Who else could you love besides me

Chapter 20

Minglu, probably encountering a woman like this for the first time, looked extremely displeased. She finally shook off Tian Shuang and hurried away. Tian Shuang chased after her, crying, "Lulu, do you despise me like that awful man Suoge? My Lulu, wait for me... Ouch..." Tian Shuang stumbled and fell.

Minglu left in a hurry, sending someone to bid farewell to Lord Tian. He summoned the coachman, glanced at the Tian residence, and although he felt it would be impolite to leave so soon, he was also annoyed. Thinking about what would happen if that woman came after him, his expression changed. How could Tian Xiri be like this? How could she be like this? Lost in thought, he didn't pay attention and bumped his forehead against the doorframe as he boarded the carriage, nearly falling on his backside. He was instantly furious; he had never lost his composure like this in his life, all because of that crazy woman! Clutching his reddened forehead, he angrily shouted, "Drive! Let's go!"

The coachman galloped away from the Tian residence as if fleeing some plague.

Gradually, Minglu's thoughts calmed down, and he suddenly realized something was wrong. This woman was indeed Tian Xiri, whom he had seen years ago. She was incredibly beautiful. Although he had only seen her profile back then, the memory was very vivid, and he recognized her at a glance...

If Tian Xiri was the Empress Dowager's favorite niece and a renowned young lady in the capital, how could her personality be like this? No, something must be wrong... And then there's Li Yu, who looks so much like Tian Xiri...

He gradually calmed down and coldly ordered, "Go to Shixianglou."

"yes."

The Ten Fragrance Pavilion was still a moment short of its full potential.

When Xiri arrived at Shixianglou, the waiter recognized her and eagerly invited her in. At that time, the theater had not yet started playing, and there was only a girl singing a folk song and a few diners chatting in the afternoon. The waiter served tea and several plates of snacks. After Xiri sat for a while, the waiter came up again and said, "Xiao Xiangmei invites you to the back room."

Unfortunately, Japan had no interest in Xiao Xiangmei, but then he thought that Minglu liked her, which made him curious. Since there was still some time before 11 PM, he figured it wouldn't hurt to go and see her. So he followed the waiter to the back room.

She hadn't stayed in the back room long when Xiao Xiangmei arrived. As soon as he entered, a strong fragrance filled the air. Xi Ri looked up, and what she saw chilled her to the bone. Why hadn't anyone told her that Xiao Xiangmei was a man?! And a flamboyant man at that, a man who dared to touch her cheek!

A wave of nausea washed over her. Xi Ri reached out and brushed away Xiao Xiang Mei's mischievous fingers from her face, saying, "I'm sorry, I have an appointment and I'm going to be late. I'll meet up with you another day."

Xiao Xiangmei just smiled mysteriously and didn't stop her. Only when she had already stepped halfway out the door did she gently say, "Miss, your skin is very delicate."

Xi Ri's face paled for a moment, then recovered. He withdrew his foot, turned around, and glared coldly at Xiao Xiangmei, saying, "I hope you didn't call me 'girl.' I hate being called 'girl' more than anything. I'm a man! Open your dog eyes and see clearly! Don't think you can insult others just because you're neither male nor female. Let me tell you, if you call me 'girl' again, I'll fight you to the death! I'll show you whether I'm a man or a woman! You can't even tell the difference between men and women!"

Xiao Xiangmei's expression changed repeatedly. She pointed at Tian Xiri, her fingertips trembling, unable to speak. Tian Xiri snorted and strode out of the back hall.

Upon arriving at the front hall, they found Nalan already there. After exchanging pleasantries, Nalan asked, "Brother Yu, what's wrong? You look so pale."

"Brother, I just saw Xiao Xiangmei and I'm still upset."

"Oh? Who dares to make Brother Yu suffer?" The speaker was none other than Ming Lu, who had just entered. He glanced at Xi Ri, then sat down on his own. A waiter, seeing it was him, immediately came forward to serve him attentively.

Nalan asked, puzzled, "Did Xiao Xiangmei upset you? What happened to him?"

Xi Ri said calmly, "It's nothing, let's not talk about it. Brother Nalan, you said you'd take me sightseeing in the capital today, where are we going?"

Nalan smiled and didn't press the matter further. Suddenly, he leaned over and whispered in Xiri's ear, "I'll take you to a great place, one that even Minglu has never been to."

A smile on a bygone day.

Minglu frowned, his eyes turning slightly sharp, and said, "What are you talking about? You won't let me hear?"

