Lin Qingyao Grew Anxious
As soon as the group stepped out of Phoenix Perching Tower, they ran into the Lin brothers, Lin Shan and Lin Yue, who had come looking for them.
Lin Yue strode forward to greet him, his tone tinged with urgency:
"I finally found you! I woke up this morning and didn't see you come for breakfast. I thought you just woke up late, so I didn't think much of it. The sun was already high in the sky when I went to look for you, only to find out that you hadn't come home all night."
My younger sister got anxious and urged us to come out and look for you right away.
We didn't know where you went, we only knew you went to Phoenix Perching Tower for drinks. We had to ask around for a while before we found out you were here.
Lin Shan nodded, his expression relaxing slightly. "It's good to see you're alright."
Shen Jingchuan stepped forward and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:
"Brother Lin, I drank too much last night and couldn't get back in time. I'm sorry to have worried you."
Zhou Tong quickly followed, smiling as he clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute to the two of them.
"Brother Lin, you missed out. Last night, a few of us brothers had a small gathering, and Young Master Shen wrote several superb poems on the spot. We all got quite drunk. By the time we left, it was already curfew, so we had to make do here for the night."
In this world, it was common for scholars and literati to stay in brothels, and Lin Shan and Lin Yue didn't take it to heart.
As they were talking, a waiter from Phoenix Perching Tower had already brought over a black lacquered carriage and stopped at the foot of the steps. Bai Ruoli and Qinghe both wore veiled hats to cover their faces, and they bowed and got into the carriage while holding onto the edge of the carriage.
Lin Yue was so focused on talking to Shen Jingchuan that he hadn't paid any attention to anyone else. Now that he saw the two women get into the car, he paused for a moment and instinctively looked at Shen Jingchuan.
Shen Jingchuan said to the two brothers, "I'll tell you when we get back."
He turned and said goodbye to Zhou Tong, Xu Mo, and Su Yan, then lifted the carriage curtain and got inside.
Lin Shan and Lin Yue mounted their horses and, with their carriage in tow, headed back to the inn along the long street.
The carriage wheels rolled slowly along the cobblestones. Inside the carriage, Bai Ruoli nestled gently against Shen Jingchuan, while Qinghe sat opposite her, her eyes lowered as she stared at the hem of her skirt, too embarrassed to look in their direction.
Shen Jingchuan didn't speak, but he was thinking about what happened last night.
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became: he had drunk far too much last night, and as the alcohol took effect, he couldn't remember most of what he had said or done.
If, in a moment of intoxication, someone accidentally reveals the secret of their ability to travel between the two worlds, that would be a huge problem.
He secretly realized that he must never drink to the point of blacking out at such social occasions again; it was too dangerous—even if he had the ability to travel the world, what good would it do to be so drunk that he was unconscious and something dangerous actually happened?
Then he remembered something else: his teacher was leaving for Beijing today, and he had originally planned to see him off. But after all that happened last night, the teacher must have left long ago, which was really impolite of him.
Just as he was feeling annoyed, his large hand touched the slender waist of the person beside him, and he remembered her earnest appearance this morning, with red eyes, wanting to take out her secret stash of money.
To have such a beautiful and kind-hearted woman is truly worthwhile. With that thought, he tightened his grip on her slender waist, holding her even closer.
Bai Ruoli noticed his movement, glanced at him quickly, then hurriedly lowered her head, her ear tips turning slightly red, and shyly leaned closer to him.
The group arrived at the backyard of the inn, got out of the car, and entered the courtyard.
Lin Qingyao was sitting at the stone table in the courtyard, looking restless and anxiously staring at the direction of the courtyard gate.
Upon seeing Shen Jingchuan, she immediately stood up and hurried over. Just as she was about to speak, she caught a glimpse of two women wearing veiled hats following behind him.
Her face was veiled, revealing only the lower half of her face with its soft lines. She had a slender figure and was clearly a woman of outstanding beauty.
She stopped abruptly, swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue, and stood there blankly, unable to react for a moment.
Shen Jingchuan was actually a little uneasy. He wasn't stupid; he could sense Lin Qingyao's feelings to some extent, and he himself was quite fond of this cheerful and bright girl. But now that he had brought her back, he couldn't just hide it; that would seem petty. He didn't beat around the bush:
"Qingyao, this is Miss Bai Ruoli, and next to her is her maid Qinghe. I redeemed them from Phoenix Perching Tower this morning, and they will be settled here for now."
They spoke directly, making no attempt to conceal the two women's past as prostitutes, nor did they offer any polite explanations such as "it was just something they did while drunk."
He knew that the more he explained, the more guilty he would feel, so he simply remained open and let her figure it out herself.
Lin Qingyao's smile froze for a moment, and her fingers unconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand.
She had long expected that someone as talented and handsome as Young Master Shen would eventually have women by his side, but she hadn't anticipated that they would arrive so quickly, and that he would be redeemed directly from a brothel.
Bai Ruoli, of course she knew who she was, the most beautiful of the Eight Beauties of the Great Qian Kingdom, whose beauty was renowned far and wide.
A bittersweet feeling welled up inside her, but she didn't lose her composure. She quickly regained her composure, gave Bai Ruoli a slight nod, and spoke in a relatively calm tone:
"Miss Bai."
Bai Ruoli, being a perceptive person, immediately noticed the unusual behavior of the young woman before her and guessed the reason. She adopted a humble posture, stepped forward, gave a slight curtsy, and said softly, "Greetings, young lady. I hope I will continue to trouble you."
Shen Jingchuan watched from the side and felt a pang of guilt when he saw Lin Qingyao trying to appear calm. But he also knew that there was no way to have it both ways, and he couldn't let Bai Ruoli suffer just to consider other people's feelings.
He pretended not to notice her emotions and turned to instruct Zhou Hu, who had come to serve him:
"Prepare two side rooms so Miss Bai and the others can rest first."
Liu Hu led Bai Ruoli and her servant to a small courtyard on the side to settle them in, leaving only Shen Jingchuan and Lin Qingyao in the courtyard in the blink of an eye.
Lin Qingyao silently turned her back, tears welling up and falling silently onto the back of her hand. It wasn't jealousy or envy, but rather a tightness in her chest and a deep sense of grievance.
When she was injured in the accident, it was Shen Jingchuan who saved her, treated the arrow wound on her back, and even cleaned her body thoroughly.
In this world, the separation of men and women is extremely important, and this matter has already seriously damaged her reputation.
She never mentioned it aloud, but in her heart she had already accepted him, considering him a responsible gentleman who would give her an explanation sooner or later.
But after waiting for so long, she didn't hear any marriage proposal. Instead, she saw him redeem a stunningly beautiful woman from a brothel.
She was a pure and innocent young woman, cherishing this affection and hoping and hoping, only to find that a chance encounter at a banquet was more precious.
The more she thought about it, the more her nose stung. She bit her lip, refusing to cry out, her shoulders trembling slightly, and even her back view exuded a sense of loneliness.