Zhu Juntang studied Liu Chang'an intently. She had imagined countless times how it would feel to see him again—whether she would be excited, reserved, or simply threaten him like the emperors of old and demand that he reveal the source of his secrets.
What she hadn't expected was for Liu Chang'an to pick up where they had left off that night, before he jumped. He simply continued the conversation.
What did he think this was, a storytelling performance? Was he going to launch straight into "Previously on..."?
You didn't say "Tune in next time" last time, either.
While she was lost in thought, Liu Chang'an fell silent. Zhu Juntang came back to herself. "Why did you stop?"
"After that, I became Liu He, Liu Che's grandson. I was emperor for a few days, then a little girl from the Shangguan Family deposed me. At least I wasn't locked up again so easily. I somehow muddled through, doing nothing most of the time and occasionally struggling to get somewhere, and survived until now."
"And then?"
"That's it. I can't make up any more."
"Make up?"
"Mm."
Liu Chang'an and Zhu Juntang looked at each other.
Liu Chang'an's eyes were dark and glimmering. Zhu Juntang's were large, with a faint reflective sheen like a cat's, making them look especially bright and lively. She narrowed them slightly, her lashes fluttering as her eyes grew long and slender, lending her a young woman's allure.
The night wind picked up. Zhu Juntang's rounded, straight legs pressed together, so close that even light seemed unable to pass between them. Her white stockings glowed softly in the night, while her billowing skirt swayed like the petals of a parting-grass flower beneath a Butterfly's feet. She pointed forcefully toward the ground below. "Jump off the building for me."
"No." Liu Chang'an rejected her without hesitation. "You tell me to jump, and I'm supposed to do it?"
That was what Zhu Juntang had said to Liu Chang'an back then. She hadn't expected him to remember. She didn't mind his pettiness, though; at that moment, her feelings were complicated.
"You jumped so casually that night!"
She was a little excited, but tried to keep it under control. The wind kept blowing, and that helped her stay calm.
It all felt absurd, like a dream. She doubted herself and the Liu Chang'an standing before her, and wanted to confirm it again.
What she wanted most was to stand there while Liu Chang'an jumped, then came back up, then jumped again, over and over, ten times or so. Zhu Juntang thought that might help her gradually accept reality.
"Just jump, and I'll give you anything you want." Zhu Juntang tried to coax Liu Chang'an off the building, brimming with confidence.
Liu Chang'an laughed. What a foolish woman.
"I'm Zhu Juntang, the third daughter of the Zhu Family. This building beneath your feet belongs to me. Even without counting the Zhu Family's assets, my own holdings would easily make the Forbes list." Zhu Juntang spoke calmly, trying to persuade him. "So what if you have superpowers? You still have to live in this real world. You need material comforts, spiritual fulfillment, and physical pleasure... As long as you have desires, I can satisfy them all."
As she spoke, Zhu Juntang pointed toward the city below. "I'm a fairy. Anyone who can satisfy a fairy can have anything they want."
Zhu Juntang thought Liu Chang'an's story about being immortal might really have been made up. But if that night hadn't been a dream, then he definitely had superpowers.
When she called herself a fairy, she genuinely believed it. Liu Chang'an had seen all kinds of people, and plenty of delusional ones—especially among emperors and feudal lords, many of whom had been completely mad.
"By your logic, I have superpowers. Why wouldn't I use them to satisfy my own desires instead of relying on you?" Liu Chang'an was somewhat curious about Zhu Juntang's self-assured, foolish mind, full of ambition and arrogance.
"You're obviously not stupid. Your refusal to admit it now... Whether you acknowledge it or not, that's a sign of respect for the world we ordinary people rule." Zhu Juntang raised her chin slightly and walked step by step toward Liu Chang'an. "People need faith, and they may worship gods, but rulers don't need gods to actually appear. If they do, those gods will be destroyed. The same goes for people with superpowers."
"You can only live quietly in this world. Even if your superpowers can help you get rich, how much can you really gain? And from the way you are now, I don't think you're good at using your abilities to make money. That's why we can work together. You have superpowers, and I have worldly splendor. We each get what we need. Why refuse?"
Zhu Juntang looked at Liu Chang'an with complete confidence. She couldn't imagine why he would turn her down.
"Turn around," Liu Chang'an said.
Zhu Juntang turned around excitedly. It looked like Liu Chang'an was about to demonstrate his jump.
A great force struck Zhu Juntang's bottom. She cried out in surprise as she felt herself fly into the air!
Splash!
Liu Chang'an had kicked Zhu Juntang into the swimming pool. He had been careful to control his strength. A fairy only needed a little lesson; he didn't want to leave the little flower battered and broken.
Zhu Juntang surfaced, swept her disheveled hair aside, and slapped the water furiously as she glared at Liu Chang'an.
"Liu Chang'an, have you gone crazy?"
"Zhu Juntang, you're the crazy one." Liu Chang'an walked to the pool's edge, patted her on the head, and pushed her under the water a little. He watched her bob up and down like a buoy a few times. "Of course I have my limits, but do you think I'd be in awe of you? Your stupidity makes you adorable."
