Chapter 240 - Zhou Taught Her Daughter

Zhou Ruyu softened her tone and looked at Shi Baoyou with love. “Baoyou, you are my only daughter. Will I harm you?”

“Of course no,” Shi Baoyou answered quickly and firmly.

Zhou Ruyu nodded with satisfaction and advised patiently, “Since you believe that I won’t harm you, why don’t you believe my words?”

Shi Baoyou hurriedly shook her head. “No. I believe your words, but…”

She lowered her head again and murmured with a grievance, “I am just…not confident.”

Hearing that, Zhou Ruyu softened at once.

She comforted her daughter in a hurry. “Why aren’t you confident? You just need to remember that you are not inferior to Shi Qingxue. You can surely get what she can get if you want to.”

“Really?” Shi Baoyou was still unconfident.

Zhou Ruyu nodded devoutly. “And the fourth prince must have feelings for you, but because of Shi Qingxue, he doesn’t dare to express his love for you.”

Shi Baoyou was stunned and looked joyful but doubtful. “How is it possible?”

“Why is it impossible? Didn’t His Highness want to see you these days?” Zhou Ruyu asked with certainty.

“But it is because he wants to know more about Qingxue, and he…”

Zhou Ruyu snorted and interrupted Shi Baoyou. “There are so many ways to know more about Shi Qingxue. If he wants to make her happy, he can even go to the Luotong Boudoir to see her. Can she avoid seeing him?”

“Gee?” Shi Baoyou blinked in doubt and didn’t think of this point seemingly.

Zhou Ruyu continued, “So His Highness must have his own thought. Otherwise it is unnecessary to know something about Shi Qingxue from you. He knows that you came back to the mansion not long ago and you are not close to Qingxue.

If he just does that for Shi Qingxue, he can talk with Shi Baoning. She is Shi Qingxue’s sister and should know more about her, right?”

Shi Baoyou was suddenly enlightened and nodded repeatedly, saying yes.

There was expectancy in her charming eyes. “So His Highness likes me more or less?”

Zhou Ruyu gave a positive answer in a hurry and then replied, “Sure. There is no pure relationship between a man and a woman nowadays. He must have feelings for you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t come to see you frequently.”

“But Qingxue…” Shi Baoyou was happy and worried and couldn’t ignore her cousin.

“No but! Love is never to consider for your rival in love. Moreover, Shi Qingxue doesn’t love His Highness. Even if they are together, they won’t be happy. Do you hope that His Highness will be not happy?” Zhou Ruyu stated logically and showed a signal in her words that Mo Junhao should belong to Shi Baoyou.

As expected, Shi Baoyou hurriedly shook her head and responded anxiously, “Of course not. I hope most that His Highness can have all his wishes come true and be happy…”

“In this case, why are you hesitant? Express your feelings for him as soon as possible, in case that somebody else does that before you. You need to know that many people covet your boyfriend, His Highness.” Zhou Ruyu purposely said vaguely and incited Shi Baoyou to see Mo Junhao.

Shi Baoyou lowered her head with shyness and retorted in a low voice, “His Highness is not my boyfriend. Mother, don’t say that randomly. It will be bad if somebody else hears that.”

Zhou Ruyu didn’t care and waved her hand, with a meaningful smile. “Even though he is not yours now, he will belong to you in the future. Why can’t I say that?”

She wished to spread this matter in the whole world. Then it would be impossible if Mo Junhao didn’t want to marry Shi Baoyou.

But she was still grounded in the South House now and couldn’t go out, let alone making a match for Mo Junhao and Shi Baoyou.

“Baoyou, when will you have a date with His Highness today?” Zhou Ruyu asked with concern.

Shi Baoyou had no doubt about her mother and answered frankly, “His Highness said yesterday that he would come to see me after the imperial court session in the morning today and prepared a big gift for Qingxue. He hopes that I can help him give it to her.”

In the beginning, Shi Baoyou talked and laughed happily, with expectancy shown on her face as she would see Mo Junhao, but later, at the thought that he wanted to see her because of Shi Qingxue, she couldn’t help but feel depressed.

Zhou Ruyu saw through Shi Baoyou at a glance but didn’t comfort her at once. Instead, she expressed, “Look! This is because you shrink back all the time and you are unwilling to fight for your love.

“Look at Shi Qingxue. Although she always looks arrogant and seems to disdain all the powerful and wealthy men in the world, she is sinister, which is beyond your imagination. She lures His Excellency and His Highness. You should know how capable of seducing men she is.”

“Qingxue does that, and it is not fair to His Highness!” Shi Baoyou looked heart-broken and spoke evil of Shi Qingxue for the first time, but she did that for Mo Junhao.

Zhou Ruyu nodded in an instant and took the chance to defame Shi Qingxue. “Right. So how can you stand by and watch such a good man as His Highness being hurt by an evil woman?”

With anger flashing in her eyes, Shi Baoyou was unwilling to do that, but soon she got depressed again and explained almost in a sobbing tone, “But His Highness said that he just loves Qingxue, and I can do nothing!”

“Pah! His Highness just…” He did that for the influence behind Shi Junhe. Otherwise, which man with a backbone would face others’ coldness with warmth?

But Zhou Ruyu didn’t dare to say that. She was afraid that Shi Baoyou could hardly accept the facts.

