Ch 105: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

“Sister-in-law?”

The address took Ji Zhifei by surprise. He instinctively turned his head to look at Jing Li. The latter showed no shock at the unexpected guest, as if he had already anticipated this.

Jing Li smiled and said, “Young Master Ji invited me here to play.”

“Oh?” Gu Heng turned to glance at Ji Zhifei, feigning surprise. “I didn’t know my sister-in-law knew Young Master Ji.”

Gu Heng was likely the youngest among the rich young men present, but he was also the most prestigious. In many households in the capital, the elders revered Old Master Gu, so no one dared to cross him.

But it was well known throughout the capital that Gu Heng was the only son of Old Master Gu.

Where would he have a sister-in-law?

“I don’t know him,” Jing Li replied. “Young Master Ji and I had some misunderstandings, and we agreed to settle them here with a gambling game.”

“I see.”

Gu Heng nodded but didn’t ask about the details of the game. Instead, he casually walked toward the gambling table and took a glance, then clicked his tongue in surprise. “Left side is losing so badly? Sister-in-law, was it you over here?”

Before Jing Li could answer, he added, “Losing doesn’t matter. I’ve known Young Master Ji for years, so I can still help. Young Master Ji, if my sister-in-law owes you anything, I’ll pay for him.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the people in the room murmured softly.

From the moment Gu Heng entered, they had already guessed that things had likely gone awry for Ji Zhifei.

Everyone knew Gu Heng’s personality. This young master was spoiled and unruly at home, never bowing to anyone, so it was hard to imagine him humbling himself like this unless there was a very good reason.

To make Gu Heng call someone “sister-in-law,” even if it wasn’t literal, meant they were somehow connected to the Gu family.

And his behavior after entering confirmed the crowd’s suspicions.

Gu Heng’s words clearly meant that he didn’t care about the details of the situation, but he would definitely protect this person. To oppose him meant opposing Gu Heng, and by extension, opposing the Gu family.

With that thought, the way everyone looked at Jing Li shifted entirely.

Who was this person, really?

While the others in the private room could watch from the sidelines, Ji Zhifei found himself in a difficult position. After the gambling bet was established yesterday, Ji Zhifei had sent people to investigate the young man’s background, but they had found nothing.

The people Ji Zhifei sent to follow the young man from the bookstore lost track of him soon after.

At the time, Ji Zhifei hadn’t thought much of it, assuming it was just incompetence on the part of his subordinates.

Now, however, it seemed like someone else had interfered.

Ji Zhifei’s face darkened, but because of Gu Heng’s words, everyone in the room was now watching him.

What could he say in response?

Did Ji Zhifei want to say that the young man had cheated during the game, so he wouldn’t accept the result? Not only was this a trap he had set himself, but even if it were true, he didn’t dare say anything in front of Gu Heng.

It’s important to note that although the gambling house was officially managed by the Ji family, the funding came from the Gu family in the background.

Ji Zhifei prided himself on being fearless in the capital, but the one family he dared not offend was the Gu family.

What bad luck was he having today?!

Ji Zhifei didn’t say anything, but Jing Li calmly said, “I was on the right side.”

“Oh!” Gu Heng said, as if suddenly realizing, “Sister-in-law, you have such good luck!”

“Since you’ve already won, can we leave now?” Gu Heng said. “I need to go for the county exam, and my mother has ordered a lunch at Linjiang Pavilion today, and she would like to invite you both.”

Jing Li nodded. “Alright.”

With that, Gu Heng stepped aside and allowed Jing Li and Boss Chang to leave the room first.

“By the way, Young Master Ji.” Just before leaving, Gu Heng suddenly turned back. “I hope you’ll send the deed for the bet to my residence soon. Don’t forget.”

With that, he smiled at Ji Zhifei and left the private room with his entourage.

Gu Heng came and went with great haste, and once the door was shut, the room fell silent.

After a long pause, someone in the crowd finally asked, “…Where did Gu Heng get this ‘sister-in-law’?”

“I’ve never heard of it, has anyone else?”

The crowd started talking in whispers, and Ji Zhifei’s face grew darker by the second. He snapped, “Shut up!”

On the other side, after Jing Li and Gu Heng left the gambling house, he turned to Boss Chang and said, “Boss Chang, you should head back. I’ll take care of the rest. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure we get the bookstore back.”

Boss Chang hadn’t fully recovered from the events that had just transpired.

He glanced at Gu Heng, seemingly wanting to ask something, but didn’t dare to inquire further. He bowed to them and left.

Gu Heng smiled mischievously and said, “So, how did I do with my performance?”

“Thanks.” Jing Li said.

He had anticipated that Ji Zhifei wouldn’t back down easily, so before leaving, he had sent Gu Heng a letter asking him to help out at the gambling house.

It was just a precaution, and he hadn’t expected it to actually come in handy.

Jing Li asked, “How did you know I was in that room?”

“I asked around.”

Gu Heng’s carriage was waiting outside the gambling house. He led Jing Li to the carriage and said, “Sister-in-law, you have no idea, Ji Zhifei’s group has done this kind of thing before. Luckily, you called me. If I hadn’t come today, you might not have gotten out so easily.”

Jing Li frowned. “They bully commoners, and the authorities don’t care?”

Gu Heng awkwardly scratched his nose but didn’t answer.

