"Nuannuan, you're a beauty of the High Tang. You should be wearing High Tang palace attire—why would you want to wear clothes from the Qing dynasty?" I couldn't help stopping in my tracks. Although I felt more at ease in the leisurely style of Ming-dynasty ladies, today's outfit of hers was indeed much fresher.
The vivid colors set off her charming face. Her eyelashes were long, and her large, bright eyes now held a glimmer of curiosity. Looking even more dazzling, she asked, "Isn't it pretty?"
"Of course it is." I smiled.
"If it's pretty, why don't you ever look at me more in ordinary times?" Qi Nuannuan's smile held a trace of subtle temptation, the kind that could catch a man off guard.
"When there are many people around, I don't dare profane you. When there are few, I don't get many chances," I said shamelessly. Qi Nuannuan immediately giggled, slowly rose to her feet, and extended her slender jade fingers. Her beautiful nail guards were crystalline and exquisite, perfectly displaying the beauty of gold inlaid with jade. "Then how about these?"
I reached out and took them. Smiling, I said, "What? Have you started playing Qing palace dramas lately?"
"Hehe, isn't it all because Shanshan led me astray? Afraid the few of us would be bored with nothing to do, she somehow got hold of another pile of films and told us to watch them when we were bored. You know how close I am with Qian, Daimei, Wanyi, and the others. Sometimes we get together and tinker with clothing designs from different dynasties. Today, we said we'd come welcome you, so we dressed more casually and I thought of trying this outfit." Qi Nuannuan gently took my hand. I smiled and said, "No wonder everything was a