Chapter 245: Chapter 245: Probably Couldn’t Resist Either

Zhi Wan didn’t know how to explain. The matter with her cousin was complicated and something she couldn’t let others know about.

After thinking for a moment, she came up with an excuse. "My... My cousin was in Yangzhou and discovered I had another living relative. I went to see them, but it turned out to be a mistake."

Hearing this, Ouyang Zhenzhu thought she had brought up a painful memory and felt apologetic. "I’m sorry, I didn’t know."

"It’s fine." Zhi Wan shook her head and took her hand. "You said you came looking for me twice. Was it for something important?"

"It was!" Ouyang Zhenzhu nodded eagerly. "My cousin had that matchmaking meeting with you, didn’t he? What did you think of him?"

Zhi Wan froze.

If Zhenzhu hadn’t mentioned it, she would have almost forgotten about Chen Junyu.

After a moment’s thought, she began, "He seems nice, but..."

Ouyang Zhenzhu cut in, "As long as you think he’s nice, that’s good enough! How about I arrange for you two to meet again tomorrow? You have no idea, ever since that meeting, my cousin has only had eyes for you."

Zhi Wan was startled and quickly said, "Zhenzhu, I can’t meet with him again."

"Why not?" Ouyang Zhenzhu asked, confused.

"I... I’m going to marry my cousin." As Zhi Wan said this, she couldn’t help but feel a little shy.

’Life is truly strange.’

’In the past, no matter how you looked at it, there was no way she and her cousin would ever end up together.’

’Setting aside their age difference, his cold and unapproachable nature alone was enough. She had always been intimidated by him and kept her distance.’

’But who would have thought she would share dreams with her cousin and do... everything with him in those dreams.’

’Thinking about it now, she still felt deeply embarrassed.’

"What?" Ouyang Zhenzhu looked utterly astonished, thinking she must have misheard. "Who did you say you’re marrying?"

Zhi Wan cleared her throat and said seriously, "My cousin and I have set the wedding date. It’s on the twenty-third of next month. You have to come and celebrate with us."

"AHHHH—" Ouyang Zhenzhu let out a series of shrieks. "You’re actually marrying Mr. Lu! Heavens, am I dreaming? Wanwan, pinch me!"

Zhi Wan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She gave her friend’s arm a gentle pinch.

Ouyang Zhenzhu hissed. "Ow, that hurts. I’m not dreaming."

"Of course you’re not dreaming," Zhi Wan said, amused.

Ouyang Zhenzhu suddenly gave her a thumbs-up.

"Wanwan, of all the noble ladies in the Capital City, you’re the only one I truly admire!"

"You’re exaggerating," Zhi Wan said with a laugh.

"I’m serious." Ouyang Zhenzhu sat down close to her. "So many noble ladies dream of marrying Mr. Lu, but he doesn’t give any of them the time of day. You’re the only one who caught his eye. Quick, tell me, how on earth did you bewitch him?"

Zhi Wan shot her a look. "What you really want to ask is what kind of tricks I used, right?"

Ouyang Zhenzhu said sheepishly, "I didn’t think that at all! Actually, back when we went to Yangzhou together, I noticed that Mr. Lu treated you differently. I just didn’t expect him to hide it so well. He really did have his eyes on you for a long time.

"Then again, if I were a man with a beautiful cousin like you around, I probably wouldn’t be able to control myself either, hehe!"

"Don’t be ridiculous. Back then, my cousin didn’t have... romantic feelings for me," Zhi Wan quickly explained.

"Then when did you two start having... romantic feelings?" Ouyang Zhenzhu teased.

Zhi Wan paused. She felt a bit lost regarding that question.

’Her cousin realized she was the one sharing his dreams before she did. According to him, he first noticed something was off during the trip to Red Leaf Village. Later, at Hongyun Restaurant, he confirmed she was the one.’

’After that, in the real world, her cousin’s behavior toward her did indeed change.’

’Thinking back, his treatment of her became subtle and different after that time at Hongyun Restaurant.’

’She remembered the morning after that night, at the villa, her cousin had even placed a begonia blossom in her hair.’

’It was such an intimate gesture. At the time, though she found it a bit strange, she didn’t overthink it. After all, she had always respected her cousin and thought of him as an older brother.’

’Later on, even though her cousin did many other unusual things, she would feel puzzled but didn’t pay it much mind, simply assuming he truly saw her as a dear younger sister.’

’There was another time after she returned to the Capital City. Chen Jiu insisted she write a letter to her cousin, so she did, telling him about recent events at home. To her surprise, her cousin replied immediately, and his letter was filled with an indescribable, ambiguous tone between the lines.’

’But because he was someone she respected, she never considered it in a romantic light.’

’Thinking about it now, her cousin probably took a liking to her and wanted to marry her because she was the girl from his dreams, right?’

’So, does he like the her in the dreams, or the her in reality?’

Zhi Wan grew a little curious.

"What are you thinking about so intently?" Ouyang Zhenzhu gave her a sudden push.

Zhi Wan snapped back to reality, quickly shaking off her distracting thoughts. "Nothing," she said, shaking her head.

Ouyang Zhenzhu smiled. "I have to tell my brother about this as soon as possible. I bet he’ll be even more shocked than I was."

Hearing this, Zhi Wan wanted to stop her, but on second thought, she was going to marry her cousin anyway. Junior Minister Ouyang would find out sooner or later, so she didn’t say anything.

"Sigh!" Ouyang Zhenzhu suddenly heaved a heavy sigh. "My poor cousin is going to be heartbroken."

At the mention of Chen Junyu, Zhi Wan felt a pang of guilt. But then she remembered she hadn’t promised him anything, and they had only met twice.

Still, she felt a measure of responsibility, so she said, "Please apologize to him for me. We aren’t a good match. I sincerely hope he can find a better girl who’s more suited for him."

Ouyang Zhenzhu nodded. "Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him." Then she added teasingly, "But if it were me, I’d choose Mr. Lu too. He’s so outstanding and handsome, what girl wouldn’t be smitten? Of course, my cousin isn’t bad either."

Zhi Wan feigned anger. "Don’t tell me you still have a crush on my cousin?"

"Of course not!" Ouyang Zhenzhu flatly denied it, then paused. "Alright, fine. I used to admire Mr. Lu a little bit, but he never gave me so much as a pleasant look. I’m not one to ask for a snub."

"I know. The person you like now is Junior Minister Duan," Zhi Wan teased.

Ouyang Zhenzhu’s eyes widened in shock, her face a mask of disgust. "Nonsense! I do not like that playboy!"

"You don’t? Then why are you getting so worked up?" Zhi Wan said with a half-smile.

"Well, whose fault is it for thinking of me that way?" Ouyang Zhenzhu’s voice trailed off.

"Fine, let’s just say it was a wild guess. But Junior Minister Duan is returning to the Capital City soon," Zhi Wan said with a smile.

"Whether he comes back or not has nothing to do with me," Ouyang Zhenzhu scoffed.

"True. You’re not his wife, nor are you his family, so his return really doesn’t have much to do with you." Zhi Wan nodded seriously. "I’m sure the girls at the brothels are the ones who really want him back!"

"Zhi Wan!" Ouyang Zhenzhu gritted her teeth. "Are you trying to provoke me on purpose?"

"How am I provoking you? Didn’t you say you don’t like Junior Minister Duan? So you shouldn’t care whether he visits brothels or not," Zhi Wan said, looking at her in mock surprise.

"I... I... When Mr. Lu gets back, I’ll have my brother invite him to a brothel! We’ll find a whole bunch of girls to drink with him!" Ouyang Zhenzhu said, thinking her words were quite vicious.