Lin Qinghe heard the system's prompt: "Progress bar increased by 2%, total progress 2%."
Lin Qinghe rejoiced inwardly.
Sincerity can move mountains!
She had gone to great lengths, and You Rong finally had a tiny bit of good impression of her!
Lin Qinghe hid her delight and pretended to feel guilty, saying, "It was my fault before. I will never bully you again. Rest assured, I won't let anyone else bully you. Also... when I said I liked you, I was serious, not joking at all!"
You Rong's gaze was complex. He pursed his lips and said solemnly, "My status is humble, and I truly cannot bear the Princess's affection. I hope the Princess will forgive me."
He clearly already had a good impression of me, yet he still played hard to get!
Lin Qinghe complained in her heart but maintained a perfect facade.
She smiled bitterly and said, "You Rong, don't misunderstand. When I said I liked you, I wasn't trying to force you to accept my feelings or make you do anything. You don't have to do anything; liking you is my own business."
As she spoke, Lin Qinghe slightly turned her head, avoiding You Rong's gaze, and pretended to wipe her eyes, giving You Rong the impression that she was heartbroken and holding back tears.
You Rong's heart tightened. He instinctively took a step forward, his thin lips parting. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. He could only clench his fists, frozen in place, at a loss.
Lin Qinghe, having judged the timing perfectly, turned around, her back to You Rong, and said softly, "I am a little tired and want to rest. You Rong, you may leave now."
Looking at Lin Qinghe's slender back, You Rong hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes, I will take my leave."
Lin Qinghe clearly heard the sound of You Rong's footsteps leaving and the door closing. Only then did she turn around, a smug smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with joy, showing no sign of sadness.
Lin Qinghe sat down at the table, poured herself a cup of clear tea, and drank it in one gulp. Putting down the cup, she let out a long sigh and said, "It's all thanks to that suicidal idiot Jiang Wenxun. If it weren't for his brainless support, I don't know when the progress bar would have increased. But..."
Lin Qinghe's eyes narrowed, and she mused, "It's clear that You Rong is not ungrateful. It seems that helping him ascend to the position of Chief Eunuch wouldn't be a bad way to increase the progress bar."
To become the Chief Eunuch, she would need to find a plausible reason to have You Rong assigned to serve the Emperor... And as for the current Chief Eunuch, Eunuch Wang, she would have to find a way to bring him down to pave the way for You Rong.
These were not minor matters and required careful consideration.
Meanwhile.
You Rong returned to his side chamber, sat upright at the table, his eyes downcast, his mind in turmoil. Lin Qinghe's words and her dejected figure kept replaying in his mind.
You Rong's brow furrowed deeper, his handsome face a mask of complex emotions.
'Likes him?'
What did it feel like to like someone?
He had never liked any woman before and therefore did not understand.
Was what Lin Qinghe said about liking him true? Or, how much of it was true, and how much was false?
-------------------------------------
As dusk fell, the sound of a knock came from outside. You Rong snapped back to attention and asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"
"Brother, it's me."
"Yue'er, come in."
You Yue pushed open the door to the side chamber and entered. You Rong suppressed all his thoughts and asked, "Why have you come? Did the Princess have any instructions?"
You Yue placed the meal she had brought on the table. "No, it's just that we picked lotus seeds from the Imperial Garden today. Sister Mei Lan took out the lotus seeds and made lotus seed soup. I tasted it, and it was delicious, so I brought some for you, Brother. You should try some."
You Rong nodded slightly, picked up a spoon, and took a mouthful of the lotus seed soup. Although it was slightly different from the taste of his mother's cooking from his memories, he couldn't deny that it was quite good.
You Yue asked with great anticipation, "Brother, how is it? Is it delicious?"
"Mm, it's good."
"Then eat more. Sister Mei Lan said that the Princess specifically ordered it to be made for us, and she gave us a larger portion..." As she spoke, a worried expression appeared on You Yue's face, and she murmured, "It's a shame the Princess is not feeling well and has a poor appetite. She didn't eat anything for dinner today, and didn't even get to try the lotus seed soup..."
You Rong's hand holding the spoon paused. "The Princess is not feeling well? Is she ill?"
"I don't know. I also thought that perhaps the Princess got her dress wet when she was picking lotus seeds at the lotus pond today and caught a chill from being in the wind all the way back..."
You Rong: "Then... have you asked a physician to see the Princess?"
"Sister Mei Lan said the Princess didn't want an imperial physician, that she would be fine with some rest."
You Yue had to return to her duties and couldn't stay long. After a few words with You Rong, she left. Once she was gone, the lotus seed soup You Rong had eaten suddenly lost its flavor.
He put down his spoon, lowered his eyes, and stared at the lotus seed soup before him with a somber, unreadable gaze.
Had he been too harsh with Lin Qinghe today?
Recalling Lin Qinghe's posture as she wiped her tears, trying hard not to cry, You Rong felt a pang of unease.
Compounding this, for the next two days, Lin Qinghe was solely focused on how to get You Rong to serve the Emperor and help him rise to the position of Chief Eunuch. She didn't step out of her sleeping quarters at all.
When Mei Lan and the others inquired, she used the excuse of feeling unwell to deflect them.
Outside the sleeping quarters.
You Rong saw You Yue emerging and called out to her, "Yue'er."
Mei Lan and You Yue turned around together. Mei Lan thought the siblings had something to discuss and smiled, saying, "You Yue, you go ahead. I'll leave first. You can come find me later."
"Okay, Sister Mei Lan. I'll find you later."
You Yue watched Mei Lan leave and then walked over to You Rong. She blinked her clear, black eyes and asked with confusion, "Brother, you called me. Is there something you need?"
"I..." You Rong paused, unsure how to begin.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Seeing You Rong hesitate to speak, You Yue thought for a moment and guessed, "Brother, are you worried about the Princess? Do you want to ask about her condition?"
You Rong pursed his lips. "No... it's just that the Princess hasn't left her sleeping quarters for two days, and I haven't seen you call for an imperial physician. I wanted to remind you that if the Princess is ill, you should call for a physician early. Otherwise, if the Emperor finds out, he will blame you. As her personal maids, you will be responsible for negligence in your service."
You Yue smiled faintly, seeing through You Rong's intentions without revealing it.
She said, "The Princess is not unwell. She's just been looking troubled lately, lost in thought, and has a poor appetite. She must be troubled by something."
After You Yue left, You Rong stood before Lin Qinghe's sleeping quarters, his expression hesitant. He took a step forward, intending to knock, but ultimately withdrew the hand he had extended.