Chapter 10 "But how can I be sure about the loquat? Can I really trust her?"
When I saw Young Master Lan, I wasn't very surprised.
In fact, I had already smelled the faint scent of incense floating in the air, and now, mixed with the warmth of the sunlight, it reduced the original cool feeling.
—Just like the smile that appears in Young Master Lan's eyes as he looks at me now.
I just don't understand what Li Xiao meant by saying "you won".
Young Master Lan won, but what did he win?
If two of the three people present are participants in the win-lose situation, then... what am I, the extra one?
Is he an observer who has stumbled into the game of chess by mistake, or some other role?
My head is spinning a little. Maybe it's because the sunlight overhead is too intense, or maybe it's because too many unbelievable things have happened, making my already not-so-bright brain feel strained.
While I was still in a daze, Young Master Lan had already stepped down from the eaves and was walking slowly toward where Li Xiao and I were.
The bright sunlight shone on the young man in white, casting a soft glow. I couldn't help but squint, but I still felt that I couldn't see him clearly.
As if through a thin layer of mist, for a moment, I even had a strange illusion.
The person walking towards me was not the familiar Young Master Lan, but someone else entirely.
—But how could that be?
I clearly saw that the person standing under the eaves was none other than Young Master Lan.
and……
Moreover, Li Xiao is still here, so no matter what he says, he could not possibly have mistaken the person.
Thinking of this, I turned my head as if seeking confirmation, wanting to see Li Xiao's expression at this moment.
But halfway through, someone pressed down on my head. It was a pair of exceptionally cold hands, one on each side of my temples, forcing me to stand facing forward.
I shivered from the cold and couldn't help but shrink my neck. At the same time, I heard Li Xiao's slightly lowered voice behind me, with a hint of malicious teasing.
"Well, didn't you want to stay by your Young Master Lan's side and live a respectable life? Go ahead, congratulations, you can finally get what you want. I'll be waiting for the day you regret it."
Before he finished speaking, Li Xiao released his hand from my head and gave me a light push on the back.
I was still pondering the meaning behind Li Xiao's words when, unexpectedly, I lunged forward and fell into a warm, soft embrace.
"Are you alright?" It was Young Master Lan. He gently helped me up and stood up, then looked me over and asked.
His tone, his movements, his expression... everything about him was exactly the same as the young man in my memory.
I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. I must have just been seeing things and my mind wasn't clear, otherwise why would I have doubted the identity of the person in front of me for no reason?
After calming down, I shook my head firmly: "Pipa is fine, she just happened to run into Young Master Li, who was sunbathing here too."
Young Master Lan nodded, then turned his gaze to the boy in blue.
Li Xiao shrugged and smiled indifferently: "It's pretty much what the little thing said."
Young Master Lan paused for a moment: "He is a person, and he has his own name."
Li Xiao crossed his arms and showed a clear disdain: "I've never heard of anyone with such a lousy name."
"Li Xiao".
Hearing Young Master Lan call him by his full name, which was quite unusual, Li Xiao shrugged and said with a helpless expression, "The name 'Loquat' is a bit strange, but it doesn't sound bad."
As he spoke, he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, his malicious look suggesting something.
I didn't respond, but turned my head to the side and looked at the shimmering lotus pond not far away.
The pond water hadn't frozen yet, but it appeared completely calm. It wasn't that there were no fish, but rather that the fish had all dived to the depths, swimming quietly in the unseen depths.
I heard a click of the tongue.
It was Li Xiao. He seemed somewhat impatient, muttering that he was freezing to death. Then he lifted his foot and strode towards the eaves where Young Master Lan had just been standing.
He said he was frozen to death.
That's not an exaggeration.
I recalled the temperature of Li Xiao's palm when I touched it a few times earlier; even his palm was icy cold. In this kind of weather, if you put a dead person in a shady place for an hour or two, that would probably have the same effect.
Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly felt a warmth on her hand; it was Young Master Lan.
Seeing that I looked preoccupied, he simply reached out and took my hand.
His hands were warm, much warmer than mine, while Li Xiao's hands were several degrees colder than mine. This was truly puzzling.
