Chapter 652: Head-to-Head

Zu An quickly moved to the bed. "Youzhao, Youzhao?"

Seeing her clothes were intact, he breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he have the leisure to examine her closely. Her skin was fair with a healthy blush, and her long, curled eyelashes made her look like a delicate porcelain doll. Especially her slightly parted, moist red lips, gently panting, seemed to exude a silent allure.

No wonder that guy Cheng Gang made a move on him; how could any man be this handsome?

As Zu An mused, Chu Youzhao finally opened her eyes in a daze. Recognizing Zu An, a hint of confusion appeared on her face, and her voice was filled with naive sweetness: "Brother-in-law..."

Shuang Yue, standing by, felt goosebumps all over. It was truly bizarre to hear a man speak more alluringly than the courtesans of the Brothel Quarter.

Zu An caught a sweet scent from her mouth. Frowning, he looked at Shuang Yue: "What kind of wine is this?"

Shuang Yue explained, "The wine is mixed with a special drug from our sect that enhances desire. However, the dosage is very small and won't affect one's consciousness. I also didn't expect Cheng Gang to be so audacious as to make a move on a man..." She trailed off, seeing Chu Youzhao's charming appearance, thinking to herself, *Good heavens, even a woman would be tempted by this, let alone a man.*

Zu An suddenly understood. Qiu Honglei had mentioned earlier that they used drugs to help guests believe Shuang Yue was serving them. This wine must be part of that scheme.

At this moment, Shuang Yue looked worried: "Young Master, Cheng Gang's identity is not trivial. How should we handle this now?"

Zu An said in a low voice, "You don't need to worry. I'll handle things here. Just go and inform Honglei."

"Alright!" Shuang Yue had already intended to do so and quickly departed.

"Bro... brother-in-law, why are you here? Am I dreaming?" Chu Youzhao was still half-drunk, half-awake.

"Dreaming, dreaming. You were almost taken advantage of and didn't even know it." Zu An felt a bit depressed and tried to help her up. But she seemed to be as soft as if she had no bones; as soon as he let go, she couldn't sit up straight and simply collapsed into his arms.

"Brother-in-law, how could you... do this to me? I... I'll tell my sister... No..." Chu Youzhao lay in his arms, her eyes glistening, her jade-like cheeks flushed as if on fire.

Zu An: "???"

He was utterly confused. From her appearance, she still seemed to be in a dream. Annoyed, he slapped her directly on the bottom: "You're so young and already dreaming such nonsense!"

*Smack!* He expected her to wake up, but instead, she giggled foolishly: "Brother-in-law, why did you hit me? Is this how you usually play with my sister?"

Zu An was truly speechless now. This girl still thought she was dreaming. Helpless, he went to fetch a cup of tea. He initially thought of splashing it directly on her face to sober her up, but seeing her delicate, flawless face, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to do it. So he first helped her drink a few sips of tea, then dipped his finger in the tea and flicked droplets onto her face.

"Hm... hm?" Chu Youzhao finally began to regain her senses. "Brother-in-law, is that really you?"

"You should be glad it was me, or you'd be in tears right now with no one to console you," Zu An snorted in exasperation.

"How are you here?" Chu Youzhao hadn't noticed Cheng Gang nearby. Suddenly realizing her arms were wrapped around her brother-in-law's neck, she gasped in alarm and quickly pushed him away. "You pervert, let go of me!"

Zu An: "???"

He was almost laughing with exasperation, about to teach his sister-in-law a lesson in gratitude, when suddenly the window burst open. A sharp sword aura shot in, and the temperature in the room dropped several degrees. His heart tensed. He quickly turned around and executed "Spiritual Connection Finger," trapping the opponent's long sword between his fingers.

Just as he was about to counterattack, he clearly saw the opponent: dressed in snow-white robes, with flowing hair, she resembled an immortal fairy from a heavenly palace.

"Is that you?"

"It's you!"

Both spoke simultaneously.

"Sister!" Chu Youzhao rushed to the other person's side, shrinking behind her, and eyed Zu An warily. "Sis... this pervert was bullying me." She had instinctively intended to call him "brother-in-law," but halfway through, she suddenly realized this guy had just taken advantage of her, so why should she still call him that?

