CHAPTER 18

After bidding farewell to little Yunmiao, Chu Yu turned off the smart screen.

Beside her, Ge Meng, who had been waiting for a while, approached holding two glasses of champagne. She placed one in front of Chu Yu and invited, "Have a little. sip"

Chu Yu politely declined, "No, thank you."

Ge Meng sat down next to her and said, "Having a little will help you sleep better at night."

Chu Yu shook her head, "I don't have that habit."

Ge Meng didn't insist any further and took a sip on her own.

"The champagne in the palace is really good. I've been to many places, but I've never tasted anything like this before."

Chu Yu replied, "If you like it, you can ask Xiao Yun for a few bottles before you leave."

"No need for that." Ge Meng crossed her arms. "Some things, if not enjoyed in specific occasions and with specific people, lose that special flavor."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yu's lips curved slightly, as if she had thought of something.

Ge Meng was intrigued, "Emperor, do you think social status is the biggest obstacle for two people being together?"

This topic caught Chu Yu off guard, and she couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind it. "Why do you say that?"

Ge Meng smiled and said, "This hall is filled with young men and ladies from prestigious backgrounds. No matter how I dress, it seems like I don't belong here, unable to fit into this circle."

Chu Yu comforted her, "You're different from them. You are one of the most outstanding members of the civilian mercenary army. There's no need to underestimate yourself."

"That's true." Ge Meng suddenly reached out her hand.

Originally, she intended to place her hand on the back of Chu Yu's hand, which was resting on the table. However, Chu Yu subtly moved her hand, and Ge Meng's fingertips only touched the cold tabletop.

But Ge Meng, little tipsy, didn't pay much attention to this small detail. "After all, among everyone at this gathering, I'm the only one who gets to sit here and chat with you, right?"

She looked at Chu Yu. "I'm no less than any of them."

Her expression was quite explicit, to the point that Chu Yu instantly understood her intention.

She had never thought that Ge Meng would harbor such thoughts towards her.

But Chu Yu didn't think it was bad thing, after all...

She herself had never experienced matters of love, and recently, she finally found someone who made her heart flutter, even though their relationship hadn't progressed yet beyond the initial stage.

Chu Yu let out a bitter laugh in her heart, then snapped back to reality and left her seat, walking over to Ge Meng's side.

"Ge Meng, you're wonderful. You're no less than any of them. But in reality, you don't need to compare yourself to any of them."

Ge Meng blinked in slight surprise, "Huh?"

Chu Yu stated, "Because the competition you imagined in your mind doesn't actually exist."

Confusion gradually faded from Ge Meng's face, replaced by a slight shock. "What do you mean? Aren't these gatherings all organized for you?" 

Chu Yu sighed, "I will have the Empress Dowager cancel all the upcoming events."

Ge Meng was taken aback, "This..."

Chu Yu's lips curved into a smile as she patted Gemo's shoulder. "You're a smart person. Don't waste your energy in unnecessary comparisons. The champagne is good. I'll have Xiao Yun send a few cases to your apartment later."

With that, she walked away, leaving the venue directly.

Ge Meng could only clench her fists and watch Chu Yu leave, trying her best to maintain her composure amidst the whispers of the others.

.....

When Shu Yanyan returned home after closing the store, it was already late at night. She helped Yunmiao change into her pajamas, and the child immediately fell asleep as soon as she touched the bed.

Shu Yanyan tenderly caressed her daughter's face, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

She remained lost in thought for a while, then turned around to tidy up before going to sleep. However, her smart device suddenly received a message.

[Chu Yu: Are you asleep? Can you come outside for a moment?]

Shu Yanyan couldn't react for a moment and replied in a daze.

[Outside? Where?]

Chu Yu chuckled as she leaned against the car.

[Chu Yu: Of course, outside your house.]

Shu Yanyan finally snapped out of it.

She turned off her smart device and, somewhat skeptical, walked to the window and took a look. Sure enough, she saw a hover car parked on the street outside her front door, a vehicle that didn't belong to this area.

