Chapter 2-8

Bai Shixuan and Xuelan were walking along the river. Shaanxi had many places where rivers stretched on for great distances, and the Flower Fragrance Pavilion was also located in a village near a river. In the end, by the third day Bai Shixuan had chopped all the firewood meant for the following day as well, and since it was not yet time for the pleasure house to open, Xuelan was able to come outside with him.

“Wow. This feels nice.”

As the refreshing breeze wrapped around Bai Shixuan and Xuelan, Xuelan smiled brightly. Bai Shixuan silently looked at her, then nodded.

“Tch, show a little reaction.”

“I did.”

When Bai Shixuan pointed out that he had given a slight nod, Xuelan pouted. Then she pinched his cheek.

“What are you doing?”

When Xuelan pulled at his cheek, Bai Shixuan slapped her hand away. Xuelan had been acting strange lately. At first, he thought it was nothing, but she had begun sighing in front of him more often, and although she had always waited until Bai Shixuan finished his work, lately she had started leaving before him. And now she was treating him completely like a little child. At first, he had wondered whether she was simply tired, but seeing her sigh to herself and stare blankly into space without telling him anything was gradually beginning to irritate him.

“Ah, sorry. I just…….”

When Bai Shixuan irritably slapped her hand away, Xuelan startled and looked at him. Seeing the annoyance on Bai Shixuan’s face, her eyes trembled badly. For the past three days, Yang Xinwu had kept coming to see Xuelan. Each time, even when she was with Bai Shixuan, Yang Xinwu’s face would come to mind, and Bai Shixuan had begun to look more and more like a child to her. That was why she had unconsciously pinched his cheek. As though he were her little brother…….

‘Young Master Yang probably wouldn’t have gotten annoyed like this, would he?’

And now she had even begun comparing the two. Bai Shixuan was young, immature, overly proud, and hardly reacted to anything. Yang Xinwu, on the other hand, was considerate and broad-minded, and he smiled at the things she said. She could not stop comparing them.

“Oh, Xuelan!”

“Ah, Young Master Yang?”

She felt a little guilty toward Bai Shixuan, yet inwardly she had just thought that she wanted to see Yang Xinwu. So when she actually heard his voice, Xuelan startled and turned toward the sound. There, Yang Xinwu was approaching her on horseback with his attendants.

“What brings you here?”

“And what brings you here, Young Master Yang……?”

Seeing Yang Xinwu dismount in splendid white robes as he spoke, Xuelan’s face flushed.

“I had some business nearby and was on my way back after finishing it. Then I happened to spot you, so I called out. But who is this boy?”

Yang Xinwu smiled gently at Xuelan. Then he pointed at Bai Shixuan, who stood beside her staring at the flowing river as though he had no interest whatsoever in what was happening, and asked Xuelan about him.

“Ah, well… he’s my younger brother.”

“Ah, is that so? A pleasure to meet you.”

Xuelan hesitated at Yang Xinwu’s question before hurriedly answering. At the words “younger brother,” Yang Xinwu smiled and spoke to Bai Shixuan. Bai Shixuan bowed with an expressionless face. When he raised his head again, he looked at Xuelan with his usual eyes and spoke.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Huh? Shixuan?”

When Xuelan became flustered and tried to follow Bai Shixuan, Yang Xinwu caught her slender wrist.

“Um, Young Master Yang?”

“Your younger brother has already gone. How about spending today with me instead? You lot can return ahead of me.”

After telling his attendants to return first, Yang Xinwu looked at Xuelan. Xuelan glanced at Bai Shixuan’s retreating back, then nodded.

‘It’ll be fine. Shixuan doesn’t like me anyway.’

Thinking that, Xuelan took her eyes off Bai Shixuan as he walked away and smiled at Yang Xinwu standing before her.

‘I don’t like him.’

That man. He made Bai Shixuan uncomfortable. As Bai Shixuan moved farther away from Xuelan, he thought about Yang Xinwu. He was an unpleasant man. Bai Shixuan had felt something like this before. When had it been?

‘That feeling before Cao Zhenshi went into the pleasure house?’

No. It was a little different from that. But it was definitely something he had felt before.

‘Then… was it Jiang Zhilong?’

Yes. Jiang Zhilong. The feeling of a snake eyeing its prey. It was similar to the feeling Jiang Zhilong had given off when he targeted Cao Zhenshi. Of course, this was lust rather than killing intent, but the feeling was definitely similar to Jiang Zhilong’s.

‘Does it matter anyway?’

Bai Shixuan briefly considered going back to Xuelan, then shook his head. In any case, Xuelan’s heart had already drifted away from him. Just as he had expected, the feelings Xuelan had shown toward Bai Shixuan had probably been nothing more than a fantasy born from never having met a more impressive man. He was still young, while she was becoming more beautiful and mature with each passing year. Bai Shixuan did not suit the place beside her.

‘Haa.’

Even so, a sigh escaped him naturally.

She was having fun. Xuelan enjoyed this time with Yang Xinwu more than the time she spent with Bai Shixuan. Compared to Bai Shixuan, who always nodded expressionlessly or cut conversations short with brief answers, being with Yang Xinwu—who smiled, responded to what she said, and kept the conversation going—was much more enjoyable. But at the same time, something felt stifling inside her.

‘Shixuan…….’

No matter what, he was someone she had liked for a long time. No matter how much she enjoyed being with Yang Xinwu, she could not stop Bai Shixuan from coming to mind. She began to wonder whether she was doing something wrong.

“Ah. I think I should be going now.”

Xuelan had been sitting by the river talking with Yang Xinwu when she noticed the sun setting and stood up. It was almost time for the Flower Fragrance Pavilion to open. She had to hurry back.

‘Shixuan must have gone back, right?’

She briefly looked around, but there were only the two of them. All of Yang Xinwu’s attendants had left, and Bai Shixuan was nowhere to be seen. There was not even a single passerby.

“Don’t go.”

Yang Xinwu grabbed Xuelan’s hand as she stood. Xuelan startled and looked at him, and he spoke with a serious expression.

“I want you to stay by my side from now on. If you wish, I’ll have you released from the Flower Fragrance Pavilion. So stay with me always.”

At Yang Xinwu’s words, Xuelan thought her heart would pound wildly. No—she thought it should have. But her heart did not race. Instead, her thoughts began to turn cold. This was not right. Being with Yang Xinwu was enjoyable. But this was not right. What had she been saving money so desperately for all this time? It was not for something like this. These were words she wanted to hear from Bai Shixuan.

“I’m sorry.”