When the young master suddenly stood to leave, Luo Lingyu was still bending forward talking to him, stunned by his abrupt movement. By the time Third Young Master Lu had walked away, she finally realized she was half a beat too slow, and hurriedly stood up: “Brother Xuehen, listen to me, there’s a misunderstanding…”

Under the grape trellis, clusters of rich purple-black grapes hung heavily on the vines, trellis, and corner of the screen wall. Light filtered through the dense greenery onto the ground, creating shifting patterns of light and shadow that played across the rapidly departing young master. Though his eyes were bandaged with gauze, his arms and sleeves brushing past the trellis, and his face taut, he didn’t slow his pace at all despite his inability to see, didn’t need to feel his way around.

Rather, it was Luo Lingyu chasing after him who was anxious: “Lu Yun, Lu Yun!”

Luo Lingyu was slightly out of breath, her chest rising and falling from running so much, looking delicate enough to collapse. Her elaborate brocade clothes and silk sashes were too cumbersome and restricted her movement; after just two steps, her cheeks were burning from the sun. Luo Lingyu glared at the young master ahead, full of frustration—she had dressed up so beautifully and charmingly, yet he couldn’t see. Not only could he not see, but he had turned and left, walking so fast that she was left panting in pursuit, with no energy left to act.

There wasn’t even a chance to act coquettish!

But Luo Lingyu couldn’t let him leave. Lu Yun was already an extremely difficult person to talk to; if he left now, wouldn’t it be even harder to repair their relationship later? If he left, she would have to seek help from other young masters. That would mean more acting, and might not even achieve the results she wanted…

Luo Lingyu faced the challenge head-on; even though chasing him left her exhausted, she struggled to keep up. As the young master’s robes flew behind him, she quickly reached out to grab his hem. Lu Yun pulled at his sleeve once, but Luo Lingyu firmly refused to let go. Third Young Master Lu’s face was cold as frost and snow as he said in a deep voice: “Let go! Go find your fiancé!”

Luo Lingyu: “Though he’s my fiancé, I have absolutely no feelings for him…”

As soon as she said this, she saw a cold smile appear on Lu Yun’s face. Her heart sank as she silently realized the flaw in her words, and then heard Lu Yun’s voice strike like a blade, cutting to the bone: “No feelings for him… you have no feelings for anyone! You have a fiancé, so what am I to you? Am I just the one who came after? Just someone to be toyed with while completely ignorant? You…”

He was too angry to continue speaking, his chest pierced with sudden numbness. The veins on his forehead trembled as he had to exercise extreme restraint and control to suppress the urge to strangle her…

What utter humiliation!

Lu Yun had never suffered such an insult!

He had always been pursued by noble ladies, all of them cherishing him. With Luo Lingyu, he had become the later arrival. Was he the later arrival, just meant to satisfy her vanity? Did she feel accomplished manipulating Jianye’s famous “Jade Young Master” in the palm of her hand?

Luo Lingyu gripped his sleeve tightly and said urgently: “How would I dare toy with you? I truly don’t know why I suddenly have a fiancé! Before coming to Jianye, there wasn’t this marriage arrangement. It must be the people from Nanyang…”

Lu Yun shouted harshly: “Luo Lingyu!”

Luo Lingyu trembled at his shout, her face slightly pale as she stared at the tightly pressed line of his jaw below the snow-white gauze, momentarily not daring to continue.

Under the grape trellis, the famous jade-faced young master’s features were almost twisted with anger. His body rigid, he spoke through gritted teeth: “Do you think you can deceive me like a three-year-old child? You didn’t know you had a fiancé, you also didn’t know you were entangled with someone else’s feelings. Why did you rush to come to Jianye, why are you in such a hurry to marry? And insisting on only marrying into a great noble family? If you haven’t been toying with others’ feelings, why do you need to hide from people like this? If you haven’t been flirting with someone, why would they inexplicably come to propose marriage?”

“With your methods, would you be unaware when someone developed feelings for you?”

“You owed someone emotional debt, then came to seduce me?! Planning for me to solve all the troubles behind you?”

“You only came to find me when you couldn’t hide it anymore! What makes you think I, Lu Yun, am so easily fooled, to be led around by you?!”

