On the bamboo mat-covered bed in summer, the young lord half-pressed, half-embraced the young lady in his arms. His gauze-covered eyes faced downward, his half-bound long hair falling loose, black as silk, its slightly stiff ends brushing against Luo Lingyu’s face. His inadvertent hand rested at her open collar—summer garments being thin, just that one grasp touched the smooth, forbidden skin beneath his palm.

A half-moon arc rose beneath his palm, like snow-covered mountains.

She trembled again lightly, her cool skin warming, that silken touch making Lu Sanlang unconsciously lean down, and down again… his fingers gently caressing once.

Luo Lingyu’s body quivered, biting her lip in his embrace, her voice trembling.

Lu Yun’s fingers froze. Even though he couldn’t see, or perhaps because he couldn’t see, he immediately realized he was touching her breast. Lu Yun tilted his head slightly: she wasn’t pulling away. What did that mean?

Lu Sanlang didn’t move his hand away, but neither did he continue caressing. His long, strong fingers just rested there, slipping slightly inside her collar, steadily pressing against her chest. His hair fell across her face, his lips slowly curving upward. That proud, knowing, playful, mocking expression… Luo Lingyu’s face burned, guessing he must be inwardly laughing at her for seducing him again.

After all, though his eyes couldn’t see, she could see clearly.

Luo Lingyu lay stiffly, feeling both ashamed and frustrated, yet had to continue. She could easily rebuke him for being improper, make him release her. But hadn’t she come to his chambers today to make him rival Lord Fan, wasn’t the best way to have him propose to her? Since she wanted Lu Yun to sacrifice his reputation to help break her engagement, she naturally had to offer him some benefit… though it was a pity her image in his heart would worsen.

Pressed against the bed by the young lord, Luo Lingyu made a token struggle. Lu Sanlang lay against her, his breath floating across her neck. He silently judged her reactions, their necks touching, cheeks lightly pressed together, her skin and fragrance surrounding his lips and nose. His hand rested on her chest, thinking the feeling beneath must be like cream like the “pastries” she often brought him.

Milky sweetness, lingering, sticky, fresh.

Lu Yun’s fingers gently curled, pressing slightly harder. He smelled the fragrance in her hair, on her neck, and felt her slight trembling, her shaky breaths. Lu Yun paused, fighting the urge to tear off the gauze covering his eyes. Wanting to look, to see how the beauty beneath him appeared now—

She must be like a sleeping crabapple flower.

Languid, disheveled, alluring. Elegant makeup, and beautiful features.

Lu Yun’s fingers pressed harder, roughly caressing once, making the beauty in his arms immediately shudder, letting out another soft moan. Her trailing voice trembled like silk threads, wrapping around Lu Yun’s heart, binding it tight until he could barely breathe.

…Like a bewitching spirit!

He immediately reacted.

The young lord pressed one hand against her chest, the other supporting her waist. The hand at her waist lifted her toward his embrace, her chest about to meet his mouth. He moved unhurriedly, seemingly in no rush, as if still judging her, as if waiting for her to break free… Luo Lingyu’s body grew both soft and stiff from Lu Yun’s touches. When the man’s breathing grew heavy above her, when something extra suddenly pressed against her belly between their tightly pressed bodies, premonition struck suddenly, and Luo Lingyu looked up at the man’s tense jaw, realizing something. Though she was still young and didn’t know much about matters between men and women, women have instincts about men—instinctively knowing when they become dangerous, instinctively knowing when they want to do wicked things.

Luo Lingyu was truly frightened now.

When the young lord’s lips descended to kiss her, she fearfully turned her head away. Lu Yun paused—being so perceptive, how could he not guess her thoughts? This young woman in his arms, her thoughts were never quite pure. She wanted to tempt him yet was unwilling to sacrifice herself.

…Still his scheming little cousin.

Though he had been waiting for the young lady to struggle, when Luo Lingyu dodged his kiss, Lu Sanlang grew angry. Lu Yun’s lips twisted, his hands about to release her and pull away when Luo Lingyu hurriedly wrapped her arms around his neck. She was extremely anxious, not wanting to truly act out this play, yet unwilling to let Lu Yun leave. In her panic, Luo Lingyu desperately searched for a topic.

