On a summer day, on a bamboo mat-covered couch, the young lord held the lady half-pressed in his embrace.
His eyes covered with gauze looked down, his half-bound long hair scattered like black silk, the ends slightly stiff, falling onto Luo Lingyu’s face.
His inadvertent hand rested on her open collar—in the summer, clothes were thin, and with just one grasp, he touched the soft skin he shouldn’t have touched beneath his palm.
A half-circle arc protruded under his palm, like snow-covered mountains.
She trembled lightly again, her cool skin warming up. That silky smooth sensation made Lu Yun unconsciously lean down, and down further… his fingers gently rubbed once.
Luo Lingyu’s body shuddered, and she bit her teeth in his embrace, her voice trembling.
Lu Yun’s fingers also froze. Even though he couldn’t see, or perhaps because he couldn’t see, he immediately guessed what he had touched was her chest. Lu Yun tilted his head slightly: she didn’t even avoid it. What did that mean?
Lu Yun didn’t move his hand away, but he also stopped rubbing. His long, strong fingers just slipped inside her collar a bit, steadily pressing on her chest. His hair fell on her face, his lips slowly curling upward. That arrogant, knowing, teasing, mocking… Luo Lingyu’s face burned, guessing he must be laughing at her in his heart for trying to seduce him again.
After all, even though his eyes couldn’t see, she could see!
Luo Lingyu lay stiffly, feeling both shame and frustration, yet had to continue. She could very well rebuke him for being improper and make him let go. But she came to find him today precisely to make him confront Lord Fan, wasn’t the best way to make him propose to her?
Since she wanted Lu Yun to sacrifice his reputation to help her break off her engagement, she naturally had to give Lu Yun some benefits… it’s just a pity that her image in his heart had gotten worse.
Pressed on the couch by the young lord, Luo Lingyu struggled symbolically a couple times. Lu Yun lay against her, his breath floating around her neck. He silently judged her attitude, their necks touching, cheeks lightly pressed together, her skin and fragrance lingering around his lips and nose. His hand rested on her chest, thinking the feeling under his hand must be like congealed cream, or like the “pastries” she often brought him to eat.
Milky, lingering, sticky, fresh.
Lu Yun’s knuckles curved slightly, applying a bit more force with his hand. He smelled the fragrance in her hair, on her neck, she trembled slightly, her breath shaking. Lu Yun paused, uncontrollably wanting to tear off the gauze covering his eyes. Wanting to use his eyes to see, to see what the beauty beneath him looked like at this moment—
Like a sleeping begonia in spring.
Languid, disheveled, alluring. Elegant makeup, beautiful features.
Lu Yun’s fingers applied more force again, roughly kneading once, and the beauty in his arms immediately shuddered, letting out another soft moan. The end of her voice trembled like silk threads, hooking onto Lu Yun’s heart, wrapping around it like a shuttle, binding his iron heart until it was airtight, almost unable to breathe.
…Like a spirit!
He immediately had a reaction.
The young lord pressed one hand on her chest, one hand supporting her waist from behind. His hand supporting her waist lifted her up towards his embrace, her chest about to enter his mouth. He was unhurried, not at all anxious, as if still judging her, as if still waiting for her to break free…
Luo Lingyu’s body was made both soft and stiff by Lu Yun, when the man above her breathed heavily, when something suddenly appeared between their tightly pressed bodies in the groin area, premonition suddenly arrived, Luo Lingyu looked up at the man’s tense jaw, realizing something.
Perhaps she was still young and didn’t know about those things between men and women.
But women have instinctive intuition about men—instinctively knowing when he becomes dangerous, instinctively knowing when he wants to do bad things.
Luo Lingyu was truly panicked now.
When the young lord’s lips came down to kiss her, she fearfully turned her head away to dodge. Lu Yun paused, being so perceptive, how could he not guess her thoughts? This little woman in his arms, always had impure thoughts. Wanting to tease him, yet unwilling to sacrifice herself.
…Still his little cousin with endless schemes.
Though waiting for the lady to struggle, when Luo Lingyu truly dodged his kiss, Lu Yun became angry in his heart. Lu Yun’s lips curled, his hand about to loosen and leave, when Luo Lingyu hurriedly hugged his neck. She was extremely anxious, yet didn’t want to really act out the pretense, and didn’t want to let Lu Yun leave. In her panic, Luo Lingyu tried hard to find a topic.