Luo Lingyu: “…”

The more he spoke, the paler her face became, and towards the end, even the hand gripping his sleeve began to tremble. Her face was sickly pale, her eyes showing panic as she barely managed to support herself against the bamboo trellis behind her to avoid being forced to collapse by Lu Yun. That embarrassed, awkward expression appeared on the young lady’s face again—Lu Yun was truly formidable, seeing through her completely.

She had only mentioned having a fiancé and hadn’t even had time to explain, yet he had already seen through her true intentions.

He was always like this, seeing through to her essence, cutting straight to the core. He had figured out everything she tried to hide, yet despite knowing how formidable he was, she still insisted on entering the tiger’s den…

Luo Lingyu released his sleeve and covered her face as she collapsed sitting down, her shoulders trembling as she wept.

Lu Yun stood three steps away, still standing perfectly straight, his face still rigid.

Luo Lingyu truly felt wronged in her heart: “I didn’t do anything… I was only ten when I first arrived in Nanyang, what could I have done? He was the one who kept fixating on me, coming to the Luo family to find me from the very beginning…”

Lu Yun sneered: “…Don’t tell me you didn’t flirt with anyone.”

Luo Lingyu was utterly mortified: “I was dependent on others’ charity, when someone was kind to me, of course, I was moved. At most, I just went along with it… Later when I discovered his vicious character, I became somewhat afraid of him and didn’t dare associate with him anymore. But the Fan family is a great noble family in Nanyang, I couldn’t afford to offend them.”

Lu Yun: “Couldn’t afford to offend them, so you just ‘went along with it’ again?”

Like unraveling silk thread by thread, he truly didn’t miss a single detail. Wherever she tried to gloss over or be vague, Lu Yun forced her to go back and explain again. It was quite embarrassing, especially in front of Lu Yun. In front of him, Luo Lingyu always wanted to avoid letting him see her unfavorable sides. But as fate would have it, he always saw her bad sides. Her good points were overshadowed by her magnified flaws, becoming dim and lackluster.

Fortunately, this time she truly hadn’t deceived him much, she was somewhat innocent.

The emotions that occasionally leaked through her words, showing her fear and wariness of that Young Master Fan, made Lu Yun’s unsightly expression improve somewhat. Eventually, Lu Yun had crouched in front of her, listening to the young lady leaning against the grape trellis stammer out how she had been forced to leave Nanyang: “…There wasn’t anything proper about him at all after I saw him kill my maid, I became especially afraid of him and didn’t dare go out. Perhaps knowing I was afraid, he became friendly with me again… When I was fourteen, he once hinted at wanting to marry me, that’s when I was most frightened.”

The young lady bit her lip and said resentfully: “Perhaps you think I love wealth and power, that I’ll marry whoever treats me well. But I don’t want to marry a madman either, I’m so young, I don’t want to be tormented for a lifetime…”

Lu Yun scoffed: “Never thought about changing him, training him?”

Luo Lingyu blushed; he truly hit upon her every thought and intention. This made her even more flustered: “…How could a madman be trained?”

Luo Lingyu carefully observed Lu Yun, seeing him lower his face, the shifting light falling on his long eyebrows as he pondered the truth and falsehood in her words. He was so handsome that even when silent, the curve of his brow bone was exceptionally beautiful. Lost in thought, Luo Lingyu couldn’t help but recall her wet nurse Qin’s tearful words. Wet Nurse Qin had said she always liked the same type of men… Luo Lingyu didn’t understand what Wet Nurse Qin meant by “the same type,” because in her view, Third Young Master Lu was completely different from Young Master Fan.

Even at his angriest, Lu Yun still had more righteousness about him, with fewer dark aspects.

And although she was so vulgar, she still felt that such a bright and upright young master was wonderful.

Just as she was lost in thought, comparing the differences between the two young masters, her forehead suddenly hurt. She cried out, raising her hand to cover her forehead as she looked up, glaring at him angrily. Indeed, Lu Yun’s knuckle was still bent; he had just flicked her forehead. Luo Lingyu felt guilty and could only suppress her anger. But Lu Yun seemed to feel that one flick wasn’t enough to dispel his hatred, and he flicked her brow again.

