Chapter 111 Broken Hairpin

Luo Zhaohan specially chose the "Moon-Watching Tower" by the river, which is quiet in the bustling city. The private room by the window on the second floor can overlook most of the brightly lit river bank, and can also see clearly every person coming in and out downstairs.

She got out of the car with the help of her personal maid Chuntao. She was wearing a pomegranate red satin dress with gold flowers all over it. Under the reflection of the lanterns on the street, it was so red that it almost burned people's eyes.

Her jet-black hair was tied up in a high bun, with only a phoenix-head hairpin made of red gold, kingfisher feathers and inlaid with rubies inserted diagonally. The ruby ​​tassel held in the phoenix's mouth swayed gently with her steps.

She walked straight through the noisy lobby downstairs, ignoring the sudden and rapid rise of discussions, and went straight up the stairs to the second floor.

The private room had already been decorated, with freshly brewed cloud mist tea and several plates of exquisite snacks placed on the small table by the window.

Outside the window, there is the sparkling river surface. Countless small lotus lanterns carry people's wishes downstream. The candlelight is reflected in the water, merging with the sea of ​​lights on the shore, as if the stars in the sky have fallen to the earth.

Luo Zhaohan sat down safely on the soft chair by the window, Chuntao stood behind her with her hands hanging down, holding her breath and concentrating.

Time passes by bit by bit.

The hustle and bustle downstairs continued, and the lights outside the window seemed to burn even brighter.

The heat in the teacup gradually faded away, but Luo Zhaohan did not urge him. He just stretched out his fingers and slowly fiddled with the tender green tea leaves floating in the teacup. The bright red nail polish on his nails glowed dimly under the light.

She is waiting.

Wait for the other party to become confused.

This silent confrontation began the moment she stepped into the room.

Finally, amid the clamor in the lobby downstairs, there was a tiny commotion, like a drop of water thrown into a frying pan.

The commotion snaked up the stairs, accompanied by the sound of timid footsteps.

The door of the private room was cautiously pushed open a crack, and a little maid with two buns poked her head in. Her eyes were evasive and she glanced around quickly. When she met Luo Zhaohan's calm gaze, she was so scared that she immediately shrank back.

"Miss Liu, please come in." Chuntao's voice sounded at the right time.

The door was pushed open completely.

Liu Yueli's figure appeared at the door.

She wore a plain moon-white silk jacket and an equally plain lake-blue silk skirt. There was not a single bright color on her body, just like a touch of cold moonlight.

She was slightly shorter than Luo Zhaohan, with a slender frame, which made her look even more fragile.

The skin on her small face, which was the size of a palm, was pale from not seeing the sun for years.

At this moment, two faint blushes appeared on her pale cheeks, which made her look even more pitiful.

Her hairstyle was also simple, loosely tied with a plain silver hairpin. However, a white jade hairpin was inserted diagonally among her jet-black hair.

Luo Zhaohan had seen that hairpin once.

On the day when Pei Ji came to propose marriage, the purse hanging around his waist was embroidered with a white magnolia pattern of the same texture.

Pei Ji loves jade, especially white jade. This hairpin is definitely not an ordinary item that someone of Liu Yueli's status can easily obtain.

Liu Yueli's eyes quickly swept across Luo Zhaohan's glaring red, then quickly dropped down, her thick eyelashes trembling like the wings of a frightened butterfly.

She stopped at the door, her hands nervously twisting the silk ribbon hanging from her waist. The tassels of the ribbon were almost deformed by her twisting.

Behind him followed two maids with equally timid expressions, not daring to breathe.

"Miss Liu," Luo Zhaohan finally spoke, "please sit down." She raised her hand and casually pointed to the seat opposite.

Liu Yueli seemed to be startled by the voice and trembled slightly. Then she moved with small steps to the opposite side of the table, sat down slowly, and kept her back straight.

Her eyes were always lowered, falling on her clenched fingers, as if there was the most attractive thing in the world.

The private room fell into a subtle silence.

The noisy voices downstairs and the bright lights outside the window seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier.

Only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire on the tea stove and Liu Yueli's slightly rapid breathing could be heard clearly.

Luo Zhaohan's gaze fell on the white jade hairpin in Liu Yueli's hair and lingered for a moment.

She didn't speak immediately, but picked up the kettle that was warming on the small stove next to her, and poured a stream of steaming green tea into the empty celadon teacup in front of Liu Yueli.

The tea was poured seven-tenths full.

Luo Zhaohan put down the teapot with a handle, and the porcelain and the wooden table gently collided, making a slight sound.

She raised her eyes and looked at the pale, weak face opposite her, a smile spreading across her lips.

