Chapter 23 023 Playing with Fire
As the sun sets, the staff of Yingkelou stand smiling on the steps of the main gate, respectfully bidding farewell to today's distinguished guests.
Xie Huaiyuan stood under the eaves, bathed in the pale yellow sunlight, waiting for the carriage from the manor to arrive.
He tilted his head slightly, his profile as smooth as jade, gazing at the clouds on the horizon. His long eyelashes cast a faint shadow, and his aloof aura inspired awe.
Green Bamboo, who was following behind, hesitated, wondering whether to speak or not.
"What's up?"
"Miss Lin waited downstairs for a long time, but the young master wouldn't even let her see him. He saw her leave with a face full of grievance..." Green Bamboo's voice trailed off as she spoke, not daring to look up at him.
Xie Huaiyuan chuckled lightly, but there was no smile in his eyes: "I didn't know that my servant had become someone else's servant."
"No, I didn't. I just saw Miss Lin looking so pitiful and said something for her," Green Bamboo explained in a trembling voice.
Xie Huaiyuan snorted coldly: "What grievances does she have? Knowing it was impossible, she still did it. Isn't that what she brought on herself?"
After saying that, he walked into the carriage without looking back.
In the days that followed, Xie Huaiyuan resumed his usual busy official duties of attending court.
On the occasional road, I would run into Minister Li, who was close to Su Xuanhuai, chatting about everything under the sun. Sometimes, I would hear him mentioning Lin Wan.
Later, when Xie Huaiyuan went to the Su residence to see the old lady, a glimpse of a skirt was visible behind the screen in the old lady's room. Xie Huaiyuan's eyes paused subconsciously, and when he looked up again, the person in the skirt had already quietly left through another side door.
The old lady joked that it was Lin Wan.
Xie Huaiyuan smiled without saying a word, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
Ever since being rejected at Yingkelou, Lin Wan had been deliberately distancing herself from him, no longer taking the initiative to approach him, hoping to make him take the initiative, but to her surprise, he remained unmoved.
Lin Wan waited for a long time on the path outside the old lady's courtyard, but did not see his figure. Instead, she heard the maid in the courtyard say that the young master had already left. This made Lin Wan so angry that she tugged hard at the handkerchief in her hand.
"Fine, you really treat me like an outsider. You'd better keep treating me like an outsider, or I'll really mess with you!"
Lin Wan's injury after accompanying Aunt Meng and the others to Xiangshan Temple made Meng feel guilty. Even though she knew that her uncle Su Shaohua had given her a shop to manage, Meng did not complain at all. However, there was one thing that gave Lin Wan a big headache: she wanted to be a matchmaker for Aunt Meng's eldest son. Lin Wan tried to refuse again and again but could not.
On this day, which happened to be a day off for officials, Aunt Meng and her eldest son came over and invited them to take a boat trip on the Zhen River.
Lin Wan had no intention of going to the appointment; she only accepted it out of consideration for her aunt. She simply dressed casually and chose a plain dress, but to others, she appeared as a natural beauty, like a lotus emerging from clear water, without any artifice, possessing a unique charm.
The ship they were on was not large, only two stories high. Lin Wan's seat was right by the window, offering a panoramic view of the Zhen River.
Sitting next to her were Su Furong and Madam Meng, while opposite them were Aunt Meng and her eldest son, Gu Qinghe.
Lin Wan was extremely polite throughout the meal, but she didn't seem to care much. Most of the time, she was looking out at the scenery on both banks of the Zhen River.
The streets on both sides of the river were bustling with people. She quietly admired the river water shimmering in the sunlight, and felt the gentle breeze on her face, dispelling the summer heat.
While Lin Wan was quietly admiring the scenery, she appeared stunningly beautiful to onlookers, and even Gu Qinghe couldn't help but look over.
On the other side of the Zhenhe River channel.
A luxurious and exquisite three-story ship slowly sailed out, and melodious music drifted out from inside.
