. "Why can I see you now?"

"It must be because we both know each other’s identities now, and we know what the other looks like, so naturally we can see each other clearly," Zhi Wan guessed.

Before, they didn’t know who the other was or what they looked like, so when they saw each other, it was all a blur.

"But even before, when I knew it was you, I still couldn’t see your face clearly..." Lu Zhan frowned, confused.

"Even if you couldn’t see it, you knew in your heart what I looked like. Every time you faced me, my face must have appeared in your mind," Zhi Wan continued to speculate. "Also, another point is that we hadn’t revealed our identities to each other back then. That might be another reason."

"You have a point." Lu Zhan nodded, no longer dwelling on the issue. His gaze fell on Zhi Wan’s face, and his long fingers gently caressed her left cheek. "Does it still hurt?"

Zhi Wan froze for a moment, not particularly surprised that he knew. ’Jiang Shi must have reported it to him.’

"It stopped hurting a long time ago." She shook her head.

"You’ve been wronged." Lu Zhan was deeply apologetic.

Hearing this, Zhi Wan leaned against his chest and said nothing.

’Strange. When Lu Jinglan hit me and the Old Madam scolded me, I didn’t feel wronged. But now that my cousin has said this, a sense of grievance has suddenly welled up inside me.’

With this thought, she grabbed the lapels of her cousin’s robes and accused him, "The Old Madam called me a vixen, a slut. She said I seduced you, that I wasn’t good enough for you and was only fit to be your concubine. Then she tried to send me away with one thousand taels..." The more she spoke, the more wronged she felt. "You’re clearly the one who seduced me first! And you’re so much older than me. I haven’t even complained about your age, so you’re the one who isn’t good enough for me!"

The first part of her tirade made Lu Zhan’s brows furrow in shock and anger. Jiang Shi hadn’t mentioned these details in his carrier pigeon message. He never imagined his grandmother would be so cruel as to humiliate his cousin like that. He felt a pang of guilt and heartache for her. But his feelings took a sharp turn when he heard her call him old and claim *he* wasn’t good enough for *her*.

"I’m old?" Lu Zhan’s dark eyes narrowed, and he gave the soft flesh of his cousin’s slender waist a punishing pinch.

"That tickles, stop it..." Zhi Wan shrieked and instinctively squirmed, only to hear the man let out a grunt. "Don’t move!" His voice was already husky.

It took a moment for Zhi Wan to realize what was happening. She froze completely. ’I think I touched...’

She cleared her throat and muttered, "Well, you *are* much older than me..."

"I’m only twenty-five this year!" Lu Zhan frowned.

"Twenty-five? Many men your age are already fathers..." Zhi Wan couldn’t help retorting.

Lu Zhan: "..."

He had never considered himself old before, but now, looking at the delicate woman in his arms, he couldn’t help but feel that he might indeed be... a bit old.

"We’ll get married next month. Maybe by next year, I’ll be a father too," he said after a long pause.

Hearing this, Zhi Wan felt awkward and uncomfortable. She couldn’t help but stammer, "I-I never said I’d have children for you."

"If you don’t, how will you continue the Zhi family line?" Lu Zhan raised an eyebrow, his long fingers tilting her chin to face him.

Zhi Wan was speechless.

Lu Zhan paused, then pulled her soft body into his arms and coaxed in a low voice, "Grandmother is old and confused. Don’t take anything she said to heart."

"I know." Zhi Wan nodded. Looking at the man’s handsome face, the corners of her lips suddenly curled up. "It’s true though... you did seduce me first."

"Mm, I did," Lu Zhan said. He lowered his gaze to look at her, then suddenly bent his head and slowly captured her soft, tender lips in a kiss.

The two hadn’t seen each other in a long time. His sudden kiss made Zhi Wan’s body tremble uncontrollably.

Sensing her sensitivity, Lu Zhan’s arms around her tightened instinctively. His eyes were quickly clouded with desire.

Zhi Wan struggled to hang onto her reason, asking breathlessly, "Cousin, Lu Jinglan is missing. Do you know what happened?"

Lu Zhan frowned in displeasure and nipped her soft, tender lips. His voice was low and raspy. "Don’t mention such an unpleasant person."

Zhi Wan yelped in pain, slightly annoyed. She couldn’t resist biting his lip in return. "I just want to know if her disappearance has anything to do with you."

Lu Zhan grunted, then suddenly swept her up into his arms princess-style. His voice was husky as he said, "After how she bullied you, the Lu Family has no place for her."

Hearing this, Zhi Wan said no more.

Lu Jinglan was no saint. Zhi Wan couldn’t muster an ounce of sympathy for her current fate.

The feeling of being lifted into the air made her instinctively hug her cousin’s neck. "Where are you taking me?"

The man didn’t speak, simply carrying her straight into the inner chamber.

Looking at the large bed in the room, Zhi Wan felt a strange mix of nervousness and anticipation. ’Cousin isn’t thinking of...’

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she was placed on the soft bedding. Her cousin braced his hands on either side of her, leaning down to kiss her lips, then her neck, and then continued downwards...

Zhi Wan squirmed, unable to bear it. She was covered in a fragrant sweat, her breathing shallow. "Cousin..."

Lu Zhan kissed her sweat-dampened forehead. His voice was deep and husky, laced with seduction. "I’m getting on in years. I shouldn’t waste any more time."

"What?" Zhi Wan’s mind was a little blank, and for a moment, she didn’t understand what he meant.

Lu Zhan glanced down at her, his long fingers expertly untying her sash. "If we have a child sooner, I can become a father sooner."