Chapter 48 is like a sweet drop of tea sliding down the chin, meandering...
Their eyes met, and they were all stunned.
“Miss Meng?” Zhao Ruxuan was the first to come to her senses, her face showing undisguised surprise. Her eyes swept back and forth between Meng Lingyao and Jian Su, who was standing a step away from her.
"You look absolutely radiant today," she said, her eyes darting around, deliberately raising her voice, "and with Young Master Jian accompanying you shopping for snacks, could it be that something good is about to happen..."
"Ah Xuan!" Zhao Xu frowned and interrupted, scolding, "Don't speak recklessly."
Jian Su's expression was solemn. "Miss Zhao is overthinking things." His tone was clear and cold. "My mother and Madam Zhong met by chance and chatted. She sent us juniors to run errands and buy some things. Is such a common thing really worth making such a fuss over, Miss Zhao?"
Zhao Ruxuan clearly didn't believe this explanation. She pursed her lips, snorted, and was about to say something sarcastic when Meng Lingyao's voice rang out.
"That's an interesting remark, sister." Her eyebrows curved slightly, but there was no hint of amusement in her eyes. "If a man and woman standing side by side signifies an impending marriage, then men and women throughout the world would probably be too afraid to go out. Is it because your wedding is approaching, sister, that you're preoccupied with such thoughts all day long?"
She changed the subject, her tone softening, "It was just my mother's doing, and it happened to be there. You really don't need to overthink it."
Zhao Ruxuan was so choked up that her face turned red and white in turns, and her breathing became rapid. "You...you're just making excuses! I just..."
Zhao Xu reached out to stop his sister and said in a deep voice, "Miss Meng is right, don't make trouble." He met Meng Lingyao's gaze, his expression frank and clear, "Since it is an order from an elder, it is naturally a matter of course."
Zhao Ruxuan stomped her foot, "Brother! You believe everything she says?"
"Of course," Zhao Xu answered without hesitation.
Meng Lingyao's lips curled slightly, her gaze sweeping over Zhao Ruxuan before she smiled at Zhao Xu with her eyes sparkling like water.
Jian Su's expression darkened slightly, as if he was somewhat impatient. "The pastries will lose their original flavor if they get cold. Miss Meng, it's time to go back." His tone was barbed, as if staying any longer would be torture.
The two figures disappeared outside the shop. Zhao Ruxuan said resentfully, "Second brother, look at her! I told you long ago that she's the most scheming person! First she was involved with Lu Heming and Zhou Yizhi, and now she's involved with Pei Shaoqing and Jian Zuocheng, and you still speak up for her! The way she looks, she's clearly... she's fickle and promiscuous..."
"Ah Xuan!" Zhao Xu's tone suddenly turned stern. "Is it proper for you to speak ill of others and utter malicious words?"
He looked at his sister calmly, a gaze that made Zhao Ruxuan's heart skip a beat, and she swallowed back the harsh words she was about to say.
“If this happens again, I will definitely inform my mother.”
Zhao Ruxuan pouted and said, "Okay."
Zhao Xu stared silently out the door. The sweet aroma of the pastry shop lingered, but the bitterness in his heart remained.
Back at Linlang Pavilion, the two ladies had already decided on the jewelry. Meng Lingyao and Jian Su served the still-warm pastries, and Madam Zhong smiled and said that the sweet aroma of the jujube paste was the most mellow. After sitting for a while longer, feeling that the day was about over, she took her leave with her daughter.
Stepping outside the threshold of the Linglang Pavilion, the midday sun of early summer was somewhat dazzling. Meng Lingyao was helping her mother into the carriage when she suddenly paused, a sense of unease creeping into her heart. She subconsciously looked up towards the private room on the second floor. Behind the half-closed window in the east wing, a tall figure seemed to stand in the shadows, his gaze, like a deep, still pool, visible through the half-rolled bamboo curtain.
Halfway through the journey, Meng Lingyao suddenly spoke up, "Mother, I'd like to go and take a look at Juxianglou. You should go back to the manor to rest first; I'll go check it out and then come back."
Madam Zhong frowned slightly. "I'll go with you."
Meng Lingyao blinked and smiled charmingly, "The shop must be a mess right now, with sawdust and dust everywhere. It's not too late to invite you to come and see it after it's been cleaned up."
Madam Zhong disliked dirt and grime, and upon hearing this, she said, "Then be careful and come back soon."
Meng Lingyao nodded in agreement, helped her mother sit down, and then got out of the car with Songlan and Cangdian.
Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, she turned around, her steps composed, and said, "To Linlang Pavilion."
Songlan was slightly surprised. She exchanged a glance with Cangdian, suppressed her doubts, and asked no further questions.
Inside the Linglang Pavilion, Manager Wei was taken aback when he saw her return. "Miss Meng..."
"Manager Wei," Meng Lingyao asked before he could even ask, "is your master here?"
She spoke in a question, but her tone was so certain that it sounded like she was stating a fact.
Manager Wei's expression changed several times, his eyes flashing with surprise, doubt, and struggle before finally settling into a resolute look. He lowered his head and said, "Yes."
Meng Lingyao stopped looking at him and walked straight to the wooden stairs leading to the second floor. At the end, the carved wooden door was tightly closed. She raised her hand and knocked twice, very lightly, as if striking the heart. Then, without waiting for any response from inside, she pushed the door open with a slight force of her wrist and entered.
In the elegant room on the second floor, the light and shadows were dim. Pei Xu sat upright behind the desk, holding a book in one hand and a jade covered bowl in the other, his slender hands holding it. In the rising steam of the tea, he looked up, his handsome face showing no surprise, his eyes calm and undisturbed.
