Chapter 537: 537: Certain Thoughts About Him_1

With the presence of Xie Jue and Xie Ying, things seemed to be somewhat normal. But now, they are gone, and Xiumei and Lin Fang have also stepped out, leaving only the two of them. Suddenly, everything feels different.

“What’s wrong?” Wei Jinyi asked, noticing Wei Ruo’s distraction.

In truth, she had been unable to focus on her work from the beginning of their separation.

Thus, once Ruo had spaced out, he immediately noticed.

He wanted to know what occupied her mind, causing her to lose focus.

“It’s nothing,” Wei Ruo quickly denied.

She didn’t want to admit that there was a moment when she had certain desires for her second brother.

Wei Ruo speculated that it must be due to the age of this body. When a person reaches a certain age, various hormones begin to increase and it’s effectively the so-called hormonal outburst.

She supposed it was due to the influence of these hormones that her heartbeat changed when she saw her second brother.

Who could blame her when her second brother was so handsome? Everyone loves beauty, it’s normal to be little moved by a handsome man when you see him often.

So, Wei Ruo wasn’t too concerned about it. It would pass after some time.

Wei Jinyi’s gaze was a little intense, having the faint feeling that Wei Ruo was keeping something from him.

“Ruoruo, if something is bothering you, you can share it with me,” Wei Jinyi said.

“There’s nothing bothering me.”

She naturally couldn’t tell Wei Jinyi that in a few moments she had been craving his attractiveness.

If her serious second brother found out, he’d be mortified.

She could already imagine him telling her to stop fooling around with a mixture of embarrassment and seriousness.

Wei Jinyi stared at Wei Ruo, deciding not to ask further.

His intuition was telling him that Ruoruo was hiding something from him.

But she wasn’t willing to open up to him and he was worried that by pushing she would only get upset.

Wei Ruo thought for a moment, then decided to bring up something else: “Second Brother, I plan to take in another batch of refugees in our Hejian Prefecture manor. Next year, I intend to expand the scope of cotton cultivation, we will need more labor.”

“It’s your decision, Ruoruo.”

“You also have a stake in the coal mines and cotton fields in Hejian Prefecture, I need to discuss this with you,” Wei Ruo said.

“I trust your choices, you’re more skilful in this area than me,” Wei Jinyi said.

Wei Ruo felt a warmth spreading in her heart from the unconditional trust he had in her.

Wei Ruo went on: “Several Madams approached me in the past few days, they want to contribute financially and physically to aid the victims outside the city and maintain stability within the Capital City. I accepted.”

These people were quite smart. If they were to buy food and aid people as Wei Ruo did, it would be both laborious and thankless, considering Wei Ruo’s reputation.

To do as Wei Ruo did was a big challenge for them, given their resources weren’t as abundant as Wei Ruo’s, who had prepared in advance.

It’s better to pitch in with Wei Ruo. They could earn a good reputation without too much effort, they just needed to contribute monetarily.

Weiruo naturally was thrilled. What she could get from these people was not just money, there were other problems that these people could also solve.

In the end, she was playing a role in integrating these resources heading towards a win-win situation.

“Hmm.” Wei Jinyi supported all of Wei Ruo’s decisions unconditionally.

He knew she must have a plan behind her decisions.

“I also plan to establish a charitable foundation organized by the Madams and Misses of the families within the Capital City.” Wei Ruo said.

“Charitable Foundation?” Wei Jinyi asked.

“It means that everyone comes together to contribute. The rich give money, the strong help out, jointly aiding the common folk in need. The ladies gain reputation and the common folk profit,” Wei Ruo answered.

“Ruoruo always comes up with intriguing ideas,” Wei Jinyi said.

“I’m just using an already successful idea,” Wei Ruo added.

Though the times and environment are different, some people’s ideas and needs remain the same.

After they finished discussing her affairs, Wei Ruo asked about Wei Jinyi’s situation in the court.

“I heard that recently all the ministers in court have turned to Chu Lan? Has the Fan Family totally become Chu Lan’s supporter now?”

The Fan Family was the most influential family in the court, only next to Lu and Qi families. They used to support King Yu.

She didn’t usually ask Wei Jinyi such things. Even though they lived together in King Rui Residence, she didn’t go out of her way to ask him.

Today they were sharing the same room, and she seized the quiet moment to bring up the court gossip to fill the silence and distract herself from her own thoughts.

“It does seem to be that way,” Wei Jinyi replied.

“From your perspective, has King Yu completely lost the qualification to compete for the crown prince?” Wei Ruo asked again.

“It appears that way currently.”

“Then, Brother…”

“Ruoruo, you can ask whatever you want, you don’t need to hesitate.”

Wei Ruo thought for a moment and asked, “Do you still plan to take revenge on King Yu?”

Now that the Qi family has been subjected to punishment and Qi Yansong along with everyone involved in the Xu case have been imprisoned, she wasn’t sure if her second brother could let go.

“Chu Heng was just a baby at that time, he didn’t have a hand in what happened back then. I can refrain from taking revenge against him, but there’s still a person in the palace who needs to pay,” Wei Jinyi replied.

Imperial Concubine Qi had been demoted now. For Wei Jinyi, this was not enough, it didn’t console the innocent deaths of the Xu family.

Wei Jinyi then said to Wei Ruo, “Don’t worry, Ruoruo. I can protect you while seeking justice.”

Before he proposed her to be Queen Rui, he had thought about how he’d conduct himself. He would help her do what she wanted and wouldn’t let her worry about being caught up in the strife.

“I believe in you, Second Brother,” Wei Ruo said confidently.

Wei Ruo didn’t know why she trusted him so strongly, but when she looked into his eyes, she had a comforting feeling.

“Ruoruo…” Wei Jinyi stared at Wei Ruo, feeling her trust in him.

Suddenly, Wei Ruo felt the intensity of Wei Jinyi’s gaze.

She quickly averted her eyes.

“Um…this tea has cooled off, I’ll have Meimei re-steep it.”

Weiruo stood up and walked out.

As she walked, she thought to herself: The heating in the room was overpowering, making her sweat a bit.

Wei Jinyi watched the closing door after Wei Ruo left. He couldn’t help but worry; Ruoruo was a little unusual today.

It seemed she was hiding something from him, or perhaps his actions today had unsettled her because her abnormal behavior had started after she had burnt herself.

He could suppress his feelings for her, but couldn’t suppress the instinctive concern his body showed for her.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Next time, he would be more careful…