Reciting poems and playing finger-guessing games

Li Yin gently patted Song Liangliang's hand again and said, "Same as always, how about we play rock-paper-scissors today?"

Song Liangliang glanced cautiously at Wen Youqing and asked Li Yin, "Miss Li, does this young master also want to play?"

Li Yin said, "Of course we're here to have fun! Isn't the whole point of coming here to have fun?"

Song Bei gently squeezed Li Yin's shoulder with a little force and said, "She has a slight cold today and should not drink. As you know, she is impulsive and prone to making mistakes, so she will inevitably have to drink as punishment. Please be kind and let her rest. How about I keep you company and have some fun?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yin nodded without making things difficult. Seeing this, Song Liangliang coughed a few times and looked back at Li Yin as he left dejectedly.

Song Bei sat down next to Li Yin. She gently tugged at Li Yin's sleeve and whispered, "Why don't you sit in the middle, Miss? It would be more convenient that way."

Li Yin looked at Song Bei and saw the slightly pleading look in her eyes. His heart softened, and he got up and sat down on the side closer to Wen Youqing.

Wen Youqing stared intently at Li Yin, taking in every scene. A faint smile appeared on her lips. Li Yin, truly worthy of being called Li Yin.

Song Bei smiled and reached under the table, easily picking up a jar of wine. She gently placed it on the table, untied the rope, and lifted the cloth lid, letting the aroma of the wine fill the air—clear yet rich, much like the fragrance of lotus blossoms by a pond in summer.

Song Bei appeared calm, but his other hand, hidden in his sleeve, was trembling slightly.

She said, "This wine is called Hehua Niang because it was made by a man surnamed He, and it is named so because its fragrance is like that of lotus flowers."

The wine was clear and not cloudy, and its taste was like lotus blossoms in the wind by the river, exuding a refreshing quality. She gracefully poured the wine into glasses and then pushed each glass towards its respective person.

Li Yin moved his wine glass away slightly and looked at Wen Youqing, asking, "Let's play a finger-guessing game, you and I will go first."

Upon hearing this, Wen Youqing looked at Li Yin with clear eyes and said, "I won't."

Li Yin exclaimed in disbelief, "Ah! Don't all young masters like these things?"

She asked in shock, "You can't possibly mean this?"

Wen Youqing nodded gently, but Li Yin felt a strange sense of guilt. It was truly against his conscience to teach a young master who never indulged in pleasure to indulge in bad habits.

She hesitated, but Wen Youqing suddenly said, "My father was very strict. When I was little, if I disobeyed, he would hit my palms with a bamboo whip." He smiled slightly bitterly and continued, lowering his eyes, "My cousins ​​don't want to play with me, and I want to learn these things too." He then looked at Li Yin.

Her eyes were like deep pools, unfathomable. Li Yin felt a pang of pity for her. She tugged at Wen Youqing's sleeve and said, "These are just ways to kill time. They easily lead people astray. They are frivolous pursuits that ruin one's ambition. It's better not to learn them."

Wen Youqing looked at Li Yin and smiled faintly. Li Yin, not understanding, asked, "Was my statement wrong?"

Wen Youqing shook her head and said, "That's right. Even you, young lady, play games, and I haven't seen you become obsessed with them."

Li Yin smiled awkwardly upon hearing this. She had once again set a bad example. She said, "This... is different."

She learned this from the old man; it's used to practice her reaction time and her ability to read people's expressions.

Wen Youqing looked at Li Yin with a smile in her eyes and said, "Alright, I won't force you, young lady."

Li Yin frowned slightly. It was too much of a sin to teach a scholar to have fun, but how should he spend the rest of his time? As he thought about it, an idea popped into his head.

She reached out and took the wine glass back in front of her, gently swirling it without spilling a drop of wine. She leaned closer and said to Wen Youqing, "Young master, you are well-read and your literary talent must be outstanding. How about we ask Miss Xiao Bei to give you a topic and you compose a poem?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Youqing raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Of course, but what about the loser?"

Li Yin gently tapped the wine glass in his hand and said, "Isn't this it?"

Wen Youqing smiled faintly and said, "Then please."

Seeing the two chatting back and forth, Song Bei felt a mix of emotions, but his face remained calm as he said, "It is fate that the two of you are here today. Since one is a young master and the other a young lady, how about we compose a poem on the theme of 'love'? The first line describes an object and the second line expresses feelings."

Li Yin nodded and said, "Miss Xiao Bei, your questions are as wonderful as ever."

Upon hearing this, Song Bei glanced at Wen Youqing and understood. She had just been testing him, but he hadn't expected it to be true. When he looked at Li Yin again, he saw a hint of worry and helplessness in her eyes.

Miss Li, this person has feelings for you, should I tell you...?

But he's no saint; once he takes a liking to you, you're doomed.

Song Bei lowered his eyes slightly, concealing the expression in them. He frowned slightly, but ultimately closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

Li Yin said, "This table is on me today, so I'll go first. Like intertwined branches and birds flying wing to wing, we grow from the earth and fly together."

Wen Youqing gently touched the wine glass beside her with her finger and said, "Trees yearn for the soil, birds long for the sky, all things are the same and also yearn for their lovers."

Upon hearing this, Song Bei said, "Add another one: it must be relevant to the present moment and must be written based on this scene." After saying this, she reached out and gently tapped the table.

Using a table as a poem?

