“Slap—!”
A mix of anger, grievance, and shame surged uncontrollably in her heart. Overwhelmed by these emotions, Luo Lingyu raised her hand and slapped Lu Yun across the face. Her eyes burned with fury: What did he take her for? “Using her looks to serve others”?!
Was she really that despicable? Had she misunderstood his intentions when he gifted her famous paintings and smiled at her with those captivating eyes? Was he some kind of chaste saint?
Five slender but distinct finger marks appeared on Lu Yun’s cheek. He slowly turned his face back, his eyes dark and menacing. Still pinning Luo Lingyu against the tree, his heavy gaze bore down on her. When he wasn’t smiling, his cold, sharp demeanor was utterly terrifying.
Under his piercing stare, Luo Lingyu broke into a cold sweat on her back: “…”
Had she gone mad? A dependent cousin like her dared to slap Lu Yun, the third young master of the Lu family? With just a word from him, he could have her and her sister thrown out. But she had nowhere else to go…
“C-c-cousin,” she stammered, her eyelashes fluttering as tears welled up in her eyes. The moonlight bathed the flower-filled forest, and her lips trembled as she bit her lower lip. She looked up at him with a mix of fear and panic, her hand shakily reaching out to touch the side of his face she had struck. “I-I-I didn’t mean to…”
Lu Yun: “…”
His eyes, shadowed by his lashes, were dark and unreadable. He watched the flustered girl for a long moment before leisurely reaching out and firmly grasping her wrist. He acted like a superior, observing the little drama unfolding before him without a hint of pity. “Save your tears. They won’t work on me.”
Luo Lingyu: “…”
How could tears not work?
In that brief moment, Lu Yun caught a glimpse of something cold and calculating in Luo Lingyu’s upturned eyes.
His own eyes twitched, but her subtle expression vanished as quickly as it appeared. The tearful cousin remained in the same position, her tears receding after a slight delay.
Though her eyelashes still glistened with teardrops, the corners of her lips curled into a self-pitying smile.
Her voice remained soft and delicate: “Cousin, why do you say such harsh things to me? What do you mean by ‘using my looks to serve others’? Are you saying the young masters of the house are all bewitched by me? If that’s the case, aren’t you also ‘using your looks to serve others,’ Third Cousin?”
Lu Yun’s eyes darkened further, though his lips curved into a faint smile. “So, cousin, you admit your motives aren’t pure?”
Luo Lingyu: “No. Is beauty a crime? Did I force anyone to look at me? Is it wrong for me, as a newcomer, to want to be liked by everyone? Is it unforgivable that I didn’t cover my face and sit in a dusty room all day? What do you mean by ‘flirting with men’? Though my family has fallen, I am still of noble birth! Third Cousin, you said I ‘didn’t move,’ but how are you any different? The cousins in this house all adore you. Should you stop going out or talking to people to avoid being pursued? The same actions make you noble and virtuous, while I’m labeled as a flirt?”
Luo Lingyu wasn’t just talking. Lu Yun scoffed: “Clever words. You were quite the charmer in front of my second brother…”
He wanted to say more, but Luo Lingyu suddenly leaned forward.
Her ample chest forced Lu Yun to step back to avoid physical contact.
Her eyes flashed as she advanced, pushing him step by step backward. Her skirt fluttered, and strands of hair brushed against her lips. Her red lips parted, contrasting with her snow-white face and tear-filled eyes. She was a vision of beauty and brilliance.
Luo Lingyu, both aggrieved and furious, said, “What about Second Cousin? I only sent you flower notes and perfumes. Do you think I treat everyone the same? My heart was filled with admiration for you, but you ignored it. I was so ashamed that I pretended not to notice. Yet now you slander me and accuse me of something with Second Cousin… If you dislike me, just say it outright. This is too petty!”
Lu Yun, now backed against the tree, was initially surprised but soon regained his composure. “So, it’s my fault for misunderstanding you?”
He leaned down, his fingers brushing the stray hairs by her ear, noticing the redness of her earlobe. “Then you should be careful. What I can see, others can see too. Do you think the Lu family is blind to your schemes? Cousin Luo, one misstep, and the Lu family will kick you out.”
Luo Lingyu’s heart raced with panic.
But she didn’t show it. Her eyes reddened with anger as she pushed Lu Yun away forcefully, tears falling. “Do as you please!”
“Third Cousin, I won’t bother with you anymore!”
With that, Luo Lingyu stopped engaging with Lu Yun. Her emotions were in turmoil, her chest heaving with each breath. She turned away, tears streaming down her cheeks like silver threads. Her delicate face, wet with tears, glowed softly under the moonlight.
Lu Yun’s eyes darkened, and his lips twitched: She won’t bother with him anymore?!
He watched as Luo Lingyu turned her back to him, lifted her skirt, and ran out of the flower forest. Behind her, the pink and apricot blossoms scattered in the air, as if the entire forest was chasing after her. She looked like a celestial being who had mistakenly wandered into the mortal world, her silhouette bathed in an ethereal glow…
Lu Yun stood still for a moment, only snapping out of it when she was gone. He rubbed the fingers that had touched her face, the lingering sensation of her soft skin still on his fingertips.
