Who else could you love besides me

Chapter 119

Tian Shuang immediately stopped talking and hurriedly picked up the cloak from the soft couch and chased after him.

Along the way, Tian Shuang had never seen the young lady behave so erratically before. The way she stumbled and ran in such a disheveled state made her heart ache.

Yesterday, she was so overwhelmed by the magnificent ice city that she didn't notice that the city walls were engraved with every scene of their encounter in Suzhou.

My fingers trembled as I carefully touched every line on the ice wall, each sculpted scene a sea of memories.

From their first encounter at the pavilion to their three meetings on the street in one day, there was her in the teahouse, him looking up at her on the street, him carrying her as he scaled walls, her abandoned on the rooftop, her leaping down to him, and him lying on the ground, barely alive...

Two people who had arranged to meet by the stream, one of them sneezed uncontrollably due to an allergy and hurriedly left, while the other leaned against a tree trunk, clutching his stomach and laughing.

That farcical banquet, a veritable trap, saw her arrive late, masked, while he, furious yet patiently waiting, made that inexplicable agreement. Then, her shocking actions sent the crowds fleeing in terror... And above, at the window, he dropped his teacup, his expression of astonishment... so perfectly captured...

At night, the crescent moon hung low in the sky. A few tiles were missing from her roof. She waited on the roof, drinking wine while gazing at the moon.

When their eyes met, he crushed the tile in his hand.

Their rendezvous on the western cliff was a solitary affair. He and she climbed between the cliffs. He laughed, his clothes fluttering in the wind, while she posed strangely, her expression filled with resentment.

They stood together on a giant rock at the top of the cliff, gazing at the starry sky.

She left without saying goodbye, and he still went to the rooftop to see her, where he found a note she had left on the back of the envelope: "I lied to you."

The paintings evoked a torrent of memories; as my fingertips touched the cold lines, tears streamed down my face without my realizing it.

The final signature was his courtesy name—Yi Ning (Long Ming's courtesy name was Yi Ning).

It really was him who carved it...

The next day, she got up late. Just as she finished washing up, Tian Yong's voice came from outside the door: "Miss, Young Master Fu is waiting in the front hall."

These past few days, she has been hiding at home and refusing to see anyone. Several of her brothers have come to visit, but she has turned them away. Today, her fourth brother came again, and she couldn't very well refuse to see him again, so she said, "Tell my fourth brother that I'll be right there."

Outside the door, Tian Yong responded and quickly walked away.

After dressing up a little, Tian Xiri went to the front hall with Tian Shuang.

Only Fourth Brother was in the front hall. For some reason, he was in a bad mood and had dismissed all the servants. He paced back and forth in the hall alone. Xi Ri Ru called out softly. When Fu Jin looked up and saw her, his furrowed brows immediately relaxed, and he said with pleasure, "Fifth Sister, how have you been feeling these past few days?"

"Thank you for your concern, Fourth Brother. I'm much better now," Xi Ri replied.

Fu Jin nodded and smiled with satisfaction: "That's good. Fifth Sister, Suoge's team lost the football match. According to the rules, Ningxiang is to perform a dance tonight, and we all have to attend. Would you like to go watch?"

Tian Xi didn't want to go to Japan and was trying to find a reason to refuse when her fourth brother comforted her, saying, "Fifth sister, you don't need to worry so much. It's common for pants to be pulled down on the football field. Besides, after we left that day, the Emperor immediately issued an edict that this matter should not be mentioned again and that no one should spread it. Now no one dares to talk nonsense. These past few days, Suo Ge has been going to court with his head held high, and we can't be any less impressive than him. Fifth sister, listen to your fourth brother's advice, this is no big deal. Back then, the five of us even slept in the same bed and went to brothels together..."

"Fourth Brother!" Tian Xiri interrupted Fu Jin, her face slightly flushed, and said coquettishly, "Don't mention those things again. I've thought it over carefully. Fourth Brother is right, I'll go tonight. After all, they lost, and besides, it wasn't me who lost my pants. I shouldn't cower and make them laugh at me."

“That’s right! I knew Fifth Sister was smart, bold and easygoing. This little thing is nothing! You’ve had a bowel movement. Fourth Brother will apologize to that scoundrel Suo Ge for you!” Fu Jin patted his chest and said, “If I, Fourth Brother, bow down to that scoundrel Suo Ge, he’ll be so smug. Fifth Sister, don’t worry about it.”

"Fourth Brother..." Xi Ri was both touched and amused upon hearing this, and said, "Fourth Brother, this matter was done by me alone. If I were to ask you to take the blame, I wouldn't be at ease. Isn't it just a matter of apologizing to him? I don't think it matters. I will go on my own."

"Alright, it's settled then, Fifth Sister. Fourth Brother has some urgent business to attend to, so I'll take my leave now," Fu Jin said.

"Little sister will see Fourth Brother off."

"good."

Tian Xiri saw Fu Jin off at the door. Fu Jin suddenly stopped, not turning around, but saying, "Fifth Sister, no matter what you've done in the past, Fourth Brother only hopes that you will treat Minglu sincerely from now on and not hurt him. Minglu may not be moved, but once he is, he will give his all. You... you can't betray him, even if... even if Fourth Brother begs you!" With that, Fu Jin strode away.

Xi Ri stared blankly as her fourth brother's figure disappeared through the doorway, muttering to herself, "If I can't hurt any of them, then I can only..." She didn't finish her sentence. At that moment, it seemed she had made up her mind, and she turned and walked away resolutely.