She was pressed on the couch, her peripheral vision catching several servant girls’ shadows projected on the moonlit autumn silk curtain separating the inner and outer rooms. The sun had set, light and shadows moved like seaweed on the ground, bamboo patterns also like shadows, crisscrossing in layers. Banana leaves and bamboo rustled, servant girls went in and out outside speaking softly, occasionally hearing bird calls from the birdcage outside. Everything was orderly, a normal summer day.
Yet with so many servant girls around, she was in here getting entangled with Lu Yun! Such a great sacrifice!
Clouds of fragrance arose, silk curtains seemed to fly. The man and woman’s breaths intertwined, as Luo Lingyu dodged Lu Yun’s kiss, she stammered: “…How come I don’t see Zhiyue in your room?”
Zhiyue was the servant girl who had interrupted them the last time Lu Yun was teasing her. Luo Lingyu now desperately missed that servant girl, begging her to come interrupt their young lord’s “wolfish ambitions” and save her life.
Hearing her words, Lu Yun lowered his face. If the gauze on his eyes had fallen off, Luo Lingyu would have seen him slightly turn his gaze to look at her. Lu Yun “stared” at her for a long while, his lips curling in what seemed like mockery and laughter: “…Asking what you already know.”
If not for his little cousin, how could he have discovered Zhiyue’s feelings?
If he had already discovered Zhiyue’s feelings, as long as he didn’t want to get entangled with the servant girls around him, Zhiyue would naturally leave the “Clear Courtyard”.
Taking this opportunity, Lu Yun also replaced a batch of servant girls in his room who had spring thoughts. Keeping useful ones like Jingyue, other servant girls, Luo Lingyu saw many new faces this time coming to the “Clear Courtyard”.
Luo Lingyu laughed softly in his arms, understanding his meaning.
Lu Yun then pinched her face and asked: “Little sister Lingyu never comes without a purpose. When you like me I’m ‘Brother Xuechen’, when you don’t need me your eyes can’t see me. I wonder this time, little sister Lingyu has sacrificed all the way to my bed, what do you want?”
Luo Lingyu pretended not to hear his sarcasm.
She said: “I want you to negotiate with Lord Fan, or directly propose to me on behalf of the Nanyang Luo family.”
Lu Yun raised an eyebrow: “Propose?”
Luo Lingyu hurriedly said: “It doesn’t have to be real… just need you to compete with Nanyang Fan family using your identity as Lu Yun. The Nanyang Luo family definitely can’t afford to offend the Lu family, they can only nod no matter which of you wants to marry me. If you and Fourth Young Master Fan both compete for me, with interests at stake, perhaps my marriage can be called off. It’s just not good for your reputation… but I really don’t want to marry Lord Fan.”
Her brows furrowed, tears welling up in her eyes, choking: “You don’t know, Lord Fan is urging me to return to Nanyang, wanting to marry me immediately. If I want to delay, I can only add another admirer to compete with him. Once Lord Fan withdraws from the marriage it will be fine…”
Once the Fan family withdraws from the marriage, she doesn’t believe that by then, Lu Yun still wouldn’t want to marry her. If by that time, he still doesn’t mention marrying her, it can only mean her skills are inferior to his, truly not as good as him. She would have to change young lords again… who would hang themselves on Lu Yun’s one tree and waste time with him?
A beauty in the room, no one doesn’t seek her.
In this era, two men competing for one woman was considered a beautiful tale, the only issue was that Luo Lingyu already had a marriage agreement, getting entangled with another man would damage that man’s reputation somewhat.
For someone like Lu Yun who was famous throughout the land… it could either become a beautiful tale, or become a scandal.
It all depended on how Lu Yun would handle this matter.
Luo Lingyu held her breath, lowering her head after finishing these words. Waiting for Lu Yun’s imminent scolding, waiting for him to scold her for dragging him down, scold her for improper conduct… but after waiting for a long time, Lu Yun didn’t scold.
Luo Lingyu looked up, seeing him think for a moment before asking: “When asking other young lords for help with such things, have you sacrificed to this extent before?”
He was referring to “throwing herself into his arms”.
Luo Lingyu: “…Of course not! With my beauty, why would I need to sacrifice to this extent? If I hadn’t been blind…”
Lu Yun’s expression softened somewhat, pinching her face again, smiling: “Then remember not to ‘throw yourself into men’s arms’ to this extent in the future. Little sister Lingyu, you’ve kept your promise to me. Otherwise…”
He feared her bottom line was too low, unwilling to keep anything. He was bound by this relationship, indulging in it, his feelings growing deeper day by day. Both hating her heartlessness, yet drawn to her. He still couldn’t understand what was good about her, his eyes only saw her flaws, what exactly about her was attracting him…
Beauty?
