Chapter 3 My Wife 03 The Beauty Paints My Sweetheart
He was worried that his answer would ruin the friendship.
"Huai admires Miss Shen San very much..." These words lingered on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't utter them out.
Lu Huai was a reserved man. Unlike his academic and political brilliance, he was a complete blank slate in terms of love. It was that fleeting glimpse at the banquet that stirred his heart, leaving him completely captivated by that woman. It was only then that he finally felt a wave of attachment and began to experience the torment of love.
However, he didn't know that if he hadn't been so confused at this moment and chose to tell the truth, thus eliminating the source of the misunderstanding, perhaps the two of them wouldn't have reached that point in the plot.
But that's how people are. It's hard to predict which way the gears of fate will turn, what kind of entanglements will be involved in a slight change in one's mind, and what kind of consequences will be caused.
Life is full of twists and turns, and bitterness is hard to avoid. As Lu Huai steps away from his original self, Pei Yu genuinely feels less resentful of him than the male lead might think. He's simply puzzled by Lu Huai's sudden change in attitude and his resolute, irreversible withdrawal from their friendship. This Lu Huai feels unfamiliar to him, yet he doesn't seem to have imagined a future of strangers.
It was simply his personality; he was destined not to bow his head when faced with something he wasn't at fault for. Furthermore, Pei Yu's world was so vast. His stories included the battles of Mobei, the political debates, and countless other sights along the way. It was impossible for him to focus on the struggles and pain of a small person like Lu Huai.
Recovering his thoughts, he continued to concentrate on his activities as the second male lead "Lu Huai" in the small world.
Lu Huai smiled vaguely and replied hastily, "No."
Afraid that his perfunctory attitude might displease his friend, he added, "The ladies are all so beautiful, and the scenery here is so beautiful that I am actually a little dazzled. I don't know what year it is, and I really don't dare to look closely."
"No problem, I already knew Yan Jin was a true gentleman, humble and polite. You, how can you win the heart of your beloved beauty when you are so reserved?"
Pei Yu noticed Lu Huai's hesitation, but he was also a little uneasy, so he just thought he was embarrassed and didn't know how to answer.
Regardless of the fact that he was also a novice in this area, he teased like a veteran, grabbed Lu Huai, and walked to the corner with his arm around his shoulder, wanting to chat with him about the soldiers in the Mobei Army and the "Ten Techniques to Capture Girls" which his subordinates said were quite effective.
But the slender waist that was about to be separated from his arms was incredibly flexible. Pei Yu was a little surprised that this scholar had such a thin body that his waist was as slender as a woman's.
She was so fragile that she would probably feel her eyes turn red from the pain if she was restrained by a reckless man like him. Imagine if this happened to Lu Huai, not only would he not feel disgusted, but he would even feel pitiful and cute.
In his heart, he was scolding himself for being so shameless and vulgar that he could impose such fantasies on his friends after being alone for so long. At the same time, his body was very honest and he couldn't help but savor this magical electric touch.
It was obviously not like this before in the irritable military camp... The contradiction between thoughts and reality made Pei Yu's mind go blank for a moment, and he even forgot what he wanted to share with Lu Huai.
Pei Yu looked at his friend, who was very close to him, and saw his own unpleasant expression reflected in his clear eyes. At this moment, Lu Huai was looking at him in confusion, but his face was also full of concern and tolerance.
He felt a little guilty, and even more ashamed of his bright and kind friend, and was ashamed to face Lu Huai.
Just then, a young general called him to have a drink, so he said something to Lu Huai and turned away.
Lu Huai was also pulled into the civil officials' office by his colleagues Fang Siming, Bai Qichao and other Hanlin officials. Compared with the hearty drinking of the military officers, everyone was more keen on savoring the wine slowly. It was completely different from the lively atmosphere as soon as Pei Yu joined the party. It was more elegant and slow-paced.
Seeing that everyone was reserved and restrained, they only chatted briefly with two or three people they were familiar with, and looked like they couldn't let go.
The attendant named You Yu suggested that the civil officials each offer a prize. Each of them should write a poem and draw a picture for the beauty in the garden today, and the female relatives would evaluate the poems. They would give plum blossoms to the one they thought was the best in both calligraphy and painting. The three people who received the most gifts would keep all the prizes.
Everyone applauded and You Yu took the lead in seeking the eldest princess's opinion.
Chu Yuanqing thought it was feasible and readily agreed, as it could both showcase the talents of scholars and create opportunities for talented men and beautiful women.
"Since I am the host today, I will pay the prize from the Princess' Mansion. In exchange, the calligraphy works of the top three in the competition will be kept in my mansion. What do you think?"
Seeing Chu Yuanqing's generosity, the scholars readily agreed. Even the military commanders, who had always scoffed at such things as singing and dancing, were drawn to his proposal. They shouted, "Add me," and eagerly prepared to join in the fun.
"Brother Xu, didn't you say you hadn't read two books before joining the army, and you knew nothing about poetry and painting? Now you're so enthusiastic, I'm afraid you've got some talent but have been hiding it from us." Captain Shi Chong'en stroked his stubble and patted his comrade Xu Jiao meaningfully. "Tsk tsk, you're so disloyal."
Xu Jiao was a dark-skinned, sturdy, handsome young man. He looked around and replied stealthily, "Of course we can't lie to our brother. I'm not good at writing, but what if my sincerity touches Miss Li?"
Shi Chongen smiled, "I knew you wouldn't do anything without profit, and you never do business at a loss."
