Chapter 34 Strange Twist (V-Entry Announcement) She clearly made a choice...
Flowers cast shadows beneath the trees, and a winding stream flows by.
The ivy garden was quiet and serene, with only Meng Shutai and Feng Yu'en sitting opposite each other.
Feng Yu'en raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp, then sighed and said, "That was our plan back then. If it weren't for Brother Zhao's interference, Le Jin would never have come to the capital."
To this day, Feng Yu'en still stubbornly believes that it was Le Zhao who separated him and Le Jin.
With deep affection in his heart, he pushed his cup aside and looked at Meng Shutai with sincere eyes.
“Young Master Meng, I know you are pure and virtuous, like a jade pine and a cypress, and you would never steal someone else’s love. I have come here today only to ask that you grant me this wish, so that Le Jin can be freed from the shackles of her marriage and elope with me.”
A gentle breeze rippled the winding stream that surrounded them, its clear waters shimmering. A floral arrangement, personally arranged by Meng Shutai, sat between them, with a rich fragrance emanating from the white gardenias in the center, and a finger-length strip of gold-flecked paper hanging below, swirling in the wind.
"I've heard that your childhood friendship is indeed quite lively." Meng Shutai smiled faintly, her long eyelashes drooping to conceal the starlight-like gleam in her eyes.
"Drinking, watching dances, observing entertainers, playing guessing games... drinking with the moon, sleeping drunk with flowers. She loved to indulge in such pleasures, but marriage really constrained her."
Feng Yu'en's eyes shone like candlelight, "That Young Master Meng..."
Meng Shutai raised his eyes and smiled, then changed the subject: "But the matter of the marriage agreement still needs to be decided after consulting with Lady Le."
Upon hearing this, Feng Yu'en's face relaxed, and joy appeared in the corners of her eyes and brows. "That's easy to say. Anyway, she loves me, so she will definitely agree to dissolve the relationship in the end."
"Oh?" Director Meng raised an eyebrow, seemingly curious. "She loves you? What makes you say that?"
Feng Yu'en's face was as bright as the Mid-Autumn Festival moon and as beautiful as the spring flowers. At this moment, she was moved, just like a bend in the water, sparkling and captivating.
“In the past, when we frequented brothels and taverns, no matter how many courtesans came to her, she would just play with them for a while, and in the end, I was always the one who went home with her.”
“When the birds chirped outside, she would just laugh it off. Many times when she was drunk, she would say that she had always believed that I was the one in the family.”
...
Once the topic of how much Le Jin loved him came up, Feng Yu'en's words flowed like a waterfall, with long passages of talk jumping out in strings. He himself was so engrossed that he didn't notice Meng Shutai in front of him, whose expression changed from a smile to a tight-lipped expression with a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Is he the one in the family? Then who is he? A stranger with a marriage certificate?
Meng Shutai never cared about that contract; no one in this world was worthy of him. The marriage was arranged only to bring him good luck; he had one foot in the grave, and Le Jin was nothing more than the coffin lid he would lie on.
But he was unwilling to give away the coffin board to someone else for nothing.
The coffin should rot with him, letting his rotting fluids stick to her body, suffocating in the underworld, forever and ever.
Amidst Feng Yu'en's incessant chatter, Meng Shutai idly pinched a strip of paper under the flower between his two fingers, repeatedly stroking the crooked characters "Long Life and a Hundred Years".
He specially hung this up before Feng Yu'en arrived.
It's as if this wish paper is a source of confidence.
How much does Le Jin love him? He, too, has her countless prayers.
What did it matter if she went home with him before? Now she lives in his courtyard and is cared for by him.
He heard everything she said in the corridor last night; Le Jin said she loved him many times.
She clearly made the choice; it's Feng Yu'en who's shameless.
Thinking of this, Meng Shutai suddenly felt a jolt in his soul, and the four characters "long life" under his finger instantly turned into long needles, piercing into his fingertips.
A strange, bittersweet feeling flowed into his body through the long needle, his internal organs feeling as cold as ice and as burning as a raging fire.
Meng Shutai did not understand what such feelings were. He was still sitting, but inside his body, the world was turning upside down, the sea was overflowing, and the mountain ridges were breaking.
And a thought was forged by these forces and clearly imprinted in his mind—he wanted him dead.
He rubbed the paper until it was wrinkled, and only then did Feng Yu'en notice Meng Shutai's actions, his gaze falling on the wishing paper.
"These characters are quite interesting; the horizontal strokes and vertical hooks look like they were pieced together. Hanging them under the flowers gives them a childlike charm. Who wrote them?"
Meng Shutai paused in her fingertips, her shimmering phoenix eyes shifting to look at him.
"Don't you know who wrote this character?"
Feng Yu'en was somewhat puzzled, and smiled, saying, "I don't know."
