Kiyomi Tsuki et son renard

Chapitre 5

Another quarter of an hour passed. Suddenly, he smashed his wine glass, stood up abruptly, and glared fiercely at the window, trying to look downstairs. But then a cry of alarm came from across the street; it seemed someone had fallen, landing on top of another person behind them. The other person was frantically trying to help them up.

Seeing the person opposite him staring at him with their mouth agape in astonishment, he sat down again and drank.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and he could no longer bear it. This woman must be too afraid of this scene to show herself. Humph, why should he waste his time on such a coward? She dared to play tricks on him like that, but didn't have the guts to show herself in front of everyone. Coward!

But as soon as he got downstairs, he happened to see the woman acting suspiciously, wearing a veil, and almost prostrating herself before him!

He initially intended to respond with a cold laugh, but suddenly he stretched out his hand, indicating that if he was going to act, he would act well!

————————————————————————————

"Be careful." His voice was cold, yet it seemed to possess a magical quality, echoing so clearly that people ten meters away could hear it clearly.

Xi Ri simply nodded, and the two of them simultaneously withdrew their hands and arms from each other.

"Please!" Long Ming said with a slight smile, and without waiting for her, turned around and went upstairs.

Xi Ri shook her silk fan to dispel some of the heat from her recent embarrassing moment. Taking a few deep breaths, she mustered her courage, ignored the countless eager eyes outside, and turned to signal to Tian Yong and Tian Shuang, who were being held back at the door, that she should wait outside.

She then leisurely lifted her skirt and went upstairs, reminding herself as she walked to be mindful of her posture, her figure, and the evenness of her footsteps...

Upon reaching the third floor, she gently lowered the hem of her skirt, straightened it with her hands, and then looked up to find Long Ming. She easily spotted him.

As the sun set, golden light streamed in through the window, falling on his shoulders. Even so, he exuded no gentleness, remaining aloof and arrogant. He seemed utterly indifferent to her, continuing to drink his wine. The table was bare except for a pot of wine and a wine glass.

It seems this invitation doesn't even qualify as a trap.

Xi Ri lowered her head slightly, a fleeting look of disgust crossing her eyes. She walked to the other side of the table, not even glancing at the person opposite her, and sat down without any politeness, lifting her skirt.

With a few clattering sounds, a neatly dressed waiter respectfully went up to the third floor, quickly approached the table, and handed over the menu.

Suddenly, the person opposite me asked softly, "What would you like to eat?"

It was truly sudden, because the voice made Xi Ri's hair stand on end. Was it being asked about her? It didn't sound like it at all.

Xi Ri looked at the opposite side in surprise, only to see that the person opposite seemed to have changed in an instant.

A lazy air hung between his brows, and his entire being exuded leisure and relaxation. The gentle smile on his face, in particular, made Xi Ri feel an unprecedented sense of dread. She steadied herself and reached for the menu, but couldn't grasp it; the waiter held it tightly. Xi Ri looked up and saw—alas!—the waiter was staring dumbfounded at Long Ming's smile. It seemed she wasn't the only one intimidated.

She coughed, but the waiter didn't react. She poked the waiter's arm with her finger, but still no reaction. Fine, she simply stood up and yanked the menu over with both hands. Only then did the waiter come to his senses and quickly apologize.

This move, however, drew a sneer from the person opposite.

Pretending not to hear, he opened the menu and examined it carefully. It seemed that today was indeed another trap.

"Squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, Biluo shrimp, stir-fried cabbage, chicken oil bok choy, watermelon chicken, um... and a lung soup, okay, that's all for now."

The waiter noted down the names of the dishes and then respectfully asked Long Ming for her opinion, but Long Ming waved her hand and said, "That's all. She decides."

The waiter, who repeatedly answered "yes," stared at her intently for a few moments before smiling obsequiously and going downstairs to prepare.

Xi Ri looked at Long Ming strangely, puzzled by his sudden change in behavior, but her bad premonition grew stronger.

His expression remained gentle, but he wasn't looking at her; instead, he was looking at the wine glass in his hand, and asked, seemingly out of boredom, "You're not from Suzhou, so how do you know about these famous Suzhou dishes?"

Xi Ri frowned and said impatiently, "Young Master Long, since you've abandoned everyone else to come see me alone in such a grand manner, is this all you wanted to say?"

“Of course not,” Long Ming narrowed his eyes, as if savoring the carving on the celadon wine cup in his hand. “I just wanted to have a meal with you.”

I used to think it was nothing special.

He paused slightly, raised his eyelids, and stared at her with icy eyes. Suddenly, he reverted to his original expression, his change of expression as swift as turning the pages of a book: "By the way, let me tell you..."

She waited for him to casually tell her that this was the most important thing.

"If you can pass this test, I promise to try to accept your affection for me."

Huh? What?

Xi Ri not only opened her eyes and mouth in surprise, but also felt both amused and exasperated, as if it were the funniest joke she had ever heard since she could understand human speech!

"Hmph, don't be too happy yet. If you don't pass, you might die."

Haha, is the guy in front of me a madman? I used to have this urge to pin him to the ground and crush him into mincemeat.

"However, this time, if you die, don't become a vengeful ghost to haunt me; if you are crippled, don't make me take responsibility! This is just a chance, and you can choose whether to take it or not. Hmph, let me tell you, not everyone has this kind of opportunity."

Ah… Xi Ri struggled to control her fist, which had clenched into a fist, and said with trembling, gritted teeth and a crazed look in her eyes, “Of course we can’t let this opportunity slip by! We can’t!”

Long Ming rolled his eyes at her. He knew it; this woman was almost crazy about him. Look how excited she was.

At this point, the two of them had nothing more to say. Long Ming felt that he had said everything he needed to say, and all he could do was wait for the result. But for some reason, looking at the woman who was wolfing down her food and had completely lost her ladylike demeanor, he seemed to be starting to look forward to the outcome.

Xi Ri had already torn off the veil that was getting in the way, stuffing her mouth full, gripping chopsticks tightly in one hand and a chicken leg in the other, stepping on one foot with the other, not allowing any part of her body to move freely, otherwise she was afraid she wouldn't be able to hold back... and that wouldn't be fun... Thinking about it carefully, she realized that she was also looking forward to it... looking forward to... looking forward to the day when he would completely break down.

The Rules of Longming Tea

Each with their own thoughts, they remained silent for a moment.

At this moment, chaos reigned outside Wanxi Tower.

Who is this woman? Why is she wearing a veil? What does she look like? Is she as beautiful as an angel? Why is Young Master Long being so gentle with her? Lover? Fiancée? What is their relationship? Which family's daughter is she? What are she doing with Young Master Long at Wanxi Restaurant? Why are they alone? Wait, wait…

Too many whys, too many guesses, too many possibilities caused chaos in the crowd, with those who disagreed arguing on the spot.

Later, a man carrying a birdcage, who looked to be from a well-off family, finally stepped forward and questioned Tian Shuang and Tian Yong. At first, Tian Shuang and Tian Yong remained silent with cold faces.

Initially, the crowd was somewhat wary of Tian Yong's burly appearance, but once the man carrying the birdcage started, they all joined in. Everyone chimed in with their questions, one after another, men and women alike. With so many people around, they naturally became bolder and no longer cared about their fears. The questions became increasingly pointed and the arguments increasingly unreasonable.