This time Luo Lingyu was in so much pain that tears nearly fell. She endured it: “Why are you hitting me? Why do you always hit me? Just scold me if you want, don’t use your hands…”

Although Lu Yun clearly couldn’t see, his hand accurately pinched her cheek. Luo Lingyu was pinched painfully, the tender flesh of her cheek turning red between his fingers. She whimpered as she heard Lu Yun say hatefully: “Luo Lingyu, I’ve figured it out. Scolding you is completely useless, you never learn. You…”

Luo Lingyu stammered: “I just wanted you to help me with something…”

Lu Yun was a nuisance; having become angry himself, he took it out on her, abusing her face in various ways. Luo Lingyu was very conscious of her appearance, usually taking special care of her pretty face, yet here he was pinching and squeezing it. She quickly became angry too, struggling hard but unable to break free from his mistreatment. Luo Lingyu reached behind her blindly. She found a bunch of grapes, yanked it down, and threw it at him: “…I told you to stop pinching my face!”

A bunch of black-purple grapes flew over, hitting Lu Yun in the face. Grape juice ran down as Lu Yun was hit somewhat dazedly, not having dodged her sudden counterattack.

Lu Yun: “…You dare to strike me?”

Luo Lingyu took advantage of his daze to scramble to her feet. As Lu Yun pursued her closely, she repeatedly said “Don’t come near me” while frantically grabbing whatever was convenient above her to throw at his body and feet. Poor Third Young Master Lu, unable to see and faced with such a fierce young lady, was hit several times, his stone-blue robes stained with streaks. At their feet lay scattered grapes and juice. The couch where Lu Yun had been sleeping earlier was covered with fallen leaves.

Lu Yun: “Stop throwing things at me!”

Luo Lingyu: “Then stop chasing me! Promise to help me!”

Lu Yun laughed from anger; who would want to promise her anything? Luo Lingyu’s persistent nature once again left him astounded. Even after such a commotion, she still remembered her “fiancé” in her heart. Her fiancé had made Lu Yun so furious he wished he could forget everything. He reached out to grab and pull her, but Luo Lingyu just desperately dodged while continuing to throw things at him.

The young master’s ear twitched as he heard a faint “crack,” and he quickly stepped forward, his expression changing slightly: “Luo Lingyu, come here!”

Seeing him approach only made Luo Lingyu hide more fearfully. Lu Yun heard continuous “cracking” sounds in his ears, which confused his senses, making it temporarily impossible to locate her position by sound. Lu Yun had bumped into the trellis several times, and this time he heard a thunderous crash as the grape trellis above began to collapse. Luo Lingyu’s sharp gasp immediately let Lu Yun locate her. As she watched helplessly as the dense trellis fell, with no escape from the falling debris on all sides, Lu Yun rushed over in a few steps to embrace her. He held her in his arms as they rolled on the ground. The world spun as the grape trellis suddenly collapsed, bamboo poles clattering all around.

Luo Lingyu coughed from the dust.

Lu Yun had rolled with her clear of the trellis, his raised arm blocking the last section from falling. Once the thunderous noise around them subsided, Luo Lingyu finally raised her face from his embrace to see Lu Yun’s composed expression. She anxiously pulled at his sleeve to check him: “Are you hurt? Were you hit anywhere?”

She had tumbled into his embrace, her soft chest trembling against his arm.

Lu Yun paused for a moment before saying: “…I’m fine. What’s the situation now?”

Luo Lingyu looked around and said: “Brother Xuehen, it’s quite a mess now. There’s a fallen trellis beside you, Sister Jinyue is coming this way, but I’m waving for them not to come over. There are bamboo poles, vine trellises, leaves, and grapes scattered all around us on the ground. Grape juice has stained our clothes, my sleeve is dirty, and there are some marks on your chin…”

As the maids’ footsteps approached and receded, the young lady in his arms spoke in clear, melodious tones, taking advantage of his inability to see by using her voice to make him imagine. Imagine the green scattered everywhere, the grapes on the ground, and the beautiful young lady before him as delicate as a flower in full bloom. Her voice was gentle, soft as a spring breeze… making Lu Yun’s body suddenly grow hot.

Lu Yun reached back to grasp her delicate wrist that rested on his sleeve. The young master’s fingers casually brushed against her skin, smooth as snow-white jade, stirring something in his heart. His hand pressed against her wrist, his fingers unconsciously wandering upward into her sleeve.