He coughed lightly, masking his earlier strange emotions: This cousin never missed an opportunity to showcase her beauty.
She was beyond saving… and it only made him dislike her more.
—
Back in the “Snow Trace Courtyard,” Luo Lingyu sat on her bed, clutching her wildly beating heart. She was drenched in sweat from nervousness and fear, her forehead and nose damp, her back clammy. Her cheeks burned, and her hands rested on the armrest for a long time before her maid, Lingyu, brought her a cup of tea. “Are you alright, miss?”
Luo Lingyu sighed: No, she wasn’t.
She had been… outrageously bold. Not only had she slapped Lu Yun, but she had also lectured him. He must hate her now.
Her marriage prospects… Luo Lingyu bit her lip, agonising inwardly: Her righteous speech and the tears she shed in front of Lu Yun—would they even work?
She was at a loss for what to do next, unsure if she should shift her focus.
But the biggest problem now wasn’t Lu Yun. It was his suspicion of her true nature. That cousin didn’t seem like a good person. Would he expose her to the elders of the Lu family? If the elders grew to dislike her and kicked her out… what would she do? Without the protection of a family, she was truly at a dead end.
Luo Lingyu sat quietly, her imagination running wild, drenched in cold sweat, her hands icy.
She was so anxious that she almost wanted to run back to the flower forest and kneel before Lu Yun, begging him not to expose her… But Luo Lingyu was also a noblewoman, and she had her own pride. In this era, aside from worship, one rarely even had to kneel before the emperor. And yet, to stay in the Lu family, would she have to kneel before Lu Yun?
Lingyu anxiously nudged Luo Lingyu: “Miss, what’s wrong?”
Luo Lingyu’s silent, dazed state frightened her maid. Lingyu took Luo Lingyu’s cold hands and whispered in her ear: “Did Third Young Master bully you? Don’t be afraid, miss. We’ll tell the old madam tomorrow and have her stand up for us!”
Luo Lingyu shuddered.
Her nails dug into her palms: Living under someone else’s roof…
“No. I can’t cause trouble for everyone. Third Cousin treats me…” The young lady burst into tears, choking back sobs before forcing a smile, “very well.”
Luo Lingyu only cried, saying nothing about Lu Yun. Lingyu became even more convinced that Lu Yun must have bullied her. Lingyu wanted to report it to the old madam, but Luo Lingyu stopped her, stammering and hesitant. Lingyu could only sigh and nod, thinking how pitiful and kind-hearted her mistress was.
After Lingyu helped Luo Lingyu to bed, she went out to meet with the other maids in the household. Soon, a rumor began to spread—Lu Yun, the third young master, was a beast in human form, having bullied the new cousin to tears.
This rumor only lasted two days. Just as it was about to escalate, a new piece of gossip emerged—Lu Yun’s face had been injured by a young lady.
Lu Yun had been slapped.
When Lingyu returned and told Luo Lingyu the news, she watched her mistress’s face shift between emotions. Luo Lingyu felt suffocated: Third Cousin… truly, Third Cousin.
Such a large slap mark, and he didn’t even try to hide it or lay low for a few days. Instead, he went out and flaunted it.
If she spread any more rumors now, wouldn’t it confirm that she was the one who had slapped him? Who knows how the elders would interpret it? She… she had lost.
—
Because of the incident with Lu Yun, Luo Lingyu stayed in her courtyard for several days, listless and unwilling to go out. She waited in fear, but after several days, neither her aunt Lu Ying nor the old madam of the Lu family summoned her for a talk. It seemed Lu Yun hadn’t reported her to the old madam?
What did he mean by this? It was so unsettling.
In the morning, Luo Yunhuan, the young lady, sat in the courtyard loudly reciting her lessons, while Lingyu stood under the curtain, helping Luo Lingyu comb her hair.
Sitting by the window, Luo Lingyu could keep an eye on her sister to make sure she wasn’t slacking off. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, Lingyu inserted a hairpin into her mistress’s hair and asked, “Miss, you haven’t gone out for two days. Should we cancel the small banquet scheduled for today?”
Previously, to curry favor with the young masters and ladies, Luo Lingyu had spent a lot of her own money, sending countless gifts and hosting numerous banquets. The financial strain pained her deeply.
Tonight’s small banquet was originally supposed to be hosted by Luo Lingyu.
Suddenly, Luo Lingyu remembered Lu Yun’s warning—”Then you should be careful. What I can see, others can see too. Do you think the Lu family is blind to your schemes? Cousin Luo, one misstep, and the Lu family will kick you out.”
Luo Lingyu frowned, about to refuse, when Lingyu added with a smile, “If you don’t want to host, Lady Wang is willing to take over. Miss Han is returning home, and Lady Wang wants to hold a farewell banquet. But she lacks your skill and thoughtfulness, so she wants to borrow your place.”
Luo Lingyu’s eyes flickered, and she agreed to the favor: “Alright, I love doing favors. Let Lady Wang come over.”
—
Author’s Note:
Cousin: Aren’t you tired of pretending?
Luo Lingyu: As long as I can marry a wealthy and powerful husband, I can pretend for a lifetime! Not tired at all!
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