Chapter 570: I Have a Husband

Shi Chun wasn't much of a drinker; he wasn't someone who indulged freely and had never had the luxury of losing control since childhood. Thus, after the drinking session, he had only consumed less than half a jar, and even that was out of obligation to his companion.

Li Hongjiu, patting his round, distended belly, stood up, clearly satisfied. He had single-handedly consumed three jars of fine wine, which, though not large in size, was still a considerable amount.

Their pretense of friendship became even more pronounced as they left, arms slung over each other's shoulders, calling each other brothers.

As the courtyard gate opened, Xiao Sheng was already waiting with a carriage. Once they were settled inside, he personally drove them away.

They rode through streets and alleys until the carriage stopped a short distance from the Bai Family Rice Shop, which was visible diagonally with the carriage curtain slightly lifted.

The rice shop appeared to be open for business again, with its doors now down.

Inside the carriage, Shi Chun pointed at the rice shop outside the window and said to Li Hongjiu beside him, "Brother Jiu, just go through the motions. Be quick about it."

Despite having gained some courage from a few drinks, Li Hongjiu surprisingly felt a touch of stage fright now that the moment was upon him.

He hesitated, asking, "If you like someone, you just like them, don't you? You don't necessarily have to say it. Why is a confession absolutely necessary?"

Shi Chun was dumbfounded. "Didn't we already agree on this? Why are you pulling this now that the time has come?" he urged earnestly. "Don't we need to make our excuse for getting Bai Qiru out believable? If it's not because we rescued your lover, why would you agree to take on a disciple? You've never had any dealings with Bai Qiru before, and you won't in the future – how will that look? At the very least, when people inquire with Bai Qiru about it later, she should be able to confirm it, right?"

"No," Li Hongjiu replied, exhaling alcohol fumes, a bit perplexed. "I'm just saying, brother, from now on, when we meet, can't we do something normal and legitimate? Is it really appropriate for us to constantly be sneaking around and pulling scams whenever we're together?"

Shi Chun scoffed, cursing inwardly. *As if I'm the one leading you astray! We clearly agreed on this plan when we left the Divine Fire Domain. Don't think I don't know what 'good deeds' you've been up to. If I hadn't kept a trick up my sleeve, your Yanbao Sect would probably have killed me.*

Outwardly, he deliberately let out a burp, patted his stomach, and said, "I can't agree with you on that. Enjoying fine wine is an elegant pursuit; how can you call it swindling?"

At this, Li Hongjiu smacked his lips and dismissed the thought. He immediately raised his hand and cast a spell to forcibly dispel the alcohol fumes from his body, filling the carriage with a strong alcoholic scent.

After regaining his composure, he was about to get out of the carriage when Shi Chun grabbed his arm. Shi Chun gestured at his appearance and said, "Don't let them fail to recognize the Li Hongjiu who once liked them when they confront you later. Go back to your original appearance."

Li Hongjiu quickly tidied himself up, rubbed his face with both hands, and then, pulling back the carriage curtain, slipped out quickly and decisively, as if preferring a swift end to prolonged hesitation.

Shi Chun watched from behind the curtain, which was slightly lifted at one corner.

Li Hongjiu, with a surge of solitary courage, plunged into the rice shop, where he was met by a smiling shop assistant greeting customers.

"Sir, how may I help you?" the assistant asked with a smile, his nostrils twitching as he caught the scent of alcohol on the visitor.

Li Hongjiu scanned the rice shop's interior, noticing only one assistant and no other customers. "I'm looking for the owner's wife," he announced.

The assistant paused, a hint of wariness appearing on his face, and cautiously asked, "Sir, what business do you have with the owner's wife?"

Li Hongjiu replied, "Please inform her that Li Hongjiu wishes to see her."

Shi Chun had previously told him that he had informed the rice shop owner's wife of his affection for her, so she would naturally know who he was.

"Li Hongjiu..." the assistant mumbled, vaguely finding the name familiar. He immediately bowed and said, "Please wait a moment."

With that, he quickly ran to the back room.

He returned quickly, not long after, extending his hand in invitation. "Mr. Li, the owner's wife requests your presence. You may go right in; I still need to watch the shop out here."

Li Hongjiu nodded in thanks and entered, observing his surroundings as he went.

Following a passage lined with high stacks of rice sacks to the interior, he found a back room that partly served as a warehouse.