At this moment, setting aside all the various worries, a pure joy surged in Shu Yanyan's heart.

She turned back to make sure of Yunmiao's condition, then walked briskly out of the bedroom and into the living room.

As she put on her coat, she gave instructions to the chubby little bird, who was on standby. "Guan Guan, I'm going out for a while. Can you help take care of Yunmiao? If she wakes up, send me a message."

The small chubby bird squinted its big round eyes and asked, somewhat aggrieved, "Yanyan, are you going out to rendezvous with someone?"

Shu Yanyan paused in her steps.

She instinctively wanted to deny what the little chubby bird said, but her body's reaction was much faster than her consciousness. Before she could speak, she found her face uncontrollably blushing.

"No, we can't use the word 'rendezvous'." Shu Yanyan rubbed her nose. "It's just, um... going out to meet a friend."

The little chubby bird fluttered its wings and asked with a hint of grievance, "What kind of friend can't wait until daytime to meet?"

Shu Yanyan felt somewhat awkward.

For some reason, she felt like a caught student. In the late-night living room, the little chubby bird seemed like a dormitory supervisor, vigilantly watching her every move.

If she showed even the slightest flaw, she and her chosen partner would appear on the school's big bulletin board tomorrow, labeled with the words "Early Love Intervention."

But, clearly, what they had wasn't considered early love. They even had a child together!

Shu Yanyan straightened her small chest. "She's already here, so of course I can't leave her outside."

The little chubby bird lowered its head. "Hmm, I understand. You can go."

It had long known who was outside all along. In fact, the other person knew the specific address here, thanks to the location sent by this "little spy."

However, this competitor wasn't someone to be trifled with. Maybe, at the very least, it should accompany Shu Yanyan and engage in a "face-off" with the other party.

Shu Yanyan secretly stuck out her tongue and quickly ran outside.

On the street outside, she leaned on her knees, panting heavily.

It wasn't that she was physically exhausted, but the thrilling excitement of almost being "caught in the act" still lingered in her mind, making it difficult for her to calm down.

But soon, the sound of footsteps diverted her attention.

Chu Yu voluntarily walked up to her side, looking at her embarrassed state and chuckled kindly. "What's wrong? Is someone chasing after you from behind?"

Shu Yanyan lifted her head and caught a glimpse of the smile at the corner of the other woman's lips, causing her already flushed face to redden even more.

She lowered her head, using the excuse of tucking her stray strands of hair behind her ears to hide her embarrassment. Deep down, she silently prayed that the darkness of the night would conceal her blushing face. She timidly replied in a soft voice, "N-No, there's no one chasing after me."

Chu Yu asked, "Then why were you running so fast?"

She slightly bent her knees, looking up at the other person to catch a glimpse of their expression. "...Could it be that you were in a hurry to see me?"

Shu Yanyan puffed out her cheeks, trying to regain control of the situation. "No, didn't you ask me to come out?"

She took a deep breath and bravely looked at Chu Yu. "Is there something you need? Yunmiao is sleeping at home, and I can't stay out too long."

Chu Yu smiled. "It won't take long."

She led Shu Yanyan towards the car. "I brought champagne to celebrate the successful completion of your first day of business."

Shu Yanyan's mouth hung open in surprise. "Ah?"

She couldn't comprehend Chu Yu's words.

It's not that she suddenly lost her ability to understand; she just couldn't connect this event with Chu Yu.

Celebrating her successful business opening...

Did it require the Emperor to come to her doorstep in the middle of the night, holding glasses of champagne?

While she was still lost in thought, Chu Yu had already approached her with two glasses of champagne in hand.

Seeing her absent-minded expression, Chu Yu mischievously pressed one glass of champagne directly against her cheek.

The cold touch brought Shu Yanyan back to her senses. She leaned back slightly, then covered her face and looked at Chu Yu with a pout.

"What... What are you doing?"

A soft spot in Chu Yu's heart was lightly touched.

