Climbing the Balcony

Qin Yanan made a late-night snack and ate with Liu Chang'an. By then, the night was as still and deep as still water. The city lights in the distance, however, showed no signs of sleepiness and continued to fight against the omnipresent darkness before dawn.

Qin Yanan brought over a square bamboo tray with a small knife, a small dish of salt, and a few oranges.

These oranges are slightly sour, but taste wonderful when dipped in salt.

Qin Yanan was slicing an orange with a small knife. Liu Chang'an looked at her hand and the water-stained blade of the knife, and suddenly thought of Zhou Bangyan's "A Youthful Journey".

"The knife is as smooth as water, the Wu salt is whiter than snow, and slender fingers peel a fresh orange." Liu Chang'an felt it was very fitting. It turns out that there have always been so many beautiful moments throughout history, moments imbued with poetic and picturesque charm.

Qin Yanan's heart trembled slightly, her cheeks flushed, and her long hair, hanging down, covered half of her face. With a flick of her fingers, the blade sliced through her fingers without leaving a trace.

"What are you saying?" Qin Yanan quickly concealed her inner turmoil. Was he implying something by reciting this poem at this moment?

"I'm saying, look at this knife, it's sharp and keen. Look at this salt, it's salty and white. Your fingers have peeled an orange!" After Liu Chang'an finished singing, he was slightly embarrassed because the different interpretations in ancient and modern times were worlds apart. He couldn't help but want to apologize to Zhou Bangyan: Old Zhou, it's not my fault, I was just imitating Kris Wu's style.

Qin Yanan rolled her eyes at Liu Chang'an, realizing she had indeed overthought things. This man's flirting skills and charm were all reserved for An Nuan; he wouldn't use so many fancy hints in front of others.

After finishing his orange, Liu Chang'an rested for a while, then took another orange and left.

Qin Yanan was slightly annoyed, and of course she wouldn't use the later lines of "A Youthful Journey" to persuade him to stay. She asked in a low voice, "Where will you stay for the night? It's already past midnight, and the horses slip on the thick frost. It would be better to stay; there are very few people traveling there."

He had just read the first few lines of "A Young Man's Journey" and thought he was implying that she wanted him to stay overnight.

This poem is about Li Shishi and Zhao Er. Qin Yanan thought about it and realized that Liu Chang'an was not like Zhao Er, and she herself was not like Li Shishi. She should rest early and think about what to say to Su Nanxiu tomorrow.

Liu Chang'an walked down the mountain. The mountain breeze rustled through the treetops and settled down along the mountain path, only slightly ruffling his hair. When he stood on the main road at the bottom of the mountain, he felt the bleakness and chill of the autumn wind.

He looked up at the mountaintop, but could no longer see the viewing platform that jutted out from the top. He had just casually recited Zhou Bangyan's "A Youthful Journey" and remembered the scene of their tryst. "The brocade curtains are warm, and we sit facing each other playing the sheng."

I couldn't help but feel a restless urge.

Liu Chang'an can play many instruments, but I think An Nuan probably only knows how to whistle. I can teach her to play the sheng when I have time.

The sheng is one of the oldest musical instruments that Liu Chang'an has mastered since the birth of human civilization. It is also the earliest musical instrument in human history to use free reeds. Its sound is clear and elegant, and one can immediately feel the temperament emanating from the essence of China civilization.

Liu Chang'an slowly walked to the Juyuan residential area and arrived at An Nuan's apartment building.

The advantage of lower floors is that it is convenient to enter and exit, but the windows are often equipped with burglar bars. Liu Yuewang's house has two connected balconies, which do not have burglar bars. One balcony is outside Liu Yuewang's bedroom, and the other is outside her study. Both balconies have separate doors that can be opened to lead to the interior.

Under the swaying shade of the trees and the gentle moonlight, Liu Chang'an reached the balcony, stood outside the study door, and texted An Nuan, "I'm on the balcony of the study."

An Nuan sent a bunch of panda emojis to express her shock.

Liu Chang'an waited for a while before he heard some noises coming from the study. Then the door slowly opened, and he could hear An Nuan's heavy, tense breathing even through the door.

Liu Chang'an walked in, An Nuan looked at him nervously and excitedly. She had thought she would have to wait until she returned from the National Day holiday to meet him, but she did not expect him to come over in the middle of the night.

"Why did you climb onto the balcony? My mom's asleep. I'll open the front door for you." An Nuan tiptoed and closed the balcony door.

"Climbing onto the balcony makes the affair feel more intimate," Liu Chang'an said, a man who appreciated romance.

"Steal your big head! Hurry up and change your shoes." An Nuan was still carrying a pair of slippers, ready to go.

Liu Chang'an changed his shoes and handed them to her. Liu Chang'an put the shoes in a plastic bag and then explained in a low voice, "If your shoes get wet with dew or grass leaves and are left inside, it'll be hard to explain if my mom finds out."

"Clever," Liu Chang'an praised.

An Nuan pulled Liu Chang'an and carefully left the study, returning to her room. An Nuan gently closed the door, then took a dress to be washed and placed it under the door to cover the gap. After carefully checking it, she turned on the room light.

"You're very experienced!" Liu Chang'an couldn't help but laugh.

