The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 608 - 608 291 Flirting (first shift)_2

Chapter 608: 291 Flirting (first shift)_2 Chapter 608: 291 Flirting (first shift)_2 Gu Jiao slightly curved her lips.

Like a bud of Begonia about to bloom, it blossomed effortlessly in the night breeze, under the starry sky, at the softest spot over her heart.

Xiao Liulang’s heartbeat quickened, his eyelashes trembled as he shifted his gaze away and continued to bury himself in his studies.

However, Gu Jiao seemed not to pretend as if nothing had happened. She approached the window, resting one arm on the windowsill and propping her cheek with the other hand as she watched him, “What are you doing?”

The night breeze blew gently from behind her, shaking the faint fragrance of her body, instantly overpowering the ink aroma on the table.

Xiao Liulang felt a sudden warmth in his chest.

He didn’t look at Gu Jiao and kept his eyes straight on the book in front of him.

“I’m reading,” he said calmly.

“Oh,” Gu Jiao raised her eyebrows, suddenly leaning into the window.

His sudden closeness made Xiao Liulang tense up, as if he couldn’t move at all.

She was so close to him. It was as if their cheeks were about to touch.

Xiao Liulang’s mind suddenly flashed back to her being drunk, grabbing him and wanting a kiss, like a teasing little kitten.

His throat felt dry.

“You…” Just as Xiao Liulang thought she was about to do something, she merely reached out and took a piece of paper beside his hand.

After taking the paper, she stood back in place properly.

The air between their cheeks and nose dissipated, but Xiao Liulang inexplicably felt a hint of loss.

He didn’t even know what he was losing.

Gu Jiao took out a charcoal pencil, swiftly wrote a few words on the paper, and with a slight curve of her lips, she left the note and turned back to her own room.

The warmth on Xiao Liulang’s cheeks faded slowly. Once he regained his calm, he glanced at the note on the windowsill.

He picked it up and saw, written boldly with a charcoal pencil, the words—The book, upside, down!

Xiao Liulang recalled the meaningful look she gave when she left the note and his cheeks heated up again…

During dinner, both Yao Family and Gu Yan noticed Xiao Liulang’s feigned composure. Only Gu Xiaoshun, the fool, stared at Xiao Liulang for a long while before asking, “Brother-in-law, why is your face red?”

It really was bad timing.

Xiao Liulang said dignifiedly, “It’s hot.”

“Oh,” Gu Xiaoshun nodded, “It is quite hot.”

Yao Family stifled a laugh.

Gu Xiaoshun was about to ask something else when Gu Yan stuffed a chicken leg into his mouth, “Eat this!”

“Hmm~” Gu Xiaoshun’s mouth became instantly busy, forgetting what he wanted to ask.

After dinner, under the intense pressure from the crafty brother-in-law, Little Cleansing confessed to the grand endeavor of shaving half the class.

“The first one I shaved was Chu Yu,” Xiao Liulang delivered the killer blow.

Little Cleansing didn’t know Chu Yu’s surname was Qin, that he was a royal prince, but Gu Jiao couldn’t have been unaware.

Gu Jiao: Huh, even dared to shave the prince?

Xiao Liulang: … What’s with that expression? It seems like you even admire it! If this child is so bold, surely someone has contributed to it!

Gu Jiao caught Xiao Liulang’s deadly glare, blinked, and silently swallowed the words of praise about her child being awesome, careful, and skilled. She solemnly told Little Cleansing, “Don’t bring razors to the Guozijian anymore, we can’t offer free haircuts.”

Xiao Liulang: “…”

Little Cleansing’s shaving act stirred up a huge commotion in Guozijian, and it was no less of a sensation in the Imperial Palace.

When Qin Chuyu walked out of Guozijian with a shiny bald head, the eunuch who came to pick him up was dumbfounded.

Qin Chuyu didn’t realize the monumental act he had committed, and he boarded the carriage back to the palace, eagerly anticipating becoming smarter after a good sleep.

