In this era, there was no concept of being “nameless.” It wasn’t that being seen unclothed by a man meant belonging to that man, but rather that after being seen by a man… one couldn’t be content not marrying him.

Luo Lingyu’s misfortune was that she encountered two men at once.

She knelt on the ground clutching her clothes as the cool breeze swept in through the opened door, moonlight illuminating the two figures who had entered. Looking nervously, she saw Lu Sanlang, elegant and graceful, and Zhou Lang, refined and cultured – both rare specimens of male beauty in the world. Yet she was so frightened that tears welled in her eyes…

However, while Zhou Lang’s expression merely showed momentary surprise before returning to normal, Lu Yun’s face underwent a dramatic change. The Luo lady didn’t even have time to see what his expression had become before she saw him suddenly turn and slam the door as he left. The door panel threw up a layer of dust, making those in the room even more uncomfortable… Like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, Lu Yun’s abrupt departure dealt Luo Lingyu an infinite blow.

Her tears, which had been six parts genuine and four parts false, became nine parts genuine after he turned away.

Luo Lingyu felt utterly wronged: He… he… he had seen all of her, how could he just leave like this?! Without a word, without a single comforting phrase… what a bastard!

An indescribable sourness welled up in her heart, instantly making Luo Lingyu’s entire body uncomfortable as if all her pores were blocked. Her expectations of Lu Yun had been greater than those of others. He had even kissed her before, yet now he ignored her. She stared at the slammed door, kneeling on the ground as two streams of cold tears fell… Zhou Yangling walked over and crouched beside her, just beginning to show a hesitant expression when Luo Lingyu let out a whimper and collapsed into her embrace, crying so hard she trembled: “Wuu wuu… what should I do…”

Zhou Yangling stiffened when she leaned against her, her neck dampened by the young lady’s tears. After freezing momentarily, she embraced the young lady’s shoulders and comforted her softly: “It’s alright…”

Luo Lingyu cried so hard she could barely breathe: “I was seen naked by both of you! Both of you!”

Zhou Yangling: “…”

Originally, before bathing, Luo Lingyu had screamed in fright at a snake that had fallen from the beam above. After Lu Yun and Zhou Yangling entered, she was frightened again by these two people. Lu Yun’s departure made her extremely upset, while Zhou Yangling had to maintain face, help her remove the snake with a wooden stick, and still comfort this endlessly crying young lady. Zhou Yangling couldn’t leave because Luo Lingyu wouldn’t let go of her: since Third Young Master Lu had left without a word, how could she let Zhou Lang leave too?

After Lu Yun left the young lady’s quarters, he remained silent, but his mind was filled with what he had just seen in that casual glance. Before she could cover herself with clothes, due to a man’s instinct, Lu Yun had seen her. Where she was thin, where she was plump, where she curved inward, where she protruded… Her skin was so white, emanating a soft glow, her thick black hair covering her back but unable to hide her front.

Her feet were bare like dove feathers, and she immediately crouched down, staring at him with wide ink-black eyes full of fear and unease.

At that moment, Lu Yun’s blood froze, uncontrollably flowing downward. He was bewitched by her beauty, his eyes unable to leave her. She stood naked before him, without the barrier of thin spring clothing, stripped of all her calculating, selfish flaws – she was so beautiful. Beautiful enough to make him lose control, to make fierce thoughts rise in his mind – wanting to pounce on her, pinning her beneath him, ravish her without restraint, violate her.

That instant of male baseness made Lu Yun turn and flee in disgrace.

He dared not stay there, afraid he couldn’t control himself… Even though she was just a young woman full of flaws, he should despise and resent her. Yet he kept fixing his gaze on her. He hadn’t yet figured out what he was thinking; he was unwilling to be deceived by her beautiful exterior. But he also… After Lu Yun left the room, even the cold wind couldn’t dispel the wild heat in his mind.

