"I’m not its owner."
The tall and slender figure turned around, his brows and eyes exuding a cool indifference.
That cold and distant face, those deep eyes beneath the dark silk ribbon—
Rong Heng, why is he here?
Gu Lan’s gaze moved downward, and imdiately, he gulped.
At Rong Heng’s feet lay a small cat drenched in blood, its life uncertain, beside it stood a pair of scissors gleaming with a cold light, and behind him stood a steaming iron pot.
His hands, with distinct joints, were covered in fresh blood, which dripped down, matching the youth’s cold and indifferent expression, creating a rather terrifying scene.
Gu Lan’s pupils contracted.
Oh my god, is this kid starving, planning to stew a big cat in the pot?
"Y-you-you... Brother Hang, if you’re out of money for food, you could have told . I could swipe a couple of bowls of noodles too. What good would stewing a cat do..."
Rong Heng looked at her and then glanced at his own hands, suddenly a strange smile curling on his pale lips, his voice floating:
"I’m hungry."
Gu Lan: "..."
So, the male protagonist is a pervert?
"Coincidentally, I’m hungry too, Brother Hang, why not co to Xiefang Palace with for so good food!"
She swallowed and then unabashedly tried to grab Rong Heng’s hand, but the young man evaded her, and she only caught his clean sleeve.
"You’re not afraid of ?" Rong Heng looked at her quietly, puzzled again, wondering why this person always had a not-so-smart smile whenever she saw him.
Gu Lan: "Afraid of you for what, you can’t eat , can you?"
Her eyes were bright and glowing, lightly tugging at the young man’s sleeve.
Rong Heng’s eyes were deep as he bent down, pinching the scruff of the white cat’s neck.
Gu Lan: Is the small one not enough to eat, so he’s going to stew a bigger one?
She hesitated, torn between saving the cat or watching Rong Heng stew it, perhaps even trying a sinister smile to share in the bizarre event—why make trouble when perverts understand perverts?
Just then, the big white cat unexpectedly nuzzled against Rong Heng’s palm, its fluffy head rubbing wildly against his hand, owing incessantly.
The young man gently patted the white cat’s head, his actions surprisingly gentle, the coldness in his eyes dissipating.
The white cat, upon being put down, nuzzled against his boots, then tenderly licked the little cat’s wounds.
Gu Lan was stunned, watching Rong Heng squat down again, pick up a clean silk cloth, and begin wiping the blood from the little cat’s body.
Beside him was a stack of fabric resembling gauze.
"Hang, Brother Hang, you plan to pluck the fur before stewing?"
Rong Heng squeezed out words through his teeth: "Young Master Gu truly understands ."
As she was in a daze, Rong Heng had already cleaned and bandaged the little cat with fluid motions, then turned around to extinguish the fire under the iron pot with a wet cloth.
A rich dicinal scent wafted into their noses, and Rong Heng lightly rolled up his sleeves, revealing a section of strong, fair forearm, skillfully pouring the concoction from the pot into a bowl to cool, then carefully collecting the dicinal dregs.
Gu Lan: ...
"Didn’t expect Brother Hang to have such compassion."
Turns out, he wasn’t planning to stew the big cat but was bandaging this little cat instead.
She recalled the story she’d heard a few days ago, that Yan Qing, the grandson of the old Minister of Rites Rong Mu, had been rescued by Rong Heng. She thought he had a prescription for treatnt, but now it seed that he was skilled in dicine himself.
Gu Lan watched Rong Heng gently pry open the little cat’s mouth to pour in the brewed dicine. The boy, always cold and sinister, now lowered his eyes, his long dark lashes gently fluttering, covering the frost in his eyes, making him appear exceptionally tender.
His slender hand stroked the cat’s back, calming its trembling body.
"Your Highness, I have brought the remaining dicine—"
A familiar voice ca, and Xiao Jiu, upon seeing Gu Lan, stopped mid-sentence.
In his hand were two bags of uncooked dicinal dregs.
"Young Master Gu?"
