Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting with winning over Daiyu's favorability

Chapter 222 Accident

Deng Zechen wasn't surprised by this. He was joking; what kind of ordinary person could be by the Grand Princess's side? A security captain was already a top-tier expert!

Although this top-notch expert is currently just a guard in the Deng family, no one would underestimate him.

Bai Shuang'er walked ahead alone, hearing laughter and chatter behind her. She wanted to interject but didn't know what to say, as if the two of them always had something to talk about.

Seeing Qin Keqing's reaction, Bai Shuang'er knew that what she had just said was a waste of time; it seemed that the girl hadn't listened to a word she said!

It's obvious from this that she was spoiled rotten by a wealthy family and is completely unaware of the dangers of the world.

Others might not know, but Qin Keqing knew all too well that there was no proper place to rest in the study. Sun Junyue clearly didn't want to get too involved in the affairs of the younger generation and deliberately made an excuse to avoid it.

On one side was her own older sister, and on the other was the sweetheart who had always taken good care of her. Qin Keqing naturally hoped that the two of them could completely resolve their misunderstandings. Now, being able to sit at the same table for a meal was the perfect opportunity.

Therefore, when the three of them sat on the table laden with delicacies, Qin Keqing sat in the middle, serving soup to one person and serving dishes to another, looking very busy.

While taking the soup bowl, Deng Zechen advised, "Don't bother, this table isn't very big anyway, we can reach it ourselves."

Qin Keqing nodded to indicate that she understood, then turned back to serve food to Bai Shuang'er. The meaning was clear: knowing was one thing, but whether she was willing to do it was another.

Seeing that Qin Keqing was determined to do so, Deng Zechen stopped trying to persuade her. He just wanted her to stop serving him food. Didn't he see the look in the other person's eyes? She really wanted to eat him like a dish.

In fact, that was exactly what Bai Shuang'er thought, especially when she saw Qin Keqing serving food to that man who was clearly ruthless and good at pretending, she almost chewed up her chopsticks and swallowed them.

What exactly does my sister do at your house? You let her do this kind of thing? She's so skilled at it, you must have made her do it a lot! And yet she's so protective of you and speaks up for you!

However, this unfounded speculation did not cloud her judgment. She simply kept eating, and somehow managed to exude murderous intent while eating.

Deng Zechen noticed this subtle change, but pretended not to know it. He'd said everything he needed to say, and if Bai Shuang'er still stuck on this, there was nothing he could do.

Regardless of what the two of them were thinking, they managed to maintain a basic level of peace, which Qin Keqing felt was a good start. Everything is difficult at the beginning, but once things are out in the open, everything will be fine.

They said they were just having a meal together, but it turned out that the three of them just got together for a meal and that was it.

As they parted, Qin Keqing felt a pang of reluctance to leave this sister she had just met, a sister with a completely different yet remarkably similar personality: "Sister, you must come to see me. I will come here to visit you often."

Bai Shuang'er hesitated, "It's not convenient for me to leave the princess's residence at will right now—"

Qin Keqing was not entirely unaware of Bai Shuang'er's identity, and answered quite readily, "Then I will come here to see you often, sister. Please don't bother me."

So Bai Shuang'er showed her first genuine smile of the day: "I'm so glad you came, how could I bother you?" After the two sisters said goodbye, Qin Keqing took the lead and entered the carriage that the princess's mansion had prepared in advance. Bai Shuang'er's smile disappeared instantly after Qin Keqing entered the carriage, and her expression was still a little awkward.

Seeing that Deng Zechen was about to leave after bowing slightly, Bai Shuang'er reluctantly spoke up: "Thank you for taking care of my sister. I was wrong about what happened before, please don't hold it against her."

"Miss Bai is too kind. Miss Qin and I are not related, but we are closer than family. What happened back then was just a misunderstanding. Why would I keep holding onto it? It would be best if Miss Bai didn't blame me."

"Are you implying that I'm being unreasonable and then turning around and blaming others?"

Deng Zechen felt somewhat helpless. "You know that's not what I meant—"

"It's good that you're not. I've been a bit unsettled lately and tend to say the wrong thing. Please forgive me. You should go quickly and not keep her waiting."

Bai Shuang'er knew she wasn't feeling well today and didn't want to dwell on the matter any further. Since she had already explained...

I understand now. Let's let this matter rest and move on.

After watching the carriage carrying the two of them disappear from her sight, Bai Shuang'er stood there for a while, lost in thought, before finally returning to the princess's residence without saying a word.

When the two returned to the Deng residence, it was still early, so Qin Keqing went to the shop again to continue her business.

Deng Zechen, on the contrary, became the only idle person in the mansion, and seemed to have nothing to do at home alone.

However, he didn't want to deliberately find something to do during his rare rest time, so he just wandered around the house aimlessly and finally stopped in the yard where the geese and black-boned chickens were kept.

The two geese, raised alongside the plump, glossy-feathered black-boned chickens, actually looked rather endearing.

It's winter now. Whether you consider the time or the distance, Lin Ruhai will arrive in the capital by the end of the month at the latest. At that time, the two families will really start to carefully prepare for the wedding.

He had no parents or elders to help him with this matter, so he had to do everything himself. Fortunately, Zhang Bingzhu gave him some pointers, which prevented him from being completely lost.

Speaking of this, Deng Zechen really felt that his cheap master was like a mysterious NPC who had completed a key mission and then disappeared without a trace. After passing the imperial examination with the highest score, he immediately prepared generous gifts and paid a visit, only to find that the Li residence was empty and there was no one there.

Although Li Jieran was always elusive and rarely seen, his sudden departure still surprised him somewhat. (A person lives to seventy.)

It's rare to see someone this old, still traveling around all day, which really made him nervous.

When Song He found Deng Zechen in the courtyard, he saw him standing alone in a daze, staring at the black-boned chickens and geese, lost in thought.

"Master, Miss Lin has arrived. She seems to have something very important to discuss with you and is currently waiting for you in the reception room."

Lin Daiyu? Why would she suddenly come over at this time? Today is a day off, it's not usually a day off, how did she know I happened to be home today?

Did she say what it was about, or did anything seem amiss?

Deng Zechen strode towards the reception room, asking Song He, who was following beside him, a question. Song He seemed to have been prepared for this: "Miss Lin only said that she had something important to discuss with you, and didn't say anything else. But I saw that she looked panicked, so I had someone settle her in and then came to find you immediately."

A sense of unease suddenly welled up in his heart. He didn't ask any more questions, but simply quickened his pace.