"Miss Liu, I heard that your sister has been very concerned about the rules and regulations in our courtyard lately?" She leaned forward slightly. "She has put a lot of thought into it, asking around, even asking the maids about it."

Liu Yueli suddenly raised her head, and the pitiful blush on her face faded away in an instant, leaving only a dead paleness.

A trace of panic and shock flashed across her pitiful eyes. Her lips trembled, and she subconsciously wanted to explain: "Miss Luo... I..."

"Shh——" Luo Zhaohan raised his index finger, pointed it at his lips, and made a gesture of silence.

The smile on her face deepened a little, but there was no smile in her eyes, only a bottomless cold pool.

"Sister, why are you in such a hurry to deny it?" She said slowly, her eyes sweeping meaningfully over the white jade hairpin in Liu Yueli's hair.

"Some thoughts, no matter how deeply they are hidden, always leave traces. For example, that little maidservant in my yard who serves tea, Chun Xing? My sister seems to be very fond of her. A few days ago, her father, a gambling addict, suddenly paid off his three-year gambling debt. What a coincidence."

Liu Yueli's body began to tremble violently, her face turned from pale to blue, her big eyes instantly filled with tears, and she was about to collapse.

She clenched her hands tightly on her knees, her nails almost digging into the flesh of her palms.

"Miss Luo, you... you misunderstood..." Her voice was filled with tears and helpless accusations. "Yue Li absolutely did not have such intentions! Regarding Chun Xing's matter, I, I just happened to hear about her family's difficulties and was soft-hearted for a moment. I had no intention of prying! Pei Lang, he knows that I..."

She frantically mentioned Pei Ji's name, as if she was grabbing the last straw.

The curve of Luo Zhaohan's lips turned completely cold.

She looked at Liu Yueli, who looked like she was about to cry, and the tears welling up in her eyes. Combined with her plain clothes and the white jade hairpin in her hair, it was a carefully staged tragic drama.

Soft-hearted? Luo Zhaohan sneered inwardly. In this world, the most worthless thing is this cheap "soft-heartedness".

"A moment of softness?" Luo Zhaohan repeated these four words softly, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

She no longer looked at Liu Yueli's tearful face, but turned her gaze to the window, towards the bustling crowd downstairs.

Her gaze swept through the crowd precisely, and finally stopped on a figure in a royal blue brocade robe by the river bank.

Pei Ji.

He was standing next to a revolving lantern depicting the story of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, with his hands behind his back, looking up slightly at the rotating lantern.

The light flickered on his handsome profile, illuminating his focused and gentle expression.

He seemed not to notice the undercurrent in the teahouse, and was just immersed in the grand scene of the Lantern Festival.

He was surrounded by several young men who were also dressed in luxurious clothes, chatting and laughing, which made him look even more extraordinary.

Luo Zhaohan withdrew his gaze and looked at Liu Yueli, who was like a frightened bird opposite him.

"Mr. Pei is also watching the lanterns downstairs," Luo Zhaohan's tone suddenly became lighter, even with a hint of subtle intimacy, as if the tit-for-tat just now had never happened.

She stretched out her hand, and her fingertips gently brushed across the back of Liu Yueli's still tightly clenched hand.

Liu Yueli retracted her hand suddenly as if burned by a branding iron, and looked at the changing expression on Luo Zhaohan's face in surprise and suspicion.

"Look at this hairpin of mine, the jade is of really good quality. Mr. Pei has always had good taste." Luo Zhaohan seemed not to notice her fear. His eyes fell on the white jade hairpin again, and his tone was filled with some appreciation.

She stretched out her hand, as if wanting to touch the hairpin, her fingertips only an inch away from the warm white jade.

Liu Yueli's body stiffened instantly, her scalp went numb, and a strong sense of foreboding gripped her.

She wanted to hide, but Luo Zhaohan's gaze held a strange magic that prevented her from moving.

Just as Luo Zhaohan's fingertips were about to touch the white jade hairpin, her wrist trembled ever so slightly. The movement was as fast as lightning, and no one else could detect any trace of deliberateness.

Her fingertips did not actually touch the hairpin, but seemed to lift it up extremely quickly with the edge of her nails when it approached the edge of the bun at the end of the hairpin!

"bite--"

Suddenly, a crisp and pleasant sound of jade falling to the ground was heard.

The warm white jade hairpin slipped from Liu Yueli's hair and fell straight down.

It hit the hard blue brick floor with a heartbreaking sound, and the hairpin broke into two pieces, rolling to the side of Luo Zhaohan's embroidered shoes.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Liu Yueli was completely stunned. She widened her eyes in disbelief, looking at the two broken hairpins on the ground, then suddenly looked up at Luo Zhaohan, with only fear and confusion on her face.

