Chapter 191: Three's Company
When Wuqing wrote the letter asking Xie Huailing to come, he was actually quite nervous. He wasn't sure if Xie Huailing would actually come. The timeframe given in the letter was too tight; she might not even reply. Anyway, if he didn't see her when the time came, he would know she wasn't coming.
With these thoughts in mind, Wuqing didn't have high expectations. Besides, although he wrote in the letter asking Xie Huailing to come quickly, in the end, what he needed to do today could be accomplished by himself alone. Asking Xie Huailing was just to make things better, so that she could distinguish the truth from the falsehood and right from wrong more quickly.
If I had to say something more, perhaps there was some personal motive involved.
Waiting silently under the eaves of a roadside shop, Wuqing watched the night deepen in the sky. A bright moon rose, its light shining down, revealing every speck of dust beneath. If it weren't for the sleepless lights of Bianjing and its dazzling, shimmering night scene, this would have been a truly beautiful night, a night as beautiful as if it were in heaven.
He waited that night, not with much hope, for no one came from the direction the bluestone path in front of him led; he probably wouldn't be able to wait any longer.
Wuqing wasn't actually disappointed. After the game ended, he and Xie Huailing had no further relationship. They weren't friends to begin with, just nodding acquaintances. It was understandable that she didn't come or invited someone else, since he wasn't among her close friends anyway.
These thoughts swirled in his mind as he coldly gazed at the moonlight on the ground, which resembled pools of water. One by one, the lights in the surrounding houses went out, leaving only the central area of Bianjing City in the distance, brightly lit as day.
By this time, he had already decided that he wouldn't be able to wait any longer.
But the muffled sounds of bickering and footsteps gradually came again. He looked up, and after waiting for a while, people came from the end of the stone path, but there was more than one.
"...When exactly did you paint this?"
"I have a good memory, so I can paint whenever I want. Since I remember it, I can paint however I want."
"Oh? So you're saying that you've made up all the faces of the people in the world that you remember? Then this painting is just something you made up, and has nothing to do with me."
"Say what you will, just don't be in a hurry when I draw erotic pictures next time."
"..." Wang Lianhua actually managed to suppress the urge to change his expression, and his anger did not show on his face at all. He was all smiles and very friendly. He was truly a handsome young man and a gentle gentleman. "Why would I be in a hurry? Miss Xie has such a talent. Of course I want to learn from her. Why don't you send it to me after you finish painting it? I will appreciate it carefully."
Xie Huailing glanced at him sideways, not wanting to give him face, and said, "Forget it, you don't have that kind of taste. Giving my painting to you would be a waste."
She wasn't lying; she really could draw. Aside from calligraphy, Xie Huailing was extremely talented in many things. There was nothing she couldn't do well, only things she was too lazy to do. In particular, she possessed both talent and interest in certain areas, though that wasn't necessarily a good thing.
The closer they got to Wuqing, the lower their voices became. After all, it was a rather unseemly argument. Xie Huailing was willing to let Wang Lianhua lose face, but Wang Lianhua still didn't have the habit of losing face in front of strangers. When they got to Wuqing, he simply shut up.
Xie Huailing didn't want to argue with him anymore. It was like elementary school students arguing, making her feel like she was a year younger. She said to Wuqing, "Chief Constable, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I had some things to take care of, so I'm late."
Wuqing never expected to actually see her. Although there was one more person, it didn't matter much. He rubbed his knuckles, his nails lightly scratching her face, and said, "It wasn't too long. I brought up the meeting abruptly, so it's only natural that I had to wait a little longer. It should be my responsibility to take care of Miss Xie."
After saying this, he looked at Wang Lianhua again and was stunned. Before leaving, this person changed his face again, still feeling that he hadn't been shameless enough or disliked enough. In front of Xie Huailing, he changed his face in various ways, making her choose one. In the end, he chose the first one she crossed out, which was the one that was now in front of Wuqing.
As for why Xie Huailing disliked it, it was all too obvious. Take Wuqing's first impression, for example. It really resembled her face. Her extraordinary, celestial appearance was at least four or five points similar. And with Wang Lianhua's imitation, those four or five points became seven or eight points. The only difference was in the details and the two red moles. Xie Huailing felt uncomfortable at first glance, as if he had been gender-swapped by her.
If Wuqing hadn't known that Xie Huailing had no brothers and that Su Mengzhen was her only relative in the world, she would have truly believed that Wang Lianhua was related to her by blood.
“His surname is Wang.” To prevent Wang Lianhua from saying anything he shouldn’t, Xie Huailing spoke up before him, saying, “I don’t know martial arts, and I didn’t bring any maids with me. I just brought this person out to do things. The head constable can just pretend he didn’t see him. He’s just a worker.”
Wuqing nodded. After a brief moment of surprise, he guessed that Wang Lianhua must have been disguised and that her identity was probably somewhat mysterious. Seeing that Wang Lianhua didn't seem to want to greet him, he nodded in acknowledgment and turned back to Xie Huailing, telling her about what had happened that evening.
