Meeting Li Yining's flushed gaze, Fei Hua immediately felt a little embarrassed.
She let go of his hand, and Li Yining didn't say anything. She turned to leave, but Fei Hua suddenly grabbed her again: "Wait a minute."
The anger that had been building up reached its peak in an instant. Li Yining turned around and said, "Are you sick?!"
In a flash, a handkerchief was handed to her.
The white embroidered handkerchief had a pungent fragrance mixed with the stench of smoke. You could tell at a glance it was the scent of a prostitute.
She was stunned for a moment.
Instead of mocking and ridiculing her as usual, Fei Hua simply said, "Wipe it off before you go out."
The aroma washed away all my anger, leaving only boundless embarrassment in its place.
Knowing she looked pathetic and that her handbag was still in the car, Li Yining gritted her teeth, took the handkerchief, and awkwardly said thank you in a hoarse voice.
She turned around and wiped her face. Fei Hua, who was behind her, flicked the ash off her cigarette before slowly saying, "Silk handkerchiefs, two yuan and fifty cents each. You can put it on the tab and settle the bill at the end of the month."
With her face buried in the handkerchief, Li Yining said in a muffled voice, "A tattered handkerchief costs two yuan and fifty cents. Are you robbing me?"
Fei Hua chuckled: "Otherwise, why would I say I'm doing charity?"
The perfume smelled cheap and pungent, the smoke was suffocating, and the handkerchief was rough and scratchy on her face, but buried in that handkerchief, Li Yining gradually calmed down.
Taking a deep breath, she turned her head, waved her handkerchief at Fei Hua, and asked, "How much for drinking with me? More than two and a half yuan?"
Fei Hua raised an eyebrow in surprise at first, then laughed. Taking a drag of her cigarette, she suddenly leaned close to Li Yining, the grayish-white smoke hitting his still red nose, causing a series of coughs and the already familiar complaints.
"We're old acquaintances, so I'll give you a friendly price."
…
Mu Xing had been lying in bed for an hour.
The sunlight gradually intensified, shining brightly into the room.
Madam Mu had already come and given a lecture before leaving. Fu Guang brought in the hangover soup, and the steam rose and then dissipated from the bowl, finally returning to a calm state.
Mu Xing just stared blankly at a patch of light dancing on the ceiling, slowly moving from one end to the other. After watching for an unknown amount of time, she finally sat up slowly.
The cooled hangover soup rolled into my stomach, leaving a gentle coolness on my lips.
Like a memory from last night.
Mu Xing was staring blankly at the bowl when Fu Guang suddenly knocked on the door and said hesitantly, "Miss, Miss Pa has come to visit. She's talking to Madam in the living room. Madam asked me to invite you downstairs."
Mu Xing's temples were still throbbing. It took him a while to remember who Pa Anni was.
It was her friend who married someone of the same sex.
"I understand." She nodded, but didn't move.
She sat on the bed for a while, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Not long ago, she was wondering why Paanne was with Master Ye, but now she's going to "marry" Miss Bai.
However, this is quite different from the happiness of Paine.
As Mu Xing finished washing up and walked downstairs, she heard a commotion behind her at the bottom of the stairs.
"That's her, the one who came to make a wedding dress for the third young lady a couple of days ago, it's the two of them."
"Oh dear, Madam, are you unaware of this? How could we dare let them make this! Who knows if there's something wrong with it? We don't want to bring bad luck to our family."
"Tsk tsk, you know what, this girl looks pretty good, how can she be so shameless!"
"Yes, if it were back in the day, he would have been drowned in a pig cage!"
"Stop talking, the Third Miss is coming down!"
The group of women immediately dispersed.
Glancing at the women who had already dispersed but couldn't help but look into the living room, Mu Xing then looked at Paanie in the living room.
Is this the price she and Master Ye paid?
It's just the most insignificant yet despicable one, isn't it?
Madam Mu was talking to Paanne when she turned and saw Mu Xing. She hurriedly said, "Xuan, come here quickly! Tell me, I've been getting my clothes made by Master Ye for so long, and I didn't even know Annie was there. And you, since you knew, why didn't you tell me..."
When Mu Xing walked over, Pa Anni had already stood up. The two hugged and then sat down, slowly recounting what had happened over the past few years.
Although Mu Xing had already met Paanie at Caiyun Pavilion that day and had some idea of what had happened to her, he still didn't expect that she would later encounter so many things he never thought he would.
Paan gave a brief account of her recent situation over the past few years: how the Pa family house caught fire, how she was ostracized at school, how she left on her own, how she received help from Master Ye, and how she is now working at Caiyun Pavilion.
Not only did she get things done, she also got married along the way. Mu Xing thought to herself.
Madam Mu sighed, "Alas, over these past few years, not only your Uncle Mu and I, but the Li family as well, have all missed you. We were thinking of bringing you home, but when we went to check on you again, you had already passed away..."
They talked on and on about many things. At noon, Mrs. Mu wanted to invite Paanne to stay for lunch, but Paanne declined.
"I have family waiting for me, so I won't eat today," she said with a smile.
Madam Mu exclaimed, "That's wonderful! I didn't expect you to have found a child already. That's great! You must bring him over to meet me another day."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xing couldn't help but feel nervous. Given Pa Anni's usual personality, she would probably tell him about her affair with Master Ye right now.
Pani simply nodded: "I will, I will definitely come to see Auntie again when I have time."
Madam Mu naturally agreed and then had Mu Xing escort Paanne out.
The front courtyard of Mu Garden is a garden. Mu Xing took Pa Anni out, but Pa Anni was in no hurry and strolled slowly in the garden.
