Untouchable Lovers-Chapter 86 - 83 Xiao Bie’s Challenge
Chapter 86: Chapter 83 Xiao Bie’s Challenge
Chu Yu had done so only to let Wang Yizhi feel her sincerity. Although she didn’t have the idea for a folding fan at the moment, its craftsmanship wasn’t complicated, and any discerning person could almost understand it immediately. However, the Jade Fan couldn’t be crafted without skilled patience.
Wang Yizhi was a connoisseur and knew how much effort such a Jade Fan required. The more intricate and delicate it was, the more it tested one’s craftsmanship. He secretly appreciated Chu Yu’s thoughtfulness and responded with a smile, “Alright, I will definitely visit then.”
Chu Yu smiled faintly. The fan was merely an introduction; she still had some items to prepare before she could present them.
As the two talked, they had already walked out of the Willow Forest. Liu Sang and Yue Jiefei followed behind them. Yue Jiefei was long accustomed to being ignored, but Liu Sang looked gloomy as he watched their backs. He couldn’t understand their conversation, as if Chu Yu and Wang Yizhi stood in a different world. He could see but not touch.
Finally, after Chu Yu and Wang Yizhi finished speaking, Liu Sang dashed forward, grabbed Chu Yu’s wrist, and glanced specifically at Wang Yizhi. Unfortunately, his display of defiance didn’t have much of a deterrent effect, and he rather looked like a small cat with all its fur standing on end.
Wang Yizhi’s gaze lingered on Liu Sang’s hand for a moment before he turned to Chu Yu, raised his eyebrows, and said with a smile, “Your little cat is quite amusing.”
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Although Liu Sang was young, he was not foolish. He understood that Wang Yizhi’s words didn’t regard him highly at all and indignantly said, “Don’t be smug. When you come to the Princess Mansion later, in terms of seniority, you still have to call me Brother Bai Li!” He called Rong Zhi and the others brothers, not because they were older but because they had been with the Princess before him.
This was similar to the common practice where later wives or concubines called the first one sister.
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As Liu Sang’s words fell, a dreadful silence enveloped the surroundings.
Chu Yu was stunned.
Yue Jiefei was stunned.
Wang Yizhi was stunned too.
After a moment, Wang Yizhi suddenly burst into loud laughter. He bent over with his hand on his stomach, his handsome face slightly distorted, as if he laughed so hard that it hurt.
In an instant, Chu Yu’s face burned as if it was about to catch fire, wishing there was a crack in the ground she could squeeze into.
So embarrassing!
“Ptui, ptui, ptui! May such child’s words be blown away by a big wind!”
Seeing Liu Sang about to speak again, Chu Yu quickly covered his mouth with her hand and sternly glared at him, “What did I tell you before we left? To be obedient and not talk recklessly. What did you do?”
Liu Sang’s eyes flashed pitifully, and he lowered his head like an abandoned pet.
After scolding Liu Sang, Chu Yu turned to Wang Yizhi with a bitter smile and said, “Brother Yizhi, don’t mind it. It’s just a child’s rambling.”
She wanted to explain further, but someone from afar interrupted, “From afar, I could hear Brother Yizhi’s laughter. What has delighted Brother Yizhi so much?” On hearing this, Chu Yu looked up to see that it was Pei Shu, and immediately, her embarrassed expression receded as she stepped aside.
Speaking of which, Pei Shu was the intermediary who introduced her to Wang Yizhi. If it hadn’t been for their first encounter on the streets when she fled the Princess Mansion and met Pei Shu, Chu Yu might still not have any opportunity to connect with the upper echelons of the dynasty.
Even though she was a princess, there were some noble families with lineages older than the dynasty itself. If they didn’t wish to include her in their circles, she was utterly helpless.
She could only first gain the recognition of some of these people and then integrate into this circle.
Although meeting Pei Shu was accidental, with each subsequent step, the clearer Chu Yu’s plan became in her heart. Unfortunately, she was not a master of strategizing, and despite trying to remain calm and meticulous, there were still many unforeseen events during the process. The overall direction was correct, but the mistake lay in the details.
Within the mansion, in the palace, and in diplomacy, among these three, the first two had seen quite a few surprises, such as Rong Zhi, Liu Se, and Huan Yuan, and the biggest setback in the palace was Tian Rujing. Currently, the only area without any twists was here.
But oddly, this was the least urgent one to deal with.
There are priorities and urgencies in matters. Originally, the matter concerning Wang Yizhi was deemed less urgent, allowing time for careful planning, but Liu Ziyue’s situation was urgent, needing accelerated action. However, firstly because of Tian Rujing, and secondly because of Chu Yu’s extreme disappointment in Liu Ziyue, the side that should have been hurried was instead not progressing at all.
Wang Yizhi had the servant guide Pei Shu to Yuxiang Pavilion first, and lagging a few steps behind, he looked at Chu Yu and smiled, “Although Brother Zichu has been chatting and laughing with me since his arrival here, I know that Brother Zichu has worries. I may not know what they are or how to offer comfort, but if Brother Zichu is free, you are always welcome to come here to rest and forget your sorrows.”