Lu Yun couldn’t see with his eyes, and couldn’t feel much, but Luo Lingyu could see their situation. Kneeling beside the grape trellis, surrounded by green leaves and grapes, Third Young Master Lu’s jade crown was askew, his hair brushing his face. His expression remained impassive as his fingers wandered over her wrist. The contrast between his indifferent expression and his tender touch created waves of tingling sensations that climbed up from her wrist.

Luo Lingyu made a token effort to tap his hand with her other hand: “…Don’t touch randomly.”

Lu Yun raised an eyebrow: Such half-hearted resistance?

Luo Lingyu’s perfunctory resistance made him realize how accepting she was of his advances. Lu Yun suddenly leaned forward and pecked her lips. He waited for a long while, and after a moment’s hesitation, Luo Lingyu still didn’t pull away. The young master remained kneeling, maintaining his pretense of aloofness even now. Luo Lingyu cursed him inwardly as he remained still, while she coyly and affectedly delivered herself into his embrace. Lu Yun laughed softly and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Luo Lingyu very consciously wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to lean down and lightly sniff her neck with his high, straight nose.

The young master’s hands gripped her waist, his lips pressed against her collarbone, his soft breath trailing down her neck. That casual, teasing breath brushed against her neck, thread by thread, faint and subtle. Luo Lingyu breathed lightly, tilting her head back, her body slightly stiff.

Tilting his head, pulling at her upturned lips, Lu Yun smiled: “Never been like this with any other young master?”

Luo Lingyu: “…”

He was still jealous even now! She swatted at him again, still without force, merely expressing her attitude symbolically.

Lu Yun: “Am I the only one?”

He seemed somewhat satisfied at last.

Pressing down on the young lady, he leaned forward, desire and emotion floating between them. Words hung unspoken, better left unsaid. Their breaths barely touched, again and again. Brief contact, then immediate separation. Their sleeves overlapped as the young master’s pressure came like a jade mountain falling, Luo Lingyu’s hands raised to press against his chest, but to no avail.

If only he could see…

Luo Lingyu sighed inwardly with regret as Lu Yun pushed her down onto the ground. He leaned down, and just as their lips were about to meet, Luo Lingyu said softly: “If you kiss me, you have to promise to help me.”

Lu Yun paused: “Such as?”

His tone had softened somewhat, and Luo Lingyu rejoiced inwardly, not letting the opportunity slip: “You don’t need to do much. Just send a letter to Nanyang, put some pressure on the Fan family of Nanyang, and say that you admire me. The Fan family of Nanyang surely wouldn’t dare offend the Lu family of Jianye…”

Lu Yun smiled ambiguously: “Who admires you?”

Luo Lingyu blushed and humphed, and his lips touched hers again. She mumbled: “…It’s just to deceive him… I don’t want to marry him…”

His lips entwined with hers again, and when they parted, the young lady made a soft sound, half-sigh half-moan, making their close breaths grow somewhat chaotic. Their faces pressed together, Luo Lingyu’s hands resting on his neck, somewhat suggestively urging him on, indicating that if he wanted to kiss her he should hurry up, not keep barely touching her lips without actually kissing. It was making her face burn red, her heart growing impatient and frustrated.

Lu Yun leaned down but stopped again—Luo Lingyu almost wanted to kick him.

Lu Yun asked: “How does your Young Master Fan compare to me?”

Luo Lingyu: “…”

He was still hung up on this! His jealousy was lasting rather too long… He already knew she didn’t like that person, yet still… As she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, Luo Lingyu felt sweetness rippling through her heart.

Her eyes were full of laughter as she stared at his face, even the gauze covering his eyes seemed somewhat handsome to her. The young lady murmured: “How could he compare to you… He’s not as learned as you, not as talented as you, not as pursued by young ladies as you, not even as good-looking as you… He’s inferior to you in every way.”

Lu Yun’s face showed a smile, and Luo Lingyu continued to praise him: “Even blind, you’re still the most handsome blind man in the world.”

Lu Yun: “…”

He said softly: “If you can’t speak properly then be quiet, who are you calling blind? Sister Yueer…”

She had become his “Sister Yueer” again, and their lips met, finally truly kissing this time.

…

Luo Lingyu was very pleased with herself; that day’s sacrifice of her dignity had worked extremely well. Although Lu Yun repeatedly claimed he “wasn’t lustful,” he had still been seduced by her beauty again and again, led around by her. As long as Third Young Master Lu wasn’t angry anymore, he would surely write the letter she wanted to be sent to Nanyang. She needed to nullify the marriage contract binding her; even if she couldn’t marry right now, her future husband when pleased by her flirtations, was willing to let her “borrow the tiger’s might.”

