Chapter 254: 倒贴

"I am Qiu Honglei from the Immortal Dwelling, my lord. Have you forgotten so soon?" Qiu Honglei gave him a chiding look.

"A courtesan, yet you're concerned with Duke Mingyue's family affairs and analyze their crucial points with such clarity. You're certainly not like an ordinary brothel woman," Zu An said with a sneer.

Qiu Honglei sighed softly, "My lord, weren't you just in the hall, boasting to those men that you'd be gentle with me?"

Zu An was speechless.

Even with his thick skin, he felt incredibly awkward hearing her words.

"That was just to annoy them, a joke," Zu An explained sheepishly, no longer able to maintain his cold demeanor.

"Even so, meeting you alone tonight, and with what you said, everyone now believes I've lost my purity to you, and I can no longer be a chaste courtesan as before." The more Qiu Honglei spoke, the sadder she became, tears streaming continuously down her cheeks like broken pearls.

Zu An inwardly marveled at her skill. Even though he knew she was pretending, he couldn't help but feel a surge of pity.

Qiu Honglei sobbed, "Although Honglei chose you today... I am not a casual woman. Naturally, I need to inquire about your family situation, whether your wife is jealous, and if her family will accept me."

"That's why I wanted to verify things with you before making a final decision. I had no idea you would misunderstand me so."

"Over the years in this profession, I've heard too many heartbreaking lessons from my predecessors: either encountering a heartless man or a shrewish wife, which ruined their lifelong happiness."

"Honglei doesn't want to repeat their mistakes..."

She acted with such sincerity, entirely like a young woman insecure in love. Even a heart of steel would melt from her tears.

Unfortunately, Zu An was not an ordinary person; his focus was always peculiar. "From what you're saying, are you planning to entrust your life to me?"

"If my lord does not dislike Honglei's humble appearance, and Miss Chu and her family do not mind, I... I would naturally be willing," Qiu Honglei said, shyly lowering her head as a blush spread from the base of her neck.

Looking at the incomparably enchanting beauty before him, Zu An exclaimed, "If you call that a 'humble appearance,' then everyone in the world must be ugly."

Only then did Qiu Honglei break into a smile through her tears. "My lord, you're joking. Please never mention such things in front of Miss Chu. Honglei wouldn't want to be envied by the main wife even before entering the household."

She had completely immersed herself in the role, as if she were a concubine about to join the family.

"Don't worry, Chuyan herself told me she doesn't mind if I find other women," Zu An reiterated. "You also don't need to worry about her not accepting you. In our household, if I tell her to go east, she wouldn't dare go west."

Qiu Honglei secretly pursed her lips, thinking, *Who would believe that?*

"There's just one other difficulty," Zu An said, looking troubled.

"What is it?" Qiu Honglei asked curiously. *Could it be the Chu couple? Indeed, if I were Duke Mingyue, I'd hardly agree to a live-in son-in-law taking a concubine. Where would that leave the Chu family's reputation?*

Zu An openly scrutinized her, his direct gaze causing Qiu Honglei's heart to beat a little faster.

"What are you looking at, my lord?"

"You are truly beautiful. Your face and figure are so exquisite, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call you a beauty that could topple cities."

Qiu Honglei's lips curled slightly. *This fellow has finally realized my charm.* "As long as my lord likes it. But you still haven't said what the difficulty is."

"That *is* the difficulty," Zu An said. "You're too beautiful, and you're the most famous courtesan in Mingyue City. How could the Immortal Dwelling possibly let you go?"

Qiu Honglei breathed a sigh of relief. "My lord, please rest assured. The contract I signed with the Immortal Dwelling is not a typical indenture. We previously agreed to part ways amicably. As long as I pay a redemption fee, they won't make things difficult for me."

"But for a top courtesan like you, the redemption fee must be very expensive. You know, I'm just a live-in son-in-law; I don't have much money," Zu An said sheepishly, revealing his biggest dilemma.

Qiu Honglei was speechless.

*I'd believe a ghost before I believe you! Everyone in Mingyue City knows you won 7.5 million taels from the Silver Hook Casino, and later hundreds of thousands more from another casino during the family competition. And you claim to have no money?*

However, she didn't show it, saying with a shy expression, "My lord, you needn't worry. Over the years, Honglei has saved some private money, which is enough to buy my freedom."