I tried to recall if Li Xiao had always been like this.
like……
I don't have a similar impression.
The only time I had any close contact with him was when Li Xiao deliberately reached out and pinched my cheek during a bet, trying to sabotage me and make me leave early.
At that time, the temperature of his hands was normal, at least it didn't leave any special impression on me. I still remember the warm, wet touch on my forehead, that was the temperature of his blood.
After thinking it over, I think it's probably because the weather suddenly turned cold.
After all, it's only been a few months since I met him.
From early summer to late autumn, just as the weather was beginning to cool down, Li Xiao suddenly disappeared without a word for more than half a month, during which time there was no news of him at all.
I was genuinely worried that maybe the nose injury he suffered that day caused him to bleed too much and had some negative impact on his health.
Everyone's constitution is different, especially for a pampered young master like Li Xiao who grew up being pampered like a star.
Although they usually seem lively and energetic, and are quite capable of beating up old bastards, what if they are all show and no substance?
Young Master Lan squeezed my hand. I looked up and met a pair of clear, black and white eyes. Thick, dark eyelashes blocked the sunlight, making his already dark eyes look even deeper, like a bottomless pool.
As I watched, I couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Because I suddenly noticed that there was a tiny tear mole under the left corner of Young Master Lan's eye, a scarlet dot, like a drop of cinnabar accidentally dropped from the tip of a pen.
"Why is a beauty mark under the eye red?" I found it very strange and couldn't help but look at it again and again.
Upon seeing this, Young Master Lan raised his hand to touch the corner of his eye and said half-jokingly, "Who knows? Maybe it's because it's a tear of blood."
Blood and tears—
These are truly ominous words.
I couldn't help but wonder to myself.
Young Master Lan seemed completely unconcerned and started telling me some things about beauty marks under the eyes.
"Some people believe that people with beauty marks under their eyes are prone to suffering from love and being trapped by emotions. Others say that it is a face of loneliness and solitude, destined to be lonely and alone for a lifetime."
"Oh, wouldn't that be terrible?" I listened intently.
Because no one had ever told me these things before—not my parents, and certainly not the villagers who called me a fool.
Young Master Lan laughed upon hearing this: "Pipa really believes in such things?"
I said doubtfully, "Since so many people are saying this, there must be some truth to it." I paused, "However, since that's the case, it's best not to take it seriously. Because Young Master Lan is a good person, and good people should be rewarded."
Young Master Lan neither confirmed nor denied this.
Just as I was about to step into the shadows of the corridor, Young Master Lan suddenly stopped, and then, under my puzzled gaze, smiled and explained, "Actually, there's an even more mysterious explanation for the beauty mark under the eye."
As he spoke, he turned his head to face the light, and with this movement, half of his jade-like, flawless face was now facing the light, while the other half was hidden in shadow.
Looking at that face, half in the light and half in the shadows, something suddenly clicked in my mind.
So that's how it is...
I used to think that Li Xiao disliked being in the light, but I didn't realize that before today, I had never seen Young Master Lan standing in the sun.
That's why, even though I saw Young Master Lan every day before, I only just noticed that he had a red beauty mark under his eye.
Because whether in a dimly lit room or in the flickering orange candlelight, that touch of red would not appear as bright and glaring as it would in broad daylight.
This also explains the sudden sense of incongruity.
It's not a problem with the eyes, nor is it a problem with the person; it's simply because they stepped from the dimly lit corridor into the bright sunlight, nothing more.
Just as I suddenly realized what was happening, Young Master Lan's soft voice also reached my ears.
"Did you know? There's a saying that people are reincarnated. If someone was tormented by love in their past life, shed too many tears for another person, exhausted all their love, hate, and infatuation but couldn't get it even in death, then that resentment will condense and turn into a tear mole at the corner of their eye."
"..."
"The deeper the resentment, the darker the color of the tear mole. Therefore, everyone born with a tear mole is actually a debt collector on the path of karma. Especially red tear moles, which are formed from the last drop of blood and tears of resentment before death. The person is dying, and the tears just fall. The ghosts on the road to the underworld have forgotten themselves, but they hold onto this drop of blood and tears from the corner of their eyes, just to use it as proof to enter the cycle of reincarnation and collect their debts."
