Chapter 71 071 Why didn't he resist her?
Not only that, but glancing down, she noticed that he was wearing a new pair of shoes today.
These shoes look familiar... Oh right, they seem to be a gift from her.
Of course, these were just things she bought at the market; there was no handmade element involved. After all, Duan Lansheng would bring her many rare magical treasures every time he left Mount Shu, so she had to "return the favor," didn't she?
No matter how ordinary the return gift is, as long as you add the universally applicable phrase "the sentiment is worth a thousand pieces of gold," it's all good. There's no better deal in the world than exchanging a sesame seed for a watermelon.
To be honest, this was the first time she had seen Duan Lansheng wear the gift after it had been sent out for so long. She had thought he had probably hidden it somewhere.
Yellow leaves fluttered down in the courtyard as Duan Lansheng walked towards her. He was tall and slender, with a narrow waist and long legs. Backlit, his eyes appeared exceptionally deep and lustrous; a flutter of his eyelashes cast two faint shadows. In a brief moment, he was already standing before the stone bench. Noticing Lu Yuanyuan staring at him with a slightly strange expression, he pursed his lips and asked, "What's wrong?"
Lu Yuanyuan frowned and asked, "Why are you using a jade hairpin to tie your hair up today?"
Seeing her frown, Duan Lansheng's expression hardened, and a hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes: "Do you think... it doesn't look good?"
"Oh, no, it's just that it's the first time I've seen it, so it's a bit novel."
Upon hearing this, Duan Lansheng let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief, as if relieved. His brows relaxed, and he looked somewhat happy. He said softly, "That's good."
Then he sat down next to her on the stone bench.
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
What's wrong with this guy today? Why is he suddenly so concerned about what others think of his appearance?
The last time I saw him, he wasn't like this at all.
Lu Yuanyuan was surprised for a moment, then suddenly her eyebrows twitched, and a lightbulb went off deep in her mind.
She found out.
It's because I saw Xiaoruo in the palace garden last time, right?
This is the typical trope in stories about a woman chasing after her husband's lover. Initially, Xiao Ru tries her best to win Duan Lansheng's heart, but he ignores her, always giving her an icy, unapproachable look. After driving her away, she's filled with regret and longing.
When the two met again at the Yong Kingdom Palace, Duan Lansheng saw a wild man by Xiao Ru's side. He was incredulous and extremely jealous, which led to the breakthrough of their feelings.
If nothing unexpected happens, the next step in the process will be the classic part where the man finally understands how to win back his wife. No wonder he's suddenly paying more attention to his appearance.
Without breaking a sweat, Lu Yuanyuan found a reasonable explanation for all the abnormalities. She glanced at his shoes and almost let out a cold laugh.
That day, when he saw Xiaoruo and Yueqi together, his reaction was so calm; it turns out he was just faking it.
Unexpectedly, someone would come. Lu Yuanyuan sat in the middle of the stone bench, feeling the warmth on the outside of her thighs. Feeling repulsed, she unconsciously moved a little further away and changed the subject: "Are you done with your work? Did you come to see me for something?"
“It’s noon, the staff has changed, and we have to go back later.” Duan Lansheng nodded, took out a delicate little paper package from his sleeve, and handed it to her: “Someone just brought over this kind of beggar’s pastry, I’ve tried it, and it tastes very similar to the snow dumplings from Qinfang Pavilion.”
During the Luo River sacrificial ceremony, Consort Xie fasted and prayed daily, eating very lightly. Furthermore, as a person under special protection, all the meals sent to her palace were prepared separately by the imperial kitchen, different from those provided to Duan Lansheng and the others. The palace servants' food and drink also changed according to their mistress's. Lu Yuanyuan had indeed not seen this pastry on Consort Xie's table earlier.
Qinfang Pavilion is a restaurant in Spring Mountain City, a city in the cultivation world. She and Zhou Que both love one of their favorite dishes, a sweet pastry called Snow Dumplings. Whenever they go to Spring Mountain City, they always make sure to try it. However, they can't always get to eat it; they might find it sold out.