Luo Lingyu set her mind at ease again and began arranging the task Lady Lu had assigned her—inviting more young ladies to visit the Lu residence, as Lady Lu wanted to look for suitable wives for the family’s young masters.

Although the Lu family’s long-term marriage alliances were limited to just a few families, within the acceptable range, the young masters still had some freedom of choice.

Lady Lu didn’t mind, but what Old Lady Lu was most dissatisfied with now was probably the relationship between Third Young Master Lu and Luo Lingyu. Old Lady Lu was considering how to break up these two, as she didn’t want her grandson to marry a woman without any family background. Fortunately, because Lady Lu needed Luo Lingyu’s help at this time, she had, without Luo Lingyu’s knowledge, helped block several of Old Lady Lu’s attempts to break up the potential match.

While showing Lady Lu the list of young ladies to invite, Luo Lingyu had a sudden thought about how her Young Master Zhou was also unmarried.

Luo Lingyu’s cheeks reddened: Now that she had Third Young Master Lu, she didn’t dare provoke Lu Yun and temporarily didn’t want to marry Young Master Zhou anymore. But she could help pick a virtuous wife for Young Master Zhou… After all, Young Master Zhou had been so good to her, and she could use this to maintain connections with this young master who seemed to have such a bright future.

Taking the list of young ladies that Lady Lu had approved of, along with the accounts from the cosmetics shop she had opened with Zhou Yangling that she wanted to show him, Luo Lingyu left the Lu residence and took a carriage to the Zhou residence. Not having seen Zhou Yangling for several days, the young master’s jade-like gentle image had been constantly turning in her mind—she liked the gentle quality he possessed—unrelated to love, purely finding it comfortable.

On the same day, a boat slowly sailed into Lake Xuanwu, arriving at Jianye’s dock. In the cabin, an exceptionally handsome young master reclined against a small table, flipping through a register of Jianye’s young masters. He casually turned past Second Young Master Lu’s page, but when the portrait and name stopped on the next person, this young master on the boat smiled: “Lu Yun, courtesy name Xuehen, sobriquet Master Seeking Plum, age nineteen, the Third Young Master of the Lu family’s main line, and a world-renowned scholar. Famous from a young age, has kept a low profile in recent years, about to take up an official position at court.”

Closing his eyes, he had already traced out a real young master from the unparalleled refined portrait he had seen.

Fan Qingchen, the “Young Master Fan” that Luo Lingyu kept mentioning, tapped the table surface thoughtfully: “Allied by marriage with the Luo family, famous in Jianye, the Lu family’s power so strong, clearly the type Sister Luo would love. Moreover, this Third Young Master Lu’s features are handsome, tall, and slim with long limbs, red lips, and white teeth, his appearance worthy of being called ethereally beautiful, and reportedly talented too, clearly also the type Sister Luo would love… Heh, no wonder she’s too happy to think of home, unwilling to return to Nanyang.”

His face darkened, though his lips still held a smile, it was full of sinister intent, terrifying to behold.

Just from his first glance at Lu Xuehen, he had nothing to say, knowing Luo Lingyu would like this person. Luo Lingyu’s aesthetic taste was consistently stable; she seemed fickle, appearing not to care much about anyone. But she always spent more time focusing on certain types of young masters than others. This point was clearest to Fan Qingchen, who had watched her for years. Luo Lingyu just liked that type of young master like Third Young Master Lu who seemed both noble and inviolable yet also unparalleled in charm and there for the taking.

Fan Qingchen sneered: If he hadn’t revealed himself, she should still like… him instead!

He had the marriage contract here, and Third Young Master Lu was constrained by his reputation… He wanted to see how his Sister Luo planned to escape now.

Covering his face with his sleeve, Fan Qingchen muttered to himself, laughing repeatedly: “Such a naive young lady… In this world besides me, what noble young master would sacrifice so much for you, yet you still despise me… Won’t you come home obediently with me… I miss you, my… Sister Luo.”

His voice weakened, almost a whisper.

Intermittently, faintly, the young master’s suppressed, hoarse, half-crying half-laughing gasps and low moans echoed through the cabin.