Chapter 52: Hangover 2

When Yu Qingyan appeared silently in the room, Lin Wanrou was giving a genuine start.

"You—"
"Don't yell. I'm not going to do anything."

Lin Wanrou still looked at her with a trace of fright. "How did you... get in?"

Yu Qingyan raised her head and said earnestly, "I know the art of invisibility."

"Really?"

Yu Qingyan gave a self-deprecating laugh, caught between laughing and crying, while Lin Wanrou was already letting her imagination run wild.

"Could it be—"

Yu Qingyan raised an eyebrow and sat down by the table. "Could what be?"

Lin Wanrou had calmed down considerably by now. "What are you doing here?"

Yu Qingyan frowned slightly. Coming down here seemed to have been driven by a whim to see who else was inside besides herself.

"If you have something to say, just spit it out. What is it?" Lin Wanrou asked again.

"I came to find you... to have a drink."

Lin Wanrou was momentarily stunned. "Are you joking with me?"

"No, I'm not."

Lin Wanrou looked at her for a moment. "This humble concubine does have wine here, but I wonder if Your Highness dares to drink it."

After three cups of wine down, Yu Qingyan couldn't help frowning; these cups were simply too small.

Lin Wanrou's cheeks were flushed with a faint pink tint. "Your Highness, Yu Qingyan."

Yu Qingyan smiled. "Madam Rou, this wine was prepared for the Prince, wasn't it?"

Lin Wanrou gave a bitter smile. "You certainly get to gloat when he cares about you so much."

Yu Qingyan simply lined up a whole row of cups and filled them all to the brim. "You really like him."

"Like... of course I like him."

"What is there to like about him? He's nothing more than an idle prince."

Lin Wanrou shook her head and picked up a cup from in front of Yu Qingyan. "I've liked him since the very first time I saw him." Lin Wanrou tossed her head back and drained it. "It's all your fault! He used to treat me so well, but everything changed once you arrived."

"If he genuinely liked you, it wouldn't matter whether I was here or not."

Lin Wanrou let out a mocking chuckle. "How could it possibly be the same? Without you, he at least would have come to see me often; he let me manage the affairs of the estate, and he never once punished me..."

"..."

"Because of you, he drove Madam Yin out of the estate even though he didn't even know the cause of Fang'er's death. He has grown distant from me, and he spends every single day accompanying you..."

Yu Qingyan listened to her disjointed words, cup after cup of wine going down her throat.

By the third round of drinks, Lin Wanrou was thoroughly drunk.

"...Actually, I was the one who killed Fang'er..."

"..."

"Yu Qingyan, sooner or later I'll drive you out... He is mine..."

Yu Qingyan frowned. The wine tasted sweet, but the afterkick was remarkably strong. Suddenly, a figure appeared at the doorway. "Madam, are you alright?"

When no answer came after a long delay, Xiaodie continued, "Madam, is Xiaodie coming in?"

The room contained only the heavily intoxicated Lin Wanrou. Yu Qingyan had already leaped up onto the roof, waves of redness washing across her face. She truly began to suspect whether Madam Rou had spiked the wine with something, given how potent the aftertaste was.

Her footsteps felt somewhat light and unsteady, yet her mind remained clear as she sped swiftly through the manor.

Clearly she felt that Xiuzhu Garden was right ahead, yet no matter how she walked, she simply couldn't reach it. Yu Qingyan had to admit to herself that she was indeed quite drunk.

Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared before her eyes. Yu Qingyan squinted to focus and saw what appeared to be a figure in white right in front of her.

"Gu Jinshi—"

Gu Jinshi was momentarily startled, thinking he was suffering from auditory hallucinations, but once he recognized who had come, he flew over to her side.

"Why are you here?"

"I..." Yu Qingyan mumbled incoherently, "I might need to borrow your place to sleep for a bit..."

"How on earth did you drink so much wine?" Gu Jinshi could hardly make out her muttering and had no choice but to support her and bring her into the room first.