The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night

Standing outside the door was, of all people, Lu Zhan.

He lifted his gaze to peek inside the room and asked, "Is she all right? Is she feeling unwell?"

Coming back to her senses, Ouyang Zhenzhu replied, "It might be because of the heat. Wanwan is a bit lethargic, but there’s nothing seriously wrong with her."

At her words, Lu Zhan paused. He looked down at the roasted food in his hands, hesitating on whether he should give it to his cousin.

"Mr. Lu, did you come specially to bring Wanwan something to eat?" Ouyang Zhenzhu had now noticed the roasted food he was holding. She secretly swallowed and asked.

"Mm," Lu Zhan nodded. "Since she’s not feeling well, this sort of food isn’t suitable for her."

"Mr. Lu, give it to me! I can eat it," Ouyang Zhenzhu hurriedly called out to him.

Lu Zhan stopped and glanced at her before handing over the roasted food. "Then I’ll trouble you to take good care of my cousin."

Ouyang Zhenzhu accepted the food with delight and promised, "Don’t worry, Mr. Lu. I’ll be sure to take excellent care of Wanwan."

Lu Zhan grunted his acknowledgment and said no more.

Ouyang Zhenzhu was about to go inside when she saw he was still standing there. She glanced at him, a little confused. "Mr. Lu, you’re..."

Lu Zhan pressed his thin lips together, said nothing, and turned to leave.

Zhi Wan, who was inside the room, had heard the voices of Ouyang Zhenzhu and Lu Zhan. She couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed.

’My cousin came all this way just to bring me food, showing me so much concern, yet all I can think about is avoiding him.’

"Wanwan, Mr. Lu is so good to you! He even brought you food personally." At that moment, Ouyang Zhenzhu walked in carrying the roasted food. She was holding a roasted chicken leg and eating with great relish. "So delicious! Mr. Lu might have even roasted this for you himself. It’s a pity you have no appetite and can’t eat any of it right now."

Seeing this, Zhi Wan immediately threw back her covers, took a chicken wing from the plate Ouyang Zhenzhu was holding, and met her friend’s teasing gaze. She cleared her throat and explained, "I didn’t really have an appetite, but since you said my cousin might have roasted this himself... that’s such a rare treat. Naturally, I have to try my cousin’s cooking."

"Fine, but you can only have that one. The rest are mine. I’m the one who asked Mr. Lu for them, after all." As she spoke, Ouyang Zhenzhu took the plate and deliberately sat down a little farther away from Zhi Wan, as if afraid she would snatch them.

Zhi Wan was speechless.

She lowered her head and took a bite of the chicken wing. Her almond-shaped eyes lit up slightly.

’Did my cousin really roast this himself?’

’But doesn’t he dislike roasted food?’

’So why is he so good at making it?’

Perhaps it was because her last meal had been too bland, but the flavor of the roasted chicken wing was simply irresistible to Zhi Wan.

After she finished gnawing on the chicken wing, she couldn’t help but look toward Ouyang Zhenzhu.

Seeing her look, Ouyang Zhenzhu quickly clutched the plate protectively. "We just agreed! You can’t have any more."

Zhi Wan was speechless.

She silently opened a picture album, hoping to distract herself.

But the aroma of roasted meat had already filled the room. It was a unique fragrance that made one’s mouth water. To make matters worse, Ouyang Zhenzhu, unwilling to eat in silence, began to comment on the food in her hands with endless praise. "Mr. Lu’s skill is just too good! The outside of this chicken leg is roasted until it’s crispy and fragrant. And this wild rabbit meat is so tender and juicy. One bite could make you swallow your own tongue."

Zhi Wan was speechless.

Ouyang Zhenzhu took a bite of the roasted rabbit meat in her hand and sighed in admiration again. "If I could eat delicious food like this every day, I’d be happy to live here for a whole year."

Zhi Wan couldn’t take it anymore. She slapped the picture album face down on the table, suddenly shot up, and lunged toward her. She swiftly snatched the roasted rabbit meat from Ouyang Zhenzhu’s hand and took a big bite.

Ouyang Zhenzhu was speechless.

When she came to her senses, she pointed a finger accusingly. "Wanwan, you can’t be such a rascal! How is this any different from being a bandit?"

