"Lord Shen, I am very satisfied with your treat today, and Miss Zhou... hiccup... I think it's quite good too."

Lin Bufan seemed genuinely drunk, burping as he staggered toward Zhou Miaotong.

In front of Shen Lian, he gently placed his hand on Zhou Miaotong's shoulder, his body unsteady, looking as if he was about to fall.

Zhou Miaotong resisted slightly, but to spite Chen Lian, she still reached out to help Lin Bufan, and said coldly to Chen Lian, "Lord Shen, please do as you please. I need to take Young Master Lin back to his room to rest."

As he spoke, Fu Lin Bufan walked out of the private room and headed towards his bedroom.

"Miaotong".

Shen Lian shouted and reached out his hand in mid-air, wanting to chase after him.

His feet felt as heavy as lead; he couldn't lift them or move them.

All he could do was beat his chest in frustration, pound the table in despair, and drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Lu Jianxing patted his second brother on the back, unsure how to comfort him.

Jin Yichuan couldn't think of any good words either, and finally uttered a few words: "Second brother, please accept my condolences, the next one will be better."

"The next one, where is the next one?"

"She doesn't like me, she likes Young Master Lin, and she fell in love with him at first sight."

Shen Lian was drunk, talking nonsense, his head drooping, and he fell asleep on the table.

Lu Jianxing was worried that his second brother might hear something he shouldn't and become upset, so he quickly told Jin Yichuan to carry Chen Lian home.

As for Lin Bufan and Zhou Miaotong, everything proceeded naturally, and soon the die was cast.

The next afternoon, Lin Bufan was awakened by a loud banging on the door.

The madam shouted loudly from outside, "Young Master Lin, are you awake yet? Master Zhang is here to hear Miaotong play the zither. Quickly, tell her to come out."

Lin Bufan dressed slowly and deliberately, not in a hurry at all. He turned to Zhou Miaotong, who was still lying behind him, and asked, "Who is Master Zhang?"

Zhou Miaotong struggled to get up despite her sleepiness, and answered while getting dressed: "One of Prince Yu's uncles likes to hear me play the zither and watch me dance. He comes to Nuanxiang Pavilion several times a month, even more frequently than Chen Lian."

Lin Bufan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then what about you and Master Zhang...?"

Zhou Miaotong understood and quickly replied, "Master Zhang is already in his seventies and can't do anything anymore. He just enjoys the sight of me and simply appreciates my music and dance. In fact, Chen Lian is the same way. Chen Lian has never forced me."

"You really managed to sell your art but not your body."

Lin Bufan expressed slight surprise.

Zhou Miaotong said, "The madam said that the more unattainable something is, the higher its price. I am the top courtesan of Nuanxiang Pavilion, the queen of flowers, so naturally I am different from other girls. I am ranked according to the highest level of Zuiyue Tower."

"So, I'm sorry you had to go through that last night."

“I’m not wronged. I’ve heard of Young Master Lin’s great name. Everyone in the capital knows you. You can redeem me.”

"Of course, I'll redeem you today, and you can stay with me from now on."

Knock knock knock!

The madam was still banging on the door.

Lin Bufan went to open the door.

With a creak, the madam hurriedly came in and tried to pull Zhou Miaotong away.

Lin Bufan stopped her, "Madam, she's already mine, not your Nuanxiang Pavilion's woman."

"What did you say? You're still drunk, aren't you?"

The madam thought she had misheard and glared at him, saying, "Young Master Lin, if it weren't for your status and position, I wouldn't have let Miaotong spend a night with you. Now you're saying she's yours and you want to take her away?"

"Yes, I'm taking her with me."

"Don't even think about it."

"That's what I was thinking."

Lin Bufan was arrogant and domineering, his eyes flashing with cold light, making the madam tremble with fear.

However, the madam had lived most of her life and had seen all sorts of storms; she never lost an argument.

"You want to redeem her, right? Fine."

After thinking for a moment, he made an outrageous demand: "Ten thousand taels of silver. Give me the money, and you can take the person with you."

Ten thousand taels?

Do you think I'm some kind of traitor?!

Lin Bufan sneered: "My name, Lin Bufan, is worth 100,000 taels of silver. You decide what to do, madam."

The madam's lips twitched: "So, I have to pay you back 90,000 taels of silver?"

"No need for that, just let me take the person away."

After saying that, Lin Bufan pulled Zhou Miaotong out of the room and down the stairs.

The madam hurriedly chased after them, shouting from behind, "She's our top courtesan at Warm Fragrance Pavilion! If you take her away, who will replace her? Do you expect me to take her place myself?"

Lin Bufan ignored him and continued down the stairs with Zhou Miaotong.

The madam, unwilling to give up, cried out again, her voice trembling with tears: "At least give me some money for food and lodging! She's been eating and living here for years, Young Master Lin, Young Master Lin!"

Lin Bufan sneered, and a burst of true energy emanated from his body, knocking the madam down on the stairs, where she twisted her ankle and couldn't move.

"Young Master Lin, I never expected you to redeem me in this way."

Zhou Miaotong was quite surprised, yet also a little bit thrilled, and showed no sign of resistance.

On the contrary, I felt that Lin Bufan was particularly charismatic and made me feel safe.

With a man like that by her side, no one will ever bully her again.

She secretly fell in love with him, seeing a free and wonderful life beckoning to her.

The two swaggered out of the Warm Fragrance Pavilion, and no one dared to stop them.

The pimp dared not, the waiter dared not, the odd-job worker dared not, the thugs dared not, and the teller at the counter dared not.

However, outside of the Warm Fragrance Pavilion, there was someone who dared to do so.

Wuqing, sitting in a wheelchair, seemed to have been waiting for Lin Bufan for a long time at the entrance of Nuanxiang Pavilion.

"You're finally out."

How long have you been here?

"About the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn."

"Did you need something?"

"You disappeared for three days, and I looked for you for three days. Tell me, are you alright?"

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