Nalan laughed and said, "It's nothing, it's just that the weather is too hot. I recently found a good place to go, so I'll take you and Yu-di to play there."

"Where to?" Minglu asked casually, seemingly uninterested.

"There's a small waterfall on Ling Mountain to the east, we can go there while we're there..."

"How about it while we're at it?" Xi Ri had a bad feeling.

“Take a bath naked,” Nalan laughed loudly.

Xi Ri was slightly taken aback, but Ming Lu only frowned slightly, glanced at Xi Ri intentionally or unintentionally, and smiled, "Okay."

Boom... The whole world collapsed.

She used to lament that other women dressed as men, so she did too. Those women were dashing and charming, managing to snag a rich husband, while she endured countless hardships just to get rid of him. How unfair was fate! Did she have to go through eighty-one tribulations like Tang Sanzang before she could be free?! She didn't want that… she didn't want to become an immortal or a Buddha!

She was inwardly wailing, but outwardly she smiled and said, "Okay! It's just that I can't swim."

Nalan said, "Don't worry, that lake is very shallow and the water is very clear. It would be so comfortable to take a dip in it in this kind of weather!"

………………

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

The True and False Tian Xiri (Part 2)

Three fast horses were prepared at the street corner, one for each person, leading them out of the city. Nalan had clearly come prepared, as he had already prepared a change of clothes and fruit on his horse. Once outside the city gate, they galloped at full speed, with Nalan leading the way and Minglu and Xiri following closely behind. Perhaps because they were keeping up so closely, Nalan rode even faster. Minglu didn't let up either, keeping close behind. Occasionally, he would glance to the side and see the person beside him leaning over his horse, with red lips and white teeth, bright eyes and white teeth. Under the sunlight, a few beads of sweat were scattered on his temples, but were instantly blown away by the strong wind...

Lingshan is not a single mountain but a cluster of mountains. After several twists and turns, they finally arrived at the waterfall. It was just a small waterfall, but it was still a rare sight in the capital. The three of them jumped off their horses. Nalan laughed loudly, "How about it, Minglu, Yudi? Isn't this place nice? I discovered it by chance. Look, wildflowers are everywhere, butterflies and swallows are dancing, and there's a bamboo forest over there. It's simply a fairyland!"

Minglu snorted, glanced at Nalan, and said, "If you hadn't wanted to bring Yu-di today, you probably wouldn't have brought me along!"

Nalan smiled and bowed politely, saying, "Please forgive me, Prince Ming. I only recently discovered such a wonderful place and haven't had a chance to mention it yet. Besides, you are all very busy people; you don't have time to play around in the mountains."

“Go away…” Minglu shoved his fake smile away and said, “Smiling tiger.”

"Huh?" Xi Ri jokingly chimed in from the side, "Brother Nalan, so your nickname is Smiling Tiger? It suits you quite well."

“Don’t listen to his nonsense, Yu-di.” He put his arm around Xi-ri’s shoulder, and Xi-ri stiffened for a moment, then immediately relaxed. “Why don’t we go take a shower? It’s been so hot this summer, and we’re all sweaty from riding around…”

Minglu, standing to the side, lifted the arm that had been draped over Xiri's shoulder and tossed it aside like trash, saying, "You know you're covered in sweat and you still bother others with your stench?"

Nalan didn't take it seriously and said, "Minglu, Yudi, hurry up and take your clothes off and get in the water. I can't wait." He then began to loosen his clothes.

Xi Ri watched Nalan undress in front of her, feeling incredibly embarrassed, yet she could only restrain herself. Because Ming Lu was watching her intentionally from the side, she could only force a dry laugh and say, "Brother Nalan, I can't go into the water. I recently got scabies on my skin, and the doctor said I can't get it wet. You guys go in, I'll just wander around."

Scabies? Upon hearing this, Nalan frowned. "Brother Yu, you should have said so earlier, or I wouldn't have brought you here."

She wanted to say it sooner, but she hadn't thought of it.

"Big brother, didn't you say the scenery here is beautiful? And there's a waterfall too. I think it's nice to come here. Why do you care so much about whether I can take a bath? Haha..." Xi Ri laughed it off, but she was actually about to cry. Along the way, she ran mechanically while racking her brains for a solution, sweating profusely. Finally, she came up with a solution.

Nalan stopped trying to persuade her and was about to strip naked and jump into the lake. The lake water was indeed clear. Xi Ri took the opportunity to turn around awkwardly, her heart pounding like a drum, her face turning red uncontrollably. She really wanted to cover her face, scream, and run away.