Chapter 290: Refusing to Meet
Su Chen stood in the courtyard, a faint smile on his face as he looked at the closed window.
’Little Fei looks so cute with her hair down like that.’
After combing her hair, Gu Fei finally came out of her room.
She curtsied to Su Chen.
"Young Master Su, what are you doing here—"
Su Chen said gently, "I received your letter last night and rode through the night to get here."
"This whole situation is my fault. I was thoughtless to bring Mr. Xu to your establishment. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it."
Gu Fei was momentarily unsure whether she felt more touched or something else entirely. She hadn’t expected Su Chen to rush here overnight after receiving her letter.
She could only give Su Chen a deep curtsy. "You must be exhausted from traveling all night, Young Master. Why don’t I get a room for you to rest for a while? I’ll have someone bring breakfast to your room later."
Su Chen waved his hand. "There’s no need to rest. I am a bit hungry, though. After breakfast, I’ll go to the Ning’an Marquis Mansion to find Mr. Xu."
"Then please have a seat for a moment, Young Master. I’ll go check on the kitchen." Gu Fei hurried to the kitchen, while Lian’er led Su Chen into the main hall.
Gu Erlang was at the front, taking down the door boards.
Sister Hua hadn’t arrived yet, so Gu Fei quickly started cooking some white rice porridge.
She then took out some flour, kneaded the dough, and rolled it out to make noodles.
After bustling about for a while, Gu Fei ladled out some chicken broth that had been simmering on the stove and made a few bowls of chicken noodle soup. Lian’er carried them out. When the porridge was nearly done, Gu Fei brought it and a few side dishes into the main hall.
This time, Su Chen had brought two servants with him, one named Liuguang and the other Yue Ying. The two of them were sitting at another table, eating noodles.
Gu Fei placed the porridge and side dishes on their table, and the two servants thanked her repeatedly.
Su Chen ate elegantly. Seeing his haggard expression and the dark circles under his eyes, she felt a pang of guilt.
She quietly brewed a cup of hot tea and placed it on his table.
Before long, Su Chen finished his breakfast and stood up. "I’m heading to the Ning’an Marquis Mansion now. Don’t worry, Miss Gu. Wait for my news."
Gu Fei nodded, watching as Su Chen boarded his carriage.
Less than half an hour later, Su Chen arrived at the side gate of the Ning’an Marquis Mansion.
Su Chen waited in the carriage while a servant got down to present his calling card. The gatekeeper went inside to announce him.
After waiting for nearly the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the gatekeeper came out and bowed to Su Chen in the carriage. "Young Master Su, a maid from the second gate just passed on a message. Our Second Young Master went out early this morning and is not currently in the mansion."
Su Chen’s expression turned cold. Without a word to the gatekeeper, he ordered Yue Ying, who was driving the carriage, "Go."
Liuguang, walking alongside the carriage, couldn’t help but mutter, "Young Master, I think Mr. Xu just doesn’t want to see you. This ’went out’ business is just an excuse."
Su Chen sneered. "That lecherous bastard. Head back to the inn. I’d like to see if he really dares to snatch someone away in broad daylight."
Not long after, the carriage returned to the inn. Su Chen stepped down, and when Gu Fei saw his grim expression, the words on the tip of her tongue died.
Su Chen’s expression softened slightly as he faced Gu Fei. "Mr. Xu wasn’t at the mansion."
"Don’t worry, Miss Gu. I’ll wait here at the inn today. When he arrives, I’ll speak with him."
Gu Fei nodded. "In that case, Young Master Su, you should go rest first. If he really does show up, I’ll send someone to call you."
She called for Lian’er to get a key, opened up a first-class room, and had Su Chen go rest.
Su Chen had traveled all night and was indeed exhausted, so he went upstairs.
Gu Fei had only been sitting behind the counter for a moment when she saw the Chief of the Government Office arrive with about a dozen officers.