Jing Li suddenly remembered that the first time he met Gu Heng, this person had also been bullying commoners.

Perhaps it was a common issue in this era: those in power had people backing them, and as long as they didn’t go too far, even the upright and incorruptible governor of Jiangling would turn a blind eye.

This was not something that one person could change.

Jing Li felt a sense of helplessness as he thought about it.

The atmosphere inside the carriage became somewhat awkward. Gu Heng cleared his throat and said, “Sister-in-law, I’ll take you home first, and then I’ll send a carriage to pick you up at noon.”

“Hmm?” Jing Li snapped out of his thoughts and asked, “Where to?”

“To Linjiang Pavilion,” Gu Heng said. “My mother is hosting a lunch for you and your husband. You didn’t think I was just making it up, did you?”

Jing Li said “oh” in response and then remembered something. “By the way, don’t tell Qin Zhao about today’s events.”

“I understand.” Gu Heng patted his chest and smiled, “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. After Ji Zhifei returns the deed, I’ll bring it over to you.”

“Good.”

The carriage slowly made its way through the market, and inside, no one noticed a dark shadow flash across the roof and disappear into the distance.

“Did Gu Heng leave?”

Qin Zhao was sitting under the eaves, reading a book, while Ah Qi stood next to him, recounting what he had just witnessed. After a moment of silence, Qin Zhao nodded. “I understand.”

Ah Qi asked again, “I heard it was Ji Zhifei’s son from the silk and satin shop who was causing trouble for Madam. Should we let Gu Changzhou handle it?”

“Not yet,” Qin Zhao turned the page of his book calmly. “As long as they don’t threaten Madam’s safety, there’s no need for us to intervene.”

Little fry, holding a doll, waddled over, tugging at Ah Qi’s sleeve, wanting to go play in the yard.

He was very well-behaved now, knowing that his father couldn’t be exposed to the cold wind, so whenever Qin Zhao was alone at home, he never insisted on going outside to play.

But when Uncle Ah Qi came back, it was a different story.

Qin Zhao said, “Go ahead.”

Ah Qi picked up Little fry but didn’t rush out. He looked at Qin Zhao one more time.

Qin Zhao asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Ah Qi lowered his head and said quietly, “I just feel like you’re different from before.”

Qin Zhao: “How was I before?”

“He rarely leaves room for others.”

In the past, Qin Zhao had been ruthless, showing no mercy, and couldn’t tolerate any flaws.

But now…

“No, you misunderstood,” Qin Zhao raised his head and looked out the window. “I just don’t want to interfere in his decisions.”

His husband never hid anything, and even if Qin Zhao didn’t investigate, he could roughly guess what had happened. Just like today, he knew that Jing Li had sneaked out, likely because something had come up, but he didn’t ask further. He simply had Ah Qi follow him, just in case something unexpected occurred.

As for the details, he didn’t care.

Moreover, the fact that the other person had brought up Gu Heng meant that this issue was probably already resolved.

He didn’t feel the need to intervene.

At that moment, footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard. Looking through the window, a flash of bright red fabric appeared near the flower gate. A head peeked in, glancing around the yard.

Qin Zhao naturally withdrew his gaze, pretending he hadn’t seen anything, but the smile at the corner of his mouth was impossible to hide. “You haven’t married, you wouldn’t understand.”

Ah Qi: “…”

Alright.

Thanks to Gu Heng’s help, the matter was quickly brushed aside.

Two or three days later, Dream Notes, Volume Two was officially released in bookstores throughout the capital, sparking quite a bit of excitement.

Two days after that, the county exam began.

The county exam consisted of four rounds, one every other day, lasting seven days in total. During this time, Gu Heng was busy with the exam, so Jing Li didn’t disturb him. When Gu Heng visited again, it was the day the county exam had finished.

The young master of the Gu family appeared radiant, and upon seeing Qin Zhao and Jing Li, his face couldn’t hide his joy.

Seeing Gu Heng’s proud expression, Qin Zhao felt relieved. “Did you do well?”

“Not as good as you, sir, but I should be fine in the inner circle,” Gu Heng said, instructing his servants to bring in the gifts. “Thank you for all your guidance these days. These are small tokens of gratitude, and after the results are posted, my father will personally come to thank you.”

The Gu family was generous, and Qin Zhao didn’t hesitate to accept everything.

Gu Heng had been preparing for the county exam for several months. Now that it was finally over, he naturally wanted to go out and celebrate with his friends. He even suggested inviting Qin Zhao to join him, but Jing Li firmly refused.

Gu Heng was well aware of Qin Zhao’s reluctance to let his husband go out, so he didn’t insist.

After the gifts were delivered, Gu Heng didn’t linger. Jing Li saw him off at the door.

“By the way, sister-in-law, there’s one more thing I need to tell you.” Before leaving, Gu Heng pulled Jing Li aside and whispered, “It’s about Ji Zhifei.”

Jing Li asked, “What happened?”

“He still hasn’t delivered the deed for the bookstore,” Gu Heng said. “I’ve been busy with the county exam, and my father has been keeping a close eye on me, so I didn’t dare to intervene. But after the exam today, I sent someone to ask about it.”

Gu Heng paused before continuing, “I heard that Boss Chang’s brother, Chang Lao Er, was found dead in the outskirts a few days ago. The authorities have discovered that it was Boss Chang who did it.”

“The authorities arrested him yesterday.”