"Hey, isn't Tingyue Pavilion a place for listening to music? Why can't we hear a sound from inside? Are there no customers today?"
Wang Xueru surveyed every corner she passed, still marveling at the exquisite beauty of Tingyue Pavilion. Unlike the hustle and bustle of the main hall, it was very serene and elegant. Upon entering Tingyue Pavilion, she couldn't help but slow her pace.
Sun Miao'er lowered her voice and followed behind the maid, whispering, "The room is very well soundproofed; we can't hear anything from the outside."
Hu Tingzhi was quite capable. Ancient houses were mainly made of wood, and wood is not very good at sound insulation. As a result, sound leakage was common in wooden houses.
For example, if a sad and sorrowful piece is being played in this room, you might faintly hear joyful and cheerful sounds coming from next door.
These are common problems in most music halls, but there is none of this in Tingyue Pavilion, and you can't even hear it in the corridor.
The maid turned around and smiled, "Miss has good insight; you even noticed this."
"Ordinary guests who come to our Tingyue Pavilion only know that it is different from other places, but they can't say exactly what makes it different."
Compared to the maid's flattery, Sun Miao'er was more interested in how Hu Tingzhi achieved such good soundproofing and what special method he used. She would find out once she went in.
As they walked, passing through dozens of rooms, the maid showed no sign of stopping, instead leading them straight inside.
Sun Miao'er sensed something was amiss. Could it be that Hu Tingzhi had invited her to listen to the music?
Passing through the corridor, the entrance to the house directly facing east at the back was more spacious than the previous ones, and it seemed to have a gilded facade.
Four maids stood outside, dressed exactly like the others from before, except that their faces were covered with veils, making it impossible to discern their features.
"How is the young lady?" asked the maid who led Sun Miao'er.
All four shook their heads.
The maid gently knocked on the door and said, "Miss Sun has arrived."
"Please come in, Miss Sun." A clear and melodious voice came from inside, exceptionally distinct in the quiet corridor.
It was as if a jade blade cleaved through the long, silent night, stirring up a sense of ethereal beauty.
Sun Miao'er turned around and said, "Xue Ru, you and Young Master Wei wait for me for a moment."
"Didn't we come here to listen to music?" Wei Jingnian blurted out. Why did Miao'er have to go in alone?
Sun Miao'er smiled and said, "No rush, we can listen later. Take me in to meet your young lady."
"Eh, girl? Which girl?" Wei Jingnian was full of questions. He was still looking forward to appreciating the famous piece of music.
Wang Xueru spoke up from behind: "Which other girl could you go to? The only one in Duhuan Tower who would receive such treatment is Dongli Xiaoxiao!"
"Miao'er is secretly eating alone behind our backs!" Wang Xueru teased, seeing Wei Jingnian's surprised yet slightly envious expression.
Sun Miao'er entered the inner room, where she was greeted by layers of gauze curtains. The wind blew in through the window cracks, causing the gauze curtains to fog up and lift a corner, revealing the graceful figure of the beauty.
The room was filled with the faint scent of ink and brushes. Glancing to the side, there was a large rosewood table with auspicious cloud patterns, on which lay a newly copied calligraphy model.
The ink smelled extremely strong; it must be the black gold ink exclusively supplied to the nobles of the capital. And it wasn't just the ink; every piece of furniture in the room exuded an air of unparalleled luxury, noble yet refined.
"Miss Sun has arrived."
The gauze curtain was lifted by a slender, fair, and delicate hand, revealing a flawless face.
Sun Miao'er looked up and met Dongli Xiaoxiao's face. It was different from the one she had seen in the forest that day. At that time, Dongli Xiaoxiao was in trouble and looked disheveled. Now, she was exquisitely sculpted, like a person made of jade.
Sun Miao'er was so captivated by her beauty that she forgot to reply for a moment.
"Miss Sun?"
Until Dongli smiled and called out again.
Sun Miao'er suddenly came to her senses and smiled rather awkwardly, "Dongli girl."
"I already told you last time, just call me Xiaoxiao." Dongli smiled and walked towards the desk, the ink she had just ground was not yet dry.
Sun Miao'er followed, wondering why Dongli Xiaoxiao had invited her over under Hu Tingzhi's name, or if it was related to the farce in the front hall just now.
But she couldn't see any anger on Dongli's smiling face, let alone that he was furious and smashed three precious items in a row.
Before me was a gentle and charming beauty, as still as an ancient painting, and as graceful as a fairy descending to earth.
"Miss Xiaoxiao is truly beautiful, no wonder she is so popular and the darling of Manager Hu." Sun Miao'er said politely, but it was also the truth.
Unexpectedly, a hint of bitterness appeared on that stunningly beautiful face. "Beauty, is beauty useful?"
Sun Miao'er's inner thoughts: Of course beauty is useful. If I were as beautiful as you, would I have to work hard for two lifetimes? I could live a life of luxury, doing nothing and money would just flow into my pocket like water.
"Beauty is something that some people take for granted, treating me like mud on the ground, to be trampled on at will."
Sun Miao'er didn't understand the meaning behind Dongli Xiaoxiao's words, but considering Hu Tingzhi's anger and the way he dealt with Shanqiu, could the ungrateful fellow Dongli Xiaoxiao was talking about actually be Shanqiu?
She could clearly hear the hint of unrequited love in Dongli Xiaoxiao's words. Could it be that such a beauty had developed feelings for Shanqiu?
Is it the classic tale of a hero saving a damsel in distress and falling in love at first sight? But aren't the side stories all about Shan Qiu having ulterior motives towards Dongli Xiaoxiao?
“A girl like Dongli Xiaoxiao, let alone men, would make even women feel pity for her,” Sun Miao’er said, wanting to hear Dongli Xiaoxiao’s response.
Dongli smiled and repeatedly stroked the Xuan paper. "In the next life, do not be a love-stricken fool, for there is no place in the world to bear the longing." These fourteen short characters were written countless times.
There was a thick stack of papers underneath, all with the same sentence.
"He's been locked up?" Dongli asked with a smile, then answered for himself, "It's only natural that he's locked up; he's the one who offended me."
This statement confirmed Sun Miao'er's guess; it really was Shan Qiu. Dongli Xiaoxiao had fallen for that taciturn Shan Qiu.
The taciturn fellow was probably too focused on investigating the case to understand the beauty's thoughts, which explains why he angered her.
Sun Miao'er tentatively asked, "Is it about the lantern festival last time?"
"Hmm." Dongli smiled and nodded. "Shan Qiu has been trying to find clues from me, but this matter really can't be investigated any further. If it is, he will die."
Sun Miao'er knew something was amiss; it seemed they had planned this all along.
“Shanqiu is a kind-hearted person.” Dongli smiled and sighed. “I care about him and naturally don’t want him to suffer, but he won’t listen to me at all.”
“I really had no other choice, but I couldn’t let my brother know, so I had to resort to this method to break off all ties with him. Maybe that will put an end to it.”
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