"Ximen Ye, let's work together."
"I'll be responsible for making the pills, and you'll be in charge of selling them everywhere. What do you think?"
Meeting her starry almond eyes, Ximen Ye nodded obediently, his pitch-black pupils fixed unblinkingly on her radiant face.
She really resembled Che.
Not just in appearance, but also in her gaze.
Ximen Ye's magnetic, velvety voice sounded as he replied, "Alright."
After a moment's thought, he added, "You can have all the money we earn."
Qi Huan widened her eyes in surprise. "You're being very generous today."
"Because you're more precious than money."
Ximen Ye's dark lashes lowered, concealing the emotions surging in his eyes.
When they first met in the cave, she had shot an arrow at him, and he had wanted to wring her neck.
Later, she took advantage of the situation, groping around in his arms and stealing the gold pendant he had found. He could have killed her then, but upon seeing her face clearly, he deliberately lessened his force and kicked her away.
For the same reason, when she was in danger later, he stepped in to help her kill the men in black, then took her into his arms and personally taught her how to kill.
After parting ways from that chance encounter, he hadn't expected her to be Che's little cousin when they met again.
Living under the same roof, news about her would occasionally drift into his ears.
Liking stems from interest, and interest promotes understanding. After paying attention for so long, he had unknowingly grown fond of her.
A cold breeze crept in through the window gap, dispersing some of Ximen Ye's tipsiness.
He lifted his eyelids, gazing at Qi Huan, and emboldened by the alcohol, expressed his feelings.
"From now on, all the money will be yours. Will you be mine?"
Qi Huan stared at him, dumbfounded. "You should shake your head and listen for the sound of water. You haven't drunk so much that it's gone to your brain, have you?"
"Don't you like Song Jingche?"
Ximen Ye sobered up completely, startled.
"Che and I have a pure brotherly relationship. Don't speak nonsense."
"Oh~"
Hearing the teasing tone in her voice, Ximen Ye irritably tugged at his collar, then reached to his waist and took out his little notebook. He flipped to the last page and pointed at the amount written there for her to see.
Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions, ten millions...
A heap of traditional Chinese characters piled together, making it particularly difficult for Qi Huan to count.
She exclaimed in surprise and envy, "I had no idea the assassin business was so prosperous!"
Ximen Ye raised his eyebrows in pleasure. "Supporting you won't be a problem."
As his words fell, Qi Huan suddenly remembered something Li Shuchen had said long ago: "I already have someone taking care of me."
"...Ximen Ye, the look of love in one's eyes can't be hidden. If you look in the mirror, you'll understand that the way you look when you mention Song Jingche is just how you look at me. It's nothing more than friendly affection."
"Besides, I don't like you." I only love Li Shuchen.
Qi Huan tried to refuse as clearly and plainly as possible.
After speaking, she made to leave.
Ximen Ye grabbed her sleeve, temporarily sidestepping the topic: "You haven't said why you came to find me."
Qi Huan turned back. "I wanted to tell you that you should be cured by now. The Xinglin Hall is also selling tuberculosis medicine. The Song family will get the news sooner or later. You might as well take the opportunity to get better, and save them from wasting more money on medicine."
"Alright."
"...And I wanted to ask if you've caught Gu Ziling yet?"
"Soon."
"...I'll keep all the promises I made to you. I'll wait for you to fall in love with me on your own, little cousin."
"That's impossible, sister-in-law."
Ximen Ye's handsome brows furrowed. "What did you say?"
"Goodbye, cousin."
Qi Huan scampered away, quick as lightning.
When Zhu Yan returned with reinforcements, he found the Guild Master obediently drinking hangover soup, while Miss Qi had long since disappeared.
The messy-haired man he had dragged along impatiently slapped him. "Isn't the Guild Master perfectly fine? You've wasted my sleep. Hurry up and take me back!"
"Wait a moment." Ximen Ye's gaze swept carelessly over the two, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"Send someone to get a sample of Li Shuchen's blood. We need to research what kind of poison he's been given."
Though the messy-haired pharmacist was lazy, slovenly, and greedy, his poison skills were miraculous, not inferior to Gu Ziling's.
Ximen Ye disdained to use the antidote to threaten his little cousin into marrying him.
He just didn't want Li Shuchen to die when his little cousin liked him the most, becoming an eternal ideal like Che.
So, he wanted to save Li Shuchen.
Firstly, for his little cousin's gratitude, and secondly, to give Li Shuchen a healthy body, surrounded by more women.
After his little cousin had accumulated enough disappointment, he would take advantage of the situation and naturally take her away.
Ximen Ye's phoenix eyes narrowed, flashing with determination.
It didn't matter who she liked; what mattered was that he wanted to live with her forever.
Otherwise, this life would be too hard to endure.
*
After Qi Huan returned to Qinghuan Court, she received a message from Xiu Yuan saying that the food stall and clothing shop were set to open on the same day.
The next day, she went to Qingsong Court.
"Grandmother, I borrowed money from you earlier to open a spicy hot pot restaurant. It's finally opening today. Would you like to come and have a look?"
"Of course, of course." Old Lady Song smiled with kind eyes.
Of course she wanted to support her granddaughter!
And she could have another bowl of spicy hot pot while she was at it!
Old Lady Song swallowed and moved quickly with small steps, her redwood cane blurring with the speed of her movement...
With the same purpose in mind, Elder Madam Song hurried after her.
Behind them, Elder Master Song shook his head. "Their intentions are as clear as day. This isn't about support, it's clearly about going to eat and drink...
...Wait for me, I'm coming too!"
In the end, the whole family arrived in grand style at Vermilion Bird Street.
When they reached the address Xiu Yuan had mentioned, Qi Huan looked at the classical signboard and couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth.
"Persuading you to be fooled?"
When the familiar voice sounded, Xiu Yuan, who was inspecting the main hall, looked towards the sound. Seeing her, his eyes suddenly brightened, and he hurriedly walked over, inviting the Song family to a private room on the second floor.
As he poured tea in place of the waiter, he explained to Qi Huan, "The people who come and go on Vermilion Bird Street are all from wealthy families. The gimmick of free tastings won't entice them at all."
"Therefore, I took the opposite approach. Using such a store name to arouse their curiosity and rebellious spirit, we'll lure them in first."
"Once they've tasted it and are attracted by the flavor of the spicy hot pot, they'll naturally come back to be 'fooled' again next time."
As he had predicted, the ambiguous store name, coupled with the aroma of the spicy hot pot, quickly attracted a group of diners curious to investigate.
Now, the downstairs was fully seated.
Only this last private room remained, specially reserved for the Song family.
Qi Huan couldn't help but want to give Xiu Yuan a raise. She smiled at the Song family as they finished ordering, then turned to Xiu Yuan with a gentle smile:
"You've worked hard, sir. It's just opened today, so you should go attend to business. We can discuss other matters later."
After Xiu Yuan excused himself, it wasn't long before there was a knock at the door, ... and surprisingly, it was a familiar face.