She realized with a wicked sense of humor that in the face of Shu Yanyan's wet gaze, she not only had no remorse but even wanted to be a little more mischievous.

She wanted to feed her champagne with her own hands.

She wanted to pour champagne on her.

She wanted to see the champagne trickling down her delicate neck and flowing onto her chest.

She wanted to...

Make her feel even more aggrieved, ideally forcing tears out of her and grabbing Shu Yanyan's collar, demanding her to take responsibility.

Unfortunately, it's not the right time for that yet.

Chu Yu curved her lips, putting on a fake apologetic expression. "Sorry, I saw you lost in thought, so..."

"But you can't do this either, it's so cold." Shu Yanyan's voice grew smaller and smaller.

Looking at the other person's expression, her intuition told her that if she continued to entangle herself in this manner, she would be the one at a disadvantage.

She took a deep breath and took the champagne glass from Chu Yu's hand.

"But still, thank you for coming to celebrate with me."

Chu Yu smiled. "You're welcome. After all, the shop owner treated me to dessert."

Shu Yanyan looked at the liquid in the crystal champagne glass and murmured, pursing her lips. "How many desserts would it take to make up for a glass of champagne like this?"

Chu Yu sighed, half-seriously asking, "Why are your concerns always focused on these strange things?"

She tilted her head slightly. "Champagne isn't worth much, don't you think the person standing in front of you is the most important?"

Shu Yanyan held the glass in front of her face and muttered, "I can still calculate the value of champagne, but if it's about you... I'd rather just give up and lie down."

"Lying down is fine." Chu Yu said with narrowed eyes.

She leaned closer to Shu Yanyan, her voice filled with seduction. "When you lie down, you don't have to give up."

Shu Yanyan widened her eyes and instinctively took two steps back.

Chu Yu realized that she had scared her.

She reached out and held Shu Yanyan's waist, stabilizing her before reluctantly retracting her hand.

"Let's not talk about anything else for now." she raised her glass. "Cheers to Yanyan's successful business opening."

Shu Yanyan raised her hand, lightly tapping the two crystal glasses together in the air. "To a successful opening."

Both of them took a sip of the drink.

Shu Yanyan wasn't a heavy drinker, so she savored the taste cautiously, her movements a bit slow. When she put down her glass, she realized that Chu Yu had been staring at her intently.

She quickly touched the corner of her mouth, making sure she hadn't made a fool of herself, and asked, "W-What's wrong?"

Chu Yu: "Hmm, it's nothing."

She swirled the crystal glass. "I just suddenly realized that this champagne is really delicious."

Shu Yanyan was a bit puzzled. "Ah? You suddenly realized? You haven't... had it before?"

Chu Yu: "I haven't had it with the right person before."

Before Shu Yanyan could react, she raised her glass again. "Second sip, well... here's to Little Yunmiao's health and happiness."

Shu Yanyan echoed, "Little Yunmiao's health and happiness!"

The smile on Chu Yu's face deepened. "Lastly, I wish for you to have a blissful marriage."

Shu Yanyan: "A blissful... um, why did we suddenly switch to this topic?"

Chu Yu's raised glass hand remained suspended in mid-air. "Hmm? Is there something wrong with saying that?"

Shu Yanyan stuck out her tongue. "Right now, I just want to work hard, earn money, and take good care of little Yunmiao. As for marriage... it's better to let it happen naturally. No need for special prayers."

She looked at Chu Yu. "You've given me the first two blessings, so it's not quite fair. How about... how about I give you this last one?"

"For me?" Chu Yu went along with it. "Then what does Yanyan want to wish for me?"

Shu Yanyan tentatively said, "Wishing... wishing for your heart's desires to come true, Emperor?"

Shu Yanyan shook her head. "That's too vague. And such wishes are unrealistic and hard to achieve."

Shu Yanyan pouted. "Then what do you want?"

Chu Yu threw the question back at her. "When it comes to blessings, can't the person being blessed come up with their own wishes?"

