After showing Lu Jinshuang a glimpse of her abilities, Xi Qingyue no longer bothered to hide them. The next day, she took Lu Jinshuang and the others out on the lake.
By the lakeside, she waved her hand, and a luxurious yacht appeared on the water.
This was the first time Lu Jinshuang had seen the yacht that had been the subject of so many rumors. She had only heard people describe it as a beautiful white ship, but she had never imagined it would be this stunning.
She was even more speechless when she stepped inside. The interior was far more spacious than the motorhome.
The cabin contained broad, soft, and comfortable sofas, smooth marble tables, spotless sinks, neat bedrooms, and private bathrooms. Everything left her amazed.
What surprised her most was the open-air bar and swimming pool on the top deck, as well as the strange control panel she did not recognize. Everything was unfamiliar and fascinating.
The last time she had been in the motorhome, she had been thrown out before she could stay for long, and she had been unable to sleep all night because of it. This time, she finally had the chance to enjoy herself properly.
Lu Jinshuang reclined on a sofa beside the pool and smiled at Xi Qingyue. “Yue, I’ve made up my mind. From now on, I’m going to follow you around. If that doesn’t work, I’ll even acknowledge you as my big sister. This is what life is supposed to be—pure enjoyment. Compared with you, my life in the capital used to feel like being locked in a cage.”
Xi Qingyue shook her head with a light laugh. “You’re welcome to come and have fun with us, but what do you mean by acknowledging me as your big sister? You can’t call Lan’er your big sister too, can you?”
Xi Weilan’s eyes lit up. “Really? I can be the big sister now?”
The moment she said that, Mu Jin and Dongxue could not help laughing. Xi Qingyue also looked at her strangely.
She thought to herself, My little sister’s ideas seem to be getting stranger and stranger.
She patted Xi Weilan on the head and advised her, “Lan’er, we’re still so young, while Sister Jinshuang is already grown-up. If she called us ‘big sister,’ it would make us sound old. Let’s forget about it, okay?”
Lu Jinshuang had already regretted her words the moment Xi Weilan opened her mouth. She cursed herself for speaking without thinking. Only after hearing Xi Qingyue did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness she hadn’t agreed.
Just imagining herself calling a three-year-old Xi Weilan “big sister” was too absurd to bear.
Xi Qingyue glanced at her and teased, “Sister Jinshuang, don’t say things like that next time. Lan’er will take you seriously.”
Lu Jinshuang hurriedly shook her head. “I won’t say it again. I was only joking with you just now.”
After hearing Xi Qingyue, Xi Weilan immediately forgot all about the matter. She took off her outer clothes, leaving herself in only a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, then jumped into the swimming pool.
“Yue, can she manage on her own?” Lu Jinshuang asked worriedly. A three-year-old child was simply too young to be in the water.
Xi Qingyue merely smiled. “She’ll be fine. Don’t worry about her. Come on, I’ll let you try something delicious over there.”
With that, she headed toward the bar, and Lu Jinshuang got up and followed her.
Mu Jin and Dongxue sat on opposite sides of the pool. While chatting with Xi Weilan, they kept an eye on her so they could jump in and fish her out at any moment.
Xi Qingyue took out a bottle of red wine and several wineglasses and set them on the bar. She poured two glasses and handed one to Lu Jinshuang.
“Sister Jinshuang, try this. We’d better drink it while Lan’er isn’t here.”
As she spoke, she glanced toward Xi Weilan. Seeing the little figure giggling in the pool, she relaxed. She was worried that the little glutton would come flying over to snatch the alcohol if she saw it.
Lu Jinshuang secretly chuckled at her furtive expression. She raised the glass and took a sip, her face filled with confusion. “What is this? It tastes like alcohol, but it’s sweet too. It’s different from grape wine.”
Xi Qingyue lifted her glass and took several sips before slowly answering, “This is red wine. I don’t dare drink it when Lan’er is around. She’s still too young to have any.”
The main reason was that she was afraid Xi Weilan would remember the taste. If the child developed a liking for it and secretly drank some in her personal space later, Xi Qingyue might not even know. It was better not to let children taste alcohol at all.
Only after drinking it did Lu Jinshuang suddenly notice that both the bottle and the wineglasses were made of glass—fine, crystal-clear glass of the highest quality.
She was stunned, but did not ask any questions. Everything on this ship was so strange and novel that she would never finish asking about it all.
Instead, she brought up another matter. “Yue, what will you do if the heir to the Duke of An comes looking for you? He is your father, after all. If they publicize your relationship and then come here to make trouble, will you treat him or not? If you refuse, ignorant people will surely spread rumors and slander you.”
She had grown up in the capital, and in a place like the imperial palace at that. She understood such tactics all too well.
Xi Qingyue calmly shook her head. “I won’t treat him. His injuries were inflicted by people acting on my orders in the first place, and I have no intention of healing him. It would be even better if he came. I can use the opportunity to investigate the cause of my mother’s death. If he resorts to underhanded methods, I won’t show him any mercy either.”
She was not the original owner of this body. The only blood relative she acknowledged was Xi Weilan. The others had nothing to do with her.
Lu Jinshuang nodded after hearing this. Someone with great power who was not constrained by worldly conventions could live the most carefree life of all.
The two of them each had two glasses of wine. When they saw Xi Weilan climb out of the pool, they stopped drinking.
Xi Qingyue stood and smiled at Lu Jinshuang. “I’m taking Lan’er downstairs to wash up and change clothes. You can let Mu Jin and Dongxue try some too.”
With that, she walked toward the pool. The moment Xi Weilan saw her, she ran over and threw herself into her arms.
“Big Sister, were you eating something delicious again?”
Before she could crane her neck to look, Xi Qingyue picked her up and carried her downstairs. “You little glutton. Go change your clothes first. I’ll get you whatever you want to eat later.”
Xi Weilan’s eyes narrowed happily. She was already thinking about what she would eat in a little while.
Watching them, Lu Jinshuang sighed with emotion. Little Lan’er was unfortunate, but she was fortunate as well. Though she had no parents to love her, she now had a big sister who was countless times better than any parents. Hopefully, the heir to the Duke of An would not be so utterly heartless.
By the time Mu Jin and Dongxue came over, Lu Jinshuang had already poured each of them a glass of wine.
“Try this. Yue says it’s called red wine. It isn’t spicy, and it’s slightly sweet. Just don’t let Little Lan’er see you drinking it.”
The two women raised their glasses and took a drink. Their eyes immediately lit up.
Lu Jinshuang glanced at them, then spoke solemnly once more. “Song Wenliang will come looking for the sisters in the near future. Keep an eye on them. If Yue or Lan’er decides to kill Song Wenliang, the two of you must kill him first. Don’t let them bear the reputation of having murdered their father.”
Although Xi Qingyue did not care about such things, Lu Jinshuang felt it would be better to avoid them if possible.
After all, public opinion could be terrifying—and Little Lan’er was only three years old.
Mu Jin looked troubled. “Princess, the two of them move too quickly, and their attacks come without warning. By the time we notice what’s happening, he’ll probably already be a corpse.”
Dongxue nodded as well. “That’s right, Princess. Little Lan’er killed someone in an instant last time. There was no warning at all. And as for the Commandery Princess Cenyue, you saw what she revealed today. That might not even have been the full extent of her abilities. Even if they really decided to kill someone, we might not be fast enough to stop them.”