Lan Gongzi's voice was soft and gentle, as if he were telling a heartwarming bedtime story.
After hearing this, I was speechless for a moment.
Perhaps it was because one of my feet had already stepped into the shade of the corridor, or perhaps it was because at this hour, the sun behind me was no longer shining as brightly as it had before.
I suddenly felt a chill rise from the soles of my feet, running up my spine to the back of my neck.
Even the palms of their clasped hands were instantly damp with a thin layer of sweat.
The slippery feeling was somewhat uncomfortable.
Young Master Lan noticed that something was wrong with me, so he asked what was wrong.
Is there anything that's bothering you?
"I probably stood in the sun for too long, and now I suddenly feel a bit chilly."
I answered awkwardly, and for some reason, I suddenly felt unable to look directly at that face adorned with a bright red beauty mark.
"I see. Then it's best to go back sooner." Young Master Lan nodded, understandingly saying, and tightened his grip on my hand slightly. "I was wondering why I was sweating so much, and I thought I had said something wrong and scared you."
Young Master Lan spoke frankly, but I felt a little guilty.
But he still pretended to be nonchalant: "How could that be? Even the young master said that those things are not credible."
Young Master Lan laughed, his eyes crinkling with laughter: "But how can Pipa be sure that I am truly trustworthy?"
"I……"
I began to feel a little regretful that I hadn't been able to take Young Master Lan back with me when Li Xiao left.
That way, I might not have noticed the beauty mark under Lan Gongzi's eye, and I wouldn't have brought up topics like reincarnation or vengeful ghosts. It's making me feel a bit creeped out in broad daylight.
Suddenly, the image of Li Xiao's amused expression as he left, along with his words—"I'll be waiting for the day you regret this"—appeared before my eyes.
The meaning behind Li Xiao's words should be irrelevant to the current situation.
But I just suddenly remembered it.
However, I don't really feel that much regret.
Although I lack confidence in myself, I firmly believe in every choice I have made.
Existence is its own justification, and justification is the only way. Even if I had the chance to go back to the past, under the same time and space conditions, as long as I am still me, I will not make any other choice.
And how could I not be myself?
“Pipa doesn’t know.” I honestly shook my head. “But Pipa truly believes in the young master far more than she believes in herself.”
As I spoke, I looked sincerely at Young Master Lan beside me.
By then, I had gradually come to realize that although I wasn't particularly pretty or pleasing to the eye, I did have a very cute face.
Although it may sometimes appear a bit dull or silly, it is innocent enough to make people think that a person with such a face probably couldn't even come up with the most clumsy lie.
I thought Young Master Lan would be pleased to hear such words.
But the young master simply turned his head away without saying a word, seemingly lost in thought, looking preoccupied. The bright red beauty mark at the corner of his eye also disappeared into the dim light.
I did not ask Young Master Lan what exactly he meant by Li Xiao's words "you won" that day.
Life went on as usual, and Li Xiao became a regular at the building again, though not as frequently as before.
When he arrived, that Mr. Wang, like a mouse seeing a cat, once again began to tuck his tail between his legs and behave himself.
The gossip about Young Master Lan in the building came and went quickly, disappearing without a trace like a gust of wind.
Everything seemed the same as before, but something was different.
For example, Li Xiao hasn't directly caused me any trouble for a long time.
Before, they would make trouble out of nothing; now they turn a blind eye. The difference is so great that it's like sliding from one extreme to another.
I suspect this might be related to that win-loss agreement that I'm unaware of.
At first, I was a little uncomfortable, not because I was really stupid and liked it when others belittled me to my face.
Rather, it was because Li Xiao did it too deliberately.
They acted as if being touched by even a tiny bit of me, or even just glancing at me, would make them feel so uncomfortable they'd practically fly to heaven.
However, I am the only servant in Young Master Lan's room, so many things become extremely troublesome and awkward.
It's fine when Young Master Lan is around, but if Young Master Lan happens to be out on business that day...
Then, the whole room will be enveloped in a strange atmosphere, as if seeing a ghost in broad daylight.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