"Hey, long ti no see."
"But we just saw each other a few days ago."
"..."
Rong Heng raised his head, glanced at Xiao Jiu, placed the dicated little cat next to the white one, then stood up: "Handle the pot."
"Yes."
Rong Heng casually picked up a small dried fish the white cat had carried all the way and didn’t care about the dirt on the ground, especially since the cat had specifically placed it on a clean slate.
He tossed the dried fish casually into his mouth, squinting his eyes slightly, lightly patting the white cat’s head, clearly pleased with the taste.
"Thank you," Rong Heng said while eating.
The white cat affectionately nuzzled his hand.
Xiao Jiu squatted down with a smile, seriously thanking the white cat: "Thank you. Just a few more days of dicine, and Erhua will be fine."
Gu Lan then realized that the big white cat’s stolen dried fish was for Rong Heng.
"The injured one’s called Erhua, but what about this sly one?" She pointed disgruntledly at the white cat.
Xiao Jiu replied, "White."
The na was certainly hasty.
Seeing Rong Heng preparing to leave, Gu Lan stepped forward to block him:
"Hold on."
Rong Heng paused, staring at Gu Lan’s smiling face, his mouth bulging, chewing on the dried fish, his pitch-black eyes gazing without speaking.
With strands of black hair sticking up along with his puffed cheeks, Gu Lan almost couldn’t bear to speak harshly.
"That dried fish is mine." She steeled herself.
"So, Young Master Gu, do you want it back?" Rong Heng stopped chewing.
Gu Lan imdiately shook her head like a rattle: "No, what I an is, I willingly give this dried fish to you after being moved by your act of kindness, and I can even give you many more, but it has nothing to do with this cat."
Rong Heng glanced down at the aggrieved white cat beneath his feet and then up at Gu Lan’s beaming face.
Is this Young Master Gu, competing with a cat for credit?
Gu Lan moved to wrap an arm around Rong Heng’s shoulder, but when Rong Heng dodged again, she didn’t mind and said with a smile: "I didn’t expect Brother Hang to be skilled in dicine, what a coincidence! If I ever have any headaches or discomfort, I’ll be troubling Brother Hang from now on."
Rong Heng shook his head, staring at Gu Lan’s incessantly chatting lips, and slowly spoke:
"I do think, Young Master Gu, you are indeed sick."
Gu Lan wasn’t angered, as long as Rong Heng hadn’t discovered her female identity, it was no big deal.
And with her cross-dressing disguise, a special fake Adam’s apple from the Marquis Mansion stuck to her neck, it was impossible for anyone to find out.
With these thoughts, Gu Lan’s heart stirred, suddenly realizing sothing significant was missing from her attire.
"What kind of illness?"
Rong Heng indifferently uttered two words:
"Kidney deficiency."
Gu Lan’s pupils shrank, lowering her gaze to her wrist where she spotted a drop of freshly sared cat blood.
Did Rong Heng take her pulse the mont she tried to grab his hand?
As Gu Lan was in shock, Rong Heng and Xiao Jiu left the rockery.
Erhua was in Xiao Jiu’s arms, while White strutted behind them with its tail up.
As Rong Heng brushed past Gu Lan, he whispered in her ear:
"Young Master Gu, take better care of yourself."
This brat actually said she was weak?!
Even as he was leaving, he didn’t forget to threaten her—what would it an for the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion if it got out that their young master had kidney deficiency?
Without needing evidence, with Gu Lan’s weak and pale face, once that wind blew, it would beco an undeniable fact.
He wanted her to keep his dical skills a secret.
Gu Lan took out a handkerchief, carefully wiping the blood from her wrist, rubbing it twice before her furrowed brow relaxed, recalling the dicinal dregs and packs she had seen earlier.
She wouldn’t have divulged anyway, Brother Hang, where’s the trust between people? She never betrayed her brothers.
Gu Lan patted down her attire, again feeling that her cross-dressing disguise needed to be more realistic—sothing missing, ultimately not perfect.
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