"That's common sense, okay! Everyone's done that!" An Nuan chuckled twice. "I used to lose track of time reading novels in my room, and my mom would get up in the middle of the night, see a light coming from under the door, knock on the door, and yell at me to go to sleep."

"From worrying about your parents finding out you're secretly reading novels, to worrying about your parents finding out you and your boyfriend are having a secret rendezvous, this is a kind of growth." Liu Chang'an looked at An Nuan with satisfaction.

"You're going to die!"

An Nuan playfully punched him, then sat on the edge of the bed, hugging a pillow and pulling the blanket over her legs. A shy smile played on her lips as she looked at him, a mixture of reproach and annoyance on her face. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"Here's an orange for you." Liu Chang'an took the oranges he had brought out of his pocket.

An Nuan couldn't help but find it a little funny. Her boyfriend was always so unpredictable. She knew he hadn't just come to treat her to oranges, but there must be a reason for it.

"I've brushed my teeth, aren't you going to eat?" An Nuan held the orange in her hand and pointed to the stool by the bed, gesturing for Liu Chang'an to sit down.

"While eating oranges, I remembered a poem by Zhou Bangyan about Li Shishi and Zhao Er's date. After eating oranges, Li Shishi asked Zhao Er to stay overnight." Liu Chang'an's lips curled up slightly as he watched An Nuan's pretty face gradually turn pink.

"You're dreaming! I don't eat oranges, so I won't let you stay overnight!" An Nuan was incredibly embarrassed, her heart pounding. Did he really intend to stay the night with her? Although they had been in a relationship for a long time and had done many intimate things, this sudden turn of events still caught An Nuan off guard... At most, she had imagined him forcing himself on her, her inability to resist, and being forced by him, leaving her with tears of girlish heartache.

"The most interesting part of this poem is how Zhou Bangyan knew about Li Shishi's rendezvous with Zhao Er. Zhou Bangyan was in Li Shishi's room before, and when Zhao Er came, Zhou Bangyan had to hide under the bed... This man, hearing his beloved woman on a date with another man, could still compose such a tender poem—he's incredibly audacious. Li Shishi, with someone under her bed, still insisted Zhao Er stay the night—she's quite a remarkable woman." Liu Chang'an pointed to the orange. "This will be our secret code for future meetings. Give me an orange, or I'll give you an orange, and I'll come find you that night."

"What nonsense! Are you comparing me to Li Shishi? Why don't you check under my bed to see if there's a Zhou Bangyan there!" An Nuan looked at Liu Chang'an with feigned anger, holding the orange in her hand, but suddenly felt that the orange had become a special kind of fruit.

"You're much prettier than Li Shishi." Liu Chang'an carefully examined An Nuan's features. "You're the most beautiful woman in five thousand years of history; I'm the most authoritative person to say that."

"I'm not that pretty." An Nuan sometimes thought she was quite pretty when she looked in the mirror, a little narcissistic, but Liu Chang'an's words were too exaggerated. This was a typical case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder. Xishi An Nuan was certainly aware of her own appearance, but the joy in her heart turned her nervousness and shyness into a soft sweetness... "You are the most beautiful in five thousand years of history," how much did he like her to say such a thing?

Liu Chang'an didn't care whether his views were objective or fair; aesthetics and taste were, after all, private matters.

"It would be even more perfect if her breasts were a little bigger." Liu Chang'an was still a bit picky; otherwise, he wouldn't have invented the <Zhenwei Technique> for An Nuan to practice.

An Nuan put down the orange, grabbed a pillow and hit Liu Chang'an dozens of times before finally putting down the pillow, panting. After thinking for a moment, she picked up the orange, lifted the blanket to cover her upper body, fiddled with her hands under the blanket for a while, then put the blanket down and puffed out her chest in front of Liu Chang'an.

After only a couple of thrusts, An Nuan couldn't help but laugh. She rolled off the bed and took the opportunity to reach under her pajamas and pull out the orange.

"This orange is mine." Liu Chang'an quickly grabbed the orange back.

"Give it back!" An Nuan was deeply embarrassed.

Liu Chang'an held the orange in his hand, squeezed it, and rubbed his fingers on the orange while looking at An Nuan with a subtle expression.

An Nuan couldn't stand his gaze any longer, so she got up and snatched the orange. Liu Chang'an didn't resist and let her take it... What did the orange matter? It was all his anyway.

"Stop fooling around. I'm here to remind you to practice the Zhenwei Technique," Liu Chang'an said seriously. "You need to grow taller, and your overall development needs to keep up, otherwise it won't be as harmonious and perfect."

"I've been practicing lately," An Nuan admitted softly, holding the orange. She had only been teasing her; in reality, her breasts were much larger than the orange's.

"That's good. I'll give you a massage tonight and help you get some extra nutrition, so you won't be so tired while you're traveling and taking care of the two elderly people and your mother." Liu Chang'an had a serious matter to discuss with him tonight.

"To supplement nutrition?" An Nuan looked at the orange. Was this orange some kind of highly nutritious variety?

Liu Chang'an helped An Nuan lie down, took a wet wipe from the bedside to clean his hands, and began to perform limb traction and massage on her. In fact, this technique was not particularly magical, but the key was that it was combined with the essence he transmitted to her when they kissed, which made it have a significant effect.

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