Fang Wenshi stood in the courtyard, gazing blankly at the sky. Two things in succession should have ended in glorious success, yet both had collapsed miserably, leaving him battered and humiliated, his confidence badly shaken. "This isn't the sort of work a strategist should be doing." He muttered softly to himself.
The first had happened last night. Xu Yanwei had come to meet him in secret, and everything had gone well at first. The food was delicious, the fine wine had lifted their spirits, and their excitement had quickly risen. When Fang Wenshi told her that the Dragon King knew their "secret," Xu Yanwei had remained remarkably calm. "So what? I'm not his woman, and you're not his pretty boy. The Dragon King may control heaven and earth, but does he control what we do in bed?"
"No, no, the Dragon King doesn't." Fang Wenshi set down his wine cup and straightened his posture. "Yanwei, I've made up my mind."
"Made up your mind about what?" Xu Yanwei asked in bewilderment. "Decided not to get any fatter? Then at least finish this meal first, all right?"
Fang Wenshi sighed inwardly. Back when they had not been so familiar, Xu Yanwei had been so petite, so charming and delicate. Even eating had looked like a kitten meeting strangers for the first time: take one bite, then lift her head for a peek. Now she held a wine cup in one hand and something glistening with oil in the other, her chopsticks tossed onto the table, looking every inch a female bandit.
But this was both a mission and a punishment. Fang Wenshi steeled his heart and declared righteously, "I've decided to take you as my wife. Of course, not right now. We'll wait until the City Lord's martial contest is over