Chapter 6: The Unfathomable Ambiguity of My Beauty Paintings, the Only One I've Painted...
Cui Fuyu got her wish and boarded the carriage with the jade pen. She had taken it from the storeroom with Zhu Jin while her father was taking a nap.
After she boarded the carriage, she took the jade pen out of the gift box and examined it closely. No wonder her father treasured this jade pen so much; she would love it too.
She even changed into a new dress, a scarlet begonia iris long dress, and styled her hair in the half-loose bun that Juning was best at, adorned with swaying cloud-shaped hair ornaments with bamboo-patterned silver hairpins, and the gradient small jade bead tassels were very beautiful.
Her clothes and makeup complemented each other perfectly, making Cui Fuyu look as beautiful as a lotus flower.
The carriage traveled slowly for almost half an hour before arriving at the Chi family's residence. Cui Fuyu did not get off the carriage; besides the coachman, she only brought Zhu Jin with her when she traveled.
Zhu Jin went to knock on the Chi family's door.
Chi Yanzhou was painting in his study, but he was so engrossed in his work that he held his brush for a long time without moving it. A drop of ink dripped down the brush and ruined the beautiful face of the woman in the painting. The knocking on the door interrupted his reverie.
Is Young Master Chi home?
It was the voice of Zhu Jin, who was beside the young lady!
In a panic, Chi Yanzhou hurriedly crumpled the portrait into a ball, tossed the paper ball aside, and went to open the door. As he left, a pair of ink-stained paper balls were revealed on the desk.
When Chi Yanzhou opened the door, he was surprised to see that it was Cui Fuyu who had come in person.
The first thing that caught his eye was her hair bun, then her smiling face, and finally her scarlet dress.
Chi Yanzhou thought to himself: Miss, you really suit bright and cheerful dresses better. You look so beautiful.
He stood silently in the doorway, frowning, "What brings Miss here?"
She's about to get engaged, why is she still coming? Besides, he and Miss Cui are not a good match in terms of status.
Cui Fuyu watched as the sunlight in the courtyard shone through the leaves on the roof, fell to the ground, and then fell on him. He was dressed simply, his hair was neatly tied with a silver crown, his back was straight, his eyebrows were sharp and his eyes were bright, and he exuded a faint sense of aloofness.
For a moment, Cui Fuyu suddenly felt that his aura was very attractive to her.
A young man in white, stunning in an instant!
Her heart had also secretly fluttered.
Cui Fuyu took out the gift, looking very charming: "I came to give you a gift and to clear up the misunderstanding."
The misunderstanding she mentioned was something Zhao Jinghuan deliberately said that morning to mislead people.
I've thought about it before.
She let Zhao Jinghuan speak on purpose, which scared the boy away.
In the end, she still had to go to their door in person.
Upon hearing this, Chi Yanzhou smiled faintly, suppressed his inner turmoil, and took the initiative to make way for the young lady.
He remained silent for a moment, then said, "Let's go to the study."
Cui Fuyu nodded knowingly and moved to the study; this was her second visit.
Chi Yanzhou hadn't yet grasped the seriousness of the situation. Seeing that she had already walked ahead, he followed. As they approached the study, he suddenly remembered the crumpled paper on the desk. He hurriedly blocked the study doorway, lowering his voice, "Miss, the study is not convenient. Would you please come to my room for a while?"
Hearing him say that, Cui Fuyu became even more curious about the study and showed the gift again, "But I haven't opened the gift I gave you yet, and it wouldn't be appropriate to go to your room, it would be too intimate."
She deliberately made the phrase "too intimate" sound suggestive, implying that inviting someone to her room was a very ambiguous thing!
Although Yongping has an open-minded culture, people are not bold enough to openly invite others to their rooms.
She knew he had spoken rashly in his haste.
Cui Fuyu looked up and stared straight at Chi Yanzhou, unable to hide the smile in her eyes. She watched him with a leisurely air, not wanting to miss a single moment.
For a fleeting moment, Chi Yanzhou's ears turned bright red, and his neck and face flushed completely.
For a moment, Chi Yanzhou was at a loss for words.
