The moon hangs in the corridor, a crescent moon

Chapter 25

He nodded slightly, glancing at Leng Yu—although meeting him was an accident, it might be a shortcut to finding someone…

Leng Yu never needed to stay at inns here. He would just stay at a random friend's house, and leave when he was done. But now he insisted on staying at someone's vacant villa to settle Duan Jin in. Who knew that once the news leaked out, a group of his friends would come in groups of three or five to harass him, eager to see the source of Leng Yu's "love at first sight" and his path to homosexuality.

The pageboy, Liu Zhi, was quite dissatisfied with the situation and complained, "Miss Queyue, why did you come with that guy surnamed Leng? He's obviously a lecherous scoundrel, and his group of cronies are all spoiled brats—could it be that he realized you're a woman and that's why he's bothering you?"

"No, if he recognized me as a woman, he wouldn't be so relaxed. He probably wouldn't know how to face me." Besides, although her appearance wasn't completely changed, she had forcibly altered the delicate features of a woman into the lines of a man, making it not so easy for him to see through her gender.

"...Does the young lady recognize that kind of cold treatment?"

"I've met him a few times."

Since Queyue said so, Liu Zhi naturally had nothing to say.

"Girl, we've been out for almost a month now, and we still haven't heard from the new moon. Why have we come here?"

"I came here to look for someone; perhaps he can find out something..."

It's been a month already... Queyue gazed at the distant scenery outside the window, lost in thought. Liu Zhi was used to her mind occasionally wandering; Queyue had never been like this before, because in the past, she had never known how to miss someone.

Only after understanding did she realize that longing might not necessarily be a good thing. She couldn't see those she wanted to see, and those she longed to be with could only part. For the past month, she had been paying attention not only to news from Xinyue, but also from Qingzun Tower. However, there was no news from either side.

She didn't want to just stay where she was and wait; she wanted to do something, no matter how small the task was.

She rested her chin on her hand, her gaze unsure of where to fall. Liu Zhi looked at her profile, bathed in sunlight, and saw clearly a man's form in her eyes, tinged with a hint of bewilderment, a touch of haziness, and a sense of remoteness... Yet, as he looked, his heart began to pound uncontrollably.

“Miss Queyue…you’ve changed so much…”

"Hmm?" Queyue snapped out of her daze, not paying much attention to what he had said. "Is that so..."

—Isn't that right? She was pretty before... but she was like a figure in a painting, lacking any real life. How could she be like this now, making people's hearts flutter?

Women... they're truly monsters, changing in an instant.

A few knocks sounded on the door. "Young Master Duan, the meal is ready. Let's eat together." Leng Yu appeared at the door on time. Que Yue got up and came out, saying politely, "Thank you for coming all this way, Brother Leng..."

"Not at all, I'm just free anyway." Looking at the young master walking beside him, his handsome and gentle appearance was both similar to and different from the person in his memory, giving him a subtle feeling. Was it just because of the resemblance...? Why did he feel an irresistible urge to take care of this handsome young man the moment he saw him?

"You must have been disturbed these past few days. I've already sent those guys back, please don't mind..." They walked towards the back hall, and before they even stepped inside, they saw a group of [those guys who had been sent back] already sitting around the dining table waiting for them. Veins bulged, but in the end, he still didn't even have time to speak to Duan Jin alone.

"Come, come, we've been waiting for you, please have a seat..."

"You—" Leng Yu practically spat out the words, but immediately someone came over and, like a good buddy, hooked their arm around his neck, lowering their voice to say, "Leng Er, don't blame us, we're doing this for your own good. This path of homosexuality is not to be taken—"

Clenching my fist, I swung it—I could no longer tolerate it!

"Hey, it's so lively here—you guys are really disloyal, all gathered here without calling me—" With the voice, a person in a brocade robe entered gracefully. Queyue turned to look at the young master who had entered—sure enough, following Lengyu was the fastest way to find him.

Queyue turned around, a faint smile on her face. "Young Master Zhou, it's been a long time."

Zhou Shao was stunned, staring at her with wide eyes, "You—how—you—"

“My name is Duan Jin. Does Young Master Zhou not remember me?”

"You—clearly—how—"

What kind of brocade is this? It's clearly...

Queyue smiled at him. Sure enough, no one could be fooled, not even Zhou Shao, who had the sharp eyes of a businessman.

