When Qin Yanan left, the morning mist had yet to lift. The city's high-rises were blurred from view; all she could see were the narrow lanes and old houses, which made it seem as though she had returned to the old city of the past.
Zhong Qing stood beside a black Maybach S680 and opened the door for Qin Yanan. Then he drove to the nearby Baolong Center.
"Third Miss hasn't gotten up yet." Zhong Qing glanced at the mist in the distance. The Baolong Center's towering silhouette had vanished into it, too.
"I'm a little sleepy myself." Rather than take a high-speed train or a plane, Qin Yanan had come by car. She wasn't quite at the end of her rope after traveling since last night, but she wanted a good rest. Her lodgings in Junsha hadn't been arranged yet, so staying at Zhu Juntang's place for a few days was a good option.
Zhong Qing said nothing more. He drove into the parking garage, and then he and Qin Yanan took the elevator straight to the top floor.
"She really knows how to enjoy herself." Qin Yanan made no effort to hide her envy. She'd noticed that the parking garage where Zhong Qing had parked seemed to be reserved exclusively for Zhu Juntang, completely separate from the other garages at Baolong Center. The sightseeing elevator went straight to the top floor, where she could see the mist roiling beyond the walls. It was as if they'd left the mortal world behind.
"Would you like me to prepare breakfast for you?" Zhong Qing asked.
Qin Yanan nodded.
When they reached Zhu Juntang's room, Zhong Qing left. Qin Yanan looked at the oil paintings of a young woman hanging on the walls and the beautiful heroine displayed on the TV wall beside the double doors. They were all Zhu Juntang herself. Qin Yanan couldn't help giving a faintly mocking smile. Zhu Juntang really was self-obsessed. Her home was always filled with pictures of herself, or her image displayed on various screens.
She walked to Zhu Juntang's bed and gazed out at the sea of mist covering the entire city. Only a few buildings rose above it. In the distance, she could just make out the shape of Mount Lu and the spotlights on its peak. Looking down over the whole city from here, Qin Yanan suddenly thought that if she really did stay in Junsha, a place like this wouldn't be bad.
Just thinking of Zhu Juntang waking up every day beside these floor-to-ceiling windows made her envy the luxurious life of the wealthy.
Qin Yanan changed into her pajamas but didn't go to the guest room. She returned to Zhu Juntang's bed. Zhong Qing brought breakfast, and Qin Yanan sat on the edge of the bed, took a sip of water, and casually picked up a book to read.
Perhaps the crisp sound of turning pages woke Zhu Juntang. She opened her eyes, saw Qin Yanan sitting nearby, then turned away and closed them again.
Qin Yanan looked at Zhu Juntang's profile. She really did have reason to be self-obsessed. Older women would always envy younger ones. A trace of baby fat remained on Zhu Juntang's cheeks, giving her a touch of cuteness. More than that, she had the fresh, milky glow and scent of a young girl. Her ears were exquisitely shaped, and her fluttering eyelashes looked clean and delicate where light and shadow met.
"Did I really see the Qin family's darling, or am I still dreaming?" Zhu Juntang kept her eyes closed, her voice languid and drawn out. She raised her arms and stretched.
"Third Miss, the sun's already up." Qin Yanan watched Zhu Juntang kick off the covers. Her panties outlined the lovely curve of her bottom; the white sheets and blanket were as pure as flowers, and her thin, soft camisole draped over her relaxed, supple body. A wisp of mist drifted past outside the window, making it seem like the sort of scene where a little fairy might live.
Zhu Juntang didn't answer. She wasn't someone who got up early. Diligence and hard work were essential for everyone, but you could be diligent and work hard at any time. Why choose the morning, when sleeping in felt best?
After finishing breakfast and washing up, Qin Yanan removed her light makeup and climbed into Zhu Juntang's bed. "Sorry to intrude."
"Let me feel your breasts, and you can have the bed." Zhu Juntang reached over and grabbed hard at Qin Yanan's chest.
"Go feel your own!" Qin Yanan hurriedly stopped her. Girls feeling each other up was hard to avoid, but Qin Yanan couldn't stand it. Her breasts were especially sensitive, and she didn't even like touching them herself. It felt awful.
"Boring." Zhu Juntang put both hands on her own chest and gave it a squeeze. It still didn't feel like much had changed. It seemed she'd never have a pair of spectacularly huge breasts like Qin Yanan's.
It was a hard reality to accept.