What happened? Her hairpin... the hairpin Pei Lang gave her...

The "gentleness" on Luo Zhaohan's face disappeared without a trace in an instant, replaced by an expression mixed with astonishment and innocence.

She opened her mouth slightly, looked at the broken hairpin on the ground, then looked at Liu Yueli, as if she was also frightened by this sudden accident.

"Oh!" Luo Zhaohan cried out in surprise, with a hint of regret and apology, "Sister, this...what should I do? I...I didn't mean to..."

She pretended to bend down to pick up the broken hairpin.

In the blink of an eye——

"Yueli!"

A loud shout, like thunder from the blue sky, suddenly exploded from the door of the private room.

The heavy carved wooden door was slammed open with great force, and the door panel hit the wall heavily, making a loud noise.

Pei Ji's figure appeared at the door. He had obviously run up. The collar of his royal blue brocade robe was slightly open, and even fine beads of sweat seeped out of his forehead.

His handsome face, which always wore a gentle smile, was now terribly gloomy. His gaze swept across everything in the private room like a sharp sword, and instantly fixed on the two broken hairpins on the ground, and on Liu Yueli, who stood there stiffly, trembling all over, with tears finally rolling down her cheeks.

The moment Liu Yueli heard Pei Ji's voice, her body trembled violently.

She turned around suddenly and looked at the familiar figure at the door. Her lips trembled violently and tears flowed out like beads from a broken string, but she couldn't say a word and could only let out broken sobs.

That look is more powerful than any verbal accusation.

Pei Ji's chest heaved violently, and anger almost burst out of his eyes.

He rushed in with big strides, bringing a gust of wind with him. Without even looking at Luo Zhaohan who was about to bend down, he rushed straight to Liu Yueli, stretched out his arms without hesitation, and hugged the trembling delicate body tightly in his arms.

"Yueli! Yueli, don't be afraid! I'm here!" He hugged her tightly, his voice low and rapid, but his eyes were like a poisoned knife, stabbing fiercely at Luo Zhaohan who was standing aside.

His embrace was so tight that Liu Yueli's face was buried deep in his chest, and her shoulders twitched violently, as if she had endured great grievance and shock.

"Luo Zhaohan!" Pei Ji's voice suddenly rose, each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, full of accusation and disgust, "How dare you! How dare you treat her like this?!"

Luo Zhaohan slowly stood up.

She didn't look at the broken hairpin on the ground, nor did she immediately respond to Pei Ji's angry gaze. She just lowered her eyelashes slightly and let her eyes fall on the intricate and exquisite gold embroidery on her cuffs.

It was a pair of lifelike phoenixes, flapping their wings as if ready to fly on the pomegranate red satin.

She stretched out her fingers, and her fingertips traced the outline of the cold golden line, stroking it very slowly and gently, again and again.

The movements were graceful and calm, with a strange focus.

very good.

She slowly raised her eyes and met Pei Ji's eyes that were burning with rage. In those eyes, there was tenderness for the person in his arms, there was raging anger towards her, and perhaps a hint of stupidity that came from being fooled without realizing it?

Luo Zhaohan's eyes were calm and bottomless, like the quietest sea before a storm.

The fish finally took the bait.

The play finally opened with great fanfare, as expected.

…

Luo Zhaohan stood in the shadow by the window on the top floor of Wangjiang Tower, his eyes heavy, silently cutting through the noisy street below.

The entire capital city was immersed in the sea of ​​festive lights and crowds, and the noise was like boiling water, bubbling up.

She is waiting.

Waiting for a fish that breaks free from its cage and eventually swims into this sea of ​​lights.

The door of the villa slid open silently, and Liu Yueli's figure was wrapped in an inconspicuous dark gray cotton cloak. Like a shadow cut out by the night, it quickly merged into the darkness under the wall.

The wide hood of her cloak covered most of her face, revealing only the slightest hint of her taut jawline. She had indeed been cooped up in the courtyard for far too long, so long that even the sound of water dripping from the icicles under the eaves had become a monotonous timer, day after day.

The faint noise of the world outside is blocked by high walls, like a thick cocoon. You can hear it but cannot touch it.

The lights and bustle of the Lantern Festival were something she hadn’t seen for a long time.

She deliberately avoided the main street and hurried along the dimly lit alleys.

There were bumpy bluestone slabs under my feet, with unmelted snow accumulated in the cracks, making a slight creaking sound when I stepped on them.

The alley was dark, with only a vague glow from the lights on the main street in the distance, barely outlining the contours of the mottled old walls on both sides.

The air was cold and damp, with a scent of stale earth and moss. The occasional barking of dogs from deep in the alley added to the loneliness.

This is like two completely different worlds compared to the bustling main street.