"What, do you know Young Master Duan and Young Master Zhou?"

"Yes, I've come here to find Young Master Zhou," Queyue replied naturally, as if it were merely a coincidence. Young Master Zhou was clearly still puzzled, but he remained silent—a businessman should know when to keep his mouth shut.

"That would be wonderful. Why don't we all have a meal together, and then we can discuss anything else afterward?"

Someone greeted everyone and invited them to sit down. The meal was quite lively, but some people were clearly uncomfortable, and kept glancing at Queyue—what did she want with him? The more they thought about it, the more uneasy they felt.

He wouldn't think anything involving a certain guy was appropriate.

After the meal, at Duan Jin's insistence, he had to speak with him alone. Once inside, he felt somewhat at a loss for words. "Should I... address you as Madam Weaving Brocade, or Miss Crescent Moon?"

"Young Master Zhou, please don't make fun of me. You know what happened at Qingzun Tower was just a charade. I'm no lady at all. Just call me Queyue."

...He didn't want to call him that name either; he couldn't help but think of a certain guy.

"May I ask what business Miss Queyue has with me?"

"I wonder if Young Master Zhou remembers that he still owes Xinyue a message."

"..."

—He was right. It's definitely not appropriate for someone associated with that woman to come looking for him!

"Xinyue gave me this message before leaving Qingzun Tower. I'm sorry I didn't inform you beforehand. But this might not be a bad thing for you, Young Master Zhou. The information I want won't be easy to obtain, but it's not as difficult as what that girl needed, is it?"

Thinking about it that way... it's actually quite good. It's better to repay this owed message early than for her to use it to exploit him every time they meet again. Although the price he paid for being saved by Xinyue wasn't high, it was incredibly troublesome. I really don't know who was taking advantage of whom back then; it's better to resolve this unprofitable deal sooner rather than later.

"Alright, then what does Miss Crescent Moon want to know?"

"I want to find the new moon."

“This…” Young Master Zhou frowned slightly, “But Xinyue and Xiao Wuqing disappeared together for some time…”

"Of course I know, otherwise I wouldn't have asked Young Master Zhou for help."

"But you're not from the Water Pavilion, so if even you don't know..."

"I am no longer a person of the Water Pavilion, and have nothing to do with the Water Pavilion."

Zhou Shao pondered for a moment, "Alright, I'll look for it. But this time things are strange. I really don't have the confidence to find someone like Xinyue. I'll do my best, but if I really can't find him, this message will have to be discarded."

Otherwise, if every problem is so difficult, wouldn't he have to keep searching endlessly?

"I understand that, thank you for your help, Young Master Zhou."

Zhou Shao didn't rush to leave. He looked at Queyue and said, "Although you have nothing to do with Qingzun Tower now... I wonder if you're interested in the fact that Qingzun Tower is about to change hands?"

"Qingzun Tower has changed hands!?" Queyue exclaimed in surprise. "Young Master Zhou, could you elaborate!?"

"I don't have any definite news yet. If Miss Queyue is interested, I'll come and bother you again when I hear new developments." Zhou Shao smiled faintly, a businessman's smile, a businessman's face. He had to accept the loss he suffered at Xinyue's hands, but that didn't stop him from doing other business on the side. Never letting go of any business opportunity under any circumstances—that was the keen intuition that Zhou Shao was quite proud of.

Chapters 45-46

As soon as Zhou Shao stepped out of the room, he was pulled aside by a hand. Seeing Leng Yu's unusually thieving expression, he asked, "What does Young Master Duan want with you?"

"Business matters."

"Him? What kind of business could a bookish young man who's just stepped out of his home possibly want to discuss with you..."

Zhou Shao looked him up and down, then down and up again. "Why are you so nosy about other people's business?"

"I—" Leng Yu stood there speechless. Zhou Shao looked at him, then at the room—the person inside was Que Yue… so…

"You still have feelings for her?"

But he remembered that Leng Yu had taken a liking to the new moon...

"What nonsense are you talking about? My feelings for Young Master Duan are nothing more than... nothing more than..."

...Young Master Duan?

"You...don't know who she is?"

You mean Duan Jin?

—Duan Jin. In other words, Leng Yu had no idea she was Que Yue, therefore to him [she] was [he], so…

"Leng Er...when did you...start liking men? Does your uncle know? Do you want to be an unfilial son?"