Zhu Juntang glared at him. She had never been so humiliated. Even if Third Miss Zhu took a tumble on the lawn, the maids and servants would panic. Every last hair on her head was looked after with the utmost care. This pain and humiliation inflicted by someone else was entirely new to Zhu Juntang, and it made her furious.
Zhu Juntang knocked Liu Chang'an's hand away and climbed out of the pool, standing before him drenched from head to toe.
Her stockings had gone sheer, and her skirt clung tightly to her body. The once-fluffy fabric had merely soaked up a lot of water, though, and nothing was exposed. Zhu Juntang shivered, glared fiercely at Liu Chang'an, then trembled as she reached out. Her fingers twitched, but she finally grabbed Liu Chang'an's sleeve and silently led him downstairs.
Zhong Qing was waiting below. She couldn't bring herself to leave Zhu Juntang and Liu Chang'an alone on the roof.
Seeing Zhu Juntang's state, Zhong Qing was startled. She hurriedly called the servants over. Some brought towels, some brought hot water, and some came carrying blankets. They scrambled about as if something terrible had happened.
"Zhong Qing, stay with him. Don't let him fly away." Zhu Juntang spoke without turning around. She didn't want outsiders admiring her in this state for too long. Zhu Juntang had always been an elegant, noble fairy.
Fly away? Zhong Qing didn't understand, but she knew Zhu Juntang would want to see Liu Chang'an again once she came back out.
Liu Chang'an didn't mind Zhu Juntang assigning him another superpower, and he wasn't in a hurry to leave. He was on night watch tonight, and the night was long. Fan Jian probably wouldn't mind him passing the time upstairs.
Zhong Qing led Liu Chang'an into the living room. Seeing that he still hadn't forgotten his helmet and flashlight, she took a deep breath and suppressed her astonishment and anger. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Tea."
A servant brought over a pot of tea, its fragrance filling the room. Liu Chang'an took a sniff. It was an exceptionally fine tea, though he couldn't somehow taste which master had roasted which batch of leaves from which tea tree in which place.
Zhong Qing watched Liu Chang'an drink his tea. "May I ask what happened just now?"
"She thought I should be in awe of her, so I kicked her into the swimming pool to clear her head." Liu Chang'an frowned. "Why didn't you tell her she wasn't a fairy?"
"Third Miss Zhu is a fairy, of course." Zhong Qing enunciated each word. She wouldn't say she had watched Zhu Juntang grow up, but she had been by her side for a long time. She felt a strong sense of belonging to the Zhu Family and had affection for Zhu Juntang, too. Zhong Qing felt some of the humiliation inflicted on Zhu Juntang herself. "The old madam has called her a little fairy ever since she was a child. Of course she's a fairy. Does she have to be able to fly to count? Or can you fly, so you think someone who can't isn't a fairy?"
Zhong Qing's resentment was plain in her voice. Liu Chang'an just laughed. They had certainly spoiled her rotten. His phone vibrated, and he casually took it out.
The tea's aroma grew richer. The porcelain cup was spotless and smooth, almost as translucent as crystal. After setting down his cup, Liu Chang'an took out his phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to his "online friend." He remembered that she liked tea too, and from time to time she shared articles about tea marketing with him.
Zhong Qing saw what he was doing and sent a servant to fetch a tea set to give to Liu Chang'an.
"Third Miss will definitely seek you out again. I hope you won't be so insolent to her in the future." Zhong Qing didn't want to threaten Liu Chang'an. In her view, there was something wrong with his head, and neither threats nor inducements seemed to work. In other words, ordinary methods wouldn't work on him.
"The Master said there are three kinds of beneficial friends and three kinds of harmful friends. Friends who are upright, trustworthy, and well-informed are beneficial. Friends who are obsequious, flattering, and glib are harmful. If you really care about her, you should tell her she isn't a fairy everyone will indulge, instead of encouraging her to become even more conceited." Liu Chang'an waved a hand. "She was the insolent one, not me."
"If you like quoting the Master, didn't Confucius also say that a gentleman uses words, not fists? She was only a little arrogant, and you kicked her into the swimming pool? She's a girl, and you're a man!" Zhong Qing said angrily.
"He didn't say that," Liu Chang'an corrected her. "I've made it clear many times that I don't want to see her, yet you've come to bother me again and again at her bidding. I threw her into the pool instead of you and gave her only a small punishment. That was already quite reasonable. Right and wrong don't depend on whether someone is a man or a woman."
Right and wrong don't depend on whether someone is a man or a woman? Zhong Qing hoped that Liu Chang'an would stick to that principle once he got a girlfriend and argue with her every single day.
But Liu Chang'an did have a point, and he laid it out so clearly that Zhong Qing felt Zhu Juntang had brought this on herself. Liu Chang'an hadn't done anything wrong at all.
She wasn't willing to accept that. Zhong Qing wanted to get even, but Liu Chang'an was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, and his fists were too strong.
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