368 Is 500 taels enough?

It was midsummer; the breeze was gentle, the wind light, and there was no rain.

In the courtyard filled with flowers, two young women bathed in the moonlight. One, dressed in white, was serene and beautiful; the other, in a red gown, was bright and captivating.

From a distance, they resembled a perfect painting.

"Drinking unrefined wine under the moonlight truly has a unique flavor," Zhao Zhitong said with a slight smile.

Liu Baixue's eyes were as gentle as water. "Though it may have a unique flavor, we shouldn't drink too much."

Zhao Zhitong poured herself another glass, downed it, and said resentfully, "It's one thing for Qiao Muchen to keep an eye on me, but now even you are stopping me from drinking, Baixue."

Liu Baixue said helplessly, "I'm just looking out for you. You yourself said that every time you drink too much and wake up, you regret it, don't you?"

Zhao Zhitong laughed. "I'm happy today, so it's fine. I'll just drink a tiny bit more; I promise I won't get drunk."

As Zhao Zhitong spoke, she gestured with her hand, clearly already somewhat tipsy.

Liu Baixue clearly didn't believe her at all.

Suddenly thinking of something, Zhao Zhitong asked, "Oh, by the way, Baixue, what do you think of my brother?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Baixue paused, lowering her eyes. "He's very good, really good." But I am just a flower about to wither; how could I be worthy of him?

Zhao Zhitong asked, "Then why don't you...?"

Liu Baixue sighed softly, looked up at the starry sky, and said, "Tongtong, you once told me that everyone should keep a soft place in their heart to appreciate the beauty of this world. I think Zhao Yu is like that, isn't he? He's like a ball of fire, crashing headlong into my life. And I am ice; I can't help but want to get close, yet I'm too timid to dare."

Zhao Zhitong knew Liu Baixue was talking about her illness and said, "Don't worry, Xiao Ge won't mind when he finds out. Besides, isn't your illness already improving? You'll definitely get better."

"But I mind," Liu Baixue replied. "Perhaps you don't understand. When you care about someone, you don't want them to see you at your worst."

That night, the two unknowingly talked and drank for a long time.

Zhao Zhitong had a low tolerance for alcohol and was already quite tipsy. By the time Qiao Muchen arrived, she was resting her head on the table, talking nonsense.

"Baixue, let's keep drinking."

Supporting the tipsy Zhao Zhitong, who was still raising her hand and shouting, Qiao Muchen shook his head and sighed.

"She can't handle her alcohol, yet she loves to drink. Honestly..."

Qiao Muchen greeted Liu Baixue before helping Zhao Zhitong to her room.

In a daze, Zhao Zhitong heard Qiao Muchen's voice. She turned to look at the person beside her, blinking. She blinked again, then reached out to pinch Qiao Muchen's face and giggled foolishly. "Oh, how am I seeing Qiao Muchen?"

"Teehee, you're so handsome, and your face is so soft! It's like a steamed bun; I want to eat it... I need to eat a big steamed bun..."

Qiao Muchen was speechless.

The next moment, Zhao Zhitong hugged Qiao Muchen and took a bite...

Qiao Muchen's body stiffened instantly, a surge of heat rushing to his head. The familiar, sweet fragrance, mixed with the faint scent of alcohol, filled his nostrils.

Qiao Muchen's Adam's apple bobbed as he fought to suppress a certain urge and tried to pry the little figure clinging to him off. "Zhao Zhitong, get off me!"

But Zhao Zhitong was clearly too intoxicated. When Qiao Muchen tried to pull her away, she not only refused to let go but hugged him even tighter, murmuring, "No, no, I won't get off."

In the space, Grandpa Bai covered his face, feeling he couldn't bear to watch anymore. Shaking his head, he directly shielded his perception of the outside world.

With the soft, fragrant girl in his arms—the girl he cherished—Qiao Muchen felt he was about to lose control. His eyes, clouded with desire, grew deep and intense as they fixed on Zhao Zhitong's cherry-red lips.

The thought that if it weren't him, but someone else in this situation, made Qiao Muchen's anger flare even hotter. He patted her cheek, warning, "Zhao Zhitong, you dare drink again, just you try!"

Zhao Zhitong wasn't necessarily afraid of him even when sober, let alone in her current muddled state. Therefore, Qiao Muchen's fierce warning had no effect at all.

Still clinging to Qiao Muchen, Zhao Zhitong blinked, her words alluring, "Hmm, Qiao Jiaojiao, you smell so good. It's so nice. I like it so much."

With that, she pressed her face against Qiao Muchen's neck and sniffed.

Qiao Muchen's gaze darkened further, his voice incredibly hoarse from restraint. "You asked for this!"

It's time to teach her a lesson.

Saying this, the next second, he swept Zhao Zhitong into a princess carry and strode towards the room.

「At dawn, the sky was just beginning to lighten.」

"Ugh."

With a groan, Zhao Zhitong rubbed her temples and slowly opened her eyes. "Ugh, my head hurts so much."

After a moment, Zhao Zhitong noticed her surroundings were unfamiliar; this wasn't her bedroom.

"Huh? Where am I?"

The words had barely left her lips when a magnetic male voice sounded beside her ear.

"Awake?"

A man's voice!

Instantly, Zhao Zhitong felt as if struck by five lightning bolts. She rigidly turned her head to look beside her. Then, an enlarged, handsome face appeared before her.

Zhao Zhitong shot up from the bed, pointed at the person on it, and stammered.

"Qiao... Qiao... You, you... We..."

Zhao Zhitong was so frightened she could barely speak, her mind a whirl of questions.

Qiao Muchen slowly sat up, looked at Zhao Zhitong, and the next moment, a wronged expression appeared on his face. "You have to take responsibility for me."

"What?" Zhao Zhitong was stunned by the counter-accusation.

Waking up to find them both in the same bed was startling enough, but Qiao Muchen now looked like he'd suffered a tremendous injustice. What was going on?

Qiao Muchen looked even more aggrieved. "You don't remember what happened last night?"

Zhao Zhitong immediately felt a twinge of guilt. She *had* drunk too much last night, and she truly didn't remember anything that followed.

While Zhao Zhitong frowned, trying hard to remember, Qiao Muchen sighed and, in a pitiful voice, recounted the previous night's events, adding plenty of spice.

Zhao Zhitong's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're saying I insisted on clinging to you last night and wouldn't let go? That I... I forced a kiss on you? And I stubbornly stayed in your bed, refusing to leave, and even... even did *that* to you?"

Qiao Muchen nodded without the slightest hint of guilt, completely unashamed of his embellishments and fabricated facts.

Zhao Zhitong looked utterly incredulous, finding it impossible to believe she would do such things.

At this, Qiao Muchen put on an even more pitiful expression. "Sigh, forget it. It seems you don't want to take responsibility for me. Just let me bear this alone. You can go."

He spoke as if Zhao Zhitong were a heartless woman who had abandoned him. Her lips twitched. "Hey, alright, alright! I'll take responsibility for you, okay?"

Then, she asked cautiously, "So, how... how do you want me to be responsible? Five hundred taels... is that... is that enough?"

She was calculating inwardly. She'd heard Zhao Yue mention that a top courtesan—a male one—at the Qinglou Chu Pavilion in the Capital City charged about five hundred taels of silver for a night. Yes, five hundred taels should be about right.

Ugh, my heart aches at the thought.

Meanwhile, Qiao Muchen, upon hearing her last sentence, nearly choked and spat out a mouthful of old blood.

If he knew what Zhao Zhitong was thinking right then, he probably would have had the urge to kill someone.