She advised earnestly and tirelessly in a euphemistic way, “Baoyou, you were born in a large family. Even though I protect you and don’t make you stained with the dirty things in the family, you must be familiar with the fact that men are fickle in love, right?”

Shi Baoyou was stunned and soon understood what Zhou Ruyu wanted to express.

There was less expectancy on her face, but it was not difficult for her to accept it. She just nodded peacefully. “Mother, I know. The noble families are like this. A man can have many concubines and love a lot of women. It’s impossible for a nobleman to love only one woman. Even my eldest uncle…”

Shi Junhe said that he would marry only one woman Dong Hui all his life, and it was pleasant to hear.

But in the end, he broke his promise several times. He didn’t keep his word but made Dong Hui have a bad name as a jealous woman, and he was not that good.

As for the princes, especially Mo Junhao who might have a higher position in the future, she shouldn’t wish that.

“Since I fell in love with His Highness, I know this principle.”

Zhou Ruyu patted the back of Shi Baoyou’s hand to comfort her and then continued, “So His Highness won’t love only one woman. Even if he loves Shi Qingxue indeed now, love can’t be wasted. Shi Qingxue treats him like this, and he must be grieved.

If a woman shows up at this time, a considerate woman who can listen to him expressing his depression and comfort him, after a long time, who do you think he would love?”

While speaking, Zhou Ruyu kept staring at Shi Baoyou, and her hint was obvious.

Shi Baoyou was tempted by Zhou Ruyu’s wishful thinking and couldn’t help but ask, “What should I do now?”

Zhou Ruyu pondered for a while and then responded, “In our country, we don’t encourage women to be reserved and shy. If you meet a man you like, you should pursue him boldly. You are capable if you can win his love. Don’t shrink back. Otherwise, you will regret it for a lifetime.”

She said solemnly in the end. Her eyes still fell on Shi Baoyou, and it seemed that she saw another self through her daughter.

In the peach blossom forest that year, she also loved a man at first sight, but at that time, she thought that she was the eldest legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Wuyang, and she didn’t say anything or do anything. She just waited for the Shi family to propose marriage…

These days, she had imagined for many times. If she boldly walked forward to express her love when she saw Shi Junhe for the first time, would he accept her?

She knew Shi Junhe earlier than Dong Hui. If she expressed her love first, would her life in the future be totally different?

She didn’t need to ask Shi Junhe, and she could get a positive answer.

So when she dreamed at midnight, she had shed tears with regret and sorrow countless times for her pride when she was young.

Why couldn’t she take the initiative?

Everything Dong Hui owned should belong to her.

Seeing the sour and sad emotion in Zhou Ruyu’s eyes, Shi Baoyou was thoughtful and didn’t speak, giving her mother time to calm down.

After quite a while, Zhou Ruyu came back to earth.

She instantly wiped the tears beside her eyes and turned away to conceal her embarrassment. Then she continued, “What I said to you is invaluable advice, so you must take actions. You can’t regret it after everything is set in stone. Then it would be too late.”

“Mother, I see.” Shi Baoyou grabbed Zhou Ruyu’s hand and nodded seriously.

Meanwhile she gave an order to herself in secret. She would express her feelings after she saw Mo Junhao later.

Mo Junhao still didn’t know what he did these days finally aroused a beauty’s feelings. He prepared a gift carefully and then told somebody to drive a carriage to Duke Shi’s mansion.

When he reached the gate of Duke Shi’s mansion, Shi Baoyou happened to go out.

She came exactly in time as he had told somebody to send a message in advance.

Mo Junhao nodded with satisfaction and walked to the carriage’s door. He reached out his slender arm from inside and smiled at Shi Baoyou gently. “Come on. The carriage fence is tall. Let me pull you up.”

Shi Baoyou finally controlled her emotions, but as soon as she met Mo Junhao’s eyes full of affection, her face blushed again.

She didn’t dare to stretch out her hand but lowered her head, saying shily, “I don’t dare to trouble you, Your Highness.”

“It doesn’t matter. Grab my hand.” Mo Junhao didn’t care but smiled.

At last, he showed a cold face on purpose and “threatened” her. “Be quick. Or I will get out of the carriage and carry you up.”

He threatened, but it was more than vague words and made her face get red and her heart beat fast.

Shi Baoyou was afraid that Mo Junhao would do that, so she restrained her shyness and reached out her hand.

As soon as her small fair-skinned hand got close to Mo Junhao’s big hand, it was held by him.

“Be careful!”

Then he put forth strength, and she was pulled to get into the carriage.

Although Shi Baoyou was mentally prepared when Mo Junhao spoke, she was scared while he did that, and she screamed in a low voice,

“Ah!”

As soon as she finished her words, she was pulled into the carriage by Mo Junhao and fell into his arms.

She sat on Mo Junhao’s thighs, and her back leaned against his firm chest. His warmth came to her through his clothes.

Mo Junhao didn’t notice their intimate contact and held her waist randomly.

He held the part of her body accurately. If his arms went up a little, he could touch her soft breasts.

Shi Baoyou didn’t dare to move and went stiff, like a stone.

“What? Are you nervous?” Mo Junhao whispered in Shi Baoyou’s ear.

His hot air made Shi Baoyou’s face red.