She opened her eyes, her gaze shifting as if light circled within them, then turned her head and looked at Qin Yanan in mild surprise. "So early. Did you take the first train or a sleeper car?"
"I came by truck, from my hometown—not the Capital." Qin Yanan let out a comfortable sigh. Zhu Juntang's bed had been custom-made. As she put it, you spent at least a third of your life in bed, and did your favorite things there, too. How could you not spare any expense on a bed? You had to treat it with the same attitude Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han had toward their mausoleums.
This bed was probably even more luxurious than her Maybach S680.
"Then were you traveling with piglets?" Zhu Juntang laughed in surprise, then looked utterly disgusted. "I can smell pig shit on you."
"Do you have a brain? Do all trucks carry pigs? Besides, when have you ever been to a pig farm, Third Miss? How would you know what pig shit smells like?" Qin Yanan said angrily, then laughed. "I think your mouth stinks, and you mistook it for pig shit."
"Sharp-tongued." Zhu Juntang lay back down. "What are you doing in Junsha? You wouldn't tell me yesterday. You can tell me now, right?"
"I suspect I'm here for a blind date." Qin Yanan's mood suddenly turned sour.
Zhu Juntang sat up again. Combined with the motion of lying back down, she bounced up and down like she was doing sit-ups, staring at Qin Yanan with great excitement.
Qin Yanan rolled her eyes at her. My misfortune was your delight.
"So? Who is he? In Junsha... who could possibly be good enough for the Qin family's darling?" For a moment, Zhu Juntang couldn't think of anyone from a suitably matched family.
Zhu Juntang had been in Junsha for a year, but she didn't know many people, and none of the ones she knew were to her liking. Qin Yanan was even more impossibly high-minded. Zhu Juntang couldn't imagine who the old Qin family would set her up with.
"Stop calling me the darling every other word. You make me sound like some dainty little flower like you." Qin Yanan was already in a bad mood.
"Ma Weiming? Lin Huainan? Or that senior official Zhao's son... what was his name?" Zhu Juntang thought it over, but those were the only people she could come up with.
"None of them. You don't know him..." Qin Yanan sighed softly. "Yesterday, the old man received a piece of calligraphy, probably from one of his old friends. Then he sent me here to return the favor... and meet someone. If I were only here to return a gift, would he have rushed me over in the middle of the night? Besides, I should've delivered it to his old friend. Instead, he sent me to meet a young man and told me to stay in Junsha for a while. My task is to spend plenty of time with him and accommodate some of his needs in daily life and work."
"Sounds like it really could be that." Zhu Juntang grew serious and furrowed her brows. "Maybe the old man likes these betrothals made before birth. He probably promised something back then, and that man sent him a piece of calligraphy to remind your grandfather."
"That's what I think, too." Qin Yanan was flustered. The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
"Have you met him, then? What's he like?"
"I've met him."
"Tell me more."
Qin Yanan lay listlessly on the pillow. "He's probably around my age, maybe a little younger. He looks okay, but he started off by claiming to be an old friend of the old man. Doesn't that put me three generations below him for no reason? Tell me, wouldn't that make you angry?"
"Then just call him Great-Grandfather. He'd be too embarrassed to pursue someone from his own great-granddaughter's generation, wouldn't he?" Zhu Juntang burst out laughing.
"Besides, back in the old man's day, people didn't care about family background, education, or lifestyle. They could live together as one because they shared the same revolutionary ideal. What about us? Different habits, different perspectives, and completely different social circles. How could we be together?" Qin Yanan was considering the practicalities. "When your outlooks differ in so many ways, your lives won't mesh. You'll disagree over big things and small things. It's not about who's right or wrong; you simply can't have a harmonious marriage. Can a melon forced off the vine taste sweet?"
Zhu Juntang shook her head.
"Isn't your family even more particular about matching social status?" Qin Yanan asked, puzzled.
"All that stuff you're saying is just theory, put on for show. If you really fall for someone, how could you think about so much?" Zhu Juntang made a heart shape over her chest, fitting some of her particularly perky morning flesh inside it, then continued, "If someone can make you fall for him despite being from a different background, having a different level of education, a different lifestyle, and a different outlook... then his social circle doesn't matter at all. What you just listed wouldn't be reasons to keep you apart."
Qin Yanan was surprised to hear Zhu Juntang say something so reflective. There was probably some truth to it. But anyone could talk sense. If Zhu Juntang herself met Liu Chang'an, she probably wouldn't think that way.
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