Actually, Qin Chuyu’s abilities were not enough for him to be in the Genius Class; it was all thanks to the Crown Princess pulling strings, which had led Qin Chuyu into a quite awkward situation—he was always the worst in class, always at the bottom during exams.

His teacher, knowing his identity, although did not dare to scold him harshly, but being eight years old, a mature little man, he needed to save face.

His desire to become smarter was stronger than anyone else’s, hence he decisively grabbed the first spot to be shaved.

He went with his bald head to Empress Xiao’s Kunning Palace.

“Mother!”

Empress Xiao, selecting newly offered fabrics, turned around with a smile, and immediately fainted.

Soon thereafter, the Emperor was alerted.

In a short while, the whole Imperial Harem knew about Qin Chuyu’s shaving.

Empress Dowager had someone inquire whether the Seventh Prince was planning to become a Monk.

The Emperor was furious and asked Qin Chuyu, “Who shaved him?!”

Shaving the head of a prince was a matter of life and death!

Qin Chuyu thought this was a good thing since he was about to become smarter, so he didn’t hide anything, “It was Monk Jingkong!”

“Who?” The Emperor was taken aback.

“Monk Jingkong,” said Qin Chuyu. “Father, you’ve met him! Have you forgotten?”

The little Divine Doctor’s brother?

The Emperor’s rising fury immediately dissipated. “Why, why did he shave your hair?”

Qin Chuyu then said, “I asked him to shave it. I wanted to be as smart as him!”

Then Qin Chuyu explained the whole matter, his tone brimming with pride; he was about to become smarter!

The Emperor clenched his fists, his lips twitching uncontrollably.

This foolish child!

Had he studied all his books so thoroughly they went inside out? Was this the proper use of supreme intelligence?

In the end, Qin Chuyu had the great honor of eating a meal of bamboo shoots stir-fried with meat cooked by his own father.

It hurt him terribly, “Wuu wuu!”

The Emperor closed the door to punish Qin Chuyu, not for shaving his head but because the Emperor had checked his homework, and he hadn’t got it right.

The officials and parents of the shaved boys awaited the Emperor’s stance, but since the Emperor said nothing, they let go of seeking justice.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t really the young boy’s fault; to say he did it on purpose didn’t quite fit.

Besides, even if he did, if a group of six, seven, and eight-year-olds were tricked by a four-year-old, would they really have the face to make a fuss?

Isn’t that just admitting their own stupidity?

Initially shocked, angry, and bearing the burden of humiliation, everyone gradually calmed down and then they discovered something—

Their children’s heads had been shaved so cleanly!

Not a single stray strand of hair left!

That was the work of a professional!

“My youngest son is almost a month old, I was thinking of finding someone to shave his first hair.”

“My nephew is two, and we also wanted to get his head shaved, but hadn’t found a suitable barber. The one we had before didn’t do a clean job.”

“The barber we hired even injured my child!”

Everyone brought their children to the gate of Guozijian, looking at each other, understanding without words.

However, this sort of thing was good just in thought; who would actually invite a little child home to shave people’s heads?

“I don’t think it’s appropriate.”

“I think so too.”

“So… shall we leave?”

“Let’s go!”

Damn it, just go then!

How about you stop squatting around this kid!

The very next morning, little Monk Jingkong came to Guozijian for classes, only to be met with a torrent of eager and greedy stares.

He didn’t understand what was going on.

Xiao Liulang had Monk Jingkong go inside first.

Immediately, the crowd surged forward and surrounded Xiao Liulang.

Xiao Liulang thought they were here to demand an explanation, mentally preparing himself for public condemnation, but to his surprise, they all questioned, “Could your brother possibly come to my house to shave a head?”

Xiao Liulang: “…”

Of course, Xiao Liulang would not agree.

What a joke, this kid owned three large estates in the Capital City, just the rent from Bishui Alley alone earned him thirty taels a month; if he allowed him to expand into the haircutting business, would he, as his brother-in-law, have any financial power left in the house?

Thus, unbeknownst to little Monk Jingkong, his burgeoning haircutting enterprise was ruthlessly strangled by his cruel brother-in-law.