"What's going on?" Chu Chuyan looked at Zu An with a questioning expression. Although she was still angry about the morning's events, she didn't quite believe Zu An would do something like that. Seeing that she didn't immediately accuse him, Zu An felt a warmth in his heart. *My wife is still considerate of me.*

He rolled his eyes and pointed irritably at Cheng Gang. "Someone cross-dressed to come to the brothel and ended up lying drunk on the bed like a dead pig. But his appearance was so good that even disguised as a man, he attracted someone's lust. They secretly tried to assault him while he was unconscious, but I stopped them. Yet, he still bites the hand that feeds him, unaware of my good intentions."

"Cheng... Cheng Gang?" Chu Youzhao also clearly saw the person on the ground then, and her face slightly changed.

Chu Chuyan noticed the bloodstain under the man's crotch and roughly understood what had happened. She turned to reprimand her sister: "What's wrong with you? Is the Brothel Quarter a place you should be coming to?"

Chu Youzhao's face was pale now, clearly realizing the dreadful encounter she had just narrowly avoided. Being scolded by her sister, she stammered, "My eldest cousin and second cousin called me here. They said that in the capital, how could high officials and noble gentlemen not come to the Brothel Quarter? I was worried about being suspected, so I followed... followed them to see what it was like, thinking that if I ever met other men talking about the Brothel Quarter, I'd have something to say."

Zu An looked outside. With such a commotion, why were the Qin brothers not paying any attention?

Chu Chuyan was both angry and amused. "Even if you were worried about your cross-dressing being exposed, you shouldn't have come to the Brothel Quarter! Don't you know what kind of place this is? When I heard you came with your two cousins, I rushed here, but unfortunately, I was still a step late. Thankfully, your brother-in-law was here..." She paused, then looked at Zu An suspiciously: "By the way, why are *you* here?"

Zu An gave an awkward laugh: "I'm here to investigate a case, following Cheng Gang. Could an upright and noble person like me possibly come to a place like the Brothel Quarter?"

Seeing that he wasn't there for leisure, Chu Chuyan's face showed a faint smile, but she still jabbed, "Hmph, who was it that went to the Immortal's Residence to have fun and even provoked the courtesan Qiu Honglei?"

Zu An: "..."

Sensing the strong resentment towards Qiu Honglei in her tone, and assuming she hadn't recovered from the morning's events, he wisely kept his mouth shut.

At this moment, Chu Youzhao walked over, blushing: "Brother-in-law, thank you."

Zu An chuckled wryly: "Oh, I'm hardly worthy. In some people's eyes, I'm just a despicable person."

Chu Youzhao hugged his arm and shook it: "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you, Brother-in-law. You're the best person in the world..." A flood of sweet words poured out as if they cost nothing. Even though he knew she was trying to flatter him, he inexplicably enjoyed hearing them.

Zu An: "..."

This girl's ability to act spoiled was exceptional; she naturally possessed an aura that made it impossible for anyone to stay angry with her. Compared to the ice-cold Chu Chuyan or the wild, tomboyish Chu Hanzhao, was the third sister the type who was especially skilled at charming people with her pampered ways? However, she was currently cross-dressing as a man. Being hugged and doted on by another man in this manner was still a bit unsettling.

At this moment, Chu Chuyan frowned slightly: "Alright, alright, you're old enough. Stop clinging to your brother-in-law; have some shame."

A soft, charming giggle drifted in: "Oh, Miss Chu is truly a big jar of vinegar. You even get jealous of your own brother."

Zu An's hair stood on end. While it was great to have many female confidantes, the ensuing clashes between them were simply too dreadful.

Chu Chuyan spun around suddenly: "Why are you here?" Thoughts raced through her mind. *Could she and Azu be having a secret rendezvous here?* At that thought, her face became covered in frost.

Rage points from Chu Chuyan +404, +404, +404...

"Of course, Azu asked me to meet him here," Qiu Honglei said with a smile, while sweetly leaning her head on Zu An's shoulder.

Chu Chuyan's face grew even colder, like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.