Lu Yun wouldn’t admit he was a lustful man, moreover his eyes couldn’t see now, couldn’t see her beauty, yet he was still led by her… what exactly did he like about her?
Lu Yun was always one to trace feelings to their root, to see things clearly, to see their essence. Yet Luo Lingyu confused him. Clearly she was the type of woman he very much disliked, petty-minded, scheming, not particularly clever, and loved wealth and power, not hiding her utilitarian nature at all…
Unable to figure it out, he temporarily let it go.
Luo Lingyu waited for a long time, only seeing his expression change several times, sometimes gritting his teeth, sometimes with a gentle expression. She waited somewhat impatiently, yet still acting coy and shy, her finger poking the young lord’s neck: “So will you help me or not?”
Lu Yun came back to his senses, slightly curling his lips: “I will.”
Luo Lingyu’s eyes had just shown joy when she heard him laugh vaguely: “This sacrifice is too great… I’ll have to get some benefits from little sister Lingyu.”
As soon as the young lord’s words finished, she saw his face lean down, Luo Lingyu’s eyes widened, seeing him kiss her chest. Her whole body trembled, her back straightening into a line, yet under his light, lingering kiss, she collapsed completely, her whole body going soft.
Luo Lingyu made some sound, her lips also pecked by him once.
Tingling all over, Luo Lingyu was made to feel ticklish by him, her hand gripping his sleeve loosened, her cheeks flushed red, she laughed out loud.
He lingered at her mouth, neck, chest, his murmuring voice also containing laughter: “How is little sister so distracted? Is your elder brother unable to keep you focused?”
While kissing her, he still teased her. The atmosphere was light and joyful, making Luo Lingyu’s initial tension disappear completely, hugging his neck, breathing in sync with him.
Luo Lingyu was made to laugh tremblingly by him: “Don’t touch randomly…” her heart trembled, hugging him tightly—perhaps she just liked this kind of person. Noble, frivolous, mixed into one. Both teasing her, yet making her happy. Like opium, soft and gentle… if he faced the ladies of Jianye with this appearance, those ladies would truly go crazy.
Luo Lingyu’s fingers hugging the young lord’s neck dug into his flesh, feeling some discomfort in her heart: she suddenly disliked always thinking about those ladies of Jianye. She suddenly hoped Lu Yun was hers alone. Suddenly only wanted to see his improper appearance herself, suddenly unable to extricate herself from indulgence…
How frightening, yet how joyful!
Initially like spring rain, gentle and affectionate. Lu Yun’s usual tone was extremely frivolous, faintly teasing her. Both touching her, yet not touching her. His tall nose and moist lips lightly rubbing against her neck, his breath scorching, raising goosebumps all over her skin.
Unhurried.
Yet urgent and restless.
Sometimes fast, sometimes slow.
Their foreheads were covered in sweat, breaths disordered, lost in passion. He went lower and lower, she curved and softened more and more. Luo Lingyu bit her teeth, her pearl teeth biting the hair that brushed her lips.
She used this to resist Lu Yun’s teasing… yet the faint, weak, feather-floating touches assaulted her jade porcelain-like skin, dyeing it red. Even biting her teeth couldn’t resist… Luo Lingyu finally opened her mouth, breathing heavily, letting out a moan.
And this sound instantly excited Lu Yun!
Spring rain turned into pouring rain, hot lava erupting!
Force increased, kisses unending, expression gradually becoming wild and crazed. The melting rain and lava came like floods and waves from the edge of the sky, covering the entire world… just as the air in the room seemed to flow faster, the atmosphere becoming alluring and enchanting, clothes disheveled, minds confused, suddenly like a thunderbolt from clear skies pressing down, from outside came the cool voice of a servant girl standing in the courtyard saying: “Third Young Master, Third Young Master! Lord Lu requests your presence, the clan leader, family head, and all the young masters have gone over!”
“Lord Lu is urging very urgently!”
Lord Lu was Lu Xian’s father, the current head of the Lu family. In the room, as if waking from a dream. Luo Lingyu forcefully pushed Lu Yun away, Lu Yun paused for a moment, then followed her force and got up. He leaned against the couch breathing heavily, his hand rubbing his forehead, wiping the sweat on his face.