Even before entering, he faintly smelled smoke. Upon stepping inside, he found its source: behind a long desk sat a beautiful, full-figured woman. Dressed in snow-white robes, she was radiantly charming, with a still-smoking pipe held to her lips. The scene possessed an almost ethereal beauty.

The woman sat motionless behind the desk, observing the visitor. The lighting wasn't very good, yet it couldn't dim the sunny disposition on the visitor's face. His smile was bright and warm, with a hint of sun-baked laziness. He was quite good-looking.

*Is this Li Hongjiu?* Having been forewarned by Shi Chun, she now felt somewhat at a loss, unsure how to handle the situation. She hadn't expected him to come in person to see her.

In the end, one stood and one sat, gazing at each other across the table. Neither the host nor the guest initiated a greeting.

And he had to admit, with just one glance, Li Hongjiu felt that scoundrel Shi Chun hadn't lied; he genuinely found the woman's aura quite appealing. She lacked the pretense and affectation of most women, and overall, she was very much to his liking.

Finally, Li Hongjiu broke the silence, bowing his hands slightly as a gesture. "I am Li Hongjiu, a disciple of the Yanbao Sect. Greetings, Madam Owner."

Only then did Bai Qiru come to her senses. She quickly stood up and returned the bow. "I have long heard of your esteemed name, Mr. Li," she said. "I am Bai Qiru, and I greet you."

Li Hongjiu: "I heard you suffered quite a bit in prison. Are you alright?"

Bai Qiru replied with some awkwardness, "I'm fine, it seems I'm alright for now."

"Good to hear you're alright," Li Hongjiu said, bowing his hands. "Then I won't disturb you further. Farewell." With that, he turned and left.

Bai Qiru was taken aback. Had Wang Ping not told her, she wouldn't have known his feelings for her. She hadn't expected his first appearance to be purely out of concern for her well-being, and her heart felt somewhat warmed.

In that moment, she even vaguely wondered if Li Hongjiu was the real reason behind Gao and the others' efforts to get her out.

But she still instinctively blurted out, "Mr. Li, I have a husband."

This was what she had planned to say the moment the assistant reported his arrival.

"I know," Li Hongjiu said, waving his hand without turning back, and left.

As for making a confession, he changed his mind after entering. The main reason was that he felt that scoundrel Shi Chun was unreliable and shouldn't be allowed to lead him by the nose. If he truly confessed, wouldn't that give them something to use against him? Anyway, he had come and conveyed the intended message, and that was enough.

His easy, casual manner of leaving made Bai Qiru feel a little dazed. Some things simply couldn't withstand comparison; he was far too handsome compared to her husband, that old geezer Huang Yingying. And this was Li Hongjiu, hailed as the world's number one rising star.

Bai Qiru was actually very curious about one thing: when exactly had they met before?

In short, when had he fallen for her?

Could it have been before she met Huang Yingying?

But she couldn't bring herself to ask.

Without seeing him off, she sat down and quietly lit her pipe again, slowly flipping through the account book as if nothing had happened. In reality, her heart was far from calm; some people are destined to stir ripples in your heart from the very first meeting.

She also knew that some regrets were destined to last a lifetime, and as an adult, she could accept that.

Stepping out of the rice shop, crossing the street, and settling into the carriage, Li Hongjiu spread his hands towards Shi Chun, who was watching him eagerly. "Alright," he said, "it's done as you wished. Let's go."

Shi Chun chuckled and called out, "Let's go, to the study."

So the carriage clattered forward, once again navigating through streets and alleys as the sun began to set in the west.

When the carriage stopped again, it didn't pull up to the entrance, just as it hadn't at the rice shop, but halted at a distant spot diagonally opposite.

Finally, Xiao Sheng drove away, leaving Shi Chun and Li Hongjiu by the roadside.

Shi Chun and Li Hongjiu headed straight for the study.

As soon as he stepped inside, Li Hongjiu caught a familiar scent of wine. Passing the counter, he saw the woman in red lying sideways behind it, seemingly dozing. He likely made a guess, turned to Shi Chun, and upon seeing Shi Chun's slight nod, knew he was correct.

While observing the old environment of the study, he followed Shi Chun directly inside and upstairs.

On the second floor, as Miss Dong Liangyu, seated behind a desk, nodded in greeting, Shi Chun leaned close and whispered, "It's me."

Dong Liangyu paused, startled, then realized and looked at Li Hongjiu.