Pressed against the bed, from the corner of her eye she saw several maids’ shadows on the gauze curtain separating the inner and outer chambers. The setting sun cast shadows that moved like water plants on the ground, bamboo shadows crisscrossing in layers. The rustle of banana leaves and bamboo, maids coming and going outside speaking softly, occasional bird calls from the cage outside. On an ordinary summer day, everything is in proper order.

Yet with so many maids present, she was in here entangled with Lu Yun! Such a great sacrifice!

Fragrant clouds rose, and silk curtains seemed to fly. Their breaths intertwined as Luo Lingyu dodged Lu Yun’s kiss, stammering: “…Why don’t I see Zhiyue in your chambers?”

Zhiyue was the maid who had interrupted them during their previous flirtation. Luo Lingyu desperately missed that maid now, wishing she would come to interrupt their lord’s “wolfish intentions” and save her.

Hearing her words, Lu Yun lowered his face. Had the gauze fallen from his eyes, Luo Lingyu would have seen him slightly turn his gaze toward her. Lu Yun “stared” at her for a long while, his lips curving into a smirk: “…you already know why.”

If not for his young lady cousin, how would he have discovered Zhiyue’s feelings? Once he had discovered them, as long as he wished to avoid entanglements with his servants, Zhiyue would naturally leave the “Clear Courtyard.” Taking this opportunity, Lu Sanlang had replaced all the maids in his chambers who harbored romantic feelings. He kept useful ones like Jinyue, while the other maids were all new faces when Luo Lingyu visited the “Clear Courtyard” this time.

Luo Lingyu smiled softly in his embrace, understanding his meaning.

Lu Yun then pinched her cheek and asked: “Little sister Lingyu never comes without a purpose. When you like me I’m ‘Brother Xuehen,’ when you don’t need me your eyes can’t see me. I wonder this time, having sacrificed so much as to come to my bed, what does little sister want?”

Luo Lingyu ignored his sarcasm.

She said: “I want you to negotiate with Lord Fan, or directly propose to the Luo family of Nanyang for me.”

Lu Yun raised an eyebrow: “Propose?”

Luo Lingyu quickly explained: “It doesn’t have to be real… just have you, as Lu Sanlang, compete with the Fan family of Nanyang. The Luo family of Nanyang certainly can’t afford to offend the Lu family, they can only agree with whoever wants to marry me. If you and Fan Silang both pursue me, with interests in conflict, my engagement might be broken off. Though it would harm your reputation… but I don’t want to marry Lord Fan.”

Her brows furrowed, tears gathering in her lashes as she choked: “You don’t know, Lord Fan is rushing me to return to Nanyang because he wants to marry me immediately. If I want to delay, I can only have another suitor compete with him. Once we delay until Lord Fan breaks off the engagement…”

Once they delayed until the Fan family broke off the engagement, she didn’t believe that by then Lu Yun still wouldn’t want to marry her. If by that time he still showed no intention of marrying her, it would only prove that her skills were inferior to his, that she truly couldn’t match him. She would have to find another young lord then… who would hang herself on Lu Yun’s tree alone, accompanying his waste of time?

A beauty confined, none who wouldn’t pursue. In this era, two men competing for one woman was considered a beautiful tale, the only issue being that Luo Lingyu was already engaged, so any other man entangling with her would damage his reputation somewhat. For a famous scholar known throughout the land like Lu Yun… it could become either a beautiful tale or a scandal.

It all depended on how Lu Yun handled this matter.

Luo Lingyu held her breath, lowering her head after speaking. Waiting for Lu Yun’s imminent scolding, waiting for him to berate her for dragging him down, for her improper conduct… but after waiting a long while, Lu Yun didn’t scold her. Luo Lingyu looked up to see him contemplating briefly before asking: “When seeking other young lords’ help with such matters before, have you ever sacrificed yourself to this extent with me?”

He meant “throwing herself into his arms.”