“Miss Meng, trespassing into a private room is not in accordance with the proper conduct of a young lady.”
Meng Lingyao closed the door behind her, her steps unwavering, and sat down opposite him with an air of composure as if this were her study. "It seems rather ungentlemanly for an official to hide behind a curtain and spy on someone's movements." Her eyes were clear and bright, piercing him directly. "Both of us have been impolite today, so let's call it even and there's no need to pursue the matter further."
Pei Xu's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, as if in helplessness or tolerance, and he gently placed the book on the table. "Sharp-tongued."
"You are too modest, sir."
Pei Xu remained expressionless and said, "Miss Meng came here specifically not to accuse me of violating the principles of a gentleman."
"I just happened to see you, sir, and remembered that I had something to ask you." Meng Lingyao stared intently at Pei Xu, her gaze like invisible threads, firmly binding him. "A few days ago, you sent over a lot of tonics and medicines, including the Snow Lotus Healing Ointment bestowed by the palace. It's truly alarming, as there shouldn't be anyone in my family with severe injuries like missing limbs. I wonder... what is your intention, sir?"
Pei Xu picked up his teacup and said calmly, "The return gifts were all prepared by the steward of my household. Please forgive me if there are any improprieties."
"Oh?" Meng Lingyao raised an eyebrow. "Sir, you are always very polite. Why didn't you check the list before sending the gift? Could it be that you look down on the Meng family?"
Pei Xu frowned slightly. "How could this be?"
He brushed away the foam from his cup, his eyelids slightly lowered. “Your father and I served in the same court. He was a pillar of the government. I only hope to offer some tonics and medicines in case of emergency, so as to relieve His Majesty’s worries.”
"It was all thanks to my father's connections." Meng Lingyao seemed thoughtful, leaning forward to close the distance instantly. A rich, warm fragrance wafted towards the person opposite her at the table. Her smile held a sharp, intimidating edge. "But I've heard that the ointment is exclusively for the palace, and even the concubines find it difficult to obtain. Isn't Lord Pei's return gift a bit too extravagant?"
She deliberately drew out her words, her tone lingering at the end, "I wonder what you seek in doing this, sir? Or... what is your intention?"
Her gaze was fixed on him, leaving him no room to breathe.
The room fell silent, with only the faint sounds of the city outside the window.
Pei Xu's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and the emotions surging in his deep eyes were forcibly suppressed. He took a sip of tea and said in a low voice, "I have no requests."
Meng Lingyao disliked his appearance the most.
All the probing was like punching cotton; that ever-present composed and unflappable demeanor instantly ignited Meng Lingyao's long-suppressed restlessness, like a fuse being lit, and it spread like wildfire in an instant.
She abruptly stood up, her movements so swift they created a gust of wind, and her fingers, adorned with pale pink nail polish, snatched the jade teacup from his hand. The tea sloshed violently in the cup, splashing out a few warm drops that landed on their sleeves, leaving dark watermarks.
Pei Xu looked up in surprise, meeting her shimmering eyes, which were tinged with a hint of anger due to her excitement.
Meng Lingyao didn't even glance at the water stain, nor did she care about the temperature of the tea or whether he had just used the teacup. A reckless willfulness took over her, and she tilted her hand slightly, drinking down the remaining tea in the cup.
The tea was warm, slightly astringent, and carried a faint, cool scent from his lips and teeth. It slid down her throat, yet felt as hot as a branding iron. She drank it quickly and hurriedly, a drop of tea sliding down her chin and meandering down her fair neck.
With a soft thud, she slammed the empty glass back onto the table, her chest rising and falling slightly with her breath. A faint blush spread across her cheeks, reaching the corners of her eyes.
“I have been in the room for some time, yet you have not even served me a cup of tea.” She wiped the water from her lips, looked up at Pei Xu, and said, word by word, “I have no choice but to take it myself.”
Pei Xu's gaze moved from her hand, which was tightly gripping the teacup and whose knuckles were white, to her lips, which appeared even fuller and redder from the water, and finally settled on her face. There seemed to be a silent undercurrent in his eyes, and his Adam's apple bobbed very slightly before returning to calm.
He withdrew his hand, tucking it into his sleeve. His knuckles clenched tightly within the sleeve for a moment, but his expression remained calm. "Miss Meng, will this cup of tea quench your thirst, or... will it soothe the resentment in your heart?"
"What does Lord Pei think?" She curved her lips into a smile, returning exactly the words Pei Xu had used to brush her off a few days ago.
"Miss Meng, you want an answer." He paused, then slowly said, "But do you truly want that answer?"
Meng Lingyao was stunned.
Pei Xu was not surprised by her reaction.
She doesn't like him. It's been a while.
Pei Xu was very familiar with those gazes of admiration or appreciation, but he had never caught a similar trace in Meng Lingyao's eyes. In fact, at first, there was often a hint of undisguised disgust in her eyes.
Now, perhaps because she likes his appearance, or perhaps because she is satisfied with the conveniences he provides, he has finally caught her eye.
He was impulsive and liked to get to the bottom of things, so I tested his bottom line time and time again.
But she was clearly not prepared to face all of this.
“Miss Meng, I have other matters to attend to, please return.” Pei Xu lowered his eyes, picked up the book again, and appeared to be seeing the guest off.
Meng Lingyao pursed her lips, glanced at his expression, and realized that she probably wouldn't be able to get any more information out of him today, so she decisively stood up and left.
The room remained silent for a long time. After a while, Pei Xu moved the book aside, and on the center of the table, a touch of red was imprinted on the edge of a thin, almost translucent jade teacup.
It's simple yet eye-catching.
It's sweet.
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