Li Yin fell into deep thought, and just as she was about to speak, someone spoke first.

The man spoke in a calm tone, his voice cold, with a slight smile: "A few ounces of fine wine in the cup, I raise my cup to invite you to taste it."

Upon hearing this, Li Yin smiled and said, "The gentleman who enters the inner chamber is as beautiful as jade, and I sigh that he is unparalleled in the world."

Upon hearing this, Song Bei looked at Li Yin. Li Yin had spoken too quickly, and now he realized that he had gone astray from the topic.

Her two sentences revealed not emotion, but lust.

When Li Yin uttered those words, Wen Youqing chuckled softly, telling herself that it was alright. It wasn't like she hadn't done the same thing before; if others didn't feel ashamed, why should she?

Even though she thought this, her face still flushed slightly. She reached out and patted her slightly hot cheeks, muttering to herself, "Beauty really does lead one astray."

Wen Youqing smiled slightly, her joy undisguised, her eyes fixed on Li Yin, watching his flushed cheeks and crimson lips.

Looking at the scene beside him, Song Bei's gaze towards Li Yin became more inquisitive. The atmosphere between the two of them was rather strange and ambiguous.

Miss Li is intelligent; she must know something. She's probably overthinking it.

Thinking this, she said, "Miss Li has gone off-topic. Does she have any objections? If not, she should punish herself with three cups of wine."

Upon hearing this, Li Yin picked up the wine cup, brought it to his lips, and drank it all in one gulp. The wine was fragrant, and the water was like dew on flowers. At first, the fragrance lingered on his teeth, but later, he felt a hot sensation in his throat.

Li Yin drank too quickly and choked, coughing out loud. Wen Youqing raised her hand, about to touch Li Yin's back, but it was intercepted in mid-air.

Li Yin grabbed half of Wen Youqing's hand, and Wen Youqing said, "Miss, I don't mean to take advantage of you, I just want to help you catch your breath."

Upon hearing this, Li Yin quickly pressed his other hand against the hollow below his throat, rubbing it in circles with his fingertips. After a while, he released his hand and said to Wen Youqing, "Thank you."

Wen Youqing raised her eyebrows slightly.

The sky outside the window was already dark and dim, with only sparse streetlights and a few stars.

Unbeknownst to them, the evening breeze brushed against their faces again, carrying a touch of the chill unique to the night. As the wind passed, it lifted the hem of their clothes and the ends of their hair, causing strands of black hair to gently entwine around them. In a corner where no one was watching, a strand of Li Yin's black hair brushed against Wen Youqing's fingertips, lightly, quietly, and imperceptibly.

Wen Youqing felt a slightly cool touch on her fingertips. She lowered her eyes, slightly stretched her knuckles, and extended her fingers forward, as if she wanted to take a step closer and hold onto that moment of Li Yin's initiative to "touch" her.

But the wind did not go his way. The black hair circled around perfectly, bypassing his fingertips. He stopped, paused for a moment, then slowly withdrew his hand, his fingertips curling up.

The first thing Li Yin saw when he looked up at Wen Youqing was this person. With her eyes slightly lowered, her eyes were like dewdrops on flowers, and she seemed to have a lot of grievances, but because of these grievances, she was even more beautiful, broken and pitiful, sad and compassionate.

Is it because I rejected him that he got hurt and sad?

How could such a fine young master look like this, so worried and so kind? She gently tugged at Wen Youqing's sleeve and said, "I didn't refuse your help just now."

Wen Youqing lowered her eyes and saw the hem of her clothes being tugged. A smile appeared in her eyes, but she didn't show it on her face. She just listened to Li Yin's words.

Seeing that Wen Youqing remained silent with her eyes downcast, Li Yin assumed that she was too sad and did not readily believe her words, taking them merely as well-intentioned words of comfort.

Li Yin wasn't good at comforting people, but this person was kind-hearted and overly compassionate. She didn't want to upset him or feel guilty, so she continued, "When I was little, I was impatient and ate very quickly, often choking. I learned how to deal with choking from that experience. I was always alone, and this is the first time I've met someone willing to help me, so I'm a little unaccustomed to it."

Her words were half true and half false; the first half was true and the second half was false. She stared at Wen Youqing, who, upon hearing this, raised her eyes and looked up along the hand that Li Yin was holding onto her sleeve, and met Li Yin's gaze.

A pair of peach blossom eyes, reflecting the shimmering lights outside the window, the wind blowing through the curtains by the window, and a person, gentle and affectionate.

Wen Youqing looked at Li Yin and couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips slightly. She said, "I believe Miss Li. I thought Miss Li and I were friends. Friends should be quite familiar with each other. But Miss Li doesn't think we're very familiar. I will be more careful in the future."

Li Yin felt a strange sense of guilt from his explanation. She was the one who called him a friend, she was the one who brought him along, she was the one who deliberately brought them closer, but she was also the one who pushed them away because of the relationship.

She said, "But we've only known each other for half a day, and the relationship between friends is about who came first and who is older."

When Song Bei saw the two of them, she didn't know where to look. She felt that there were just enough people in the room, and having one more would be superfluous. She felt uncomfortable looking at anyone else, and it would be too unseemly to look to the side. So she looked between the two of them and saw Li Yin's slender fingers pulling on the sleeve of Wen Youqing's clothes, which had a dark pattern that was faintly visible in the light.