Flower Stealing Master

Compared to Cheng Ying, Cheng Yaojia was the one truly in turmoil. There was a m@n hidden under her blankets. If her cousin discovered him, how could she ever face anyone again?

“Didn’t I say I was afraid of giving you my cold and indirectly harming Wushuang?” In this critical moment, Cheng Yaojia had no good solution and could only fall back on her previous excuse.

Cheng Ying shook her head. “We can have someone else look after Wushuang. I don’t want to think about anything right now. I just want to quietly hold my cousin.”

Seeing her drawing closer, Cheng Yaojia hastily pushed Song Qingshu to the other side using all four limbs, then turned sideways, trying to use the blanket and her own body to block Cheng Ying’s view.

Fortunately, Cheng Ying was also lost in her own thoughts and didn’t notice anything amiss. Seeing her cousin half-sitting, half-lying in bed, wearing only her undergarments, looking somewhat disheveled, she couldn’t help teasing, “Cousin, with my brother-in-law away in Lin’an, you’re dressed so alluringly. Aren’t you afraid of attracting a flower thief?” Though their bond wasn’t as close as hers with Lu Wushuang, they were still cousins, and Cheng Ying had received much care from her as a child. It could be said that aside from Lu Wushuang, Cheng Ying was closest to Cheng Yaojia in the entire Lu household, so this kind of teasing wasn’t at all inappropriate.

Cheng Yaojia blushed. *There’s a real flower thief right behind me,* she thought. *Not just stealing flowers, but stealing hearts too.*

“It’s been so long since I last slept with you, cousin. I miss the old days.” A nostalgic expression appeared on Cheng Ying’s face. As she spoke, she began to undo her belt.

Seeing her about to take off her clothes, Cheng Yaojia’s eyes went wide. “No!” *Are you kidding? There’s a man under these blankets! My cousin is an unmarried maiden—how can I let her be compromised like this?*

“No what?” Cheng Ying’s hand paused on her belt, utterly bewildered.

“You… you don’t need to take off your clothes. Just stay as you are,” Cheng Yaojia said, flustered. In truth, she wanted to chase her out. But since things had come to this, she knew her cousin was determined. The only option was to let her climb into bed with her clothes on, then have Song Qingshu slip away quietly after she fell asleep.

“You’ve already taken off your clothes, cousin. If I don’t take mine off, won’t I dirty your bed? Besides, sleeping in clothes would be uncomfortable for me and would probably jostle you.” Cheng Ying smiled, casually undid her belt, removed her outer robes, placed them on a stool, and slipped under the covers.

Cheng Yaojia was alarmed. She quickly scooted back, using her own body as a barrier between her cousin and the man behind her. Seeing that Cheng Ying had removed her clothes, she opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing. *What could I say? That there’s a man here?*

Thankfully, though Cheng Ying had removed her outer robes, her undergarments were quite modest, not revealing an inch of skin. At least she wouldn’t be taking too great a risk.

Cheng Ying lay down, then suddenly wrinkled her nose and asked suspiciously, “Cousin, have you been drinking?”

Cheng Yaojia was startled. *Song Qingshu is reeking of alcohol. There’s no hiding that smell!*

Cheng Ying gave a knowing smile. “No wonder you were so reluctant to let me in, cousin. So you were up to no good in here.”

Cheng Yaojia’s face went pale with fright. Her mind raced: *It’s over, it’s over. She knows everything.*

Even Song Qingshu frowned slightly, slowly extending his fingers, ready to seal Cheng Ying’s acupoints if anything went wrong.

Fortunately, Cheng Ying quickly added, “Cousin, I know you’ve always followed the rules and are known as a proper lady. You don’t want anyone to know you’ve been drinking. But drinking late at night is most harmful to the body. You really shouldn’t do it anymore.”

Cheng Yaojia’s heart had nearly leaped into her throat. Hearing this, she finally relaxed and seized the opportunity to go along: “Alright, alright. I promise I won’t drink late at night anymore.”

Cheng Ying reached out and touched her forehead, then sighed. “Cousin, you’re burning up like this. Now I really can’t leave. I’ll stay here and look after you tonight. Otherwise, if something happens, you’ll have to call the maids downstairs, and they have loose tongues. Within a day, the whole Lu household would know.”

“Thank you.” Cheng Yaojia blushed crimson. *My body is burning, but it’s not from the alcohol. The culprit is the man behind me.* But she couldn’t explain the details to her cousin.

Cheng Ying gazed at her with clear, star-like eyes and asked softly, “Cousin, what’s troubling you so much that you need to drown your sorrows alone?”

“I…” Cheng Yaojia inwardly groaned. *On such short notice, how can I come up with a reasonable excuse?*

Seeing her remain silent, Cheng Ying pressed, “Is it because of what the Old Lady said during the day?”

Cheng Yaojia paused, then remembered how the Old Lady had called her a hen that couldn’t lay eggs. Her expression darkened. No matter how good her temper, she couldn’t bear such an insult.

Noticing her expression, Cheng Ying understood and tried to console her: “The Old Lady is getting on in years. It’s only natural that she wants her daughters-in-law and grand-daughters-in-law to carry on the family line. But her words were indeed excessive. Don’t take them to heart, cousin.”

“Mm.” Cheng Yaojia nodded slightly, though she felt deeply wronged.

Cheng Ying patted her shoulder comfortingly. “Cousin, your complexion is rosy and your pulse is steady. You seem very healthy—not at all like someone who can’t bear children. Could the problem lie with my brother-in-law?”

Cheng Yaojia’s face reddened slightly. “Don’t talk nonsense,” she said softly. She and Lu Guanying had been married for years. Though he could no longer perform his marital duties, she didn’t want this secret to get out and damage her husband’s reputation.

Cheng Ying didn’t guess her deeper meaning, only wanting to comfort her cousin: “In the past, it might have been different. But seeing my brother-in-law this time, he seems a bit lacking in vitality. I’ll write you a prescription tomorrow. You can mix the medicine into his food and help replenish his qi and blood.”

Song Qingshu nearly laughed out loud. He felt some admiration for Cheng Ying. *She really is the Eastern Heretic’s closed-door disciple. Just from a few glances during the day, she could tell something was wrong with Lu Guanying’s body. But she’s not a prophet after all. How could she know what happened to Lu Guanying? Her prescriptions probably couldn’t fix him even if he took them for a lifetime.*

“Alright, enough about your brother-in-law. You’re an unmarried maiden—aren’t you embarrassed talking about such things?” Cheng Yaojia always felt strange discussing her husband under these circumstances, so she quickly changed the subject.

“I’m just concerned about you,” Cheng Ying said playfully.

Song Qingshu was dumbfounded. He never expected that Cheng Ying, who always seemed so detached and composed, could be this adorable. Her playful voice made half his body go weak.

Inhaling the competing fragrances of the two women under the blankets, his heart stirred. After the initial tension, he was now feeling bolder. He fumbled for Cheng Yaojia’s b0dy in the darkness, found the right angle, and slowly pressed against her.

“Cousin, are you…” Cheng Yaojia started, about to turn the conversation toward Cheng Ying herself, when the sudden sensation nearly made her moan aloud. Embarrassed yet somewhat annoyed, she thought, *Isn’t this reckless m@n being a bit too bold…*

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