Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 33: It’s April—Are The Peach Blossoms Blooming?

　　“Miss An, it’s done.”

　　The man in white calmly withdrew his hand. With slender fingers, he picked up the silver needles one by one, inserted them into a cloth pouch, and tucked it into his sleeve.

　　An Jiu sat up from the bed, pulled down her wide sleeve to cover her exposed arm, and stared at the man beside the bed. “Pei Ji, why are you calling me Miss An again?”

　　She had told him last time to just call her An Jiu, and he had agreed.

　　But after only a few days, he had gone back to calling her the distant, polite ‘Miss An.’ The girl pouted her red lips and looked unhappy.

　　Pei Ji smiled slightly, his features gentle. “There are too many people in the villa right now. For the sake of your reputation, it’s better this way.”

　　His explanation was reasonable, but she still wasn’t happy.

　　The girl turned around angrily, let out a disgruntled hum, and said, “Call me or don’t, I don’t care!”

　　With that, she stomped her feet hard on the ground and ran out the door.

　　She moved so fast that the crimson hem of her skirt fluttered in the wind. Pei Ji watched her figure disappear, his dark eyes clouded.

　　He just felt—things were getting out of control.

　　He shouldn’t keep letting her get so close. Every time she came near, he had strange reactions.

　　Of course, Pei Ji understood what those reactions were.

　　He was a doctor. He naturally understood the physiological responses a man could have. But before this, he had never experienced them.

　　It all started when he approached her—when this plan began.

　　Pei Ji was certain that he would not fall in love with An Jiu.

　　This foolish woman who had nothing but a pretty face had no redeeming qualities.

　　He was fully aware that he was using her.

　　He paid attention to her because her life was important. He humored her to ensure the plan went smoothly. He played along with her little ‘chats’ only to win her heart.

　　Pei Ji had always viewed everything with a clear mind—there was no way he could like her.

　　How could he possibly like a woman who was spoiled, rude, ignorant, shallow, foolish, and acted so wantonly? He was simply fooled by her appearance—that was the only reason for those laughable reactions.

　　To avoid losing control again, he began deliberately keeping his distance.

　　Sure enough, once the distance was restored, that sense of losing control disappeared, and everything went back on track.

　　That was enough.

　　An Jiu ran straight out into the courtyard. Only then did the anger on her face slowly fade. She stopped by the veranda and rubbed her sore ankle.

　　The Gu poison Wusheng planted in her was still in her body, and there was no solution in sight. Even Pei Ji could only use acupuncture to ease it—not cure it.

　　Of course, An Jiu didn’t believe a word of his crap.

　　She was sure he had a way to detoxify her—he just wasn’t willing to do it.

　　An Jiu had always suspected the villain boss with the worst possible intentions!

　　Now her body was becoming more and more delicate—even small bumps or bruises were unbearable. She had initially wanted to learn martial arts, but had no choice but to give up the plan.

　　She had never been one to sit still, but now the villa was full of people from the jianghu—rough, unruly types who didn’t care for rules or propriety. Given her fragile condition, she had no choice but to quietly stay in her little courtyard for safety’s sake.

　　There were still quite a few days left before the secret manual exchange. Lin Qingyan and He Ziqing had gone out early in the morning, supposedly to help maintain order at Jinshe Villa.

　　Lately, things had been chaotic both inside and outside the villa—accidents were bound to happen with so many people around.

　　An Jiu stood in the courtyard, debating whether to read a storybook or take a walk in the nearby forest, when the courtyard gate was suddenly knocked on. The villa’s steward walked in, followed by a young man in a purple brocade robe.

　　Seeing An Jiu, the steward stepped forward and said, “There’ve been a lot of guests arriving at the villa lately, and the other courtyards are all full. Since there’s still an available room here, we’d like to ask if Miss An would be willing to share the space with this guest?”

　　An Jiu didn’t mind, and figured no one else would either.

　　Besides, the house didn’t belong to her—it was up to Jinshe Villa to assign rooms as they saw fit.

　　“Sure,” An Jiu replied casually, her gaze landing on the young man’s face.

　　The other party was also looking at her, his handsome features unable to hide his amazement.

　　The steward introduced, “This is Young Master Ming. And this is Miss An.”

　　Young Master Ming? Never heard of him.

　　An Jiu thought back to the plot—this person didn’t seem to appear at all. If he wasn’t in the book, that meant he wasn’t important.

　　Young Master Ming lived in the room next to hers and seemed to be a wealthy young master. An Jiu noticed people constantly going in and out of the room, carrying luggage—servants he had brought with him—moving in one large chest after another.

　　Clearly, Young Master Ming had taken quite a liking to her. Definitely another face-obsessed guy—he stuck to her like glue the moment he saw her, trying to get close with enthusiasm.

　　Thinking about how coldly Pei Ji treated her, An Jiu felt a bit sulky. So she didn’t outright reject Young Master Ming’s eager attempts to please her.

　　“Miss An, tonight’s a full moon, and the weather’s perfect. How about we go admire the moon and drink together in the forest?”

　　Full moon… An Jiu’s heart skipped a beat.

　　The book didn’t specify exactly when Pei Ji’s poison would flare up, but there was always one clue: every time it did, there was a full moon.

　　Could it be tonight?

　　She glanced at the bright-eyed Young Master Ming and smiled sweetly. “Sure. Is your wine any good?”

　　Young Master Ming beamed at once. “Of course! As long as you’ll honor me with your presence, I’ll bring you the best wine under the heavens!”

　　As evening fell and the sky darkened, An Jiu and Young Master Ming arrived at the ginkgo forest and sat at a stone table under a centuries-old tree.

　　Pei Ji hadn’t left his room all day—no idea what he was doing inside. He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan were still out, and even Ah Qi was nowhere to be seen.

