Jian Yu Yan had never stayed overnight at Ah Ming’s place before, nor had he informed her of his arrival beforehand. However, Ah Ming had still left a lamp lit for him.
Jian Yu Yan’s steps involuntarily became lighter. Upon entering her courtyard, he noticed that there was a faint glow still illuminating Ah Ming’s room. The slender figure of a woman could vaguely be seen through the paper window.
It was already past midnight, yet Ah Ming had not rested. Clad in a single garment, she sat alone at the table, staring blankly at the flickering candle in front of her.
A dim candlelight and a solitary figure…
Jian Yu Yan suddenly remembered the time when Ah Ming had mentioned being sold by her family on a quiet night such as today. Time had seemed so unbearable when she closed her eyes during those nights.
It seemed like all the sleepless nights Ah Ming had endured, were passed like this.
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced Jian Yu Yan’s heart.
Quietly approaching, Ah Ming seemed lost in thought and did not notice until he embraced her from behind. She stiffened abruptly, before relaxing upon spotting his familiar visage. Her voice revealed her pleasant surprise, “Why have Young Master Jian come?”
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Kkyd Zw Zyd eke dsv ydpola. Rdpvlye, bl oayrrle bkp yaxp yaswde bla yde qlzv vbyv bla cseu oyp nsze yp knl. Tkp zkrp ralpple ytykdpv bla lmrsple qyka dlnj yp bl ypjle, “Ebu yald’v usw pzllrkdt?”
“… R pzlrv vss xwnb ewakdt vbl eyu, ps R esd’v qllz pzllru aktbv dso.”
Kkyd Zw Zyd pktble. Fbl oyp vss pvwccsad. Ms pyu vbyv pbl eke dsv oydv vs pzllr obld kd ynvwyzkvu, pbl nswze dsv pzllr. Zlv, bl bye qykzle vs dsvknl wdvkz dso.
“Mbl olyvbla kp nbkzzu, yde usw eked’v lhld vbkdj vs rwv sd xsal nzsvblp,” Kkyd Zw Zyd alrasynble, bszekdt sdvs Gb Ykdt’p knu bydep. Jwv wdlmrlnvlezu, pbl pvwccsadzu alrzkle, “R’x dsv nsze- Gb!”
Kkyd Zw Zyd pweeldzu zkqvle bla wr yde Zyd Zk Ykdt lmnzykxle kd pwarakpl clqsal pbl iwknjzu oayrrle bla yaxp yaswde bkp dlnj.
Ekvb Gb Ykdt kd bkp yaxp, Kkyd Zw Zyd blyele kdvs vbl kddla assx oblal kv oyp oyaxla. Tl tldvzu zyke bla esod sd vbl cle yde oayrrle bla vktbvzu okvb vbl iwkzv. Gp bla cseu tayewyzzu oyaxle wr, Gb Ykdt kdhszwdvyakzu pbkhlale. Kkyd Zw Zyd nbwnjzle yde rkdnble bla nbllj, “Gde usw pvkzz pyu vbyv usw’al dsv nsze? Jl nyalqwz dsv vs qyzz pknj.”
“R’x yzalyeu wple vs kv. R’x dsv vbyv qaytkzl,” Gb Ykdt xwaxwale, nzwvnbkdt vbl iwkzv yde pvyakdt yv Kkyd Zw Zyd okvb bla yzzwakdt lulp. “Mbld, Zswdt Yypvla Kkyd, yal usw pvkzz zlyhkdt vsdktbv?”
Kkyd Zw Zyd alxykdle pkzldv.
Pushing off the blanket, Yan Yi Ming sat up and buried her face in Jian Yu Yan’s back, and her hands wandered down towards his lower abdomen.
“Don’t leave, stay with me tonight, okay?”
Jian Yu Yan caught Ah Ming’s restless hands and turned around, pressing her back onto the bed and covering her tightly with the quilt once more. “Stop messing around.”
Jian Yu Yan hugged her tightly with her cheek against his chest. This allowed her to hear his slightly rapid heartbeat. Yan Yi Ming chuckled softly and lifted her head. She lightly bit Jian Yu Yan’s collarbone, and with her breath lingering on his neck, it was ambiguous yet seductive, “Young Master Jian… don’t you want to…”
Jian Yu Yan sighed, lowered his head, and kissed her rosy lips. After a long time of entanglement, he lightly touched her lips again before saying, “I’m not leaving, I’ll stay here with you. But no more messing around and go to sleep.”
