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

Chapter 245 might also be unable to control himself.

Zhiwan didn't know how to explain it. Her relationship with her cousin was complicated and she couldn't let others know.

After thinking for a moment, she made up an excuse: "My cousin in Yangzhou found out that I still have a living relative, so I went to see him. But it turned out that there was a mistake."

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Zhenzhu thought it had stirred up painful memories and felt somewhat apologetic. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's alright." Zhiwan shook her head, took her hand, and asked, "You said you came to see me twice before, was there something wrong?"

"Yes, there is something." Ouyang Zhenzhu nodded hurriedly. "My cousin went on a date with you last time, didn't he? What did you think of him?"

Zhiwan was taken aback.

If Pearl hadn't mentioned it, she would have almost forgotten about Chen Junyu.

After thinking for a moment, she said, "He's a nice person, but..."

Ouyang Zhenzhu quickly said, "If you think he's good, then I'll arrange for you two to meet again tomorrow. You don't know, ever since my cousin met you, you've been the only one in his heart and eyes."

Zhiwan was startled and hurriedly said, "Pearl, I can't see him anymore."

"Why?" Ouyang Zhenzhu asked, puzzled.

"I...I'm going to marry my cousin," Zhiwan said, feeling a little shy.

Life is truly amazing.

In the past, it seemed impossible for her and her cousin to end up together.

Putting aside the age difference between the two, her cousin's cold and unapproachable personality had always intimidated her, and she had always avoided him.

Unexpectedly, she ended up sharing a dream with her cousin, and they did everything in the dream.

She still feels ashamed when she thinks about it now.

"What?" Ouyang Zhenzhu looked astonished, thinking she had misheard. "You said, who are you going to marry?"

Zhiwan coughed lightly and said seriously, "My cousin and I have set our wedding date for the 23rd of next month. You must come to our wedding banquet then."

"Ahhh—" Ouyang Zhenzhu screamed in a series of screams, "You're actually going to marry Lord Lu? Oh my god, am I dreaming? Wanwan, pinch me!"

Zhiwan was both amused and exasperated, and gently pinched her arm.

Ouyang Zhenzhu hissed, "It hurts, I'm not dreaming."

“Of course you’re not dreaming,” Zhiwan said with a smile.

Ouyang Zhenzhu suddenly gave her a thumbs up.

"Wanwan, I admire none of the noble ladies in the capital more than you!"

"You're exaggerating," Zhiwan chuckled.

“I’m sincere.” Ouyang Zhenzhu sat down next to her. “So many noble ladies dream of marrying Lord Lu, but he doesn’t fancy any of them. Only you can catch his eye. Tell me quickly, how exactly did you captivate him?”

Zhiwan glanced at her. "What you're trying to say is, what methods did I use?"

Ouyang Zhenzhu said awkwardly, "I didn't think that way. Actually, when we went to Yangzhou together, I noticed that Lord Lu treated you differently. I didn't expect that Lord Lu had hidden it so well. He really had his eye on you for a long time."

However, if I were a man, with such a beautiful cousin like you by my side, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to resist, hehe!

"Don't talk nonsense. My cousin didn't have any romantic feelings for me back then," Zhiwan quickly explained.

"So when did you two... develop feelings for each other?" Ouyang Zhenzhu teased.

Zhi Wan paused, somewhat bewildered by the question. Her cousin had discovered before her that she was the one he shared a dream with. According to him, he had noticed something amiss when they went to Red Leaf Village, and later, at Hongyun Restaurant, he confirmed that she was indeed the one he shared a dream with.

Later in real life, her cousin did treat her differently.

Looking back now, my cousin's attitude towards her became subtle after that incident at Hongyun Restaurant.

She remembered that the morning after that night, in the villa, her cousin had pinned a crabapple blossom in her hair.

At the time, she felt a little strange about such intimate behavior, but she didn't think much of it. After all, she had always respected her cousin and regarded him as an older brother.

After that, although her cousin continued to do many unusual things, she was puzzled but didn't take it to heart, thinking that her cousin really treated her as his own sister.

On another occasion, when she returned to the capital, Chen Jiu insisted that she write a letter to her cousin. She did, telling him about the recent situation in the mansion. Unexpectedly, her cousin replied immediately, and his words were filled with an ambiguous feeling that was hard to explain.

But because her cousin was someone she respected, she didn't think about romantic feelings between them.

Looking back now, I think the reason my cousin was attracted to her and wanted to marry her was because she was the girl of his dreams.

Does your cousin prefer the girl in your dreams or the girl in reality?

Zhiwan was somewhat curious.

"What are you thinking about so intently?" Ouyang Zhenzhu suddenly nudged her.

Zhiwan snapped out of her reverie, quickly clearing her mind of all distractions, and shook her head, saying, "No."

Ouyang Zhenzhu smiled and said, "I need to tell my brother about this as soon as possible. I'm sure he'll be even more shocked than I am when he finds out."

Upon hearing this, Zhiwan wanted to stop her, but then she thought that she was going to marry her cousin sooner or later, and Ouyang Shaoqing would find out anyway, so she didn't say anything.

"Sigh!" Ouyang Zhenzhu suddenly sighed heavily, "My cousin is going to be heartbroken."

When Chen Junyu was mentioned, Zhiwan felt a little guilty, but then she thought that she had not made any promises to him, and the two had only met twice.

But no matter what, she still bore some responsibility for this matter, so she said, "Please apologize to him for me. We are not suitable for each other. I sincerely wish him to find a better girl who is more suitable for him."

Ouyang Zhenzhu nodded. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him." She then teased, "But if it were me, I would also choose Lord Lu. Lord Lu is so outstanding and handsome, no girl wouldn't be tempted by him. Of course, my cousin isn't bad either."

Zhiwan feigned anger and said, "You wouldn't still be thinking about my cousin, would you?"

"I didn't!" Ouyang Zhenzhu denied it outright. After a pause, she added, "Alright, I did admire Lord Lu a little bit before, but since Lord Lu never gives me a kind look, I won't bother him."

“I know that the person you like right now is Duan Shaoqing,” Zhi Wan teased.

Ouyang Zhenzhu stared in astonishment, her eyes wide with disdain, and said, "You're talking nonsense! I don't like that womanizer at all!"

"No? Then why are you so agitated?" Zhiwan asked with a half-smile.

"Who told you to think of me like that?" Ouyang Zhenzhu's voice lowered.

"Then let's just say it was my guess. But Duan Shaoqing will be returning to the capital soon," Zhiwan said with a smile.

"Whether he comes back or not is none of my business," Ouyang Zhenzhu scoffed.

“Yes, you’re neither his wife nor his family, so whether he comes back or not really has little to do with you.” Zhiwan nodded seriously. “I suppose those courtesans would rather he come back!”

"Zhiwan!" Ouyang Zhenzhu gritted her teeth. "Are you deliberately trying to annoy me?"

"How did I upset you? Don't you dislike Duan Shaoqing? You wouldn't care whether he goes to brothels or not, would you?" Zhiwan looked at her in surprise.

"I...I...Lord Lu is back, so I asked my brother to invite him to a brothel, where he'll find a bunch of girls to drink with him!" Ouyang Zhenzhu said, thinking herself malicious.

(End of this chapter)