"I didn’t want to! You kept tempting me. I couldn’t control myself," Zhi Wan said indistinctly, her mouth full. She took another huge bite before handing the roasted rabbit meat back to her.

Ouyang Zhenzhu was speechless.

Staring at the rabbit leg, now just a bone, she cried out in grief and indignation, "I don’t care! You have to compensate me!"

"How am I supposed to compensate you?" Zhi Wan asked casually after swallowing the rabbit meat in her mouth.

"Mr. Lu is so good to you. If you ask him, he’d definitely be happy to roast more for you," Ouyang Zhenzhu said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Zhi Wan choked.

Suddenly, the rabbit meat she had just eaten no longer tasted so good.

"I... I can’t do that," Zhi Wan said with an embarrassed expression.

"Why not? Aren’t you on good terms with Mr. Lu? Besides, it’s so late, and when he saw you hadn’t come out for dinner, he brought you food himself. If my brother were half as good to me as Mr. Lu is to you, I’d wake up laughing in my dreams," Ouyang Zhenzhu said, her face full of jealousy.

For a moment, Zhi Wan didn’t know what to say.

Because her cousin really was very good to her.

’Am I really going to write him off and distance myself from him just because of his recent strange behavior?’

’Maybe I’m just overthinking things?’

’Maybe his intimacy is just because he truly sees me as a younger sister, and not because he has... other intentions like I thought.’

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but ask, "Zhenzhu, how do you and Junior Minister Ouyang usually get along?"

"How do we get along?" Ouyang Zhenzhu was confused. "It’s always the same. He loves to lecture me and criticize me. Why are you asking this?"

Zhi Wan gave a light cough and adopted a casual tone. "I’m just curious how normal brothers and sisters interact. I’ve noticed that you and Junior Minister Ouyang seem to roughhouse and bicker a lot."

"Bickering? That’s just a daily routine for us. When my brother’s in a bad mood, he’ll pull my hair, grab my collar, or even tuck me under his arm. He doesn’t treat me like a girl at all. It’s absolutely infuriating!" The more Ouyang Zhenzhu spoke, the angrier she became. "How did I end up with a brother like that?"

Zhi Wan’s heart stirred. "That was probably just when you were kids, right? You’re both grown up now."

Ouyang Zhenzhu snorted. "You’d be wrong. Ouyang Lei has only grown older, not wiser. He’s just as ridiculous as ever. When we go out, I don’t even want to admit he’s my brother."

Hearing this, Zhi Wan felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

She pictured the scene of Ouyang Zhenzhu being tucked under Ouyang Lei’s arm, and her lips twitched.

’So, it seems physical contact between a brother and sister in private is normal. Have I really been overthinking things?’

’But my cousin and I aren’t real siblings. And he held me by the waist...’

’Do other brothers and sisters wrap their arms around each other’s waists?’

’Considering my cousin is ten years older than me, maybe he really does just see me as a junior he’s taking care of?’

Zhi Wan was confused. She wanted to ask Ouyang Zhenzhu more, but she was afraid her questions would arouse suspicion, so she gave up on the idea.

「At the Liang Mansion.」

Looking at the group of subordinates who had returned in failure, Liang Qixian was overcome with fury. He slammed his fist on the table. "Useless fools! I sent so many of you, and you still let them escape? What good are you to me?"

His subordinates flinched and lowered their heads.

Liang Qixian clenched his fists, his expression dark and grim.

Just then, a guard who seemed to be the leader spoke up. "My lord, calm your anger! We may have fallen into a trap! Zhi Wan wasn’t with them at all!"

Liang Qixian’s expression changed. "Zhi Wan wasn’t with them? Didn’t they go to Jurong to retrieve the account books?"

"They did go for the account books. We saw them take the books with our own eyes. They even flipped through them and said they were going to hand them over to Mr. Lu immediately. Now the evidence of the crime is conclusive. Prefect Liang... will not be able to escape blame! But Zhi Wan wasn’t with them. She must have been at the Lu Family Villa the whole time. We tried to snatch the account books back, but the two men we fought were top-tier experts. Many of our brothers were lost at their hands," the lead guard replied.

When Liang Qixian heard this, his body swayed, and his heart sank to the depths.

’The account books are already in Lu Zhan’s hands?’