He went out tonight to meet with Sikong Zhaixing and retrieve something. Since Xie Huailing proposed the bet, the Divine Marquis's Mansion had been busy, investigating day and night, and successfully found some things yesterday. Following the Emperor's movements over the past six months, Zhuge Zhengwo had indeed discovered traces of him secretly seeking out envoys and inquiring about the Jin Kingdom behind the backs of the court officials. The envoy's residence had also been found out. Wuqing came here tonight to meet with Sikong Zhaixing, whom he had sent to investigate, and retrieve what Sikong Zhaixing had stolen from the envoy. After this incident, Sikong Zhaixing could be considered to have redeemed himself. As long as he didn't run into Wuqing's trap again, Wuqing would turn a blind eye.
After listening to his words, Xie Huailing thought for a moment, and considering the street location Wuqing had mentioned, he said, "I'm afraid it's not convenient for me to go there. It's close to the Seven Saints Alliance of Mitian. If I'm seen, it will cause some trouble and could easily lead to complications. I'd rather find a place nearby and wait for the Chief Constable."
These days, the Seven Saints Alliance of Mitian has been driven to the brink of madness by the combined efforts of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Pavilion and the Six and a Half Hall. To use a game analogy, running into them always makes it easy to trigger temporarily shelved missions.
"It was my oversight." But it couldn't be said to be the fault of being heartless. He had only recently learned that Sikong Zhaixing was going to change the meeting place. He said gently, "But since I have invited Miss Xie tonight, I naturally have a way. Miss Xie only needs to trust me. I will take care of everything tonight."
Wang Lianhua glanced at Wuqing, then at Xie Huailing.
After Wuqing went to pay the bill—he had ordered something at the small shop, which allowed him to wait under the eaves—Wang Lianhua bent down and spoke to Xie Huailing, seeing through everything clearly, and asked her, "How many is this now, Xie Huailing? Do you remember? Actually, you shouldn't have threatened me to come. If I hadn't been here, you and him would have been enjoying your time together. He's a constable from the Divine Marquis's Mansion, right? He's quite famous. It's a pity he's not good enough for you."
Xie Huailing didn't even want to look at him, not even raising her head: "Okay, then you can go back now. I'll show your women's clothing drawing to Shen Lang and then to Zhu Qiqi. By the way, do you have any women's clothes you like? I can help you change into them."
Wang Lianhua smiled, his face bearing a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to hers, gentle and modest, like a fairy under the moon: "I like the dress you're wearing, paint it for me, I don't mind."
“That’s great! There’s no time like the present. Let’s find a place now, and I’ll change you right away. You can put it on right away,” Xie Huailing said.
The two stared at each other in deathly silence, another double-edged sword that hurt both sides, and it was fortunate that Wang Lianhua hadn't been defeated. Perhaps it was because things had come to this point, and since the women's clothing had already left him with evidence, after an eerie silence, he simply gave up and laughed, "Fine, it's your face anyway, as long as you don't mind."
Xie Huailing looked at him, then fell into an eerie silence, finally sighing, "Men dressing as women, it seems, is either zero times or countless times."
Wang Lianhua probably wanted to retort to her again, but in the end he didn't say anything, only smiled, a smile that conveyed no emotion whatsoever.
Wuqing returned quickly after paying the bill, so it was time to leave; he couldn't keep them from doing business. The shop owner, who was in his forties or fifties, couldn't stand seeing these two able-bodied people making their wheelchair-bound companion pay. It was such a waste of such a pretty face. Seeing that he wasn't going to take care of Wuqing after leaving, he couldn't help but mutter a few words under his breath.
The words, when they reached the ears of the three, were rather subtle. Wuqing remained silent, then seemed about to speak, but Xie Huailing acted first, as if she had just remembered, and lightly kicked Wang Lianhua. Wang Lianhua moved slightly with each nudge, then moved behind Wuqing and pushed Wuqing's wheelchair out.
Wuqing wanted to say no, but after finishing this series of actions, he saw that Xie Huailing didn't want to say anything and walked to his side, no longer in the same row as Wang Lianhua. He swallowed his words back, knowing full well that he didn't need to be polite with her.
As for Wang Lianhua, his expression was unclear, but it didn't matter whether it was clear or not. After Wuqing returned, he truly lived up to Xie Huailing's words, "Just pretend you didn't see him," and didn't say a word.
Wuqing sensed something subtle. He thought of Wang Lianhua's face, which resembled Xie Huailing's, and the way the two of them were talking back and forth. Although he didn't hear much, he could tell that they didn't get along well and were quite awkward.
This made the trip seem strange, but he didn't ask why Xie Huailing brought Wang Lianhua along. As long as it didn't interfere with important business, he turned his head and talked to Xie Huailing about Sikong Zhaixing.
However, as they talked, Wuqing felt a chill run down his spine. He wanted to observe Wang Lianhua, but restrained himself from doing so. He couldn't figure out if it was just the night wind or if someone had ulterior motives.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com