Because Master Wang’s residence had few rooms, Prince Chen Liu Shu and Lu Sanlang shared the same chamber. After helping Zhou Lang fetch water, still waiting for Zhou Lang’s return, Prince Chen went back to his and Lu Sanlang’s room first. Liu Shu had just sat down when he saw Lu Yun push open the door. The young lord’s expression was disheveled, his walk lacking its usual leisure, instead showing the urgency of one being pursued. Liu Shu even caught a trace of redness on his face… Before he could look closer, he saw Third Young Master Lu pick up the teapot from the table and drink directly from it without even using a cup, gulping it down like an ox.

Liu Shu was stunned: “…”

Lu Sanlang came from a noble family; he wasn’t just pretentiously refined, he had a full set of aristocratic afflictions. Seeing Lu Sanlang drink tea so ungracefully for the first time, Liu Shu’s eyes showed interest.

Seeing Lu Yun finish a pot of tea, water clinging to his chin, his collar wet, his eyes seeming dampened as well. This lost and confused appearance made Lu Sanlang’s elegant features somewhat delectable. Then Lu Sanlang sat down, and after a moment’s daze, murmured: “Zhou Lang hasn’t returned to the room?!”

With the rooms so close together, any movement outside could be heard clearly. Liu Shu answered slowly: “No.”

Visibly, Lu Yun’s expression changed again. Lu San’s heart suddenly lurched, secretly thinking “terrible.” He knew Zhou Yangling was a woman, but Luo Lingyu didn’t know. Zhou Yangling’s appearance was extremely deceptive; given his cousin’s perspective, now that he had left, Luo Lingyu might well be crying and clamoring to marry Zhou Yangling… Liu Shu hadn’t managed to get a word out of Lu Yun before seeing his friend suddenly stand up and go out the door again. From the sound, he was heading toward his cousin’s room…

Liu Shu seemed to realize something, lowering his eyelashes: Lu Yun seemed to be paying more and more attention to his cousin.

Luo Lingyu was still crying and clinging to Zhou Yangling. She had been helped from the ground to the couch by Zhou Yang, covered with a brocade blanket, and the Luo lady was lying on the bed sobbing and choking with tears. Seeing her cry like this, Zhou Yangling naturally couldn’t leave. Zhou Yangling sat on the couch comforting her for a long time, but Luo Lingyu seemed to grow more and more heartbroken. Having no choice, Zhou Yangling made a desperate move: “Sister, you don’t need to cry. Because I cannot…”

“Bang!” The door was pushed open again.

Curled up in the bedding, Luo Lingyu raised her tear-filled eyes to see Lu Yun standing in the doorway, having returned. Seeing him made her feel more wronged and angry; she turned her face away and continued dropping tears. Zhou Yangling stood up, saw Lu Yun’s eyes glance toward her, and said quietly: “Zhou Lang, you go out first. I’ll comfort my cousin.”

Hearing this, Luo Lingyu immediately refused: “No! Zhou Lang, I don’t want you to leave…”

Lu Yun said with a dark face: “Get out.”

Zhou Yangling felt relieved – if Lu Yun hadn’t come back, to stop Luo Lingyu from crying, she would have had to reveal her female identity. Lu Yun’s return came at just the right moment. Zhou Yangling gave him a meaningful look, indicating that his cousin was being coquettish and needed good comfort. Zhou Yangling left under Luo Lingyu’s unwilling gaze. Lu Yun closed the door and walked to sit on the couch. The young lord’s slender hand reached out and pulled down the bundled bedding that wrapped the young lady on the couch, revealing Luo Lingyu’s delicate and charming, tear-spotted little face.

She looked at him with tear-filled eyes, still glaring forcefully.

Lu Yun suddenly found this selfish woman quite adorable.

Knowing she harbored resentment, Lu Sanlang was always concise: “Zhou Lang comes from a humble background.”

Luo Lingyu: “…”

The relationship between people can be both opposing and complementary. Lu Yun was precisely Luo Lingyu’s nemesis. Zhou Yangling had comforted her for so long, only making her cry harder; Lu Yun’s single sentence hit her vital point, leaving her speechless, her tears retreating.

