Chapter 10
Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival. In ancient times, people would decorate with lanterns, solve riddles, and eat glutinous rice balls. Later, it also developed the characteristics of a "Valentine's Day" - on the Lantern Festival, lovers were allowed to go out to see the lanterns, which facilitated their meeting with their sweethearts.
Yun Zhan hadn't expected that this world also had the Lantern Festival, only the timing was slightly different. For her, the most meaningful thing about the Lantern Festival was that she could get two days off.
"I'm so tired. I still have to clean the archives room even though the holiday is approaching."
Yun Zhan put the broom aside and casually sat down on a stool. Her background at Mington School wasn't particularly good; in this class-conscious school that valued birth, Yun Zhan often had to take on some unseen tasks.
Those senior students who gave her instructions were rather snobbish. Knowing that Pei Yanxi paid a lot of attention to Yun Zhan, they didn't dare to give Yun Zhan instructions under Pei Yanxi's nose. After Pei Yanxi went out to work, they immediately changed their attitude and ordered Yun Zhan to clean the archives.
"Call Pei Yanxi, she'll help you," 21 urged Yun Zhan from the side.
“She has no obligation to help me,” Yun Zhan shook his head and refused.
Pei Yanxi holds a high position and has no need to deliberately intervene in such matters; helping her would only invite gossip.
She didn't want it to be like this, and besides, Yun Zhan also had her own selfish motives; she wanted to find some useful information through the archives.
"21. What's the name of the last female lead?"
During this period, she did not encounter any more special girls at school.
Both Pei Yanxi and Wen Sixue are girls unlike ordinary people, possessing a natural temperament and top-notch beauty.
Yun Zhan has been trying his best to look around, but he still hasn't found a girl who resembles the female lead.
"The last female lead is named Shi Mingyue. Oops... Sorry, Yun Zhan, I forgot to tell you, Shi Mingyue is not an ordinary student, you probably won't meet her at school."
21 suddenly remembered that they hadn't found a single female lead yet. She'd been so engrossed in attending classes with Yun Zhan that she'd almost forgotten about their mission.
"Can't run into them?" Yun Zhan frowned, then asked, "What's so special about it that you don't need to come to class?"
"This is a true lady of high birth, the eldest daughter of the Shi family. Her family background is excellent, and it is only because she attends Mington School that the school is fortunate enough to be there. Shi Mingyue's family has been prosperous since ancient times. Her ancestor was the Prime Minister who protected the country. The family has stood in this world for thousands of years, and has never declined no matter how dynasties changed."
21 read the materials for a while, and then continued to summarize: "Moreover, the Shi Mingyue family is a very typical Chinese family with a rich cultural heritage and strict family etiquette... Shi Mingyue grew up in this atmosphere and is very talented, standing out among her peers."
Wow, she's practically the epitome of a wealthy and noblewoman from ancient times.
"Since we can't run into her at school, why don't we look for her information?" No sooner said than done, Yun Zhan got up from his stool, stretched, and started rummaging through the archives.
Time passed by, and Yun Zhan flipped through one student's file after another, opening them with the same enthusiasm he always had, only to return empty-handed each time.
"I'll take you tonight," Yun Zhan said, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Current curfew is approaching." She felt a little disappointed. If she couldn't find you within half an hour, she would have to go back.
Suddenly, Yun Zhan's elbow bumped into the bookshelf next to him, and a scroll fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Yun Zhan paused for a moment, then squatted down... clinging to her last glimmer of hope, she picked up the scroll.
The scroll was made of the finest Xuan paper. As the fingers gripped the edge and forcefully opened it, Yun Zhan's pupils dilated silently in the boundless darkness...
"Such a beauty exists in this world..." Yun Zhan exclaimed.
The portrait is unsigned, except for two characters in small seal script in the lower right corner: "Qiongtan".
The girl in the painting stands under a crabapple blossom and looks to be about 17 or 18 years old.
In the painting, she wears only a light touch of makeup, yet her cheeks are flushed with the glow of dawn, and her skin appears delicate and flawless; her nose is like a piece of fine jade, and her lips are like cherry blossoms bursting with juice.
The young girl's delicate eyebrows were like the dark eyebrows of distant mountains, lightly swept with a misty blue hue; her eyelashes were like raven feathers, drooping slightly to veil her eyes like autumn waters. Her gaze held the clear waves of the four seas.
"21, I swear, she's the prettiest girl I've ever seen."
Yun Zhan was speechless with amazement. Pointing at the girl in the painting, he said, "If this isn't the female lead, I'll jump out of the archives window."
"She is indeed the female lead, but this is the first time I've seen you react so strongly." 21 clicked his tongue a few times. It seems that Yun Zhan does not completely dislike looking at beautiful women, but he just hasn't seen one he likes.
"You don't understand, she has the looks of an empress, you know? She's the kind of stunning beauty from ancient times, a beauty that could topple kingdoms and possess unparalleled charm. Do you understand what I'm saying? Ugh... I'm not good with words and can't describe it, I hope you understand."
Yun Zhan suddenly found herself at a loss for words; she genuinely felt that Shi Mingyue had a very noble appearance.
Pei Yanxi, Wen Sixue, and Shi Mingyue all have very different appearance styles.
Pei Yanxi is like a high-mountain flower on a snowy mountain, aloof like a beam of cold light filtered through a winter night. Her posture of looking down at others is extremely arrogant, and she exudes a dangerous "femme fatale" aura.