"That's wonderful!"

Zu An laughed heartily, but secretly, he frowned.

*This woman is actually willing to pay her own way to marry him! Although I'm handsome, elegant, wealthy, and well-endowed... a recognized slayer of young women and married ladies, who is Qiu Honglei? The most popular courtesan for a thousand li around. With a flick of her finger, she could make countless men go through fire and water for her. A notorious 'straight man killer,' would she actively offer herself to a man? Who would believe that? Hmm, could it be that my charm has unknowingly far surpassed my own estimation?*

As his thoughts swirled, so did Qiu Honglei's.

*This man in front of her couldn't be treated like those outwardly clever but actually pig-headed fools she usually encountered.* Due to the recent lesson, she realized she had been too hasty and dared not directly ask him about the Chu family again.

Instead, she redirected the conversation to more romantic topics. "Let's not talk about these mundane matters for now. Honglei has always been curious: how did my lord compose the 'Smiling Proudly in the Jianghu' melody?"

"Oh, I seemed to hear someone playing it in my dream, and then I learned it," Zu An replied casually. It wasn't that he wanted to act like a gentleman, but he dared not truly admit he composed the piece. *Because he only remembered a few tunes. What if someone asked him to compose more later? So, it's better to avoid such empty fame, lest he be praised too highly and fall harder later.*

Qiu Honglei couldn't help but exclaim, "Before, when I read in books about some people whose talent was truly heaven-bestowed, I didn't quite believe it. It wasn't until I met my lord that I realized such people truly exist in the world."

Zu An was speechless.

*Please stop flattering me; I really need to keep a low profile.*

"By the way, the melody you played earlier clearly poured out genuine emotion. Who was that man, exactly?" Unable to stand being continuously praised, Zu An quickly changed the subject.

"My lord can rest assured, that was merely artistic creation. Honglei has never had a beloved before; you... are the first." The shy expression between Qiu Honglei's brows as she spoke truly drove countless men wild.

Zu An smiled. He knew it was best to just listen to what these courtesans said and not take it seriously; otherwise, he'd be the one hurt in the end, and they'd mock him behind his back.

"Does that story describe the past events involving your parents?"

With a crisp sound, the wine cup in Qiu Honglei's hand accidentally fell onto the table, and the smile vanished from her face.

After a long moment, she let out a deep sigh. "Even if I said it wasn't, I suppose my lord wouldn't believe me now, would he?"

"What exactly happened between them back then? Has your mother truly passed away?" Zu An asked curiously. He had vaguely heard something from Leng Shuangyue before, but she wasn't very clear on the details.

Qiu Honglei took a deep breath, her previous cheerful demeanor vanishing. Her voice became colder than ever. "I don't want to discuss their affairs."

As soon as she spoke, she felt a pang of regret. *I've probably offended him terribly now. It took so much effort to get him into my trap today; to fail like this would be an absolute shame. It's all my fault for still being unable to let go of what happened back then.*

To her surprise, Zu An laughed. "Miss, do you know that you look much more real and charming now than before?"

Qiu Honglei's expression was complex. "My lord, you truly are nothing like the person in the rumors."

Zu An extended his hand. "Let's reintroduce ourselves. My name is Zu An; you can call me Ah Zu."

Qiu Honglei paused, and though she didn't know what kind of etiquette this was, she instinctively reached out her hand. Their hands gently clasped together. "My name is Qiu Honglei; you can call me Honglei."

She was somewhat surprised at why she had initiated physical contact with a man. Perhaps it was his clear gaze just now, or perhaps it was the fleeting moment of being moved.

Just as the two were immersed in the tranquility of the moment, a commotion suddenly erupted outside.

Then came the terrified screams of women and the raucous laughter of men.

Qiu Honglei's delicate brows furrowed. She knocked on the cabin wall, asking the boatman outside, "What's happening?"

"Miss, there are river bandits... Ah!"

*Splash!* He had clearly fallen into the water.

Immediately after, the small boat rocked violently, as if several people had jumped aboard.

"This boat smells good. Maybe there's a beauty inside."

"If there are women, who gets to go first?"

"Let's go together!"

Several lewd and vulgar voices rang out.