Luo Lingyu didn’t know whether to relax or be happy, or feel lost. She only managed to kneel and sit up, smoothing her rapidly beating chest, arranging her clothes properly, then secretly glancing at Lu Yun.
The servant girl outside: “Young Master! Young Master!”
Lu Yun said hoarsely: “I heard, wait a moment.”
Lu Yun instructed Luo Lingyu: “I’ll change clothes then go out, you wait a while before leaving.”
Luo Lingyu didn’t make a sound, Lu Yun laughed, thinking she must have heard but was too shy to speak. He again had the urge to tear off the gauze to look at her: really wanted to see what she looked like now, wanted to see how the beautiful begonia flower looked after being nourished…
What a pity, what a pity!
Not afraid of Luo Lingyu peeking, Lu Yun changed clothes openly. Luo Lingyu turned her face away without looking, her mind still in chaos.
When Lu Yun had already changed clothes and was about to leave, Luo Lingyu got off the couch, calling out “Ah” to stop him.
Luo Lingyu hesitated for a moment, though feeling the atmosphere wasn’t quite right at this time, but afraid Lu Yun would be too busy and forget, could only honestly remind him: “…Are you satisfied with my sacrifice? Willing to confront Lord Fan and tell the Luo family you want to marry me?”
Lu Yun: “…”
How could this little woman be so practical? Must she make him say it out loud?
Lu Yun was made to laugh by her persistence: “Satisfied… naturally satisfied. Little sister Lingyu, wait for good news.”
Only then did Luo Lingyu happily gaze after Lu Yun as he left, watching through the gauze window as several servants stood in the courtyard, following Lu Yun, talking to him about something. After Luo Lingyu calmed down, she sat in the room. The entire room was filled with his scent, even after he left, traces of his presence still remained. Sitting on the couch, her skin tingling, as if still able to feel how passionate he was earlier when their necks and lips were entwined. She sat dazed, suddenly becoming infatuated.
It felt as if she wasn’t herself anymore, as if she had truly fallen for him… under the half-truth half-pretense, had the pretense become real? Her heart that had never wavered for any young lord, why was it beating so wildly now?
After being dazed for a while, her thoughts returned, only then wondering with suspicion: why was Lu Yun called away so urgently? For a young lord whose eyes were impaired, why would Uncle Lu still summon him?
…
When Lord Lu called all the Lu family young lords over, he spoke of one matter – Lu Xian had been missing for two days and two nights. Unlike usual outings for pleasure, he had gone without return.
After asking the servants about when Lu Xian left and how much time had passed, Lord Lu was almost certain: “…Something must have happened to Second Young Master.”
The Lu family began searching for Lu Xian, mobilizing the entire Lu family network, investigating clues throughout Jianye, searching for where Lu Xian was and what had happened. The Lu family’s thinking was very clear – if something had happened to Lu Xian, whoever was involved would not have an easy time. From what Lu Xian was doing before he left, what he said to the servants before leaving, all the way to who he had met, where in Jianye there had been unusual news these two days…
Lu Xian was a direct line young master of the Lu family, his disappearance was no small matter.
The Lu family young masters were all busy searching, clues gradually converging, circling several families as key suspects. Among these suspected families, the Prince of Hengyang’s manor was also included. Because there were witnesses that Lu Xian had been close to the Prince of Hengyang recently; the Prince’s manor had changed its guard these past two days, hard to say what the reason was. The Lu family young masters naturally used their connections to investigate these matters.
Drawing out silk thread by thread, getting closer and closer to the truth.
While the Lu family was busy searching, Lady Lu wept anxiously at home. Lady Lu thought of many things, daily imagining how her son had met with misfortune, how he had encountered villains, how he had been held hostage… she even imagined Lu Xian losing his memory, drifting to other places as a slave or beggar being bullied.
Lady Lu was distressed, yet couldn’t tell the old madam and make her cry together, her sister-in-law Lu Ying had never gotten along with her – also unlikely to listen to her complaints. Lady Lu actually sought out Miss Luo Lingyu, lamenting to her about how pitiful Lu Xian was.
Luo Lingyu: “…”
Luo Lingyu was very puzzled: “But without finding him, how can you think of the worst outcome?”
Luo Lingyu optimistically comforted: “Perhaps Second Cousin just went out of the city with friends, to some temple to listen to Buddhist teachings or learn painting. Second Cousin doesn’t have enemies, and the Lu family has some reputation in Jianye, who would actively harm him?”
Lady Lu’s eyes were swollen from crying, her mood low: “You’re so young, not yet a mother, how could you know my worries? Ah.”
