"Uh..."
Xiao Yang felt inexplicably guilty, as if he'd been caught sneaking around behind someone's back.
"Miss Yan, I'm cultivating a secret art. I need to do it in a spring, with flower petals!" Xiao Yang made up an excuse.
"I see."
Yan Ruyu nodded, showing no suspicion.
"By the way, Miss Yan, why are you here?" Xiao Yang asked.
"Jiu Lang, at the Lanting Poetry Gathering, didn't I give you my address and invite you to meet me for poetry? You took so long to come, so I came to find you!"
Yan Ruyu smiled faintly, dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth. She was especially captivating.
Xiao Yang, however, was at a loss for words.
When did I ever agree to that?
"Miss Yan, please go back. It's the middle of the night, and we're alone together in the same room. Surely that wouldn't be appropriate?" Xiao Yang urged.
"You're unmarried, and I'm unmarried. So what if people gossip?"
Yan Ruyu suddenly moved closer to Xiao Yang, almost pressing herself against him.
She had a sweet fragrance about her too, but hers was more intense, intoxicating.
"Miss Yan, I'm about to rest. You should head back," Xiao Yang said, ushering her out once more.
It wasn't that he was truly indifferent to women.
He just felt that Yan Ruyu had a naturally bewitching charm. Every frown and smile of hers seemed designed to entice, and she reminded him a little of the scheming women from his past life.
Besides, at the Lanting Poetry Gathering, she'd mingled with so many talented scholars, drawing admirers wherever she went and charming everyone with her social graces.
By comparison, he preferred someone like Ning Hongye!
She might have been aloof and proud, but she was utterly devoted.
Once she chose someone, she gave him everything without reservation, willing to sacrifice all she had.
Yan Ruyu suddenly looked a little dejected. She'd been so forward, yet Xiao Yang was still unmoved.
For the first time in her life, she began to doubt her own charm.
But she didn't give up. She suddenly took out a wine flask and poured two cups.
"Jiu Lang, this is 'Immortal's Draught,' a fine wine found only in Central Province. It's specially reserved for the imperial family, and it took quite a bit of effort to get my hands on a flask!"
"I've been in low spirits lately. If you don't want to see me, I'll leave after we finish this flask!"
Yan Ruyu gave him a pitiful look and pleaded.
"Then I'll humor you..."
Xiao Yang had no choice but to pick up his cup and drain it.
In an instant, warmth spread through his body, leaving him indescribably comfortable.
"Excellent wine!"
Xiao Yang couldn't help exclaiming.
This wine was probably worth a fortune. It contained an extraordinary essence that greatly benefited martial artists, making it even more precious than the collection at King Zhenbei's Mansion.
"Jiu Lang, aren't you going to ask why I'm in a bad mood?" Yan Ruyu asked suddenly.
What does your bad mood have to do with me?
Xiao Yang was at a loss for words. But since he'd drunk her fine wine, he could only ask, "Why?"
"I've fallen for a man, but he has no interest in me. No matter how I try to win him over, he remains so cold and heartless. Tell me... what should I do?" Yan Ruyu said.
Those words were incredibly bold, practically a confession.
In truth, Yan Ruyu wasn't some social butterfly.
As the academy's only Female Master Teacher, she had her own pride and reserve.
No matter how persistently Second Prince Xiao Ziwen pursued her, she'd never been moved.
Yet from the moment she met Xiao Yang, it was as if he'd captured her heart.
It wasn't just that their unusual constitutions were exceptionally compatible.
More importantly, that night, Xiao Yang had composed a hundred poems over drinks, displaying such talent that he'd stunned everyone.
Every single one could have been celebrated for generations!
Yet he'd recited more than a hundred in one sitting, winning her over completely.
These past few days, Xiao Yang hadn't sought her out, but she couldn't stop thinking about him. She often saw his face in her dreams.
