The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night

Zhi Wan: "..."

She glanced down at herself, making sure nothing inappropriate was showing, and only then did she let out a sigh of relief.

Dressed in her underclothes, she stepped into the pool. Seeing Ouyang Zhenzhu constantly covering her nose, she asked, "What’s wrong with your nose?"

Ouyang Zhenzhu turned her head away, her voice muffled. "It’s nothing. I probably ate too much grilled food yesterday and got a bit overheated."

Upon hearing this, Zhi Wan walked over and pulled her hand away, only to see two trickles of blood running from her nose.

Zhi Wan: "..."

Seeing that she’d been found out, Ouyang Zhenzhu stopped hiding it. She wiped the blood with the back of her hand and said with a chuckle, "I really am just overheated. That’s why my nose is bleeding."

Zhi Wan looked at her, utterly speechless.

Ouyang Zhenzhu cleared her throat. "Alright, fine. I admit it. I got a nosebleed because I saw your figure."

Zhi Wan: "..."

She couldn’t help but scoot aside, putting some distance between them. Then, with a serious expression, she said, "Zhenzhu, I’m not into women."

Ouyang Zhenzhu stared at her in astonishment.

When it dawned on her, she shrieked, "You don’t actually think I like women and was just lusting after your body, do you?"

Zhi Wan frowned. "Then why did you get a nosebleed?"

Ouyang Zhenzhu choked.

She realized she couldn’t explain her way out of this.

"Well, that’s obviously because... you’re so big." After a moment, Ouyang Zhenzhu stammered out an explanation.

Zhi Wan’s face burned, but she unhesitatingly scooted a little further away.

’I’m still wearing my underclothes, yet Zhenzhu got a nosebleed just looking at me.’

She looked at Ouyang Zhenzhu with a mix of alarm and suspicion.

’This girl... could she be a pervert?’

Seeing her reaction, Ouyang Zhenzhu was furious. "What’s that supposed to mean? Are you disgusted with me?"

"No," Zhi Wan denied, splashing some water on herself. After a quick rinse, she got out of the pool. "You take your time. I’m going to head out."

Ouyang Zhenzhu slapped the water, annoyed. "Zhi Wan, don’t go too far! How could you misunderstand me like that?"

Zhi Wan ignored her, quickly changed into her dress, and walked out, carrying her wet underclothes.

Both she and Zhenzhu had brought a change of clothes, but her cousin hadn’t allowed them to bring maids, so they were on their own.

Now that their clothes were wet, they had to wash and dry them themselves.

As she left, she thoughtfully pulled the door shut behind her.

Lu Zhan had just finished speaking with the steward and was walking over when he saw his cousin approaching in a panic, her hair still wet.

"What happened?" Lu Zhan asked, steadying her by the shoulders as he looked down at her.

Zhi Wan froze, staring at him blankly. In her shock, the clothes in her hands slipped to the ground, and she didn’t even notice.

’What is wrong with Cousin?’

’When he put his arm around my waist before, I could still find excuses to comfort myself. But now he’s putting his hands on my shoulders. How am I supposed to explain this?’

’It’s one thing for a cousin to care for his younger cousin, but this kind of physical contact is truly inappropriate.’

Zhi Wan’s heart was in a flurry. Just as she was about to push him away, she saw that he had already withdrawn his hands and was bending down.

Zhi Wan paused. She looked down and saw him picking up the clothes she had dropped.

Her mind had been in a fog, but the sight of her cousin holding her bodice shocked her back to her senses. She snatched it back and hid it behind her.

Her face was scarlet, burning with profound embarrassment.

’How could Cousin touch my intimate apparel?’

Zhi Wan stared at Lu Zhan in disbelief.

Lu Zhan froze for a second, his eyes having caught the bodice embroidered with twin lotus blossoms.

Seeing the girl staring at him with such shock, he suddenly didn’t know what to say.

’Could he tell her that he’d seen even more intimate parts of her?’

"My apologies. I didn’t notice what it was," Lu Zhan said after a moment.

Zhi Wan’s lips parted, but the words "it’s fine" never came out.

Her cousin may not have meant to, but he had indeed touched her intimate apparel.

The memory of her cousin picking up her undergarment made her so embarrassed she wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it.

She wanted to just run away, but thinking of her cousin’s strange behavior lately, she endured the awkwardness to give him a reminder. "I have always respected you, Cousin, and seen you as my own brother. But there are some boundaries that even true siblings cannot cross. I hope you will be more mindful, Cousin!"

Lu Zhan: "..."

Clutching her clothes, Zhi Wan quickly ran off.

Only when she had run some distance away did she slow down, but her heart was still troubled.

Whether she had misunderstood her cousin or not, men and women were expected to keep their distance. She couldn’t stay with him any longer. As soon as her parents’ case was resolved, she had to get back to the Capital City.

’I wonder if my aunt has found any good candidates for a husband to marry into our family?’

Zhi Wan felt a little hopeful!

「That evening.」

Ouyang Zhenzhu brought Zhi Wan’s dinner into her room.

"Wanwan, why didn’t you come out to eat? Mr. Lu went hunting in the mountains this afternoon and caught a lot of game. They’re roasting it in the front courtyard right now, and it smells delicious," Ouyang Zhenzhu said, confused, as soon as she entered.

Zhi Wan was avoiding dinner because she didn’t dare face her cousin, but she couldn’t very well tell Zhenzhu that, so she lied, "I don’t have much of an appetite."

"Why all of a sudden? You have no appetite?" Ouyang Zhenzhu was a little worried. "You’re not getting sick, are you?"

"No," Zhi Wan shook her head.

"Well, you should eat something anyway, just to have something in your stomach." Ouyang Zhenzhu placed the food in front of her.

"Alright." Zhi Wan nodded and sat up.

A moment later, Ouyang Zhenzhu stared in amazement at the empty plates and bowl on the table, then looked at Zhi Wan.

’So much for not having an appetite!’

’She doesn’t look like she has no appetite at all!’

Zhi Wan was a little embarrassed. After letting out a small burp, she guiltily lay back down. "Zhenzhu, I’m not feeling well. I’m going to rest now."

Ouyang Zhenzhu folded her arms and looked at her. "What is really going on with you?"

"Nothing," Zhi Wan shook her head. "Maybe it’s just the summer heat getting to me. I feel a bit lazy."

Seeing this, Ouyang Zhenzhu sighed helplessly. "Alright then, get some rest." A thought occurred to her, and she added strangely, "Wanwan, don’t you think it’s odd? Mr. Lu brought all those beauties with him, but he hasn’t summoned any of them tonight. Didn’t he bring them along for his own amusement?"

Now, just hearing the word "cousin" reminded Zhi Wan of the afternoon’s embarrassing incident.

"Who knows what he’s thinking?" she mumbled.

’I hope I’ve just misunderstood my cousin.’

’But his recent actions made it impossible for me to make excuses for him. Visiting brothels, keeping courtesans, putting his arm around my waist and his hands on my shoulders, and even touching my intimate apparel...’

’None of these were the actions of an upright gentleman.’

This troubled her so much that she didn’t even want to see her cousin anymore.

She just hoped her parents’ case would be resolved soon so she could return to the Capital City.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Just then, there was a sudden knock at the door.

Ouyang Zhenzhu went to open it. Seeing Lu Zhan standing outside, she was utterly surprised. "Mr. Lu?"