Ah Ming behaved herself and gradually closed her eyes.
As the night deepened, Ah Ming’s breathing gradually became steady, indicating that she had fallen asleep. Yet, Jian Yu Yan remained awake.
Under the faint candlelight, Jian Yu Yan gazed at Ah Ming’s brows and eyes for a long time as he gently stroking her cheek. When his finger reached the location of her cinnabar mole, he paused for a while before using his thumb to cover it.
Ah Ming, who was deep in slumber, was unaware of what was happening. Who knew what she was dreaming about, she suddenly nuzzled her head deeper into Jian Yu Yan’s chest.
His finger which was covering the cinnabar mole was pushed aside, and Jian Yu Yan’s hand froze momentarily before finally stroking Ah Ming’s smooth long hair and closing his eyes.
As if a zephyr had passed through the room, the candle flickered briefly before it finally extinguished.
After putting out the candle, Little Apple returned to a sleepy Yan Yi Ming’s side, it yawned and muttered, “Let’s sleep now, I’m so tired.”
“Go sleep.” Yan Yi Ming, who had stayed up half the night waiting and messing around with Jian Yu Yan, was also very tired. She wriggled out of Jian Yu Yan’s embrace and said, “Good night, Apple.”
“…Good night.”
====
Jian Yu Yan had returned to his former routine of visiting Ah Ming every day. But what made the others in Plum Blossom Pavilion most jealous was that, since that day, Young Master Jian not only came during the day but also stayed the night.
This drove Yu Mei and others, who thought Ah Ming had fallen out of favour and were waiting for drama to unfold, to the brink of madness.
What exactly did she do to enchant Young Master Jian again?! What did Young Master Jian see in her? Her appearance, her voice, or was it her skills in bed?
Jian Yu Yan had never maintained an interest in a woman for such a long period. Even the famous Xiao Jiang Immortal of the capital could not keep Jian Yu Yan’s attention for more than three days. Yet, Ah Ming managed to keep such a man by her side for two months!
As the weather gradually warmed up, Jian Yu Yan not only visited Ah Ming at Plum Blossom Pavilion daily but on good days, he would also take her out for strolls by the lake and painting on a boat when he had time.
Jian Yu Yan, the most renowned gentleman of the capital, was outstanding in appearance and family background, and his skills in painting portraits were a thing that people would fight to have.
Stroke by stroke, the painting that came to life was exquisite. Yan Yi Ming could not stand it any longer and decided to stretch her legs. Jian Yu Yan put down his brush and walked over with a smile, “Feeling bored?”
“A little,” Ah Ming replied. Seated on the couch, she rolled over and leaned against Jian Yu Yan’s thighs. With a coquettish smile, “Let’s take a break from painting. Young Master Jian, how about I sing a song for you? What about ‘Oleander’?”
Before Jian Yu Yan could respond, Yan Yi Ming had already begun singing, “Amongst the many handsome men, I remember his gentle embrace, the slow caresses, his silky chest glistening with the spring’s full embrace…”
Jian Yu Yan glanced at the endlessly mischievous Ah Ming, “Change the song.”
After a while.
“Various idle words can also be turned into a song, listen to me sing of the ‘Eighteenth Touch’… Ah, I won’t sing anymore, ticklish… We, we should just continue painting…”
The boat sailed across the tranquil lake, occasionally melodious and charming voices could be heard before swiftly disappearing, leaving only the woman’s light and cheerful giggles.
The painting was nine-tenths completed. The woman’s visage in the painting was beautiful, with delicate eyebrows and vermilion lips. However, it was missing a cinnabar mole at the corner of her right eye.
Yan Yi Ming pretended not to have seen and turned to ask Jian Yu Yan, “Young Master Jian, will you gift this painting to me?”
“I’ll give it to you when I’m done painting.”
When they disembarked, Jian Yu Yan took a veil to cover her beautiful face. Yan Yi Ming blinked naively as she asked, “Why do I need to wear a veil?”