"So many years have passed, and everything has changed, but this garden is still so beautiful." She sighed, "I still remember the time when Li Yining and I came to Mu Garden. Li Yining insisted on climbing a tree, but she couldn't get down. You had to go up and save her. It seems like just yesterday, but so much time has passed."
“Yes.” Mu Xing nodded with a smile. “If we asked Yi Ning to climb a tree now, she would probably mutter about it until it fell down.”
Glancing at her, Paanie said, "But you haven't changed. You still like to dress up as a tomboy and run around everywhere."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xing felt a chill run down his spine.
Now she's dressed as a woman; the only time she ever wore men's clothing and met Paanie was on that day at Caiyun Pavilion, but that day…
Noticing her panicked look, Paanie laughed and said, "I felt something was wrong right away. Later, when I talked to Master Ye about it, I realized that you must be a woman dressed as a man."
Caught off guard and exposed, Mu Xing felt a wave of embarrassment. She touched her nose and quickly said, "I didn't mean to pry into your life; I was just passing by and thought I'd check on you..."
“I know, I know,” Paanie reassured her. “You’ve always liked to travel around like this.”
She paused, then added, "Besides, I have some interesting news to share. Xiao Ye'er told me that you've been talking about her here several times. If you knew, you would definitely want to come and find out more, no matter what. Of course, I know you're different from those gossipy old women."
After a moment of silence, Mu Xing whispered, "Then...you and Master Ye, is it really...?"
Paanie nodded: "Yes, I'm with her."
"Why?" Mu Xing finally asked the question she had always wanted to know.
Why would you choose to be with someone of the same sex? Why would you be willing to endure all the slander and gossip just to be with her?
Aren't you scared? Aren't you worried?
As if she had answered this question countless times, Paanie replied without hesitation, "Because I love her."
She turned to look at Mu Xing: "Back in school, didn't we watch 'Romeo and Juliet'? Do you remember?"
Mu Xing nodded.
Although her memory was hazy, she still vaguely remembered that they had discussed why Romeo and Juliet were willing to do anything to be together.
At the time, Li Yining seemed to have said that she would never abandon her family for so-called love, and she seemed to be figuring out the formula for the drug that could make Juliet appear dead? As for Paanne…
“I said at the time that I couldn’t understand it because, from a business perspective, their partnership was a complete failure. But after meeting Xiao Ye, I understood,” Paanie said.
"Although I can say I don't care now, it's actually a calm that's settled from past struggles and pain. To be honest, making this decision was a process of weighing the pros and cons. Of course, I was afraid and apprehensive, but I believed that what this relationship could give me was far greater than what I might lose, so why not fight for it?"
With a deep smile, Paanie added, "Besides, I'm sure she loves me as much as I love her."
Lowering her eyes, Mu Xing said softly, "Is it enough to just love each other? But just confirming whether you are loved and accepted is enough to exhaust all your strength."
Paanie shrugged. "But how will you know if it will turn out well if you don't try? Tsk, I remember you were the most proactive one when we were little." She suddenly took a few steps closer and teased, "What's wrong? Is there some love affair that's holding the little devil back?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Xing's previously drowsy mind suddenly cleared up as if sunlight were shining in.
Yes, she has never been such a hesitant and indecisive person.
If it weren't for liking someone, if it weren't for cherishing them so much—cherishing them with utmost care and daring not to overstep their bounds in the slightest, liking them so selfishly that one doesn't consider the consequences…
But the more careful she was, the more she supposedly cherished it, the more she and Miss Bai were pushed into the abyss... She should have realized it sooner, she should have confessed it long ago!
If, if Miss Bai could accept her too…
The emotions that had been stuck in his heart for so long suddenly flowed freely, as if the headache from the hangover had disappeared. Mu Xing wished he could fly to Miss Bai's side in an instant and pour out all his feelings!
Upon reaching the gate of Mu Garden, Mu Xing raised his hand and gave Pa Anni a tight hug.
"I hope you can be happy," she said sincerely.
Paanie patted Mu Xing's shoulder with a smile and said, "Ah Xuan, you really haven't changed at all."
Still so naive.
…
Under the scorching summer sun, the air was thick with the smell of steam rising from the asphalt. People huddled in the shadows cast by the low houses, and the occasional vendor pushing a cart selling iced water or herbal tea would cause a stir.
The old men in the teahouse were loudly discussing national affairs and international wars, their large palm-leaf fans wishing they could fly out of the world immediately and deflect the trajectories of all bullets and cannons.
Amidst the rising steam, a flower-shaped parasol gracefully drifted by.
With a smile playing on her lips, Bai Yan walked briskly toward Caiyun Pavilion, with her maid following closely behind.
I booked a sample appointment for today after taking my measurements, but in just a few days, my feelings have completely changed.
It was as if the sunlight shining on the parasol was cheering and shouting: You're going to light big candles with Young Master Mu!
Thinking about what happened yesterday, Bai Yan couldn't help but smile.
Last night, as she was leaving the garden, she luckily encountered Young Master Tang's carriage and asked him to take Young Master Mu back. By the time she returned to the brothel, the news of the large candles had already spread throughout Yuhua Academy.
Last night, her mother explained everything to her, and now they are just waiting for Young Master Mu to go to the hall to discuss things properly.
Although the 17th was a bit rushed, it wasn't too hurried, and the wedding dress was already prepared... Speaking of which, Young Master Mu was hungover last night, so he probably won't go to the clinic today. How is she going to find him...?
It's strange, really. She seemed to have never seen the young master go out with any attendants. The only few times she did, it was always just a driver and a maid. What ordinary young master from a prominent family wouldn't be accompanied by a whole bunch of followers?
Hmm...maybe it's just Young Master Mu's own preference. With so many quirks, one more won't make a difference.