"My friend," Shi Chun simply explained, then asked, "Has Mr. Fu left?"

Dong Liangyu glanced towards the bookshelves and quietly replied, "Still here, hasn't come downstairs."

Shi Chun gasped in surprise, thinking, *It's been days, and he's still here.*

He immediately turned to Li Hongjiu and said, "The study is still open for business, and everyone's busy. We'll talk after closing time. First, let me show you around. The collection here is absolutely rare; it's even invigorated me."

"Oh, I'd like to see that," Li Hongjiu replied, following him with considerable interest.

Neither of them paid; since they had already acknowledged each other, there was no need for further payment.

Dong Liangyu, after a soft cough, began to lose focus. She would turn her head to look at the bookshelves every time she turned a page.

Li Hongjiu, seeing the study's vast collection with his own eyes, was indeed astonished and lingered, reluctant to leave.

The sun set and the study emptied of customers. They began tidying, sweeping, and organizing, while the kitchen in the back courtyard was also busy.

The woman in red, who had lazily sat up behind the counter, showed no initiative at all, completely ignoring the siblings Dong Liangying and Dong Liangze, who were busy with chores.

Not only did she show no intention of helping, but she also secretly pulled out a mother-child talisman behind the counter and sent a message to Shi Chun: "Missing you again. Where are you?"

Sending such messages felt a bit awkward at first, but she gradually got used to it.

She had already figured it out: the more messages of this type she sent, the more thoroughly that scoundrel would be erased afterward.

Nowadays, she could send similar 'love messages' to Shi Chun three times a day.

For no other reason than that Shi Chun kept replying he was going to find Situ Gu and Li Hongjiu, she needed to confirm whether he had left Juku Continent. As long as he could still reply, it meant he hadn't left yet. Even if he did leave, she could roughly ascertain when he slipped out.

With the Xun Sect's strict inspections, she secretly tightened her control. If he had left, but the Xun Sect showed no reaction, then that would be cause for deep thought.

Shi Chun, who was upstairs flipping through books, pulled out his talisman, read the message, and a smile played on his lips. He casually replied: "I miss you more. I'm still running around dealing with the matters you entrusted to me."

She was tired of these "I'm working hard" replies. She casually replied: "Who knows if you're just all talk, while you're actually having fun somewhere."

Shi Chun glanced at Li Hongjiu, who was engrossed in a book at the other end of the bookshelf. His reply now carried more confidence. He smiled and replied, "Not only do I talk a good game, but I also deliver. I'll go and bring Li Hongjiu to you today."

The woman in red behind the counter's eyes instantly gleamed. She had real-time knowledge of both Situ Gu and Li Hongjiu's whereabouts. At this moment, Li Hongjiu, having been reprimanded by his master, was currently ordered to be in seclusion. And Shi Chun clearly hadn't left Juku Continent yet. *Could a mere greeting possibly make Li Hongjiu end his seclusion in this situation?*

She immediately sent a message asking, "Are you going to pick him up yourself?"

To show his diligence, Shi Chun casually sent her flattering words: "For the matters you entrusted to me, even if my legs cramp from exhaustion, I must handle them personally to feel at ease."

The woman in red was astonished and suspicious: *Could he still leave despite such strict scrutiny? Or would one of the top experts break through the void to help?*

She sent another message to confirm, "Are you sure you can bring Li Hongjiu here today?"

Shi Chun originally wanted to make a full guarantee, but the other party's method of confirming with a specific time made him instinctively cautious – it was a habit. He decided to give himself more room to maneuver and replied with a flexible answer: "If not today, then tomorrow."

Seeing this reply, the woman in red immediately ruled out the possibility of a top expert breaking through the void. The time span of "today or tomorrow" was quite broad, and she hadn't found any clues on the Xun Sect's side, so she couldn't let him prepare fully. She immediately replied, "I knew your words weren't reliable. If you've got the guts, bring Li Hongjiu here before midnight tonight, and if you do, I'll agree to be your woman."

In fact, she was just trying to compress the time frame for his actions; the more eager he was to act, the more likely he would be to reveal a weakness.

Shi Chun stared at the message on the mother-child talisman, stunned. He then looked up at Li Hongjiu, who was still reading at the other end, and mumbled to himself in self-doubt, "Is that all it takes?"

He had originally planned to wait until the study was tidied up later, and then have Li Hongjiu make an appearance when Dong Wenshu's family gathered for dinner.