Wen Sixue was more like a pure and innocent girl next door, with very clean and bright features. When she looked up and met Yun Zhan's gaze, she was as gentle and adorable as a little rabbit.
Shi Mingyue is a typical lady from a prominent family; her dignified and elegant appearance further accentuates her unparalleled beauty...
"Actually, I think that in terms of appearance, Pei Yanxi and Shi Mingyue are about the same level of beauty, just with very different styles," 21 said objectively.
Yun Zhan nodded: "Pei Yanxi is indeed very beautiful, but it's really hard to imagine that there would be a girl with Shi Mingyue's temperament in modern times."
As expected of the eldest daughter of a prominent family...
The female lead has been found, but Yun Zhan is having trouble sleeping.
She tossed and turned in bed, burying her head in the covers in distress: she couldn't get in touch with Shi Mingyue at all, so she couldn't continue the mission.
She finally fell asleep, but the girl was still troubled in her sleep. In her dream, Yun Zhan was like a headless fly, searching for a long time without finding a trace.
Dreams are often the opposite of reality; unexpectedly, this rare opportunity arose the very next day, the Lantern Festival...
the next day
Before the sun had even risen in the morning, 21 kept clamoring in Yun Zhan's mind that he wanted to go to the Lantern Festival.
"Why are you going to join in the fun by yourself? Isn't it better to stay home and sleep?" Yun Zhan was a bit grumpy in bed. She frowned, lifted the blanket, and soon drifted back under it.
"I want to go, I want to go! The sun's already high in the sky, why aren't you up yet?" 21 had never experienced the Lantern Festival before, and it wanted to see the lanterns, but Yun Zhan wouldn't let it have its way, so it kept throwing a tantrum.
"OK."
Yun Zhan gritted his teeth, deciding to get revenge later when he had the chance.
...
The Lantern Festival was much more lively than I had imagined.
Before nightfall, the entire city was brightly lit. Thousands of colorful lanterns hung down from the city towers, casting shadows on the bluestone pavement, making the shadows of people appear like flowing water, layer upon layer.
On both sides of the bridge, a variety of performances were on display: sword swallowing, tightrope walking, puppetry, and crowds of onlookers, cheering incessantly. Yun Zhan was somewhat dazzled by the spectacle, and when he saw one or two particularly difficult acrobatic acts, he also took out his phone to film them for a while.
"It's so lively!" Yun Zhan was surprised that such a festive atmosphere could still be preserved in a modern city.
Fireworks burst forth nearby, scattering gold like rain, casting shadows on Yun Zhan's face.
Suddenly, several children carrying rabbit-shaped lanterns weaved through the crowd. The lantern paper bulged from the heat and bumped into Yun Zhan's leg... Afraid that his pants would catch fire, Yun Zhan quickly ran to the other side.
The endless stream of people led Yun Zhan to a stone bridge.
Suddenly, Yun Zhan saw a small vermilion sedan chair carried by eight men slowly approaching from the end of the Imperial Street Lantern Market—twelve gilded glass lanterns hung from the eaves of the sedan chair, their surfaces painted with branches of crabapple blossoms, gently swaying with each step, emitting tiny halos of light, like a pool of moonlight that had been shattered.
Yun Zhan happened to pass by the sedan chair, and her gaze involuntarily fell on it.
"Whose sedan chair is that?" Yun Zhan asked the small vendor selling lanterns next to him.
"She seems to be the young lady of some family. I saw her once during the Lantern Festival last year... She's really a wonderful person..." The aunt selling rabbit lanterns narrowed her eyes and quietly whispered a few words to Yun Zhan.
Suddenly, the night wind lifted the corner of the curtain.
A sliver of snow-white skin peeked out from behind a crack—the girl, dressed in turquoise, had eyebrows like distant, misty mountains, clear and shimmering eyes, and a touch of crimson on her lips, making her as beautiful as a fairy from a painting.
In that instant, the surrounding gongs, firecrackers, and voices all receded into the distance, turning into a muted tide.
Yun Zhan stood there, stunned. The rabbit lantern he had bought from the vendor fell to the ground with a "thud," and the candle flame was extinguished by the night wind.
In the instant the night breeze lifted the curtain, their eyes met without warning.
Yun Zhan's gaze had just met her eyes when he had no time to react or even exclaim in surprise.
Shi Mingyue's eyes had just begun to gleam, and before she could withdraw them or dodge them, they were already shimmering.
When Shi Mingyue, sitting in the sedan chair, looked at Yun Zhanshi, her eyes blinked gently, and ripples spread outwards.
She only glimpsed a part of her face, yet it was like a sword piercing the air, striking straight into the heart, leaving an unforgettable impression.
By the time Yun Zhan came to his senses, the sedan chair had already turned into the depths of the lantern market, with only a slight sway of the curtain, like the fleeting smile from just moments before, still lingering faintly in the darkness.
“That looks like…Shi Mingyue?…” Yun Zhan stood still, both certain and uncertain.
Actually, she didn't see the person clearly; she only knew that the person was very beautiful, so beautiful that Yun Zhan felt that this person could only be Shi Mingyue...
"Miss, what were you looking at just now?"
The attendant beside her couldn't help but ask, "When the curtain was lifted just now... the young lady kept staring out of the sedan chair window."
“A girl… let’s go see the river lanterns first…” The girl’s eyelashes were thick and long, and the lanterns cast two crescent moons. With her very light glance, the moonlight suddenly shattered into a sky full of stars.
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