Chapter 294: Coincidental Encounter

When the waiter delivered the dishes, Pei Qingfeng was still absent from the meeting and Bai Luochu’s face fell as she stared blankly at the poached chicken. After a long time, she raised her chopsticks and started picking at the dishes she liked.

“What’s wrong? Are the dishes not to your liking?” Pei Rumo looked at Bai Luochu who was picking at her food and thought that the chef had messed up. He raised his chopsticks to try some of the dishes personally.

“Nothing’s wrong… it tastes the same as before. Didn’t you like the food the last time we came?” Pei Rumo was a regular customer and would usually carry out his meetings here. He brought Bai Luochu to the restaurant in the past and knew that she loved the food. Most of his invitations included lunch or dinner at this particular restaurant.

Bai Luochu felt that it was odd as the picky Pei Rumo found nothing strange with the dishes. She simply couldn’t taste the food and quickly found an excuse to pacify Pei Rumo. “I might have been too busy lately and my body might be getting too heaty. My sense of taste might have been affected as a result of that.”

Pei Rumo’s eyebrows arched towards the sky and it was obvious he didn’t believe whatever she said. Luckily for her, he wasn’t in a hurry to expose her and he continued to eat his meal.

Bai Luochu was unable to taste anything and her chopsticks stopped moving when she felt that she was getting full.

“It is rare for us to finish a meal in peace. Pei Qingfeng would usually pop out and disrupt the peace.” As he spoke, Pei Rumo observed Bai Luochu’s reactions.

When Bai Luochu heard the name ‘Pei Qingfeng’, her face shivered a little and changed slightly as though a short-lived night-blooming cereus. Too bad the other party was Pei Rumo. He caught every detail in his eye.

Pei Rumo knew that something fishy was going on but he couldn’t allow the atmosphere to stale. He quickly prepared to reveal the precious medicinal ingredient he was planning to take out.

Before Pei Rumo could speak, Bai Luochu asked a question. “What has His Second Highness been busy with recently? It is rare for him to be missing for so long. Life is so peaceful without him looking for me all the time.”

Bai Luochu was rather dazzled and didn’t have the time to notice Pei Rumo’s expression. When he saw that Bai Luochu was taking the initiative to ask about Pei Qingfeng, a smile bloomed on his face. He changed the topic to talk about Pei Qingfeng’s recent activities. “Wasn’t there a mysterious group that entered the capital city a few days ago? He is helping His Majesty to attend to those people. Among them, there is a young lady who has been pestering him constantly. His Majesty might even reveal news about a marriage bestowal soon.”

Bai Luochu was still unable to detect her abnormal behavior but Pei Rumo did. He didn’t expose her immediately and continued to explain, “That’s right. Qingfeng isn’t young anymore and he doesn’t allow any young lady to approach him in the imperial palace. Hence, his marriage has been delayed for a long time. Now that he is interacting with a young lady, coupled with her mysterious background, Emperor Father might just bestow a marriage upon the both of them.”

But that mysterious young lady isn’t the only woman that can stay by his side, so can I! When Bai Luochu heard Pei Rumo’s explanation, such a thought appeared in her mind. Bai Luochu suppressed it forcefully and managed to keep it from coming out of her mouth. She felt that she was going insane as such weird thoughts were popping up in her head.

In order to distract herself, Bai Luochu changed the topic, “Didn’t Your First Highness mention about some precious medicinal ingredient? Why don’t you take it out so we can talk about it?”

Pei Rumo could see that Bai Luochu no longer wished to discuss the matter with Pei Qingfeng. He quickly took out the herb and handed it over to Bai Luochu. “As you can see, this is the Snow Appearance Herb. Previously, I received it from a herb farm in the extreme west. I do not know about the properties and use of it and decided to bring it to you. Someone with your expertise would definitely be able to make full use of it.”

“Snow Appearance Herb?” Bai Luochu was pleasantly surprised. Even though this herb was growing like weed along the side of the road, there were special cases that could cause it to turn into a rare medical herb. It had to grow in a certain climate and since Pei Rumo spoke about obtaining it from the extreme west, he shouldn’t be lying.

As expected, when Bai Luochu held the herb in her hand, she detected a trace of spirit qi. She then nodded to Pei Rumo and asked, “Your First Highness, this stalk of medicinal herb isn’t ordinary. Are you really willing to give it to me?”

Pei Rumo laughed heartily in response, “Why not? This medicinal ingredient will be wasted if I place it in my storeroom. Why not give it to someone who knows its worth and gain a favor?”

Bai Luochu shook her head gently and said to Pei Rumo, “Your First Highness is still an expert at schemes. You can look for me if you require medical attention.”

Pei Rumo didn’t reserve himself and quickly agreed.

“There is another mystical way to distinguish between a useful and useless Snow Appearance Herb. I will show Your First HIghness that this herb is a worthy trade as your future medical fee.”

After speaking, she reached out to close the window. Her gaze landed on Pei Qingfeng who was acting intimately with a young lady at the prime of her youth. Even though she didn’t see his face, she was sure it was him. However, she couldn’t be sure of the young lady’s identity.

With no other choice, she had to turn to Pei Rumo. “Your First Highness, take a look. Who is that young lady beside Pei Qingfeng?”

When Pei Rumo heard her question, he turned to look out of the window. He realized that he didn’t recognize the young lady and knew that she was the mysterious woman who had been pestering Pei Qingfeng for the past few days.