Chapter 178: A Midnight Invitation of Subtle Fragrance

On the fifth floor of the Myriad Phenomena Tower, inside Chai Mengqing’s exclusive chamber, Lianyue, dressed in men’s attire, sat listlessly on a glass-like swing. Utterly dispirited, her soul seemed to have drifted off to who knows where.

Watching Lianyue like this, Chai Mengqing felt a mixture of exasperation and affection. Having hit it off splendidly, the two had recently sworn an oath as sworn sisters, and Lianyue had since become a regular visitor here. Seeing her current state, Chai Mengqing knew precisely what was ailing her.

Everything that could be said had already been said, and every piece of advice that could be given had been offered. Even Duoli, her own personal maid, had been making two fixed trips to the Auspicious Clouds Tower every day and had already complained to her more than once.

As for the three individuals downstairs, they arrived punctually every single day like clockwork to report for duty. Her sworn sister was truly a handful.

"Yue'er, are you hungry?"

"Not hungry." Lianyue was in a completely absent-minded state.

"Then are you thirsty?"

"Not thirsty." She didn't even lift her eyelids to answer.

Even Chai Mengqing’s famously serene temperament was beginning to spark with irritation. If not for her regard for this precious treasure of a sister, she would have wanted to shake Lianyue awake. Eight days! It had been a full eight days. Did she intend to spend every single day like this just because that young man hadn't returned?

Of course, such a furious outburst could only be kept to herself. Remembering how Lianyue had nearly flipped out and fallen out with her just two days ago when she casually mentioned that the young man hadn't sent a single letter in all these days, Chai Mengqing knew that the number of elapsed days was a strictly forbidden topic.

Opting for a change of pace, Chai Mengqing walked over to the honeycomb-like peephole wall behind the beaded curtain and amused herself by observing the three men reporting for duty downstairs. Her gaze lingered mostly on the white-clad Yuwen Lingxi.

This person was currently the one who fascinated Chai Mengqing the most. Ever since Yuwen Lingxi followed Lianyue into the Myriad Phenomena Tower for the second time, Chai Mengqing had keenly sensed something different about him.

Through tireless observation, she had subsequently discovered many interesting details. This iceberg of a man, usually so cold in appearance and distant in tone, always had a remarkably expressive face whenever others weren't paying attention—completely contrary to the impression he normally projected.

This deeply piqued Chai Mengqing's interest. Therefore, whenever Lianyue was sighing and listless, Chai Mengqing's favorite pastime was observing this cold-faced young master and capturing all his unusual expressions and gestures, finding endless amusement in it.

She recalled yesterday when she and Lianyue came downstairs and sat with the group: she had caught his unusual expression red-handed, noting the surprise and panic on his face, followed by his subsequent guardedness against her.

Had Lianyue not been too dispirited to deal with the men downstairs, Chai Mengqing would have loved to properly test this cold-faced young gentleman.

Suddenly, Chai Mengqing caught sight of another unusual movement from Yuwen Lingxi, and the expression on his face was precisely captured by Lianyue, who had finally snapped back to her senses.

How should Lianyue describe that expression? It looked just like a cat stealing cream.

Such an expression appearing on Chai Mengqing, who usually possessed an ethereal, fairy-like aura, was indescribably bizarre. Even the detached and desireless Lianyue felt her interest stirring.

However, as she walked up to Chai Mengqing and looked through the corresponding honeycomb hole at the three figures seated at a single table, a familiar headache immediately set in.

The Yuwen Lingxi in the view was, naturally, Yuwen Ling霄 (Yuwen Lingxiao). Remembering his eldest brother's instructions, aside from sleeping hours, Yuwen Lingxiao now appeared wherever Lianyue appeared.

And the company accompanying him, apart from Qiao Zhi who stuck to him like a shadow, was naturally Zhou Ziwen, who had tagged along like a bullied punching bag under the threat of Zhou Man's fists.

Over the past few days, wherever Lianyue went, three little tails trailed behind her. Aside from the occasional bantering with Qiao Zhi, the other two—one an iceberg and the other a silent gloom-pot—would blush before they even spoke, driving Lianyue to distraction.

To make matters worse, her eldest sister kept exposing her whereabouts, and as for Yaoyao, Lianyue always suspected she was acting out of a desire for revenge, so she had resolved to give Yaoyao the cold shoulder for a few days.

