Chapter 65: Trading Bedroom for Money
Chapter 65: Trading Bedroom for Money
"Do you want to sleep with me tonight?"
Dao Ming spat out the tea that he just sipped as soon as his ears registered the words Xiang Ling just spoke out loud enough for all five of them to hear. His eyes immediately darted in the direction of Xin Cheng who looked just as shaken as the others.
"S-sleep?" Li Xian was the first one to break the silence that had descended over their table. He shifted his gaze between his wife and Xin Cheng as he tried to make sense of what he had just heard. But one look at the others and he knew that he wasn’t the only one who wanted answers.
Noticing the awkward silence, Xiang Ling turned her gaze away from Xin Cheng for a moment and looked at the others. It was not until she had seen the expression of each of the men, did she recalled her mistake. As soon as the realization dawned on her, she felt her cheeks warming up in embarrassment.
"Wait! That’s not what I meant. I’m asking if you want to sleep in my room tonight." She tried to correct her words but even then, she found them just as misleading as her previous statement. "No, wait! This isn’t coming out right."
Xin Cheng opened his mouth to speak but then immediately closed it. Out of everyone present there, he was having the hardest time at the moment. Clearing his throat, he looked at the woman beside him and asked, "What are you talking about? Make it clear and don’t speak any more nonsense."
"I didn’t say anything bad. It’s you guys with rotten brains." Xiang Ling mumbled but each of the five men heard her loud and clear. Her attempt at throwing the blame on them didn’t go unnoticed.
"Say that again." Xin Cheng dared and while Xiang Ling was tempted to fulfill his wish for a moment, she decided against it. After all, there was a reason she proposed such an offer in the first place and that plan didn’t include getting on the bad side of Xin Cheng.
Shaking her head to get rid of all the extra thoughts, she turned her full attention toward Xin Cheng and spoke, "I’m just trying to trade my bedroom with yours."
Surprised by her words, Xin Cheng shared a quick look with others before he returned his attention to her and asked, "Why? Did you not like your room?" Didn’t he ask the manager to arrange a good room for her? Why she didn’t like it then? He wondered as he waited for her response.
"That’s not it." Xiang Ling quickly dismissed the probability of her room not being a good one. "It’s actually a really nice big room with a huge window giving the clear view of the night street. That’s why I think you will like it better." She smiled sweetly at him as she finished speaking.
But despite her sweetness, the man wasn’t buying her words at all. "Xiang Ling, just tell me what you want from me. There’s no need to beat around the bush."
Xiang Ling’s breath almost caught in her throat when she heard her name rolling from his lips. There was something about his deep and serious voice calling her name that made her entire body react in a way she didn’t know was possible. The smile disappeared from her lips and she found herself staring into his beautiful eyes with crimson hues in them.
"Ah Ling?"
Wei Guang’s familiar voice pulled Xiang Ling out of her trance and she quickly revealed her real intentions. "I... I just wanted to ask if I can borrow ten silver taels from you. The new servants need rooms, food, and transportation, and after paying those slave dealers, I have emptied my pockets. I promise I will return your money within a week."
She stared at Xin Cheng with expectation-filled eyes only for the man to shake his head before he stood up from his seat. In her anxiety, she grabbed his arm to stop him. "Where are you going?" She demanded in confusion.
Xin Cheng turned his head and his eyes landed on her hand that was still holding his arm. He raised his eyes and their gazes collided. Slowly, she let go of his hand but the expectation in her eyes didn’t falter even for a second.
"Why should I lend you the money?" He asked her.
Xiang Ling opened her mouth to respond but before she could have said anything, Dao Ming spoke up from where he was sitting on the opposite side of the table. "I can lend you the money and you don’t have to return it to me either. Will I get to sleep with you?"
Xiang Ling once again opened her mouth to speak but was again stopped before she could have spoken a single word. A heavy pouch filled with money landed in her hands and forced her to look up at her third husband who was looking anywhere but at her.
"There are fifty taels in there. Return them to me by the end of the month." He told her while pouring himself a cup of tea. "Also, you sleep in your room. No need to trade it with anyone." His gaze shifted toward Dao Ming as he added the last sentence.
"Thank you." Xiang Ling thanked him as she accepted the money and immediately headed toward the manager to settle the payment. Once she was done, she returned to the table.
"Let’s have dinner and get some sleep. We need to travel this coming morning." Xin Cheng reminded everyone and they all agreed.
The dinner went mostly in silence and once everyone finished, they retired to their respective rooms. Xiang Ling, on the other hand, stayed behind and waited for her new servants’ return.
When they all returned right at the mark of an hour, she checked their health one by one before she switched their normal drinking water with the spiritual water of the stream. Once she was done, she too headed to her room.
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A/N:
Though a little bit later than the intended time, the promised Bonus Chapter is here.