Chapter 68: Enough to Play for a Year

“Master, it’s not that I don’t trust you,” Yue quickly waved her hand in a flustered manner when she saw that Li Yi was truly upset, hastily defending herself, “It’s just the color of this wine is a bit different from the others. Is it… really delicious?”

As she spoke, her expression grew slightly hesitant, and she pursed her lips gently.

Though she’d accepted the ladle from Li Yi, Yue didn’t intend to taste it right away; instead, suspicion clouded her heart as she glanced at the wine, then at Li Yi, unsure whether she should drink it.

For the color of the wine was not the pure snowy white of other spirits, but contained a faint yellow tint beneath the white.

If one didn’t pay close attention, it would be hard to tell this wine apart from others by appearance alone.

But Yue’s eyes were sharp, and after spending so much time bustling about the kitchen with Li Yi, she could spot the difference in a glance.

Li Yi rolled his eyes at her indecisive manner and snorted, “Drink it or don’t. If you won’t, then give it here—I’ll drink it myself!”

He reached out to seize the ladle from her hand, but Yue was quicker.

She tucked the ladle to her chest and stepped back, lips pursed in a playful pout. “Master, since you’ve already given it to me, you can’t take it back. I’ll drink it now.”

She cast a wary glance at him, then lifted her elegant swan-like neck with a hint of pride and took a small sip.

Li Yi was momentarily dumbfounded, thinking to himself—when did this little girl become so adorable? Not only did she show no restraint, but she even dared to tease him with such mischief!

He was quite satisfied, though—a sign of progress.

Meanwhile, Li Yi studied Yue’s cheeks intently, watching for any change in her expression, and ventured, “Well? How does it taste?”

This wine had only just been brewed, and Li Yi hadn’t yet tried it himself. He felt a tinge of unease, for his skill in winemaking was limited.

He couldn’t guarantee its quality.

Yue tilted her head and pondered for a couple of seconds, then her eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. “Master, it’s sweet and mellow, with no harshness—it tastes so much better than the others!”

Her words paused for a moment, as she sensed a sudden warmth rising within her, a feeling that seemed to dispel the chill of winter.

Unable to resist, Yue took another greedy sip.

Then she frowned slightly and looked at Li Yi, speaking with a hint of bitterness, “Master, I do have a question—the aftereffect of this wine seems much stronger than the others.”

Upon hearing Yue’s praise, and seeing sincerity in her expression, Li Yi knew his efforts hadn’t been wasted.

The wine was a success!

But when Yue mentioned the aftereffect, Li Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “If wine had no kick, how would it differ from plain water? That’s exactly the effect I wanted!”

He took back the ladle and sipped lightly, discovering it was indeed as Yue described.

Its taste was nearly indistinguishable from the Five Grain Liquor he’d once enjoyed.

“Yue, send someone to Drunken Immortal Pavilion and have Manager Xu bring his people. Go sign the sales agreement,” Li Yi instructed, brimming with excitement.

“Alright, Master, I’ll go at once.” Yue smiled sweetly and hurried out to relay his orders.

After a short while, she returned to the kitchen.

But as she entered the room, she suddenly noticed Li Yi filling a wine jar, curiosity prompting her to ask, “Master, what are you doing?”

Li Yi paused, glancing at the innocent Yue, unsure whether to answer “doing” or “not doing.”

Her way of phrasing things was so easily misunderstood…

Feeling a headache, his lips twitched twice.

He sighed inwardly and decided to indulge her, saying, “Yue, come help me!”

But as soon as he spoke, Li Yi regretted it—he realized he’d fallen into Yue’s verbal trap.

Her next words nearly sent his thoughts astray.

“Alright, Master. You rest for a bit, let me do it!” Yue beamed brightly and cheerfully walked over, taking the ladle and began filling the wine jar.

Li Yi no longer wished to dwell on the topic and simply stood aside to rest.

After a while, the large jar was finally filled. Li Yi had the servants carry it toward the cellar.

As for the agreement, he left it to Yue to negotiate with Manager Xu.

Once at the cellar, Li Yi instructed the servants to leave and remained alone to work.

…

…

Li Lizhi left the palace and headed straight for the Li residence.

The gatekeeper was startled to see Li Lizhi appear at the entrance, and hurriedly bowed, “Your humble servant greets the Princess.”

“No need for formalities.” Li Lizhi waved her hand indifferently and asked, “Where is your young master? Where is he now?”

“Princess, the young master is at home,” one of the servants replied, swiftly turning to send someone to inform Li Yi.

But Li Lizhi stopped him. “No need for notification—just take me to him directly.”

“Er… Yes, Your Highness.” The servant hesitated, but seeing her insistence, he did not argue further and led Li Lizhi inside.

After a few inquiries, she learned Li Yi’s whereabouts and instructed the staff to leave.

Only accompanied by her female bodyguard, Li Lizhi arrived at the cellar door.

Inside, Li Yi was busy, unaware that two figures had appeared at the entrance.

When he finally finished storing the wine and stood up, a voice suddenly called out, “Young Master Li, what are you doing?”

He froze on the spot, his expression awkward in the extreme.

He hadn’t expected that, aside from Yue, someone else could speak in such a misleading way.

“But who is this person? The voice sounds vaguely familiar…”

Puzzled and curious, Li Yi turned to see two figures.

One was Li Lizhi, and the other appeared to be her female bodyguard.

A sidelong glance revealed the bodyguard’s appearance and figure were of the highest caliber, and compared to Li Lizhi, each possessed a unique beauty.

Especially those long, slender legs, tightly encased in her fitted armor, exuding both sleekness and strength.

Li Yi mused—he could admire those legs for a whole year!

“Working!” Li Yi answered Li Lizhi’s question without hesitation.

(End of chapter)