Duan Lansheng brought her this whenever he had a spare moment because he had eaten something she liked.
Lu Yuanyuan was momentarily distracted before looking away and not reaching out to take it: "I've already had lunch, I'm not hungry now, you can keep it for yourself."
Duan Lansheng's eyelashes fluttered, his hand, which was unwrapping the package, stopped in mid-air, and his warm smile faded. Silently, he wrapped the package back up.
I particularly dislike him today and don't want to be with him anymore. Lu Yuanyuan turned her head, stood up and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll go back to my room first."
Just as she stood up, she heard the rustling sound of robes behind her. It turned out that Duan Lansheng had gotten up almost simultaneously with her. But before he could speak, a scene suddenly flashed into Lu Yuanyuan's mind—
This scene describes: One afternoon, she had just come out from Consort Xie's place when she encountered Duan Lansheng resting under a tree. Given her long history of misconduct, Duan Lansheng was very wary of her. Having finally caught Duan Lansheng alone, she couldn't let the opportunity slip by. So, under the pretext of discussing important matters with Duan Lansheng, she tricked him into going to the eastern palace chamber.
Lu Yuanyuan, her mind wandering, tried to change the subject, but after a while, she couldn't hide her lust and reached for Duan Lansheng's collar, pulling it to the sides. But she failed; Duan Lansheng grabbed her hand tightly, almost crushing her bones.
Duan Lansheng's expression was as cold as ice, and he couldn't hide the disgust in his eyes.
He thought she genuinely had something important to discuss, but it turns out that old habits die hard. He didn't want to waste any more words on someone who repeatedly refused to change. Out of consideration for their shared background, he wouldn't be lenient next time.
Lu Yuanyuan was like a rag doll, pushed to the ground. Watching Duan Lansheng walk away, she rubbed her wrist, but became more determined with each setback.
It was all Duan Lansheng's fault, no matter what. Who told him to be so handsome, even his glare was captivating? He was constantly seducing her; how could she not resist?
System: "Ding! Please fill in the plot within 10 minutes, or you will be punished."
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
As the character's development progresses, the gaps in filling in the plot become longer and longer. This thing, which was originally an obvious huge pothole on the road, has become a hidden nail that will only trip her up unexpectedly.
Is this plot keeping up with the times or being stubbornly out of touch? It could clearly adapt to the scenarios she participates in, but it refuses to update her character design, sticking to the original lecherous simp route.
System: "Master, the defining characteristic of 'simp' NPCs is their stereotypical characterization; there's no room for their personalities to evolve."
Lu Yuanyuan took a deep breath, stopped in her tracks on her way back to her room, forced a smile, pointed to the palace not far away, and said, "I suddenly have a craving for Huatian Pastry again. Do you have time? Why don't we go sit over there for a while? I'll make a pot of tea, and we can eat it together."
Seeing that she suddenly changed her mind, Duan Lansheng's eyes lit up.
During their stay at the Luoshui Imperial Palace, the nightly arrangements were the same as before in the Imperial Palace: Lu Yuanyuan and Huang Ying took turns staying in Consort Xie's room. When they weren't on night duty, they slept in the room next to the sleeping quarters.
The empty room to the east contained many of the things Consort Xie had brought with her, including clothes, books, her usual hand warmer, and so on, all neatly packed in boxes. In her spare time, Consort Xie could copy scriptures and enjoy tea here. Therefore, the room was not large, but it was clean and tidy. On a low mahogany cabinet against the wall were many scrolls and scriptures, and a black lacquered and gilded incense burner, its elegant fragrance wafting through the copper wire mesh.
Lu Yuanyuan first asked Duan Lansheng to sit down, then turned to make tea. She had already figured out how to handle this situation. She would pretend to accidentally spill tea on Duan Lansheng—with so many clothes covering him, he wouldn't get burned—and then urge him to take off his wet clothes. Wouldn't that give her a legitimate reason to pull off his clothes without arousing his suspicion?