Jian Yu Yan’s expression remained unchanged, “That’s because I don’t want others to catch a glimpse of you.”
Yan Yi Ming’s gaze contained a hint of amusement as she approached and teased him with her sweet voice, “Young Master Jian wants to be the only one who can see?”
Jian Yu Yan looked into her cunning eyes and raised his eyebrows, leaning down, he gave her a playful bite as punishment, “Isn’t it enough for me to see alone?”
“For now… it’s enough,” Ah Ming took the veil from Jian Yu Yan’s hand and put it on herself. “I’ll listen to Young Master Jian’s wishes.”
Jian Yu Yan suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. It was true that he did not want others to see Ah Ming, but it was not for the reason he uttered just now. It was because he did not want others to know that Ah Ming resembled Jian Yu’er.
He did not want anyone familiar with Jian Yu’er to see Ah Ming.
He did not want Jian Yu’er to know that he spent his days with a woman who resembled her.
He babbled nonsense, but the woman in front of him never doubted him. Jian Yu Yan suddenly felt that he was too despicable for pulling such an innocent woman into this mess from the beginning. Looking at the slightly down woman, he coaxed her gently, “Don’t call me ‘Young Master’ anymore.”
“Then what should I call you?” Ah Ming chuckled. “Jian Lang? Yu Lang? Yan Lang?1Lang [郎] is added to the back of a male’s name to convey an intimate and fond way of addressing the other party.“
Jian Yu Yan chuckled. He could not stand this little troublemaker constantly teasing him, so he casually uttered nonsense, “How about calling me Qing2Qing [情] is not part of his name. Directly translated to passionate or love. He’s essentially asking her to call him Brother Romance or something like that. Ge-ge?”
“Qing Ge-ge is too cliché. I’m sure many others have already called you that,” Yan Yi Ming giggled, looking up at Jian Yu Yan with her charming eyes. “How about calling you Yan Ge-ge instead?”
Jian Yu Yan’s heart skipped a beat, and in that moment of distraction, he missed the opportunity to refuse. Yan Yi Ming hugged his arm. “Yan Ge-ge, a few days ago, someone from Yujin Tailor Shop said that the clothes were ready. Can we go there on our way back?”
“Yan Ge-ge?”
Every time Ah Ming called him ‘Ge-ge‘, Jian Yu Yan’s heart would inexplicably tremble. Looking at her gentle smile, he chuckled softly, “Alright, let’s do as you say.”
Yujin Tailor Shop was the most prestigious tailor shop in Jin Ling Capital with the best fabrics and topnotch dressmakers. Those who could frequent the establishment were either wealthy or noble. Even though the tailors there looked down on Yan Yi Ming, they still made exquisite clothes for her out of respect for Jian Yu Yan.
Seeing Jian Yu Yan and Yan Yi Ming come together, the shopkeeper hurriedly served Jian Yu Yan tea and led Yan Yi Ming to try on the robes.
The moon-white gauze skirt was embroidered with silver threads on the belt, collar, and cuffs, making the clothes luxurious and exquisite. The shopkeeper thought to herself that although this girl came from a lowly background, her temperament was excellent. However, her face was covered by a veil, and she could only see her eyes and eyebrows, yet unable to see the girl’s full appearance.
Young Master Jian truly favored this girl greatly. Previously, except for Young Lady Jian, Young Master Jian had never brought any woman here.
Speaking of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao will arrive3Speak of the devil and he doth appear.. No sooner did she see them off, Jian Yu’er and Gentleman Jiang arrived. They were quickly ushered to the second floor, and the shopkeeper personally welcomed them. The shopkeeper told them conversationally, “If Young Lady Jian had come a little earlier, you would’ve encountered Young Master Jian.”
“Ge-ge?” Jian Yu’er was surprised.
“That’s right, Young Master Jian has just left. Look, there they are.”
Jian Yu’er stood by the window and happened to see Jian Yu Yan walking out of Yujin Tailor Shop with a slender woman. Jian Yu Yan was dressed in a sky-blue brocade robe today, while the woman wore a moon-white gauze robe. Walking together, their back view looked extremely well-matched.