It was another banquet. In the past few days, due to the arrival of the Jin envoy, banquets had been held one after another under various pretexts, which was quite tiresome.

That evening, neither too early nor too late, Tian Xiri and her younger sister Tian Xiyun arrived at the palace together in sedan chairs. Along the way, passersby pointed and stared at them, which Tian Xiri tried to ignore. Sometimes she would even boldly look back, catching others off guard. Naturally, some people felt awkward or disdainful at her bold stare, but she didn't care much. She had already prepared herself mentally before coming.

By sheer coincidence, she ran into Wanyan Gena on the road. Tian Xiri glanced at him and smiled as she went to greet him. She took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve, held it in her palm, and stood a few steps away from Wanyan Gena, gracefully bowing to him. As soon as Wanyan Gena saw her, he smiled and personally helped her up, saying, "Miss Tian, please get up quickly."

Tian Xiri rose gracefully, turning slightly to the side with a hint of shyness. Her gaze swept across Wanyan Gena, seemingly looking at him but not quite, before she stammered, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I was blind to your greatness the previous times, unaware that Your Highness is a prince of immeasurable nobility. I hope Your Highness will forgive me and not hold it against me." With that, she gave a polite curtsy to the side.

"It's no fault of yours, it's no fault of yours. It was because I didn't identify myself in time when I met you before that caused so many misunderstandings. I was also impolite. I apologize to Miss Tian." After saying that, he also bowed to Tian Xiri.

Tian Xiri immediately reached out to help him, her handkerchief waving gently in the air with her movement. Wanyan Gena smelled a faint, sweet fragrance wafting towards him, so refreshing and intoxicating. He couldn't help but sniff it again and again. With such a beautiful woman before him, her blushing face making him feel a flutter in his heart. This refreshing fragrance came from the beauty's handkerchief, and he longed to smell it a little longer. Just as he brazenly brought his nose close to the beauty's hand, she seemed startled and quickly withdrew her hand shyly. The handkerchief brushed lightly against his nose, and there it was again, that refreshing fragrance. He wondered what kind of incense she was using, that it was so alluring. Wanyan Gena couldn't help but sniff it again and again, his face filled with intoxication.

They saw others approaching from not far away.

Tian Xiri smiled shyly, bowed again, and said, "This humble woman will take her leave now." With that, she bowed and slowly retreated, her face slightly flushed, leaving Wanyan Gena with only a fascinated gaze following her.

Tian Xiri strode to the side hall, her expression strange behind her. She couldn't understand why her young mistress was waving a handkerchief and flirting with Wanyan Gena. Logically, her young mistress should dislike Wanyan Gena, so why was she being so polite to him today? Tian Shuang had a feeling that something was amiss. Just as she thought of this, she saw Tian Xiri turn around and hand her the handkerchief hidden in her sleeve, whispering, "Tian Shuang, take care of this. Be careful. I've scented it with Spring Breeze Fragrance."

Upon hearing this, Tian Shuang immediately replied formally, "Yes."

"The fragrance of spring breezes travels ten miles"? That scoundrel Wanyan Gena is in for a rough time now.

In the side hall, everyone's expressions changed upon seeing Tian Xiri enter. Fortunately, the banquet had already begun, the desserts were removed, and the main dishes were served, diverting everyone's attention from her.

Occasionally, someone would mention the ice city, naturally emphasizing the murals, and everyone began to speculate. What did those murals depict? Those events, if not experienced firsthand, naturally lead to many guesses. Finding it amusing, the group gathered together, each offering their own opinion. Someone suggested that the scene by the stream might have involved a man and woman who had both drunk from the water and been poisoned, because the expressions on their faces in the painting were extremely painful; the man was covering his mouth as if he wanted to vomit, and the woman was clutching her stomach as if she needed to relieve herself… Hearing this, Tian Xiri could no longer help but twitch her lips.

In short, everyone seriously speculated about each painting. Some people even spent money to go to Harbin every day to see these paintings, and some even copied them as a pastime. However, some people thought that the murals were too daring. What woman would do such things? However, when someone said that the murals might have been painted by Prince Longming and that they might depict himself and his beloved, he was naturally met with disdain. Everyone disbelieved him, saying that the signature was just a coincidence.

Tian Xiri paid no attention to what followed. Remembering that Wanyan Gena had won the "Spring Breeze Ten Miles of Fragrance" award, he couldn't help but look out the curtain.

She could vaguely make out the situation in the main hall. From her position, she could clearly see that her third brother looked displeased, and her fourth brother also harbored hidden anger, occasionally glaring undisguisedly at those opposite them. Sitting opposite them were Suo Ge and Long Ming, among others. She couldn't see their expressions clearly the other day, which made her feel heavy-hearted. Her third brother, having seen those murals, must have guessed what was going on...

Just then, music began, accompanied by drumbeats—a melody never heard before in the palace. The music softened, the drums deepened, and a woman in colorful robes, her face veiled by a light gauze, gracefully entered with the other dancers, her feet tapping to the drumbeats. Every head tilt, every step, every kick was elegant yet powerful, a blend of softness and indescribable grace. At first, the crowd stared, mesmerized, then became stunned. Fu Jin, in particular, forgot his earlier anger, his face now filled with disbelief.

Tian Xiri had already recognized that the person dancing was Ningxiang.

Ningxiang was skilled in the water sleeve dance, but this time, her powerful and spirited drum dance was quite different from the graceful water sleeve dance. Unexpectedly, she danced it so well. Although she lost the competition, Ningxiang kept her word and did not refuse to perform because of her status as a princess. This made Tian Xiri secretly admire her.