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"..."

"I told you, I wanted you to know the difference between me and him, do you understand?"

Perhaps... Li Chenjing was already gone the moment he fell off the suspension bridge. The person in front of her now is a completely different person. He is not the son of Prime Minister, nor is he Liu Rongrong's lover. Whether he associates with scoundrels or buys Erotic Book, he only wants to attract her attention and show her his depravity. He will do anything for this.

He casually picked up the book, tossed it around without a second thought, waved it off, and led his bunch of spoiled, roguish friends out of the Wuya Bookstore with an air of nonchalance.

The group of people passed by a small teahouse on the side of the street, laughing and joking. At a corner table, a pair of men in fine clothes whispered to each other. The one in dark red silk robes held a pipe in one hand and a plum in the other, glancing contemptuously at the vulgar group of four young masters.

"Your brother-in-law is bullying the people right under your nose, and you, as his brother-in-law, aren't going to stand up for justice?"

"Hmm? My uncle, isn't he a young man with a strong sense of justice?" The young master, with Persian Cat on his head and narrowed eyes, replied elegantly, "Punishing the people selling Erotic Book on the street for my brother-in-law, very good, very good."

"... And what about your Dongxu Grand Secretary? Don't tell me he's just cracking down on vendors illegally selling banned books!"

"Wow! That's a really good excuse for Little Jing!"

Longyang coughed violently, choking on the smoke, slammed his fist on the table, and roared, "Your Holy Emperor! His brain is already damaged from the fall! How long are you going to protect him?! The Dongxu Grand Secretary must be replaced! I will not allow that kind of mentally challenged, good-for-nothing to be above me!"

"Oh? Then, according to Long Er's opinion, how should I deal with Little Jing?"

"Neglect of duty, dismissal and investigation."

The plum was tossed high into the air and landed on the stone floor with a "thud," shattering into pieces.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

A thin mist shrouded the area, and the winding Rouge Alley seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance.

Carrying a paper lantern and carrying a bamboo book basket on his back, Zhu Bafu hurried to the Dongxu Mansion to begin his morning duties.

"Having to go to school before dawn is worse than carrying manure..."

What could she do? It was just that her family was so poor that they could only afford to live in a remote corner of the outer city, unlike the young masters of the inner city who could sleep an extra hour. She had no choice but to be a slow bird that had to get up early.

The alleyway, filled with the lingering scent of Rouge and the ethereal drape of red silk, was her only route to the academy. At this moment, there was no one around, only the sound of her hurried footsteps; the echoing "tap tap tap" in the empty air only amplified the sense of dread.

"Amitabha Buddha, you are so compassionate... A person with a clear conscience has nothing to fear, and a person who has done nothing wrong has nothing to fear..."

It's said that this alleyway is filled with an overwhelming gloom, a place where the helplessness and resentment of women who sell their bodies and smiles accumulate. They resent the world, their fate, and their lovers; many have died of despair, fallen ill, or taken their own lives...

If you are traveling alone, it is best not to pass through alleys late at night or early in the morning when the atmosphere is gloomy. If something happens behind you, absolutely do not turn around.

It's said that courtesan ghosts love to haunt scholars, so she really shouldn't have dressed up in a scholar's robe, carrying a lantern, and passing by so dashingly. Wasn't that clearly a sign of a lingering love affair between a human and a ghost?

"Tick-tock, tick-tock"

A few drops of water fell from above into the back of her neck. Her hand holding the paper lantern paused, and goosebumps instantly rose all over her body.

Could it be... blood or something like that?

He ran his hand across his neck, then looked at it again. Phew... thankfully, it wasn't blood. He brought it to his nose and smelled... wow... it was fragrant liquor.

Pshaw, that must be some rich and dissolute patron who put on a wild night of passion on the terrace last night, spilling fine wine but not caring at all, how shameless.

Looking up, she caught a glimpse of a jade wine bottle tumbling down the wooden terrace of the pavilion, where the gauze curtains fluttered. In a panic, she took a step back.

With a loud crash, the sound of porcelain shattering rang out. The Jade Porcelain wine bottle broke right at her feet. If she hadn't dodged quickly enough, she would have been brain-damaged.

"Hey! Upstairs! Even if the night is short, there's no need to be in such a hurry, is there? With such vigorous movements, what if you hit a future pillar of the nation?" She lit the lamp, raised her head in annoyance, and glared at the shameless couple upstairs, wanting to see who they were.

The dim candlelight shone through the yellowed oil paper, casting a familiar, languid shadow.

--Li Chenjing?!

He casually sat cross-legged, leaning limply against the pillar. A woman's arm, as white as lotus root, was wrapped coquettishly around his waist. Her thin, sheer garment barely clung to her body, the front of which was wide open, revealing her damp chest. He tilted his head back and drank the fine wine in his cup, his long fingers toying with the small Jade Porcelain cup. He leaned closer to the wooden fence, his eyes still tinged with the effects of the wine, a languid, cool smile playing on his lips.

It seemed... she was quite satisfied with the complex expression on her face at that moment.

He did it on purpose, deliberately choosing a Pink Pavilion on her way to class, deliberately letting her see him embracing a girl, deliberately behaving promiscuously in front of her, deliberately learning all the vices of drinking, gambling, and whoring. What a childish and boring guy! If she is shocked, she has lost. She cannot be embarrassed, panicked, or at a loss. She must walk past as if nothing has happened.

It's nothing surprising that a playboy would seek out a woman for a night of passion; it's in accordance with traditional etiquette. Embracing a woman is a man's natural instinct. He was never Cut Sleeve, and besides, he had a romantic affair with Courtesan before his amnesia. How could he possibly be so deeply infatuated with a mere scholar?

Lowering the lantern to clearly illuminate his face, she moved quickly with her head down. The flame inside the paper lantern flickered, and when the cool breeze blew, it licked the thin, brittle oil paper, crackling and popping as it burned. She hurriedly threw away the melting paper lantern, but the scalding flames spread along the string and burned her robe.

"Stand still and don't move!" came the cold, stern command from behind.

She ignored him and frantically patted the flames off her body, but the fire showed no signs of abating; in fact, the cold wind only intensified it.