Having said that, he quickly went to catch up with Pei Shu, who had walked ahead.
Chu Yu stood there, smiled bitterly, and touched her face: had she really been that obvious? She couldn’t afford to waste time like this tomorrow; she had to remember that each day now was for saving lives. Tomorrow, no matter how much she disliked Liu Ziyue, she would have to meet him with the demeanor of a caring elder sister.
When other guests gradually arrived at Yuxiang Pavilion, Chu Yu was also present among them.
Yuxiang Pavilion was simple and elegant. The wooden furnishings in the hall and even the wooden beams and walls were all made of fragrantly scented wood. Although the fragrance had long since dissipated over time, if one smelled carefully, one could still sense an elusive trace of lingering fragrance.
Inside the large hall of Yuxiang Pavilion, two rows of long benches around one foot high were placed. Chu Yu, along with Liu Sang and Yue Jiefei who accompanied her, sat behind one of the benches. Although Yue Jiefei also sat down, his hand was always on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw at any moment.
The main activity of the gathering was eating and drinking, where people discussed literature or the philosophies of life, and some even debated the meaning of life. The scene was lively, but Chu Yu found it dull and chose not to participate. Since she did not speak, Liu Sang and Yue Jiefei were even less likely to speak, thus Chu Yu’s silence became the only discordant note.”
Pei Shu and Xiao Bie were sitting together, directly opposite the bench where Chu Yu was seated. Xiao Bie was aloof and spoke little, but Pei Shu was actively engaging in conversations. After a brief respite, Chu Yu saw Xiao Bie lean over and whisper something to Pei Shu, causing a sudden alarm in her mind. Soon after, she saw Pei Shu look over and challenge her, “Brother Zichu has been silent all along, but do you have any profound thoughts to share?”
Chu Yu stared at Pei Shu, noticing a flicker in his gaze, and knew that this was at Xiao Bie’s instigation. Looking at Xiao Bie again, he had resumed his attitude of disinterest.
Knowing that Xiao Bie intended to make things difficult, Chu Yu coldly sneered in her heart and calmly responded, “Actually, I have been pondering an unrelated matter, which I can’t seem to make sense of. Please forgive my silence, gentlemen.”
“Oh? What is the matter? Please share, Brother Zichu.” Wang Yizhi took out his folding fan and with a swift flick, opened it, immediately drawing the attention of others. Someone asked about the origins of the fan, and Wang Yizhi naturally directed their attention towards Chu Yu, thus bringing even more gazes upon her.
Chu Yu smiled at Wang Yizhi in gratitude, then instructed Liu Sang to fetch her own folding fan from the carriage. After Liu Sang hastily left, she leisurely continued, “What I’ve been thinking about is a story someone told me a few days ago. It’s about a Heavenly Master with divine spell skills who sent a twenty-eight-year-old man back thirty years in time, commanding him to kill two individuals—his own biological parents. At that time, the man wasn’t born yet. I found this story peculiar since, if the man killed his parents before he was born, he wouldn’t exist thirty years later. Yet, if he doesn’t exist, no one would go back thirty years to kill his parents, hence his parents would again give birth to him. But if he was born, he would again go back thirty years to kill his parents… Thinking it over, it seems there’s never an end to it.”
Chu Yu dropped this perplexing thought and then casually took out her folding fan and began to wave it gracefully.
Actually, what she had been contemplating earlier was not this issue, but she had mulled over this intriguing paradox a while back. Every conclusion would invalidate its own premise, she supposed it would be enough to keep these people occupied for some time, with no one left with leisure to trouble her further.
As Chu Yu had anticipated, silence fell around her as soon as she finished speaking, with everyone lost in thought. Chu Yu’s lips curved into a cold smile, she glanced at a dazed Xiao Bie before looking towards Wang Yizhi, who, like her, was leisurely fanning himself, seeming confident and untroubled.
After a moment, Liu Sang returned carrying a bunch of folding fans, which Chu Yu had prepared in advance. Each fan was adorned with a small pendant fan, engraved with her invitation. However, these miniature fans were mostly made of wood and were simpler compared to the elaborately crafted one in Wang Yizhi’s hand.
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Chu Yu broke the silence with a slight smile, “These are homemade folding fans from my family, not something remarkable. They are convenient to carry around in everyday life and serve as a small gift for our meeting. Additionally, there’s an invitation within the pendant. A month from now, my Chu Garden will host a very unique gathering. If you are at leisure, I hope you can make time to visit.”
People took the folding fans and found them intriguing. Soon, many eyes turned towards Chu Yu with increased warmth. Xiao Bie’s lips curled, as if he smiled, but the smile was chillingly cold, “These fans are indeed unique, but it’s a pity that the host’s character is so despicable. The other day, you criticized my guqin playing as crude. Now that everyone is here, dare you play a tune on the guqin for others to judge?”
Seeing that Pei Shu hadn’t managed to trouble Chu Yu, Xiao Bie himself spoke up, revealing his intentions with a tone that was distinctly aggressive.