Lu Yun pulled at the corner of his mouth, using his sleeve to wipe the tears from her face with disdain. Without needing to expose Zhou Yangling’s female identity, just letting Luo Lingyu know Zhou Yangling came from a humble background was enough – his cousin, who despised poverty and loved wealth, would no longer think of marrying Zhou Yangling. As for being seen naked by two men… his cousin would be able to adjust her mood.

Luo Lingyu slowly sat up on the couch, staring at him: “How do you know he’s from a humble background? Zhou Lang never told me.”

Lu Yun said simply: “If you don’t believe me, you can ask her.”

Seeing Lu Yun unwilling to say more, Luo Lingyu had no choice but to believe. The blow she received was even greater now – Zhou Lang had such good bearing, such good temperament, and learning, yet came from a humble background… while Lu Yun, this bad man, was a young lord from a top family. Heaven was truly unfair! She naturally wanted to marry into a wealthy family; whether being seen naked was important or not depended on who the person was… In an instant, Luo Lingyu’s choices were reduced from two back to one.

Lu Yun smiled ambiguously, his sleeve brushing her eye’s corner. He reached out to pinch and pull at her pretty face, both teasing and mocking: “Don’t want to marry him anymore?”

Luo Lingyu cried out, pushing his hand away. Her face hurt from his pulling, feeling as if he was venting some anger. Luo Lingyu whimpered “wuu wuu” twice, not wanting to discuss with Lu Yun whether “despising poverty and loving wealth” was good or bad. She began to feel conflicted and hesitant in her heart: Zhou Lang was easy to handle, but Lu Yun was very difficult.

Lu Yun was the most difficult man she had ever met.

Even thoughts like ‘you kissed me, you saw me naked, you should marry me’… Luo Lingyu felt somewhat embarrassed to voice them. She felt that as soon as she opened her mouth, she would lose to Lu Yun somehow. It was as if using the tactics she used on other men against him would make everything she did seem like it was just to marry him. Indeed, she had been half-pushing half-yielding, but she didn’t want Lu Yun to look down on her.

She didn’t want Lu Yun to look at her with eyes that said “As expected, you’ll stop at nothing to marry me.”

She didn’t care what others thought of her, she had already shown her true face to Lu Yun multiple times… Yet she held back that feeling in her heart, unwilling to admit she was the kind of petty person he thought she was.

In the end, Lu Yun didn’t speak of marriage, and Luo Lingyu didn’t ask. Having her tears wiped by the young lord, Luo Lingyu lowered her head, unable to continue crying in front of Lu Yun. However, being embraced by Lu Sanlang still felt good; he wiped her tears and covered her with the blanket to let her sleep. Luo Lingyu saw his lowered brows and eyes, visible tenderness in his gaze. The young lady’s hands clutched the corner of the blanket tightly, her face reddening under his gaze. She had a feeling he was doting on her, a feeling that made her pleased…

After all, she was a vain young lady. Being able to have the famous “Jade Young Lord” of Jianye look at her with such eyes in private, Luo Lingyu felt her coming to Jianye hadn’t been in vain.

The bed curtain fell, enclosing the young lady on the couch. Before Lu Yun left, his sleeve was caught by a hand reaching out from behind the curtain. Luo Lingyu couldn’t help herself, pressing her cheek against the back of her hand as she stammered: “Brother Xuehen, you’ve seen my body… that third request of yours, do you not want to use it now?”

Her words were full of suggestion.

Lu Yun understood immediately.

He turned back, lifted the curtain, and bent down, once again using his fingers to knead her face. His fingertips were smooth, the fragrance of night floating, all her scent. His heart rarely fluttered as he said meaningfully: “No rush… Sister Lingyu, we… have plenty of time ahead.”

Plenty of time ahead?

Luo Lingyu’s face retreated into the bedding, Lu Yun extinguished the candle, and the young lady closed her eyes – plenty of time ahead… Was this his roundabout way of admitting he had developed feelings?