The tea leaves and stems swirled in the teapot, the steam warming her palms, and the tea filled the cup. Lu Yuanyuan put down the teapot, brushed her hair aside, and glanced furtively at Duan Lansheng. He was clearly still unaware of what was about to happen.
With everything ready, Lu Yuanyuan held a cup of tea in both hands, pretending it was very hot, and quickly walked over to him. Suddenly, she pretended to slip and knock the teacup over, saying, "The tea is here... Hey, watch out!"
The deep red tea splashed onto Duan Lansheng's front, dripping and steaming, leaving a large, unsightly tea stain on his clean clothes.
Duan Lansheng was also taken aback. Lu Yuanyuan wasn't about to give him a chance to take off his clothes himself; she quickly put down her teacup, reached out her hand to him, and feigned concern: "You didn't burn yourself, did you? I didn't mean to—"
The moment her hand touched his clothes, Duan Lansheng suddenly seemed to see something and abruptly grabbed her hand.
Lu Yuanyuan felt relieved; it seemed the plot was about to be completed smoothly.
Unexpectedly, Duan Lansheng didn't grab her hand, but instead pushed her away. He didn't care about his clothes at all, grabbed her hand, turned it over, stared at the faint red mark left by the red tea on the back of her hand, and frowned: "You burned yourself, you need to apply medicine."
Lu Yuanyuan only noticed when he pointed at her. She was stunned for a moment and said, "It doesn't hurt. It will be fine on its own in a little while."
Hearing her say that, Duan Lansheng didn't let go. Instead, he looked at her as if she were a child who couldn't take care of herself and said, "No, it's already swollen. Where's the ointment?"
His hand, like a beautiful piece of jade in the sunlight, showed no sign of exerting force, nor did it pinch her hard, yet she couldn't break free. Lu Yuanyuan had no choice but to take out a bottle of ointment from her bosom. Duan Lansheng pulled her aside, making her sit in the chair opposite him. He took out a handkerchief, wiped away the tea stains, and carefully applied the ointment, his eyes lowered.
Lu Yuanyuan noticed his actions and suddenly realized that his handkerchief wasn't the one she had given him: "Where's the handkerchief I gave you last time?"
Something about that sentence was off, and Duan Lansheng's fingers froze. After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, I... I've dirtied it, so I might not be able to return it to you."
Is it dirty?
Lu Yuanyuan paused for a moment, then said "Oh," without giving it much thought, since it wasn't anything important. After applying the medicine, she took the porcelain bottle and suddenly remembered that Duan Lansheng had interrupted the story, and they weren't finished yet. She quickly stood up and steered the story back on track: "Your clothes are all wet, you need to take them off quickly!"
No one would feel good if a cup of hot tea was poured on their clothes. But seeing her hand approaching him, Duan Lansheng's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he suddenly changed his mind, lowering his hands.
Perhaps the hot tea had seeped through several layers of clothing and scalded his skin. Even before her hand touched his body, his breath began to tremble uncontrollably, and his pupils contracted slightly, a mixture of excitement and nervousness indistinguishable.
With a swish, his coat was easily ripped open.
Duan Lansheng always dressed very conservatively, never revealing an inch of skin unless absolutely necessary. However, the collar of his frost-colored inner robe was always lower than his outer robe, revealing a section of his fair neck.
Unexpectedly, it was so smooth that Lu Yuanyuan was stunned for a second: "..."
Why didn't he dodge or resist her at all?
Could it be that their actual relationship wasn't as bad as described in the original text, and Duan Lansheng treated her like a brother, without thinking of anything ambiguous, so taking off her outer clothes was still within his tolerance?
That's true. There have been instances before where Lan Sheng's behavior deviated from the original text, yet she still passed the test. Whether a task is passed or not depends on whether her actions conform to the original text.
Anyway, the original text didn't specify which garment's collar was ripped open. According to the character's original portrayal, she should now be emboldened and continue tearing off his clothes until Duan Lansheng shows any sign of resistance. Perhaps, if she took off another garment, he wouldn't be able to resist.