Luo Lingyu: “…”
First time discovering this aunt was so melancholic, thinking so much!
…
With Lu Xian missing, the entire Lu household became busy, even Lu Yun with his impaired eyes hadn’t been home for days. Lu Yun had deep feelings for his second brother, with Second Young Master missing, Lu Yun searched very diligently. Seeing everyone in the manor so busy, Luo Lingyu’s face turned red, too embarrassed to keep pressuring Lu Yun about Lord Fan’s marriage urgings.
How could Lu Yun have so much time to both search for Second Young Master and help solve her marriage issues? He probably had no thoughts for romance between men and women right now.
And just as the entire Lu family was busy searching for Lu Xian, Luo Lingyu was being urgently pressed by Fan Qingchen day after day, she could only silently endure. However Fan Qingchen was a madman, he started out relatively mild, but later his temper grew increasingly volatile, the way he stared at her servant girls frightened Luo Lingyu’s spine cold with sweat.
Always afraid Fan Qingchen couldn’t endure her delays and would do something out of control.
Luo Lingyu hesitated: Lu Yun is too busy to help me, I shouldn’t ask him again, should I seek help from other young lords?
She went through the young lords she knew who had admiring feelings for her, still hesitating, remembering Lu Yun telling her to “keep her promise”. But it seemed the effect wasn’t good.
…
All of Jianye was searching for Lu Xian, the Prince of Hengyang’s manor was affected, recently feeling somewhat watched by Lu Yun. But Liu Mu remained unruffled, pretending not to know. As long as Lu Xian died cleanly and the scene was cleaned well, even if Lu Yun suspected him, there would be no concrete evidence.
They didn’t know that Princess Ningping Liu Tang had rescued Lu Xian when he was washed up while she was relaxing at her mountain villa in the outskirts.
Not only did the Lu family young masters not know, even Liu Tang herself didn’t know.
Liu Tang naturally knew Lu Xian.
But when her servants pulled that person from the water, Liu Tang only glanced once. That person was unrecognizable from being soaked in water, Liu Tang didn’t recognize who it was at all, afterwards just handed the person to servants to care for, not managing it herself. Even though Liu Tang had a gentle and mild temperament, she was still a proper princess, no matter how kind-hearted, with servants present, she wouldn’t personally take meticulous care of a young lord.
If only Liu Tang went to look at that person once, she would recognize this was the Second Young Master the Lu family had lost.
Yet Liu Tang didn’t.
Lu Xian fell into the princess’s servant girls’ hands, running a high fever, nightmares endless. He tried hard to wake up, but nightmares kept entangling him—
Constantly dreaming of Cousin Luo.
Dreaming that she was crying nonstop.
Lu Yun was busy with official business, not at the manor, she escaped from the Prince of Hengyang’s grasp, going out to find Lu Yun. Unfortunately didn’t run into him. But ran into her fiancé Fan Qingchen who came looking for her, she naturally wouldn’t admit in front of Fan Qingchen that she came looking for Lu Yun. When the Prince of Hengyang came seeking again, she could only pretend to be happy to see the Prince.
Missing that one possibility, Lu Yun hardly touched the manor all day, completely unaware what state Luo Lingyu was being pressed to by both sides.
On the nineteenth day of the sixth month, Fan Qingchen came to urge marriage again. Saying if she wouldn’t go with him, he would take some methods she wouldn’t like.
It was on this day of trauma that Luo Lingyu, after much hesitation, walked into the Prince of Hengyang’s manor, thoroughly seeking refuge with the Prince…
…
The nineteenth day of the sixth month.
Was Luo Lingyu’s birthday.
On this day she came of age.
But she was just a cousin staying at the Lu family, the Lu family people were busy searching for Second Young Master, even if they weren’t searching for him, no one would remember Luo Lingyu’s coming of age ceremony. Originally Luo Lingyu wanted to take the opportunity of helping Lady Lu host a banquet to invite all the ladies to the Lu manor. Without them knowing, give herself this coming of age ceremony.
Unfortunately Fan Qingchen disrupted things, and Lu Xian went missing, the Lu family had no mood to host banquets now.
Opening her eyes upon waking in the early morning, Luo Yunhuan stood outside her sister’s bed curtains, smiling: “Sister, today is your birthday, Lingxi sister and I made a gift together for you!”
Luo Lingyu happily got up—a girl’s fifteenth birthday was naturally different from usual days.
Only her sister remembered.
Leave a Reply