The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night-Chapter 95: Lu Zhan’s Probing

The two of them turned their heads at the same time. Not far away on the deck, Duan Ling sat grilling meat, turning skewers in his hands. Grease dripped into the charcoal, making a SIZZLING sound.

A moment ago, they had been so absorbed in the scenery that they hadn’t noticed him grilling. Now, the rich aroma of grilled meat wafted through the air, and they both suddenly felt ravenous.

They swallowed and hurried over.

Duan Ling handed them each a freshly grilled chicken leg.

Ouyang Zhenzhu accepted hers without ceremony and immediately dug in.

"Thank you, Junior Minister Duan," Zhi Wan said.

"No need to be so polite, Cousin Zhi Wan." Duan Ling shook his head with a smile. But when he turned and saw Ouyang Zhenzhu wolfing down her food, the corner of his eye twitched. He said disdainfully, "Ouyang Zhenzhu, you don’t have a single shred of a well-bred lady’s grace."

"And you certainly have the bearing of a scion from a noble family," Ouyang Zhenzhu shot back.

Duan Ling was just starting to feel smug when the girl continued, "You’ve embodied all the worst habits of one!"

Duan Ling: "..."

He was so angry he laughed. "Have you no concept of not biting the hand that feeds you? Give my chicken leg back!"

Hearing this, Ouyang Zhenzhu gnawed the last bits of meat off the bone in a few quick bites and placed it by his hand. "Here, you can have it back!"

Duan Ling was so furious he could feel his teeth ache. He pointed at her and seethed, "You little brat!"

Completely unfazed, Ouyang Zhenzhu took advantage of his distraction to grab a freshly grilled fish and start eating it.

Duan Ling gritted his teeth. "I grilled that for Old Lu!"

Holding the fish, Ouyang Zhenzhu made a face at him and quickly scurried away.

Duan Ling: "..."

Zhi Wan couldn’t help but laugh. Hearing that the fish had been for Lu Zhan, she glanced around and asked, "Junior Minister Duan, where has my cousin gone?"

"Old Lu’s in his cabin, reading case files," Duan Ling said sullenly. He placed the remaining grilled food on a plate and offered it to Zhi Wan. "Your cousin’s been at it all afternoon. He must be tired and hungry. You should take this to him."

Zhi Wan accepted the plate. She’d intended to have Shuang’er or Nanny Fang take it, but a glance around revealed neither was in sight, so she gave up on the idea.

’It’s not far, anyway.’

Carrying the plate, Zhi Wan went to Lu Zhan’s cabin.

Chen Jiu wasn’t outside the cabin, so she had no choice but to reach out and knock on the door.

A moment later, the door opened, and Lu Zhan’s tall, slender figure appeared in the doorway.

Seeing his cousin standing outside, he paused for a moment before asking in his cool, detached voice, "What is it?"

Zhi Wan quickly held out the plate. "Junior Minister Duan asked me to bring you something to eat."

Lu Zhan glanced down at the plate but didn’t take it. "I’m not fond of grilled food."

"What?" Zhi Wan’s face showed her surprise. "But Junior Minister Duan said he grilled this especially for you. He’s an excellent cook, it tastes wonderful, and the fish is fresh. I heard they just caught it from the river."

Seeing her earnest expression as she explained, which he found rather endearing, the corner of Lu Zhan’s mouth curved into a small smile. His expression softened. "Then you should have some."

Seeing he truly didn’t want any, Zhi Wan was a little disappointed but knew better than to insist. She said softly, "I’ll be on my way, then."

Lu Zhan considered for a moment, then stopped her. "Wait."

Zhi Wan turned back. "Is there anything else, Cousin?"

Lu Zhan lowered his gaze. His long, dark lashes, like raven feathers, partially concealed his jet-black pupils. His thin, lightly pressed lips exuded an ascetic restraint, and his entire being seemed profound and inscrutable, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.

Zhi Wan was captivated.

She had always known her cousin was handsome, but she had never dared to look at him so closely.

Seeing him up close like this, she was struck by how divinely handsome he was.

Zhi Wan’s breath hitched. The subject of her next painting had already taken form in her mind.

’I really want to run back to my cabin and start painting right now.’

"Sit." After a long moment, the man’s deep voice broke the silence. His long, slender hand pointed to a chair outside the cabin.

Zhi Wan came back to her senses. Holding her breath, she sat down cautiously and placed the plate on the small table.

Lu Zhan sat down as well. Seeing his cousin sitting ramrod straight, as if prepared for a lecture, he paused and softened his voice. "There’s no need to be so tense. Finish your food."

"Yes," Zhi Wan answered absently, lowering her head and beginning to eat in small bites.

She held a skewer in one hand, her other hand resting on the table to steady the plate. Her movements were quite graceful.

Lu Zhan found his gaze drawn to her slender fingers.

’Not only does my cousin have a pretty face, but her hands are exceptionally beautiful too,’ Lu Zhan thought idly.

Realizing what he was thinking, his sharp brows furrowed slightly, and he dutifully averted his gaze.

When he saw that Zhi Wan was nearly finished eating, he asked in a conversational tone, "Is Ouyang Zhenzhu a skilled painter?"

Zhi Wan’s mind was still on her painting. Her reaction was a bit sluggish as she blinked her peach-blossom eyes. "What did you say, Cousin?"

Seeing her slightly dazed look, Lu Zhan’s brow furrowed. ’Why does she seem so absent-minded?’

He pushed aside his suspicion and calmly asked again, "Is Ouyang Zhenzhu a skilled painter?"

This time, Zhi Wan heard him clearly and shook her head. "She’s not a skilled painter. Why do you ask, Cousin?"

Lu Zhan paused before saying calmly, "I saw her carrying some art albums this morning."

Zhi Wan instantly grew serious. ’So he really did see her. And now he’s bringing it up.’ She couldn’t help but recall what he’d said when they first boarded the boat. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Fearing her cousin would think Ouyang Zhenzhu was improper and really throw her off the boat, she hurriedly explained, "Zhenzhu enjoys looking at albums, and she can be a bit reckless with her words, but she’s actually a very proper and conservative person."

"Proper and conservative?" Lu Zhan’s voice held a note of incredulity.

’If Ouyang Zhenzhu were so proper and conservative, would she be shouting the words "slender horse" and clutching racy albums to her chest?’

"So, does that mean you’ve seen Ouyang Zhenzhu’s albums as well?" Lu Zhan asked, watching her thoughtfully.

Zhi Wan’s heart sank. "No, I haven’t!" she denied hastily. As her cousin’s gaze lingered on her, she wrung her hands and lowered her eyes. "I heard from Nanny Fang that Zhenzhu came looking for me this morning with her albums. I suppose she meant to show them to me. But when I went to see her just now, she didn’t bring it up. I guess she was too embarrassed."

"Mm," Lu Zhan nodded. ’My cousin is so pure and innocent; she would never have been exposed to things like that.’

Seeing that he believed her, Zhi Wan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where did she get those albums?" Lu Zhan then asked.

"She must have bought them from a bookshop," Zhi Wan said.

’Bought them from a bookshop?’

’Then Ouyang Zhenzhu didn’t paint them herself.’

’That makes sense. With a personality as impetuous as Ouyang Zhenzhu’s, how could she ever quiet her mind enough to paint?’

Lu Zhan quietly breathed a sigh of relief. As he looked up, however, he met the girl’s curious peach-blossom eyes. He paused, then asked neutrally, "What is it?"

"Nothing," Zhi Wan said, lowering her eyes. She felt a bit puzzled. ’My cousin looked relieved just now. I wonder why?’