After the mind-reading and gossip-eating incident, officials in the imperial city were demoted one a

Chapter 151 A Poor Imitation

Ye Xiyao stayed at Zuixianglou to keep busy, sometimes frowning, sometimes writing furiously, her focused expression making her exceptionally charming.

Qi Jinlan, sitting opposite her, kept his gaze fixed on her. Unconsciously, that gentle aura was gradually replaced by a firm and capable demeanor.

After a long while, Ye Xiyao finally put down her pen, rubbed her sore wrist, and looked up at Qi Jinlan.

"Cousin Qi, you only realize how tired you are when you stop. I really admire how many ledgers you look at every day."

"You get used to it after seeing it a lot."

Qi Jinlan stood up, walked to her, took her hand and gently massaged it. Ye Xiyao subconsciously shrank back.

"Don't move, it will be over soon."

Hearing the gentle voice, Ye Xiyao blushed and let him massage her wrist, her heart pounding like a deer.

After a while, he let go of her hand, smiled, and asked, "Feeling better?"

"Much better, thank you, cousin."

Qi Jinlan suddenly lifted her chin with one hand and looked at her with deep affection.

"Xiyao, I love you, can you feel it?"

"Cousin...cousin, I..." Ye Xiyao's face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple, her eyes darting away, unable to meet his gaze.

Qi Jinlan wouldn't let her escape, gently cupping her face in his hands, "Xiyao, I truly like you, I've liked you for a long time, haven't you realized it?"

Ye Xiyao's heart pounded faster and faster. She murmured, but couldn't utter a word.

Having grown up under the abuse of Old Madam Ye, she was filled with even greater fear after hearing from Ye Yaoyao about the tragic end of loving the wrong person.

She knew in her heart that Qi Jinlan liked her, but she was still a little flustered and didn't know how to respond.

"Xiyao, don't be afraid. I will love you well for the rest of my life, and I will only love you. I will give you a lifetime of happiness, okay?"

Ye Xiyao slightly raised her head, looking into Qi Jinlan's affectionate eyes, her heart filled with emotion.

"Cousin, I also have feelings for you, but..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qi Jinlan happily embraced her, saying, "As long as you like me too, you don't need to worry about anything else."

Ye Xiyao leaned against Qi Jinlan's chest, feeling his warm embrace and a sense of security in her heart.

The feeling at that moment was right. Ye Xiyao hugged him back and boldly expressed her inner thoughts.

"Cousin, I like you too."

"Xiyao, I've been waiting for these words for a long time. When the Empress Dowager returns, I'll ask her to grant us a marriage, okay?"

"Okay!" Ye Xiyao nodded.

The two hugged for a while, and Qi Jinlan thought about taking her home.

"It's getting late, I'll take you home."

The Ye family's carriage was parked downstairs at the door. Ye Xiyao was about to get into the carriage when Lu Yuanyou suddenly appeared from the side.

"Miss Ye, I've finally waited for you to come out."

Seeing that he was still pestering her relentlessly, Qi Jinlan pulled Ye Xiyao behind her, her face displeased.

“Young Master Lu, Xiyao has told you many times that she doesn’t know you, so why do you keep pestering me?”

"I have something to show Miss Ye, please step aside."

“Young Master Lu, I’ve already made myself clear to you last time. You don’t need to waste any more time on me.”

Ye Xiyao looked helpless, not understanding why he was so persistent.

“You’ve just forgotten. I’ll show you these letters, and you’ll remember me.”

Lu Yuanyou took the letter out of his pocket, his hands trembling with excitement.

"Believe it? Then show it to me."

Ye Xiyao thought he was just saying it, but she didn't expect that there was actually a letter.

"Then let's go in..."

Lu Yuanyou wanted to come in and talk to her properly, but Qi Jinlan refused.

"No, it's right here."

"Young Master Lu, this will do."

Ye Xiyao reached out and took the letters from his hand, opening and reading them one by one. Qi Jinlan frowned as he looked at the contents, his face turning very ugly.

"Miss Ye, you wrote all of these for me. Do you remember them now?"

“It wasn’t written by Xiyao,” Qi Jinlan said with certainty.

“Young Master Qi, don’t talk nonsense. The signature on the letter from the Ye family in Changping Town two years ago is correct.”

"It was definitely not written by me."

"Impossible. The words of encouragement I received, and the person who said they loved me, were clearly you."

Lu Yuanyou shouted excitedly, and people walking at the entrance of the restaurant stopped and looked at them curiously.

"This handwriting does resemble Xiyao's, but it's not a good imitation."

"You're saying this is an imitation, not written by Miss Ye? How is that possible?"

Lu Yuanyou shook his head repeatedly, his face pale. If it wasn't Ye Xiyao, then had he been deceived for the past two years?

“Young Master Lu, I was sick on my way to Changping Town two years ago. I stayed at home for half a month to recuperate and didn’t go out. How could I have seen you?”

"Impossible! The girl who covered her face with a handkerchief said she was Miss Ye, how could she not be you?"

Lu Yuanyou's eyes widened, his gaze filled with stubbornness and resentment.

Actually, there were many unreasonable aspects to this matter, which Lu Yuanyou had not noticed. Ye Xiyao laughed in exasperation.

“Young Master Lu, you’ve only met her once, and she covered her face so you didn’t see her true face, yet you’re pouring out your heart in your letter. Don’t you think that’s abnormal?”

After hearing the whole story, the onlookers began to discuss it:

"Scholar, you've probably been fooled."

"Yeah! Which girl is so casual?"

"Isn't it obvious that someone is using Miss Ye's identity to harm people?"

"When Xiyao went to Changping Town, she came back much thinner and had a fever. Do you think Madam Ye would let her go out?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuanyou shook his head repeatedly, unable to believe the fact.

"The person I met wasn't Miss Ye, so why did she use Miss Ye's name to deceive my feelings?"

I don't believe it. You must have fallen for someone else and won't admit it.

Lu Yuanyou roared hysterically, his face full of anger.

"How dare you! Who do you think you are that a noble lady from an official family would fall for you without even having seen your face?"

Qi Jinlan angrily grabbed Lu Yuanyou's collar and roared, then shoved him hard to the ground.

"Fuya, go inside and find Manager Lin. Show everyone the letter I wrote to him." Ye Xiyao also looked displeased.

"Yes, miss!"

Fuya ran quickly into the restaurant, and a moment later, she hurriedly ran out with a piece of paper in her hand.

"Please look, everyone. This is my handwriting. Although the handwriting on those letters looks similar, there are still differences."

Fuya showed the letter to everyone.

Everyone crowded forward to examine it, nodding and discussing:

"There is indeed a difference. Miss Ye's is much better written. This scholar has probably been really fooled."

Others could see it, and Lu Yuanyou could see it even more clearly.

Ye Xiyao's calligraphy is like an autumn chrysanthemum in bloom, elegant yet resilient. Her strokes are both strong and gentle, possessing both feminine grace and an underlying indomitable spirit.

The other handwriting, though similar, lacked a certain spirit.

Lu Yuanyou stood there, dejected, muttering to himself:

"How could this happen... How could this happen..."