Cui Fuyu spoke first.
"It would be better to go to the study."
Cui Fuyu teased him, raised her hand and pushed him aside, then went inside and found a chair to sit down.
Chi Yanzhou closed his eyes and sighed helplessly. When he opened them again, his mind was clear.
He decided to give up; if he got caught, so be it.
Inside the study, the door was ajar, with only a latticed window letting in dim light. To avoid disturbing his writing, Chi Yanzhou had also lit a lamp in the corner, its light dim.
The interplay of light and shadow between Cui Fuyu and Chi Yanzhou.
The ambiguity and vagueness are indescribable.
Cui Fuyu casually handed the gift to him: "Zhao Jinghuan was talking nonsense this morning. I have no intention of getting engaged to him, and I will not marry him. With the power of the Cui family, there is no need for a marriage between relatives. My wishes are the most important in the family."
After speaking, Cui Fuyu stared intently at Chi Yanzhou, her eyes filled with seriousness.
Chi Yanzhou opened the box and discovered the value of the gift, but he did not have the means to give the young lady a gift in return.
He only has a body, a pretty face, and talent... but these young ladies can have him with just a snap of their fingers, so why would they need him?
But thinking that if he refused the young lady again, she might be angry, so he decided to keep it for now and return it to her later.
Chi Yanzhou carefully put the pen back into the box and put it away. "Thank you, Miss. But I am not worthy of your help and have not been able to repay you in any way."
His attitude was cautious. In the eyes of outsiders, Chi Yanzhou, a noble and unyielding scholar from a poor family, always placed himself in a humble position in front of Cui Fuyu.
He always believed that noble ladies from prominent families were not people like him who could offend them.
Chi Yanzhou, however, did not consider that if Cui Fuyu had not deliberately given him the opportunity to get closer, and if Cui Fuyu had not also wanted him to get closer.
Will Cui Fuyu bring gifts to his door to coax him?!
Seeing his attitude, Cui Fuyu knew he was being overly sensitive and imaginative again. She sighed silently, realizing she had never known Chi Yanzhou had this side to him.
However, Cui Fuyu was not going to indulge him.
Cui Fuyu grabbed his belt and pulled him in front of her, causing Chi Yanzhou to kneel down unexpectedly. She raised her hand and used the back of her index finger to stroke down from his eyebrows to the corner of his lips. Suddenly, she grabbed Chi Yanzhou's chin, forcing him to look up, and pressed her thumb hard against his red lips.
Seeing Chi Yanzhou's astonished expression, she was overjoyed. How could he be so adorable!
Cui Fuyu gave him no chance to refuse, and told him in a forceful tone: "Instead of being sad and melancholy, Chi Lang should try to please me."
Chi Yanzhou: "Young Miss..."
Cui Fuyu smiled broadly and made a "shh" gesture on Chi Yanzhou's lips, telling him not to speak.
Her index finger moved down, stroking his bobbing Adam's apple, and resting on his chest, her palm feeling his pounding heart.
Chi Yanzhou kept his chin raised, suffering greatly; it was not a pleasant experience!
After a long while, Cui Fuyu withdrew his hand, still feeling unsatisfied.
He was still in a daze when Cui Fuyu suddenly left, but when he slowly came to his senses, he was not sure how to face the young lady.
Cui Fuyu noticed the crumpled paper on the desk out of the corner of her eye, picked up one of them and slowly unfolded it. Her own name was visible, along with a small portrait.
The painting is full of life and spirit.
Cui Fuyu was delighted with the painting and immediately asked Chi Yanzhou to paint another one for her.
"Chi Lang's paintings are truly excellent. I wonder if you could paint one for me?"
She appeared to be asking a question, but in reality, she was not allowing Chi Yanzhou to refuse.
Chi Yanzhou recalled the day they first met and suddenly nodded in agreement to her request.
Cui Fuyu pressed further, "How many beauties has Chi Lang painted portraits for?"
He shook his head, indicating that he had only drawn it for her.
Cui Fuyu then asked with a smile, "Not even Miss Su?"