　　An Jiu felt a bit left out, but thankfully, Young Master Ming was there to keep her entertained.

　　He was cheerful and playful—definitely a pampered son from a rich family. Though they’d just met that day, he babbled like a bamboo tube spilling beans, revealing his background without holding back.

　　According to him, he was the son of an official in the capital—powerful and well-connected. Unfortunately, his father’s health was failing, so he’d been sent here to make the exchange for the secret manual. Those chests he brought? Full of gold and silver.

　　That’s right—Young Master Ming’s trade item wasn’t some rare herb or famous sword. It was straight-up money!

　　An Jiu was a bit curious. Just how much money had he brought to make Jin You actually give him a spot? Jin You didn’t seem like someone who lacked funds.

　　Young Master Ming glanced around. Seeing it was just the two of them, he leaned close to An Jiu’s ear and whispered something.

　　An Jiu had just taken a small sip of wine and immediately spat it out.

　　“Seriously… that much?” Her face was full of disbelief.

　　Young Master Ming looked nervous—he had only shared that secret to win a smile from the beauty. No one else knew he’d brought that much money; everyone thought his luggage was just clothes and daily necessities. In reality, it was all gold, silver, and jewels!

　　“Yeah, I was on edge the whole way here, scared of getting robbed. Luckily, I made it safely.” He patted his chest with lingering fear, then said with awe, “At first, I really thought the Jinshe Villa’s master wouldn’t let me in. But surprisingly, he agreed.”

　　An Jiu: “…Why would you think he wouldn’t?”

　　You gave that much—only a fool would say no!

　　Before this, she’d thought Minister An was wealthy. Now she realized he was nothing in comparison. This Young Master Ming probably wasn’t just rich—he might even be connected to the royal family.

　　Still, An Jiu didn’t really care who he was.

　　“Come on, drink! Let’s play finger-guessing games—loser drinks.”

　　Ancient alcohol wasn’t very strong, probably due to less advanced brewing methods compared to modern times. After a few sips, An Jiu found it pleasantly sweet, with a hint of peach blossom fragrance.

　　Her goal tonight was to get drunk, so she didn’t hold back. Grabbing Young Master Ming, she started all kinds of drinking games, finger-guessing, and rounds of bottoming up.

　　Cup after cup went down, until the moon hung high in the sky.

　　Sure enough, it was a full moon tonight—silver and round like a white jade disc in the heavens, spilling a soft, veil-like glow across the earth.

　　An Jiu’s eyes grew misty with drunkenness, and her vision doubled. Only then did she finally head back, satisfied.

　　“Let’s go, Ming Yi. Time to head back.” An Jiu tugged at Young Master Ming, who was slumped over the stone table.

　　He responded with a goofy grin, eyes still shut, mumbling, “Miss An, you’re so pretty. I really like you.”

　　An Jiu pulled her hand back in disgust. “I don’t like you. You’re too dumb. I like smart people.”

　　Even though he was clearly drunk, Young Master Ming still struggled to sit up, slurring in protest, “I-I’m not dumb!”

　　An Jiu couldn’t be bothered with him anymore. Sure, a little dumb could be cute—but she still preferred intelligence.

　　If he were smart, tonight wouldn’t have been just drinking.

　　He invited her out to admire the moon, but ended up drunk out of his mind, embarrassing himself completely. If that’s not dumb, what is?

　　Forget winning a beauty’s heart—he’d be lucky if she didn’t block him.

　　Shaking her head, she staggered off unsteadily.

　　Halfway back, she bumped into a maid looking for Young Master Ming. An Jiu clearly pointed her in the right direction, but the maid seemed to think she was drunk and anxiously asked if she needed help walking.

　　An Jiu waved her off. She continued stumbling back into the courtyard, step by unsteady step.

　　She knew her own limits. Though her body was tipsy, her mind was still perfectly clear—maybe even unusually calm.

　　Breaking into Pei Ji’s room was by no means an easy feat.

　　The book mentioned it clearly—Pei Ji was extremely guarded. Every time his poison flared up, he made meticulous preparations.

　　During those times, he was unimaginably dangerous. He could lose control of his mind, and anyone who got too close wouldn’t even make it to his side before being killed by the poison that radiated from his body.

　　That’s why, on the night of the full moon, he always locked himself in alone and forbade anyone from approaching.

　　Moreover, while the martial world knew he had been born with a deadly poison in his body that occasionally flared up, no one actually knew when those episodes occurred.

　　Pei Ji was not the kind of man who would ever expose his weakness to others.

　　The girl stumbled through the courtyard gates, looking completely drunk. She stood there for a while, then raised her hand and pointed toward the rooms on either side, muttering, “I—I live on the right. Yes, the right side…”

　　Footsteps—one light, one heavy—echoed softly across the wooden corridor, drawing closer.

　　Pei Ji lay in bed, feeling the familiar waves of pain pulsing through his body. His consciousness was slipping away.

　　It was that day again.

　　In the past, he would always stay in the valley for this. He rarely left. This was his first time enduring it outside.

　　Jinshe Villa was relatively safe—no one would dare harm a cripple with no martial arts. His room had also been rigged with lethal poisons. Anyone who took a single step inside would die instantly.

　　He just needed to get through tonight. Tomorrow would be better.

　　It felt like tiny blades were slicing through his bones and flesh. His blood vessels were full of barbs. His flesh was being ground down by some colossal stone mill, turned into powder, and forced out through every pore.

　　The excruciating pain dulled his mind, and in his haze, Pei Ji faintly caught the scent of delicate peach blossoms.

　　It's April. Are the peach blossoms blooming?

　　The thought drifted through his foggy mind.

________________

Author’s note:

The peach blossoms aren’t blooming—but your peach blossom has arrived. 🍑

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