Just then, the tea spilled onto his undergarment.
The two looked at each other, and after a moment's hesitation, Lu Yuanyuan tentatively reached for the collar of his undergarment.
Duan Lansheng lowered his eyes slightly and saw her hand, and couldn't help but hold his breath.
The next second, with a whoosh, her inner garment was ripped open again without any resistance.
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
Lu Yuanyuan's eyelids twitched again, vaguely sensing that something was wrong. Her hands unconsciously loosened their grip, forgetting that she was still holding the porcelain bottle. With a snap, the bottle rolled to the ground, the sound of shattering porcelain pieces cutting through the air.
At the same time, the system notification sounded: "Ding! The original plot has been filled in, and the character's completion rate has increased."
Lu Yuanyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, her system only restricted her behavior; as long as her actions conformed to her persona, whether Duan Lansheng cooperated or not was irrelevant. Having a perfect excuse to stop, she took a step back and was about to squat down to pick up the shards. But Duan Lansheng reached out and stopped her: "Let me do it."
Lu Yuanyuan thought for a moment, then didn't refuse. She stood aside and watched as Duan Lansheng bent down and crawled under the table to pick up the porcelain shards.
Just then, several hurried footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a familiar voice: "...Is this the place? Carry it in."
"Your Highness, yes, Her Highness's trunks are all here. I will certainly punish you severely for being so foolish as to send Her Highness's trunks to you..."
It was Yue Hong's voice, and also Zhang Gonggong's apprentice's!
Besides them, there were also several palace servants carrying boxes. It sounded like the servants had made a mistake while transporting the items, and Yue Hong had sent someone to return them to their rightful owner.
Duan Lansheng also heard the noise outside and paused.
The door to the palace on the east side was open, and in the blink of an eye, several figures had arrived outside.
Rumors spread quickly in the palace. Duan Lansheng, disheveled, stood up from under the table, and it seemed some outrageous scandalous story would be circulating the next day. Lu Yuanyuan, naturally unwilling to accept this, quickly raised her foot and gently kicked him to prevent him from emerging.
Duan Lansheng understood what she meant, his jawline tightened instantly, but his movements stopped.
Lu Yuanyuan didn't have time to look at his expression. She hurriedly put down the tablecloth, and while she was at it, she also rolled up the package of Huatiansu pastries and stuffed it under the table. In her haste, the snow-white and crystal-clear pastries fell to the ground, sticky and unpleasant.
Almost the instant she hid, several palace servants entered. Yue Hong followed them, stepped through the palace gate, and only then did he notice her there. A look of surprised joy appeared on his face as he quickly approached: "What are you doing here?"
Lu Yuanyuan nodded and changed the subject: "Are those all the Imperial Concubine's things?"
"Hmm, it was misplaced." Yue Hong explained casually, and had someone put the things away. After the palace servants left, he showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he lifted his robe and sat down on another chair, as if he intended to kill some time there.
Lu Yuanyuan had no choice but to sit down as well. She chose the chair closest to Duan Lansheng because the tablecloth there wasn't long enough to block Duan Lansheng's view.
This scene seems so familiar. I remember when she was first rescued and brought back to Mount Shu, Duan Lansheng hid under her table.
Lu Yuanyuan glanced down discreetly. This time, the ground was covered with both sugar cakes and broken porcelain shards, with hardly any flat ground to step on. Duan Lansheng was right in front of her, his clothes spread out on the ground.
The thought of who he was dressed up for suddenly revived the evil thoughts of wanting to humiliate him and prevent him from getting his way, which had been interrupted by the system task.
A thought flashed through her mind. Pretending not to notice where Duan Lansheng's leg was, she leaned forward, looking at Yue Hong ahead as if listening intently to his words. Suddenly, her lower leg lifted up and stepped on Duan Lansheng's knee. Almost instantly, she clearly felt Duan Lansheng's body tense up, and his breathing changed slightly.