Fortunately, heaven never cuts off all avenues. Ever since Lianyue discovered that only Chai Mengqing's private sanctuary could keep the three of them locked out downstairs, she had taken to lingering in this place all day long, occasionally even staying the night.

Yet the patience of the three men downstairs was truly extraordinary. While Lianyue hid upstairs, they waited downstairs, and Qingruo had even directly prepared a room on the fourth floor for Qiao Zhi, who was now merely acting as a brother.

With a mischievous glint, Chai Mengqing looked at Lianyue and said, "Actually, they are all quite interesting. What do you say we go down and meet them?"

"Interesting? My dear sister, you call this interesting? I'm practically being driven crazy by them. Don't they have anything at all to do all day long?"

Lianyue left the honeycomb wall, walked over to the nearby soft couch, and poured herself a cup of water. Chai Mengqing followed her over. "Actually, all three of them are quite decent. By the way, which type do you prefer among them?"

Questions of this sort weren't the first time they'd come up, and Lianyue knew the best answer was simply not to answer.

"Actually, judging by your description, that An Ming's style is quite similar to this fiancé of yours, Yuwen Lingxi." Chai Mengqing leaned even closer to Lianyue. "Could it be that because that An Ming carried you off, you've had a change of heart?"

"It's not a change of heart," Lianyue said, deciding she must explain properly this time. "Sister, you know very well that my engagement to Yuwen was entirely forced upon me. I was just a little toddler back then. Now that we've both grown up, we'll each have people we fancy, and besides, this engagement can be annulled. I've already explained this to you three times."

"Actually, I just think that you and this fiancé of yours are quite predestined. Otherwise, out of so many items, why didn't you snatch anything else except his jade pendant? It's just that his attitude toward you is a bit strange. When you first came and stayed in Qingruo's room, judging by Yuwen Lingxi's reaction, he cared a great deal about you. But these past few days, that feeling has been missing. Aren't you curious at all? Does he actually like you or not? In case he truly likes you without you realizing it, your attempts to call off the engagement won't go very smoothly."

Lianyue’s hand paused mid-motion. She realized she had seemingly never considered this question. But did he like her? Surely not. Yet, the memories of the bits and pieces of time they spent together the day after the imperial palace banquet flickered piece by piece before Lianyue's eyes, making her feel somewhat uncertain.

Moreover, over the past few days, whenever she wanted to find an opportunity to have a proper conversation with him—thinking that since Yuwen Lingxi had already witnessed her intimate moments with An Ming, he ought to be mentally prepared—he would always cleverly steer the conversation away.

Thinking about it carefully now, it seemed he had done so on purpose every single time.

This forced Lianyue to re-evaluate the issues between them. Clarifying things was necessary, and her fondness for An Ming was beyond doubt.

Seeing Lianyue's expression soften, Chai Mengqing continued to fan the flames. "How about I help you arrange a meeting with him tonight to ask him face-to-face?"

Lianyue immediately rejected the suggestion. With An Ming now in her heart, she was extremely sensitive about meeting other men in private.

Naturally, Chai Mengqing had anticipated Lianyue's answer; she had made the suggestion precisely for another purpose. Putting on a theatrical, righteous expression of heroic sacrifice, she amended, "How about this then? I'll go tell him clearly on your behalf."

A wave of joy washed over Lianyue's heart. This would naturally be the best possible outcome. She reached out to hug Chai Mengqing's arm and coaxed, "I knew Sister is the best! Please help me tell him that I already have someone I love, and tell him to go look for someone he fancies too, so we can peacefully break off the engagement and each pursue our own happiness."

Chai Mengqing's face stiffened for a split second before returning to normal, harboring her own little schemes. "Still, you have to be the one to ask him to meet."

"That's no problem. I'll have Zizhù tell Mù Shān. But where should we meet?"

"The Grade-A Pavilion of Fragrance on the fourth floor." Chai Mengqing narrowed her eyes. Tonight, I must make you reveal your true colors.

Acting on impulse once the decision was made, Lianyue immediately rushed out to instruct Zizhù to carry out the task.

Then, she and Chai Mengqing kept watch by the honeycomb wall, observing Zizhù deliver the message to Mù Shān, who in turn passed it on to Yuwen Lingxi. Yuwen Lingxi's reaction was naturally captured entirely by the two women. Lianyue even specifically asked Chai Mengqing which honeycomb hole corresponded to the Pavilion of Fragrance so she could monitor things from afar; should Yuwen Lingxi pull any untoward stunts, she could rush to the rescue immediately.