Completely powerless against the cold shoulder... When did he... start liking men?!

"Liking men isn't a big deal, is it?" This statement is truly shocking.

Leng Yu looked up at Zhou Shao, who shook his head—it wasn't him who said it. He turned back—Yu Tingyun…you perverted homosexual have no right to speak!

Leng Yu, who prides himself on being a charming playboy, has encountered countless women over the past twenty years and has confidantes all over the world. He is very certain that he is in love with women! As for Duan Jin... it should be... probably... it's just because of his appearance that makes him involuntarily think of Que Yue. After all, that woman once made him think that she was the fleeting beauty he was looking for—that's all.

This feeling, however, left him feeling very unsettled.

"Brother Leng? Is something the matter?" Queyue's door had been open at some point. She had heard the voices outside and thought they had just bumped into her at the door, exchanged a few words, and left. Who knew they would stay for so long? She opened the door to see what was going on, but when she opened it, she only saw Leng Yu there, looking annoyed. The other two were nowhere to be seen.

"Huh, no..." Looking around—where are those two guys?! How could it have only been a blink of an eye...?

"Brother Leng, you seem to have something on your mind?"

Leng Yu gazed at the slender, elegant young man in white before him, and for a moment, he felt a slight sense of disorientation. He thought he had long forgotten, long since let go. Whether it was the crescent moon that stole everyone's attention in the darkness, or the waning moon with its indifferent, boundless eyes, they should all have been forgotten with his senior brother's departure. But this handsome young man in white had easily stirred everything up; it turned out, he had never truly let go.

"Young Master Duan, may I ask you a few questions?"

Crescent Moon smiled gently and softly, "May I ask?"

"...Let's go for a walk in the garden." I feel like we should go somewhere else... Talking here feels strangely cold, like I'm being watched... No, maybe it's not strange.

Queyue did not refuse and followed behind him.

"Hey, can you let me go now?!"

"Wait a little longer, they haven't gone far yet. Keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear you."

A rustling sound came from the tree. Yu Tingyun wrapped one arm around Zhou Shao's waist and grabbed the tree trunk with the other, the two hiding among the branches.

Why should we hide?

"It's rare for Brother Leng to be interested in men, how can we not give him a hand? He'll be reserved if there are other people around, so for the sake of our brother's happiness, we should of course avoid him, right?" The warm breath was on Zhou Shao's ear, but he was still oblivious, still thinking that Mingming Queyue was a woman, until the hand on his waist began to wander restlessly. Only then did he suddenly become like a cat with its fur standing on end, and gave him a hard kick in the stomach before jumping down from the tree.

Yu Tingyun squatted on a tree branch, clutching her stomach—this was the second time she had eaten braised pork knuckle in just two days.

"Brother Leng, what do you want to ask me?"

Leng Yu and Que Yue walked one after the other in the garden. She didn't know how much longer they planned to walk, so she asked.

Leng Yu stopped, hesitated slightly, and stammered, "Young Master Duan, you...don't know if you have any sisters?" Thinking of Que Yue's identity, he added, "Perhaps, we were separated when we were young..."

Queyue understood his meaning, but deliberately asked, "I have no sisters, so why does Brother Leng ask such a question?"

When Leng Yu heard him say no, he seemed slightly relieved, yet also somewhat disappointed. He explained, "It's just that Young Master Duan bears a striking resemblance to an old acquaintance of mine, and I thought... perhaps I could get some news about her. It's been so long since I've heard from her, I'm truly worried..."

Queyue smiled faintly and said, "Brother Leng, there's no need to worry. I think with your concern, your friend is safe and sound now."

"Thank you for your kind words." For some reason, perhaps just because of this face, although Leng Yu didn't know why Duan Jin spoke with such certainty, hearing him say this brought a strange sense of peace. It seemed that since he said it, it must be true. After thanking him, Leng Yu looked up. Duan Jin seemed to be gazing at the distant scenery, slightly lost in thought. His delicate face possessed a genderless, ethereal beauty, like a beautiful dream, suddenly appearing before her eyes. Leng Yu's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly averted her gaze, feeling uneasy.

What was wrong with him? Why was his heart pounding so wildly when a man was standing in front of him… Could it be, could it really be him— Leng Yu was startled by his own thoughts, and his expression immediately changed. Que Yue noticed his unusual behavior and turned to ask, “Brother Leng, is something wrong?”