A flicker of surprise crossed Meng Shutai's eyes. His childhood sweetheart couldn't recognize Le Jin's handwriting?
"In your opinion, young master Feng, how does this calligraphy compare to Lady Yue's?"
Feng Yu'en looked as if she had heard something out of the blue, her shoulders instantly slumped back, and she burst out laughing, "Not even close!"
"It's not that I see beauty in the eye of the beholder, but Le Jin's calligraphy is a semi-cursive script that Brother Zhao personally taught her. The strokes are strong and powerful. Even if she were to write randomly, it wouldn't be so haphazard."
After finishing his sentence, Feng Yu'en suddenly realized that what if this was just a joke by one of Meng Langjun's friends? How could he be so disparaging?
Just as he was about to make amends, Meng Shutai seemed to understand something, released the paper, and the faint joy and excitement in his eyes made him even more strikingly handsome.
"I also think that Lady Le's handwriting... is absolutely superb."
Fallen petals drifted on the water's surface, quietly disturbing the figures. Amidst the rippling waves, a hunched, panting figure suddenly appeared.
"Hey—you guys..."
Le Jin ran around all morning and was so exhausted that she collapsed onto the small banquet carpet.
However, before she could slump to the ground, a slender, jade-like hand swiftly reached out, supporting her arm and pulling her into his embrace. A rich scent of sandalwood assaulted Le Jin's senses, making her dizzy.
Before anyone could even settle into their seat amidst the rich aroma, Le Jin swiftly reached into Meng Shutai's sleeve and began rummaging through it.
In front of Feng Yu'en, he thoroughly touched Meng Shutai's wrists and forearms under his wide-sleeved robe.
Feng Yu'en felt both shocked and heartbroken, and whispered, "A-Jin."
Le Jin's hands moved rapidly across Meng Shutai's arms like soft vines, causing him to lose his breath and his Adam's apple to bob.
"Lady Le, what's going on..."
Clang—
With a soft thud, an object fell out of Meng Shutai's sleeve.
All three eyes converged on a small silver iron pair of scissors wrapped with red thread. Though a floral arrangement tool, it could easily be used to stab someone in the heart...
Le Jin kicked the scissors away in a huff, glared at Meng Shutai, and sat down in Meng Shutai's seat, lifting her skirt.
The alluring expression vanished instantly, and Meng Shutai finally realized that Le Jin had not been making advances towards him, but rather searching him.
My heart is filled with ups and downs, swaying gently like a swing.
But... how did she know he had hidden a knife?
Seeing Feng Yu'en's surprised look, Meng Shutai explained with a smile, "No wonder the servant said the flower shears were missing. Turns out they were hanging on me. I've been feeling a bit absent-minded these past few days, but thankfully Lady Le is very observant."
Le Jin scoffed inwardly. She didn't even know him!
She interrupted him: "Why didn't you call me!"
Meng Shutai ordered someone to bring over a small stool and sat down next to Le Jin. The stool was short, and although Meng Shutai was extremely tall, he was still shorter than Le Jin on the high couch when he sat down.
She has a very gentle, obedient, and virtuous appearance.
"I was afraid you'd oversleep, so I didn't disturb you."
Le Jin glared at him, not buying it.
She slammed her fist on the table in anger, the jade bracelet clanging loudly. "Why did you send people to hold me back? And why didn't you let me know where you are?"
Unaware of Meng Shutai's ulterior motives, Feng Yu'en stared at him blankly.
Meng Shutai smiled gently and poured Le Jin a cup of sake.
"Don't be anxious or upset, your asthma is getting better." He comforted her as he offered her the wine.
Le Jin was furious and pushed him away, saying, "I won't drink."
Aren't you thirsty?
Thirsty, of course he's thirsty! Let him try running all over Huayan Temple!
But glancing at the clear liquid, Le Jin hesitated; she never drank alcohol.
"dislike."
The cool liquor spilled halfway out of the glass, running down the side and into Meng Shutai's fingertips. He showed no resentment, instead smiling brightly.
dislike……
"good."
He gazed at Le Jin's puffed-up profile with a smile, then turned to look at Feng Yu'en.
"If you hadn't been held back, Shutai wouldn't have heard so many interesting stories about you and Feng Langjun from the past."
It felt like a husk of wheat had been thrown into her collar. Le Jin tensed up, her anger vanished instantly, leaving only a guilty conscience.
"You guys talked about this?"
Both men nodded at the same time.
A note from the author:
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V-Chapter Announcement: I'll be entering the V-Chapter phase tomorrow! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers] There will be a long, 10,000-word chapter as a bonus, so please give me your support!
I'm so excited! Even a humble author like me can now pay to read! Thank you so much for everyone's love and support during this time! *bows*
I never thought I could go very high, but I'm very curious about how far I can go. Please continue to support me in the days to come! [starry-eyed emoji]
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