Shen Rongshi stood by the railing and saw Xie Huaiyuan's cold and fierce expression. She quickly explained, "You know Lord Jiang's habits. He always likes to invite singing girls to his banquets. There's nothing else excessive about it."
Xie Huaiyuan looked ahead with an indifferent expression, merely nodding slightly in agreement with what Shen Rong had said.
But Shen Rongshi had no intention of letting him off the hook: "I heard that Princess Zhaoyi is already on her way back to the capital. If she travels at full speed, she should be able to make it to your birthday banquet. Aren't you surprised?"
I had intended to tease him about it, but I didn't succeed. I found that he was still staring at one spot with dark eyes, which was quite surprising, since he never showed his displeasure. Following his gaze, I saw a simple two-story boat slowly passing by on the river ahead. At first glance, it didn't seem particularly eye-catching.
Just as I was wondering, Xie Huaiyuan turned around and walked into the cabin with a gloomy expression.
Who has angered him this time?
When Shen Rong looked around again, he saw a beautiful woman leaning against the boat window looking back. Her bright teeth and beautiful appearance were Lin Wan. She was chatting and laughing with a young man in front of her, and there were people familiar with the Su family beside her.
He paused, his eyes darting around as he pondered. The young man in the Su household didn't seem to be the rightful heir; instead, he resembled the recently promoted and appointed Junior Chamberlain Gu. Could this be the woman Junior Chamberlain Gu had mentioned his family had arranged for him to meet?
Looking back at Xie Huaiyuan's gloomy figure as he walked into the cabin without saying a word, it seemed that he was not only angry about Lord Jiang's invitation to the singing girls to hold a banquet.
As the sun sets, the Zhen River takes on a unique charm under the night sky.
After disembarking from the ship, Lin Wan and her group did not ride home in the carriage with Meng and the others, making an excuse that they wanted to go and check out the shop.
After they all left in their respective carriages, Lin Wan and Shi Liu walked into the bustling night market.
With Uncle Wen's help, everything in the shop was running smoothly. She had originally arranged for a painter to design novel designs for the brocade boxes used to store rouge and powder. Today happened to be the appointed time to pick up the designs, and she had also paid extra for the painter to design other things, which she had to pick up herself.
Meanwhile, several people disembarked at the Zhenhe River docking point and dispersed.
Xie Huaiyuan sat in the carriage without saying a word, letting the curtains sway in the wind, occasionally being blown up to dispel the smell of alcohol from the wine he had just drunk.
Xie Huaiyuan, who had been dozing for a short while, was suddenly awakened by the slight shaking of the carriage and opened his cold and fierce eyes.
A voice came from outside the carriage: "Your Highness, the fire dragon dance is blocking the way ahead. We may have to wait a while."
A silence fell over the carriage. Long, slender fingers lifted the curtain of the carriage window, and he looked aimlessly at the bustling street. He glanced at the pedestrians across the street and noticed a familiar figure flash by before quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Perhaps it was the wine he had just drunk, but he felt inexplicably unhappy.
Green Bamboo was chatting and laughing quietly with the coachman, estimating how long the fire dragon dance in front of them would last.
Suddenly, the curtain behind them was lifted up.
Xie Huaiyuan glanced at the noisy and lively dragon dance team in front of him and said slowly, "I'll get out of the car and take a walk."
Green Bamboo wasn't too surprised. She quickly recovered and hurried after them, leaving the driver to wait until the dragon dance ended before driving off.
Lin Wan, pulling Shi Liu along, struggled through the crowd watching the fire dragon dance, weaving left and right.
"Young lady, is this the place?"
Shi Liu looked around at the bookstore in front of her, which was blatantly labeled "Fengyue Bookstore". It looked very old and was completely different from the bookstores she usually saw.
This "Fengyue Bookstore" has three floors and a large collection of books. There are also private rooms for reading and resting. The bookstore's clerk was leaning against the door watching the fire dragon dance that happened to be in front of the store, occasionally cheering along. When he saw Lin Wan and her companions wanting to enter the store, he collected the entrance fee and then opened the door to let them in.
