The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night-Chapter 115: A Very Intimate Contact With Him
"All right, put them on." The man’s deep voice pulled Zhi Wan back from her thoughts.
She looked up at the man.
She saw that he had already stepped back. His expression was completely normal, showing no sign of anything amiss. It was as if the whole incident had been a figment of her imagination.
But the feeling of the man’s arm around her waist was so clear it was impossible to ignore.
In fact, just last night at the villa, when she was delivering wontons to her cousin, she had almost fallen down the steps. To save her, her cousin had also pulled her into his arms.
But at that time, he had been very proper, merely placing a hand on her shoulder and letting go almost immediately. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
Just now, however, he had wrapped his arm directly around her waist.
And because he was holding her shoes and a wooden branch, his hands weren’t free, so he had to loop his entire arm around her waist.
Because of this, her entire body was pressed against his chest, bringing them into very close contact.
The thought of it made Zhi Wan feel a pang of awkwardness and discomfort.
’But maybe my cousin had no other choice.’
’If he hadn’t wrapped his arm around me, my foot would have definitely landed in the mud.’
’But was this the same cousin who, back in the Fu family’s Peach Grove, had watched her fall to the ground without offering a hand, all because of the impropriety of contact between men and women?’
Zhi Wan was a little bewildered.
"Aren’t you going to put them on?" Lu Zhan asked coolly, noticing her hesitation.
At his words, Zhi Wan collected herself and looked down, only to realize that her cousin had already cleaned her shoes and placed them on the ground in front of her.
She quickly put on her shoes. "Thank you, cousin."
Lu Zhan didn’t speak. His long, raven-dark lashes lowered, hiding the storm of emotions within. His mind was filled with the image of the young woman’s slender waist—small enough to be encircled by a single hand—and her delicate, jade-like feet.
His thin lips pressed into a firm line. He stood still for a long moment, then took out his dagger, cut a branch from a nearby tree, and began to whittle it smooth.
Zhi Wan watched in silence, not understanding what he was doing.
"Hold this."
Before long, Lu Zhan finished whittling the stick. He held one end out to her, gesturing for her to take it.
Zhi Wan asked in confusion, "What am I holding this for?"
"To go up the mountain," Lu Zhan said succinctly.
Hearing this, Zhi Wan immediately looked at the winding mountain path. Her calves began to tremble. Biting her lip, she asked timidly, "We... still have to go up?"
"Do you like to give up halfway, cousin?" Lu Zhan retorted coolly.
Zhi Wan: "..."
She obediently reached out her right hand and took hold of one end of the stick.
Seeing this, Lu Zhan paused for a moment but said nothing.
He gripped the other end of the stick and led Zhi Wan up the mountain.
Looking at the stick between them, Zhi Wan secretly chided herself for her earlier suspicions.
’This was still the same proper, well-mannered cousin.’
With Lu Zhan leading the way, the climb up the mountain was much easier for Zhi Wan.
She copied her cousin, stepping on the grassy parts of the path, and her soles finally stopped getting muddy.
The mountain behind Red Leaf Village wasn’t particularly high, and it didn’t take long for the two of them to reach the summit.
However, even with her cousin leading the way, Zhi Wan was still panting by the time they reached the top.
She had never climbed a mountain in her life. She usually led a sheltered life in the Duke Dingguo Mansion and rarely went out, so her stamina was rather poor.
Seeing how heavily she was breathing, Lu Zhan found a rock for her to sit on.
After sitting down, Zhi Wan took out her handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead and muttered, "Climbing mountains is too exhausting. I’m never doing this again."
Lu Zhan overheard her and said with a faint smile, "Since you’re so delicate, cousin, you should climb more often in the future."
Zhi Wan admitted she was a bit delicate, but hearing her cousin say it made her feel a little defiant. "There are far more delicate girls out there. You just haven’t met them, cousin."
"Mm, you’re right. I suppose I haven’t seen much of the world," Lu Zhan nodded.
Zhi Wan paused, then blurted out, "You’re being too modest, cousin. You’re someone who has frequented all the brothels in the Capital City and Yangzhou. With such rich experience, how could you have seen so little of the world?"
Lu Zhan froze. His gaze landed on her face, and he said seriously, "I’ve embarrassed myself before you, cousin. From now on, I won’t go to such places again."