Chi Yanzhou didn't know why she brought up Su Zhiyao. His paintings used to only depict landscapes, but now he also painted Miss Cui.
"Of all the beauties I've painted, I've only ever painted the young lady."
Cui Fuyu was very satisfied with Chi Yanzhou's answer. Thinking that she would not be able to come to his house often in the future, and that his mother was still recuperating at home, he inexplicably tempted Chi Yanzhou: "Chi Lang, I have a villa in Liuye Lane in the capital. Let's meet there in the future. It will be more convenient when I want to see you or when you want to see me."
Looking into her expectant eyes, Chi Yanzhou couldn't tell if he also had selfish motives. In any case, his mind was in turmoil. Even though he knew it was wrong, he was willing to succumb to it and only wanted to satisfy the young lady.
He also wanted to have the young lady all to himself for a moment!
After he nodded, Cui Fuyu deliberately gave Chi Yanzhou a light, fleeting kiss on the lips.
He was stunned, speechless, and didn't know how to react.
Cui Fuyu waved her hand twice in front of him, "Idiot, snap out of it."
Chi Yanzhou blushed again; he seemed to be struggling to handle the young lady.
The misunderstanding between the two was cleared up, and their relationship even grew closer.
Cui Fuyu knew that he had feelings for her, and that she was just waiting for him to fall completely in love with her so that everything would be perfect.
With things progressing so quickly, she should also thank her cousin for his help.
"Alright, Chi Lang, you must arrive as promised with the painting in three days. I'll be waiting for you in Willow Leaf Lane."
Cui Fuyu took the initiative to arrange their next meeting.
Chi Yanzhou nodded: "Okay, does Miss Cui have a favorite flower? With flowers as a backdrop, you'll be even more beautiful than the flowers themselves!"
Cui Fuyu thought about it carefully, and she actually thought of a flower—clematis!
She said, "Clematis, twining upwards, bursting forth with flowers in a frenzy, I wonder if Mr. Chi knows this?"
Cui Fuyu stared at him with bright eyes, a hint of amusement flashing across her face, anticipating Chi Yanzhou's answer.
Although Chi Yanzhou had read countless books, his knowledge was limited to poetry and prose; he was truly unfamiliar with books about flowers.
He simply admitted, "I've never seen this flower before, but don't worry, Miss, I'll look into it shortly..."
Chi Yanzhou thought he would slowly get closer to the young lady and learn everything about her!
Cui Fuyu then described the appearance of the clematis to him in detail, and borrowed his brush to draw a simple flower shape on rice paper.
Chi Yanzhou watched intently, but upon closer inspection, he realized he was secretly watching Cui Fuyu paint. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, his eyes held a smile, and his whole demeanor softened.
After a long while, time passed unnoticed. Cui Fuyu felt that she had a very pleasant conversation with Chi Yanzhou, if she hadn't deliberately approached him.
Cui Fuyu once thought that she and he would become friends.
Cui Fuyu stayed in his study for a while longer, until dusk before leaving. When she left the Chi family home, there were many beautiful fiery clouds in the sky, indicating that tomorrow would also be a good day.
After Cui Fuyu left, Chi Yanzhou stared blankly at the seat she had sat in, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his face.
Later, in order to facilitate the transmission of messages, Cui Fuyu forcibly assigned a trusted maid to Chi Yanzhou.
——
Inside Prince Gong's mansion, the servants knelt on the ground, trying their best to minimize their presence, fearing that the young master would vent his anger on them.
After returning that morning, Zhao Jinghuan sent someone to inquire about Chi Yanzhou's life.
The servant who came back with the information brought news he didn't want to hear.
Cui Fuyu went to the Chi family again!
They stayed there for the entire afternoon. With a man and a woman alone in a room, you can imagine what might happen.
Zhao Jinghuan originally thought that Chi Yanzhou was not a threat, but now it seems that he still has to get rid of him.
Zhao Jinghuan's eyes flashed with malice as he coldly said, "He's courting death. Send someone to get rid of him!"
A note from the author:
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Chi Yanzhou: I like the young lady and want to marry her!
Me: The young lady is mine!!!
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