"General, are you interested in this activity?" Several officers of the Pei Family Army, who were of appropriate age, urged their chief commander, "Our Master Pei is a man of both civil and military talents. Shouldn't he show off his skills to silence these sour-sounding scholars who look down on us crude warriors?"
Seeing that Pei Yu agreed, the people who actually wanted to secretly find out if Pei Yu had any "conditions" showed smug expressions as if their plan had been completed.
Seeing that the eldest princess sent someone to Ran Garden to retrieve a large clump of plum blossoms, the winter snow did not take away its fragrance, and the contrast between white and red was even more eye-catching.
Each young lady was given a cool, elegant plum blossom and began striking various poses to showcase her most beautiful side, feeling both shy and eager. From time to time, some girls would whisper to each other, their words filled with anxiety, such as "Am I beautiful enough today?" and "Will my beloved write a poem for me?"
Meanwhile, Lu Huai and the others received brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones for their paintings and calligraphy. Their minds raced, and they exchanged glances with the women holding plum blossoms, their ambiguous feelings quietly flowing.
However, Lu Huai did not participate in this lingering and romantic encounter, but raised his eyes and looked straight in the direction of Chen Chensheng, and had already made a rough outline of what kind of poem and painting he would write in his mind.
The "woman" was draped in a white cloak, her soft fur tufted around a face as if frozen in time, making her seem particularly distant. He didn't make any creative moves with the plum blossoms in his hand, but simply stood there, patiently listening to the chirping of Liu Xi beside him.
Seeing Lu Huai's focused and gentle gaze fixed on a certain place, the restless hearts of the young ladies who were still hoping to win Lu Huai's favor and paint and write poems for them suddenly cooled down.
Liu Xi was excitedly sharing with Shen Chensheng the mysterious gift that the princess' mother had prepared for the leader, but she suddenly noticed that the people around her were distracted. Although Shen San usually had a cold face, as a close friend of many years, how could she not know whether Shen Chensheng was listening?
"A Sheng, which young man are you thinking about? Oh my, it's rare that our cold beauty would be moved by love." Liu Xi winked and teased enthusiastically.
Chen Chensheng didn't want to pay attention to this clever little guy. He frowned and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense." But his cheeks felt a little hot.
Following his peripheral vision, Liu Xi saw a handsome young man who looked like a banished immortal, writing on rice paper.
She instantly understood something and gave Chen Chensheng a thumbs-up. Liu Xi imagined the two of them hand in hand and thought to herself, if they don't make a splash, then they'll be a sensation. Ah Sheng has excellent taste. In terms of appearance and temperament, she couldn't think of a more perfect couple than them.
As the golden crow sets in the west, bright lights come on to provide replacement lighting, and everyone's works are produced one after another.
Since they had agreed not to sign their names for the sake of fairness, the finished male guest let the painting dry before presenting it to the waiting servant. As the third-place winner handed over his painting, he glanced at Lu Huai and smiled meaningfully.
This smile gave Lu Huai an inexplicable ominous premonition. He wondered if this guy had drawn Shen San like him, but he had clearly said before that he was not interested in Shen Chensheng.
Pei Yu on the other side seemed to want to say something to him, but when he turned his head to look at him, this man pretended not to see anything as if he had taken some medicine.
Lu Huai suspected that his feeling was wrong, so he didn't care anymore and handed in his work.
Afterwards, the female members of the family quietly admired the beauty's poems and paintings, presented her with plum blossoms and made comments.
The male guests gathered in the outer circle, but they were all itching to look inside, wanting to see if their masterpieces had caught the attention of their beloved beauties, and whether they were satisfied with the painting and liked the poem written for her.
As this was a matter of life and death, everyone was truly dedicated. The poems and paintings they produced were of very good quality.
However, there are still some individuals who go off the mark. Not only are the faces painted blurry, making it impossible to tell their identities, but the poems are also written crookedly.
"Look who's in this painting?" The women burst into laughter. Someone with good eyesight noticed that the color of the clothes was a similar emerald green to Li Yanran's. They exclaimed as if they had discovered a new world, "Could this be Sister Yanran?"
Exactly! "Xu Jiao, that foolish man, bared his teeth and stood out proudly, "Yan Ran is the most beautiful woman in my heart, who can make fishes sink, geese fall, and moons hide in shame..."
Li Yanran, who had been smiling gently, couldn't hold back her shame and turned and ran away with a blushing face. Seeing his beloved turning around in panic, Xu Jiao hurriedly chased after her.
Watching this drama of her running away and him chasing, the young men and women who usually seldom watch the drama due to their personalities and identities were really enjoying it.
Unexpectedly, someone else looked horrified after seeing a certain work, which immediately attracted everyone's attention.
This work is of superb quality in terms of both poetry and painting, and the person in the painting is truly worthy of the word "beauty", even so holy that one would want to worship her.
However, the beauty in the painting was clearly not any of the female members of the family, but the newly crowned number one scholar Lu Huai, who had attracted everyone's attention since he entered the banquet.
Because he did not hold the plum blossoms, the painter creatively used plum blossoms as embellishments in the cave of the Gushe Immortal, with a few scattered strokes interspersed behind him, appearing very unrestrained and casual.
In terms of the quality of poetry and painting, this work definitely deserves a place, but the subject it depicts...
Everyone couldn't help but look at Lu Huai, holding their breath and waiting for the person's reaction.
The author has something to say:
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I didn't bring my computer back home QWQ and started developing as soon as I got home! I'm so happy to see more and more cute people paying attention to Xiao Jiangla~
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