Zhi Wan was taken aback.
She had actually regretted her words the moment they left her mouth.
’Her cousin’s love for visiting brothels was his own business. It didn’t affect her at all, so she shouldn’t have said anything.’
’She had expected her cousin to be displeased, but she never imagined he would so solemnly promise her that he would stop going.’
She felt a strange, indescribable feeling in her heart.
"Are you thirsty?" Lu Zhan suddenly asked.
Zhi Wan snapped back to reality and nodded. "A little, but I can—"
Before she could finish her sentence, the man suddenly held his open palm out to her.
They were long, elegant hands with clearly defined knuckles.
’Looking at the hands before her, Zhi Wan felt an urge to draw them.’
Lu Zhan noticed her staring at his hands without moving for a long time. He paused, then urged gently, "Go on, take them."
Zhi Wan snapped out of her daze and only then saw several unfamiliar, bright red fruits resting in his palm. They looked delicious.
"When did you pick these?" Zhi Wan asked, her eyes lighting up with delight as she reached out and took one.
"I saw them by the path on our way up, so I picked them," Lu Zhan explained gently. Seeing her delight, the coldness in his eyes seemed to dissipate a little.
Hearing this, Zhi Wan felt a little ashamed.
’On the way up, all her energy had been focused on climbing. She hadn’t paid any attention to her surroundings, let alone noticed her cousin picking fruit.’
She stared at the fruit in her hand, her happiness suddenly fading. She asked hesitantly, "Is this fruit... really edible?"
"Of course," Lu Zhan said with certainty.
Zhi Wan was still hesitant.
’Her cousin came from a prominent family. Servants handled his every need, from food and clothing to his daily life. It wouldn’t be surprising if he couldn’t even tell one grain from another. How would he know which wild fruits were safe to eat?’
At this thought, she swallowed, and when her cousin wasn’t looking, she quietly tucked the fruit into her sleeve.
’Better not eat it.’
’What if it’s poisonous? I’m so young, I’d die right here.’
’I haven’t even recruited a husband yet. I don’t want to die so young.’
Lu Zhan turned back, and seeing the fruit gone from her hand, assumed she had eaten it. He then gave her the rest of the fruits he was holding.
"Take your time eating. I’m going to go look over there."
"Okay," Zhi Wan replied obediently.
As soon as Lu Zhan was some distance away, she stood up from the rock. Fearing he might find out, she even turned around and chose a spot in the opposite direction from him, planning to throw the fruits far away.
THUD!
The fruit landed in the bushes with a dull thud.
Zhi Wan found this a little amusing, so she began tossing them one by one.
When she threw the third one, there was no sound.
’That’s strange,’ she thought. She looked up, only to meet the man’s cool, dark eyes.
The smile on Zhi Wan’s face froze. She stammered, "Co-cousin?" Only after calling out did she see a fruit held between his fingers. A wave of guilt washed over her.
’No wonder there was no sound. My cousin caught it.’
’But why was he over there?’
’I clearly chose to throw them in the opposite direction.’
Zhi Wan forced herself to act calm as she got down from the rock.
"Why did you throw the fruits away?" Lu Zhan asked as he walked over, holding the fruit. His sharp brows were furrowed, and he looked rather serious.
Zhi Wan was mortified.
’Who would have thought that her cousin would catch her in the act of throwing away the fruit?’
"They’re too sour. They don’t taste good," she finally mumbled after a long pause, making up an excuse.
Lu Zhan’s brows furrowed, but he said nothing.
Seeing his silence and the serious expression on his handsome face, Zhi Wan couldn’t help but feel a little scared.
"Cousin, I didn’t do it on purpose," she mumbled.
Lu Zhan gave her a cool glance. ’This girl certainly gave me quite a "surprise."’
’Just now, as he was circling back from the other side, he was almost hit by the fruit she’d thrown. For a moment, he’d thought it was some kind of hidden weapon.’
He picked up the fruit, took a bite, and said calmly, "It’s sweet, not sour at all."
Seeing this, Zhi Wan jumped in fright and exclaimed, "Don’t eat that! What if it’s poisonous? Spit it out, quick!"
In her panic, she even took two steps toward him and grabbed his sleeve.