“I wonder which family’s young lady she belongs to. Ge-ge hasn’t told me anything yet,” Jian Yu’er murmured softly. No wonder she had not seen her brother around these past few days. It turned out that he was spending time with the one fancied.
For some inexplicable reason, Jian Yu’er felt a tinge of bitterness in her heart.
“Aiya, she’s no young lady. She’s just a singing courtesan…”
Jian Yu’er suddenly looked up. After the shopkeeper left, she furrowed her delicate eyebrows before saying, “I’ve longed heard others say that Ge-ge has always liked to frolic with this kind of women, but I’ve never seen it for myself. It turns out it’s all true. Are these women… are they really that good?”
“Many of them are pitiful women who have fallen into this situation after their families have fallen into ruin,” Jiang Yi said. He came from a humble background since childhood hence, he did not look down on these women like most typical scholars would.
Jiang Yi’s gaze fell on Jian Yu Yan and that woman. Just as he was about to turn around, the woman suddenly turned her head and looked directly in his direction. There was no surprise or shock in her eyes when she spotted him; instead, it carried a hint of a smile.
Jiang Yi was slightly stunned.
When he took a second look, the woman had already turned her head and withdrew her gaze. It was as if that glance just now was just part of his imagination. And the woman’s firm certainty of his presence was also his illusion.
Jian Yu Yan escorted Ah Ming back to Plum Blossom Pavilion. For the next few days, he stayed there. Not long after he returned to Jian’s residence, he heard a slight commotion and looked up to see Jian Yu’er, whom he had not spoken to for quite some time.
“Yu’er,” Jian Yu Yan’s heart skipped a beat, and his voice involuntarily softened, “Is there something you need from me?”
Jian Yu’er’s gaze seemed a bit hurt. Did she only come to him when she needed something? Biting her rosy lips, Jian Yu’er slowly said, “Ge-ge, it’s been quite some time since you… since you’ve come home.”
Jian Yu Yan noticed the hurt in Jian Yu’er’s eyes and suddenly felt guilty. “I’ve been busy with important matters lately.”
“But why don’t you even come home at night?”
Jian Yu Yan was silent for a moment. “Yu’er, did you hear something?”
Jian Yu’er hesitated for a moment, perhaps realizing how difficult it was to answer such a direct question from Jian Yu Yan. She suddenly felt a little afraid of this version of Jian Yu Yan, afraid that he would not listen to her like before. However, she could not let Jian Yu Yan continue this way.
“I… I happened to see you leaving Yujin Tailor Shop with a woman that day. The shopkeeper said she was… a courtesan from Plum Blossom Pavillion,” Jian Yu’er uttered with some difficulty. “Ge-ge, you’re not married yet, so this… this behaviour will really damage your reputation.”
Jian Yu Yan remained silent. He had thought he would be pleased to learn that Yu’er was looking for him, but now that he understood her intention, he could not muster any joy.
He wanted to change the subject and avoid discussing this matter further, but Jian Yu’er remained unusually persistent.
“I couldn’t find you these days, and Father is a little displeased. Ge-ge, can you not… see that kind of people anymore in the future?”
Jian Yu Yan looked at her solemnly, “Does Yu’er dislike me being like this?”
Jian Yu’er’s eyes turned slightly red as she nodded.
Jian Yu Yan remained silent for a long time before finally agreeing, “Alright.”
The author has something to say:
To put it simply, the moral of Nangong Xuan’s story is that love is not something one can buy just because one can afford to.
As for the essence of Jian Yu Yan’s story, it’s probably whoever took the other party seriously first will end up being the one played to death.
Apologies to all my lovely readers as posting has been sporadic recently. I’m currently undertaking my thesis project this year and I have just submitted my research proposal and whatnot. I didn’t have the mental or physical bandwidth to juggle work, school, and translations. Posting should resume as per normal until July, hopefully…
I am sincerely sorry that there might be disappointed readers who were looking forward to reading more of this novel. Thank you for your understanding.
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Thank you for the chapter 💕. Every morning i look out for any new chapters.
No worries! Your life comes first! And thank you!! This chapter made me really sad… if Yan Yi Ming wasn’t a transmigrator, her life was actually so pitiful… and Jian Yu is a real green tea b$$$$ for wanting the attention and devotion of a man she has no intentions of returning affections for 😩