Xiao Yang pondered her question for a moment, then suddenly said, "Perhaps the greatest distance in the world is between a bird and a fish. One soars through the sky, while the other sinks beneath the sea. Miss Yan, matters of the heart can't be forced!"
Yan Ruyu stared at him, biting her lip stubbornly. "What if I insist on forcing it?"
"This..."
Xiao Yang hadn't expected her to be so persistent. He continued, "I'm grateful for your affection, but I'm already engaged to the eldest daughter of the Ning Family. We're holding our engagement banquet next month!"
Yan Ruyu smiled sweetly. "They say that General Ning is ruthless and decisive, and once ordered a city massacred. They also say she has a terrifying appearance! Wouldn't it be a waste for a handsome young gentleman like you to be paired with her?"
"My parents arranged this marriage, and the matchmaker sealed it. How could I go back on it? Besides, His Majesty granted the marriage. No one can change it! Miss Yan, we've finished the wine. You should go back!"
Xiao Yang urged her to leave again.
"Ah..."
Yan Ruyu sighed wistfully and stood up.
To his surprise, the next moment she suddenly threw herself into Xiao Yang's arms, winding her jade-like arms around his. She stopped only when their noses were almost touching.
They were so close that they could hear each other's heartbeats.
"Jiu Lang, look at me properly. I refuse to believe your eyes are completely empty!" Yan Ruyu said, her voice full of feeling.
With soft warmth and fragrance in his arms, Xiao Yang feared he'd lose control.
He could only turn his head, not daring to meet her gaze.
"Jiu Lang, you're not as hard-hearted as you pretend!"
Yan Ruyu gave him a smile radiant enough to outshine a hundred flowers, then drew a uniquely shaped jade pendant from inside her clothes.
"I was born with a piece of jade in my mouth. This spiritual jade came with me from my mother's womb, and I've carried it with me for twenty years."
"My mother told me that if I ever met the man of my dreams, I should give it to him!"
"Today, I'm giving it to you!"
As she spoke, she pressed the jade pendant into Xiao Yang's hand.
If Second Prince Xiao Ziwen heard about this, he'd probably be consumed with envy and jealousy, his eyes turning red.
"Miss Yan, I..." Xiao Yang began.
"If you refuse, I'll smash this jade right here!" Yan Ruyu declared firmly.
"All right. I'll hold on to it for you, for now."
In the end, Xiao Yang accepted it.
How could he not understand Yan Ruyu's feelings?
But the more beautiful a woman was, the more trouble she tended to bring.
She was a renowned Female Master Teacher, and Xiao Yang was already engaged to Ning Hongye.
If he won Yan Ruyu's favor as well, it wouldn't just spark a love triangle—her many admirers might come after him to fight for her!
Still, Yan Ruyu had offered him her sincere affection, and he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
"Miss Yan, since you've given me your jade, how about I give you a poem in return?" Xiao Yang asked.
"Gladly. I'm all ears."
Yan Ruyu knew he was exceptionally gifted, and looked at him expectantly.
"A wealthy man need not buy good fields; books hold a thousand measures of grain."
"One need not build a lofty house to live in comfort; books hold a house of gold."
"Don't lament if you lack a good matchmaker to find a wife; books hold a Yan Ruyu."
"To fulfill the ambitions of your life, study the Six Classics diligently by the window."
Xiao Yang's voice rose and fell as the words flowed smoothly from his lips.
Books hold a Yan Ruyu?
At those words, Yan Ruyu's beautiful eyes lit up brilliantly.
At the Lanting Poetry Gathering, Xiao Yang had composed a poem for Ning Hongye, leaving her terribly envious.
But tonight, he'd crafted an immortal verse just for her!
"Jiu Lang, I knew you had feelings for me!"
Yan Ruyu beamed with joy.
Then she suddenly rose onto her tiptoes and brushed a kiss against Xiao Yang's cheek, light as a dragonfly skimming the water.
Before you continue