"Right... it wouldn't be effective that way." Shu Yanyan nodded.

But in reality, she didn't know much about Chu Yu. Besides generic wishes like "May your wishes come true" or "Be happy every day," she couldn't think of any other good words.

Suddenly, her thoughts drifted to the news of the past few days.

After a moment's hesitation, Shu Yanyan lifted her glass as if making a firm decision. "Then, I wish for the Emperor to achieve her desires and find a suitable Empress soon."

As she said these words, she secretly observed Chu Yu's reaction from the corner of her eye.

Chu Yu visibly paused for a moment, then genuinely raised her glass and gently tapped it against Shu Yanyan's.

The crisp sound of the glass clinking filled Shu Yanyan's heart with a myriad of emotions. She hastily pressed the rim of the glass against her lips and drank it all in one go without thinking.

"Cough, cough!" The alcohol irritated her throat, and the next moment, Shu Yanyan bent over and started coughing.

Chu Yu quickly held her and gently patted her back to help alleviate the discomfort. "Why did you drink so hastily? Are you okay? Do you want some water?"

Shu Yanyan waved her hand. "No, I'm fine, cough, cough, I'm okay."

Perhaps due to the slight intoxication or the effects of the coughing fit, her nose turned slightly pink, which was particularly noticeable even in the dimly lit night. "As long as the Emperor can truly find a suitable Empress, it's worth this coughing fit!"

"You're quite cunning." Chu Yu suddenly remarked.

Shu Yanyan widened her eyes. "Why do you say that?"

Chu Yu countered, "The wish you made and the one I mentioned earlier, aren't they the same?"

Shu Yanyan furrowed her brow. "What do you mean, the same?"

Chu Yu looked at her deeply.

In the end, she didn't want to rush things too much. She simply reached out and took the empty glass from Shu Yanyan's hand. "It's late. Let's end it here for tonight. Little Yunmiao is at home, and you should go back too."

Shu Yanyan obediently nodded. "Okay."

Chu Yu said, "By the way, little Yunmiao invited me to attend the school fair at her school before... You can send me the address and time, and I'll come pick you up."

Shu Yanyan felt a bit embarrassed. "Ah... she's still young and doesn't understand much. You're so busy, do you have time to go?"

Chu Yu nodded. "That's something Little Yunmiao and I agreed upon."

Shu Yanyan nodded in understanding. "I see. I'll send it to you when the time comes."

"Mm." Chu Yu wanted to pat her head, but with both hands holding the glasses, she couldn't do it. She could only lift her hand and gently brush Shu Yanyan's cheek with the back of her hand. "Go on now, good night."

Shu Yanyan waved dazedly. "Good night."

She turned and left, but couldn't help but steal a glance back at the corner.

Chu Yu was still standing there, raising her hand to wave at her.

Shu Yanyan, like a startled rabbit, jumped and quickly ran back home.

Once she closed the door, she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but was startled by a pair of eyes in the dimly lit living room.

The pitiful voice of little Guan Guan echoed in the room. "You're back..."

"I'm back." Shu Yanyan tried her best to maintain a calm expression. "I, I'll go to the bedroom now, good, good night."

Little Guan Guan nodded lightly. "Goodnight."

It wasn't until Shu Yanyan saw little Yunmiao's sleeping face that she finally regained her composure. She didn't turn on the lights and walked straight to the window, watching Chu Yu's car drive away.

When she lowered her head, she smelled a faint scent of alcohol on her body, and her head was a little dizzy.

"She said I was cunning, and that the wish I made was the same as the one she mentioned earlier..." Shu Yanyan bit her lip and, after a moment, shook her head vigorously. "I don't want to think about it anymore! I'll just sleep!"

She rushed into the bathroom, freshened up quickly, and then quietly lay down next to little Yunmiao.

After drinking, her sleep was indeed more peaceful.

The only downside was...

Her dreams were filled with the figure of the wine's owner.

Author's Note:

Sobs... I'm back. Please be gentle with your criticism, qwq

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