Because of the artist's secret request, Shiliu couldn't come along, so Lin Wan told her to wait at a seat by the railing, where Shiliu could also watch the fire dragon dance.
When Lin Wan climbed the old stairs to the top floor and arrived at the agreed-upon private room, the painter was already waiting.
In the brightly lit room, the artist still wore a half-face mask, and two picture books, one large and one small, were placed on the round table in front of him.
The artist's hoarse male voice rang out: "Miss, you can take it after paying the final payment. Would you like to inspect the goods?"
Lin Wan knew what she had asked him to draw, and said shyly, "The artist's skills are superb, I trust the artist."
"Alright, if you have any more illustrations you'd like me to draw, feel free to contact me again." The artist accepted the heavy purse and left with a subtle smile on his face.
Compared to the bustling street, the bookstore was unusually quiet, and even fewer people came to the top-floor cubicles.
By the bright candlelight, Lin Wan slowly opened the picture album on the table. The large picture album contained designs for brocade boxes that she had commissioned the artist to draw according to her requirements. After a quick look, she found that they were roughly correct. She could then choose the most suitable one when she got back.
Her slender, pale fingertips tentatively lifted the small sketchbook at the bottom. After just one glance, her cheeks flushed instantly, and she exclaimed, "The artist is truly amazing! They painted it so beautifully..."
Suddenly the candlelight flickered, and footsteps sounded behind her. Startled, Lin Wan hurriedly closed the small sketchbook in her hand and hid it under the large sketchbook as if to cover it up. Only then did she turn around with an uneasy look to see what had come from.
Unexpectedly, the visitor turned out to be Xie Huaiyuan.
The artist left without closing the door to the cubicle, and Xie Huaiyuan, with a gloomy face, could be seen at a glance at the dimly lit stairwell.
Lin Wan met his gaze and momentarily forgot to speak. She vaguely covered the table behind her and asked guiltily, "What a coincidence, Your Highness is also at the bookstore?"
Xie Huaiyuan glanced at the cubicle, his gaze landing on her back as if hiding something. His cold voice rang out: "Just taking a stroll when I have nothing else to do."
"Oh, then I won't disturb your sightseeing, Your Highness."
Lin Wan quietly and quickly picked up two picture books and carefully walked towards the door of the cubicle. However, Xie Huaiyuan made no attempt to avoid her, which gave Lin Wan a headache.
Although she longed to see Xie Huaiyuan again, it wasn't the right time, especially since the painting she held in her arms was the album of his portraits. She couldn't help but regret not having Shiliu come along, at least there would have been another person to cover for her.
Lin Wan narrowly brushed past Xie Huaiyuan and said, "Then, Young Master, please take your time browsing."
Perhaps she was too impatient, or perhaps the bookstore was too old, but she tripped over her foot as soon as she stepped out of the cubicle, and her hand slipped slightly. Fortunately, she reacted in time, glanced down and saw that the picture book was still in her arms, and hurriedly lifted her skirt and walked towards the stairs.
"Miss Lin, you've dropped something."
Lin Wan quickly stopped and looked back.
Xie Huaiyuan was bending down to pick up a small picture book with no cover on the ground. As he spoke, a page was casually turned, and he hadn't had time to look at it closely yet.
"Xie Huaiyuan, you mustn't..."
A flurry of falling sounds kicked up dust from the floor. Lin Wan threw herself into Xie Huaiyuan's arms, reaching for the sketchbook in his hand. She pulled too hard, catching Xie Huaiyuan off guard. He lost his footing and was forced to fall backward.
Lin Wan nestled shyly in his arms, her fair face flushed with a faint blush, her breath ragged as she looked at him.
He accidentally dropped the small picture book in his hand, and in the blink of an eye, he saw a beautiful scene of "lightly loosening her silk robe and the warmth of the red phoenix tent"!
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