She had already thought it through. Duan Lansheng wasn't a pervert; he wouldn't like being stepped on. Once he pushed her foot away, she would feign surprise and pull her leg back. Then she could say that because there were too many broken pieces on the floor, she was trying to use the table's crossbar as a stepping stone and accidentally stepped on him.
But to her surprise, after Duan Lansheng paused, he didn't actually move his foot away.
The shape of a knee is quite different from that of a wooden crossbar, so even if Duan Lansheng's reaction was different from what she expected, she couldn't continue to play dumb. Lu Yuanyuan hesitated for a moment, then proceeded to retract her leg as planned. But at that moment, the other party suddenly reached out and grabbed her ankle, preventing her from moving.
Lu Yuanyuan's eyes widened slightly, wondering what had gotten into him. She didn't dare forcefully pull her leg back, nor could she pretend not to notice, so she pressed down hard. Keeping her legs suspended like that was exhausting. Duan Lansheng probably noticed too, and gently pressed down to make sure she had a firm footing.
This was indeed much less strenuous and more comfortable. Lu Yuanyuan hesitated with him for a while, then finally gave up trying to figure out why he was doing this and settled herself down.
"Third Sister will be here in a few days. When she arrives, I'll send someone to fetch you to see her." Yue Hong didn't notice the secret under the table. After chatting with her for a while, he seemed to remember something interesting and chuckled, "I saw Third Sister early the other morning. That brat probably hadn't woken up yet and hadn't quite caught up. The first thing she said to me was, just like when we lived together, that she called me brother-in-law."
From the beginning, Duan Lansheng's body had been very steady; even when she stepped on his knee, he didn't sway at all. However, upon hearing this, the tablecloth moved slightly, though it was unclear whether it was just her imagination.
Fortunately, Yue Hong seemed to have important matters to attend to, and before long, a palace servant came to summon him, saying that the emperor had summoned him.
Once Yue Hong left, the palace room quieted down. Lu Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief, quickly lifted the tablecloth, and pulled her leg back. Duan Lansheng didn't continue grabbing her foot this time.
Because he pulled back too quickly, the shoe came loose and fell onto his lap.
Lu Yuanyuan was a little embarrassed and preemptively asked, "Why did you grab my foot just now?"
Upon closer inspection, Duan Lansheng's robes were still loose, and sure enough, there was a dusty gray stain on them.
"..." Lu Yuanyuan's feelings at this moment were hard to describe. She was the one who was being mischievous, and she had achieved her goal of getting his clothes dirty, but there was a part of the time when he actively grabbed her foot and let her step on it. Perhaps for this reason, she didn't seem as happy as she had expected.
Hearing her question, Duan Lansheng was neither angry nor in a hurry to come out from under the table: "Didn't you want to avoid the shards of porcelain on the ground?"
Startled by his well-thought-out excuse, Lu Yuanyuan froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered and didn't show any weakness. She continued, "Yes, but I only wanted to step on the crossbar of the table. When I realized I'd stepped on the wrong spot, I immediately pulled back. Why did you still..."
"The horizontal bar is behind you, you can't step on it. My clothes are already dirty, one more won't make a difference."
Duan Lansheng lowered his eyes. Perhaps it was due to the lack of air circulation under the table, but his face and lips seemed to have a touch more rosy color than before.
He reached out and picked up her shoe, shook off the sand, and glanced at her curled-up legs. After a pause, he placed the shoe on the ground in front of her.
For a fleeting moment, Lu Yuanyuan almost thought Duan Lansheng was going to put her shoes on himself. Fortunately, it turned out to be just her imagination. She bent down and quickly put the shoes back on.
Duan Lansheng had important matters to attend to, and once his rest time was over, it wasn't appropriate for him to linger there any longer. In places like this, there was no shortage of palace servants' clothes. He changed into clean clothes, gathered up the porcelain shards, and left, leaving only the packet of Huatiansu (a type of pastry).
Unfortunately, it had been sitting for too long and was no longer tasty.
In the end, Lu Yuanyuan didn't eat any of it and threw it all away.
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