The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 189 It's been a long time since I last saw my cousin; she seems distant from me.
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw her cousin's handsome face darken.

My cousin is usually aloof and cold, and because of his high position, he has a kind of authority that comes with being in a superior position.

His stern expression was quite intimidating, making her feel uneasy.

But at the same time, she also felt confused and bewildered.

Is my cousin so unhappy because he's dissatisfied with Chen Junyu?
But she wasn't about to finalize her marriage with Chen Junyu right away.

Although she thought Chen Junyu was alright, she still needed to get to know him better.

Just as the atmosphere became somewhat tense, Chen Junyu stepped forward.

"My name is Chen Junyu. I greet Lord Lu." Chen Junyu bowed respectfully.

Lu Zhan's gaze fell on him, his brows and eyes cold and dignified. After a moment, he nodded and said indifferently, "I have just returned and have many things to deal with, so I will not keep Young Master Chen any longer."

The obvious order to leave startled Chen Junyu, and he couldn't help but look at Zhiwan.

The young girl, with her exquisite beauty and graceful figure, stood tall and elegant beside the handsome and noble Lu Zhan, giving the impression of a match made in heaven.

He paused for a moment, then quickly rejected his untimely idea.

If this Miss Zhi has something going on with Lord Lu, there's no need for her to find a husband who will live with her.

“In that case, I won’t bother you any longer.” Chen Junyu was very tactful. He then bowed to Zhi Wan again. “Miss Zhi, I’ll be going back now.”

Zhiwan initially felt a little embarrassed, but seeing his generous and upright manner, her embarrassment vanished, and she couldn't help but have a better impression of him.

It is truly rare for someone to remain so composed and dignified in the face of their cousin's powerful aura, demonstrating remarkable composure and grace.

We may be poor, but having ambition is better than anything else.

Zhiwan thought for a moment and returned his curtsy, saying, "Take care, Young Master Chen."

When she looked up, she met her cousin's cold, unsmiling eyes.

She paused, tightening her grip on the handkerchief in her hand. Why was her cousin looking at her like that?
Was there something inappropriate about her behavior?

"Oh, when did Lord Lu return?" At this moment, Ouyang Zhenzhu walked over, breaking the tense atmosphere.

Zhiwan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and took her hand, "My cousin just got back."

Just as Ouyang Zhenzhu was about to say something, she suddenly felt Lu Zhan's icy gaze sweep over her and froze.

Why has Lord Lu become even more terrifying since returning from Yangzhou?

Although Lord Lu had never given her a kind look before, he had never been like this before. His obvious dislike was quite embarrassing and frightening.

What did she do to offend him?
Ouyang Zhenzhu muttered to herself, then suddenly dared not linger any longer. She hurriedly said to Zhiwan, "Wanwan, now that Lord Lu has returned, you must have many things to discuss. My cousin and I will head back now and come to visit you another day."

Zhiwan also found her cousin somewhat frightening today and really didn't want to stay and face him. She was just about to use the excuse of seeing her off to get out of her cousin's sight when she heard her cousin speak first, "Granny Fang, please go and see Miss Ouyang and Young Master Chen off."

Zhiwan: "..."

She watched helplessly as Granny Fang saw Ouyang Zhenzhu and Chen Junyu out of the mansion.

"It's sunny, don't just stand there like an idiot, come inside and talk," Madam Wei urged from the steps.

"Aunt, I..." Just as Zhiwan was about to make an excuse to slip away, the man's deep voice interrupted her, "Aren't you going in, cousin?"

Zhiwan: "..."

Meeting the man's unsmiling eyes, the excuse she had prepared slipped back to her. She remained silent, following him into the main hall.

"It's so hot in the summer. You must be tired from rushing back. Quickly drink some chilled lotus seed soup to cool off." Madam Wei took the soup bowl from the servant and handed it to Lu Zhan. She then took another bowl and gave it to Zhi Wan. "You should drink some too. You've only been standing outside for a short while, and your face is already red from the sun."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhan's gaze fell on the girl's face.

Her skin was delicate, and her face was indeed a little red at this moment.

Noticing his gaze, Zhiwan felt a little embarrassed and quickly took the bowl, lowering her head to eat the lotus seed soup to hide her discomfort.

"Ah Zhan, why did you suddenly come back? You didn't even send me a message beforehand. Also, have you not taken good care of yourself? You look a little tired." Wei's nagging voice pulled Lu Zhan back to reality.

"I decided to come back at the last minute, and since I was in a bit of a rush, I didn't take the waterway," Lu Zhan replied.

Zhiwan lowered her head and ate her lotus seed soup. She wondered if she was being too sensitive, but she felt that her cousin's gaze lingered on her for a moment when he said those words.

She paused, looked up at her cousin, only to find him already looking down, eating lotus seed soup.

It turned out to be her imagination.

Zhiwan secretly blamed herself for being overly suspicious.

"You rode back on horseback?" Madam Wei frowned. "The journey back from Jiangning is not short. How many days did it take you to ride?"

Lu Zhan paused for a moment, then replied, "Three days."

"Three days?" Wei was astonished. Jiangning was a thousand miles away from the capital, and he had actually returned in just three days, which meant that he had traveled day and night without resting for a moment along the way.

Thinking of this, she felt both heartache and reproach, "Why did you have to rush things? Even an iron body can't take it. Don't take your youth for granted and neglect your health."

Lu Zhan paused for a moment, not answering directly, but said, "I have to go to the palace to meet the Emperor in a little while. I will rest after I come back, so Mother doesn't need to worry."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wei assumed that he had rushed back day and night for official business, and couldn't help but sigh, "I'll have someone prepare water for you right away. After you finish the lotus seed soup, hurry up and wash up so you can go to the palace as soon as possible and come back sooner."

"Thank you for troubling Mother." Lu Zhan nodded.

Madam Wei shook her head and left to make the arrangements.

Seeing that her aunt had left, Zhiwan quickly stood up as well, saying, "Cousin, I'll head back now."

Lu Zhan put down his bowl and called out to her, "Cousin."

Zhiwan stopped and turned around to ask, "Cousin, is something the matter?"

Lu Zhan paused, stood up, walked to her, and looked down at her. "It's been a while since we last met. My cousin seems... distant from me?"

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she clenched her handkerchief uncomfortably.

She was clearly happy to hear that her cousin was coming back, but for some reason, she felt a little timid and uncomfortable when facing him this time.

I wonder if it's because her cousin looks too much like the man in her dream?
And, I wonder if she's being too sensitive? She always felt that the way her cousin looked at her was different from before.

"Hmm?" After not receiving a response from her for a long time, Lu Zhan asked in a low voice.

Zhiwan snapped out of her daze and shook her head casually, "No, it's just that you're overthinking it, cousin."

"That's good." Lu Zhan said calmly, his gaze falling on her right arm. "How's the injury on your hand? Does it still hurt?"

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan touched her right hand and shook her head, saying, "It doesn't hurt anymore. I should thank my cousin for having someone find the ointment."

　My head is spinning. There's one more chapter, so I'll have to update a little later.
　　(End of this chapter)