Luo Lingyu: “…Of course not! With my beauty, why would I need to sacrifice so much? If I hadn’t been blind…” to run into someone so difficult to deal with!

Lu Yun’s expression softened somewhat as he pinched her cheek again, smiling: “Then remember not to ‘throw yourself’ at men to this extent in the future. Little sister Lingyu, you keep that promise to me. Otherwise…”

He feared her standards were too low, that she would keep nothing. He was bound in this relationship, addicted to it, his feelings deepening daily. He both hated her heartlessness and was attracted to her. He still couldn’t understand what was good about her, his eyes saw only her flaws, what exactly about her was attracting him…

Her beauty?

Lu Sanlang wouldn’t admit to being a lustful man, moreover, his eyes currently couldn’t see, couldn’t see her beauty, yet he was still led around by her… what exactly did he like about her?

Lu Yun usually traced feelings to their root, wanting to see everything clearly, to see the essence. But Luo Lingyu confused him. She was the type of woman he very much disliked—petty, scheming, not particularly clever, loving wealth and power, not hiding her ulterior motives at all…

Unable to understand it, he would let it rest for now.

Luo Lingyu waited a long while, seeing his expression change several times, sometimes grinding his teeth, sometimes gently. She grew slightly impatient, yet still acted coy and shy, poking his neck with her finger: “So will you help me or not?”

Lu Yun came back to himself, slightly curving his lips: “I will.”

Luo Lingyu’s eyes had just lit up with joy when she heard him chuckle vaguely: “Such a great sacrifice… I’ll have to get some benefits from little sister Lingyu.”

As soon as the young lord’s words ended, she saw his face descend, kissing her chest. Her whole body trembled, her spine straightening into a line, yet at his light, lingering kiss, she collapsed completely, her whole body going soft. Luo Lingyu made some sound, her lips also receiving a peck. Tingling all over, Luo Lingyu was tickled by his touches, her hands gripping his sleeves loosening, her cheeks flushing as she laughed.

He lingered at her mouth, neck, and chest, murmuring with laughter: “Why is little sister so distracted? Is your elder brother unable to keep your attention?”

While kissing her, he still teased. The light and joyful atmosphere made Luo Lingyu’s initial tension disappear completely as she wrapped her arms around his neck, their breaths synchronizing. Luo Lingyu laughed tremblingly at his touches: “Don’t touch randomly…” Her heart quivered as she held him tight—perhaps she just liked this kind of person. Noble yet frivolous, mixed in one. Both tempting her and making her happy. Like a poppy, soft and gentle… if he showed this side to the ladies of Jianye, those ladies would truly go mad.

Luo Lingyu’s fingers around the young lord’s neck dug into his flesh as some discomfort grew in her heart: she suddenly disliked always thinking about those ladies of Jianye. She suddenly hoped Lu Yun could be hers alone. Suddenly wanted to be the only one to see this improper side of him, suddenly becoming hopelessly addicted…

How frightening, yet how joyful!

At first, it was like spring rain, gentle and loving. Lu Sanlang’s usual style was extremely flirtatious, tentatively tempting her. Both touching and not touching her. His tall nose and moist lips lightly brushed her neck, his breath scalding, raising goosebumps all over her skin.

Unhurried.

Yet urgent and burning.

Sometimes fast, sometimes slow.

Sweat beaded on both their foreheads, breaths chaotic, lost in passion. He descended lower and lower, she curved softer and softer. Luo Lingyu bit her teeth, pearl-like teeth biting the hair that brushed her lips. She used this to resist Lu Yun’s teasing… yet that faint, feather-light touch made her porcelain-like skin flush red. Even biting her teeth couldn’t resist… Luo Lingyu finally opened her mouth, breathing heavily, and letting out a soft moan.

That sound made Lu Yun suddenly excited!

The gentle spring rain transformed into a torrential downpour, hot passion erupting!

His force increased, kisses unending, his expression growing wild and frenzied. The gentle rain became a surging tide, coming from the edge of heaven, encompassing all of creation… The air in the chamber seemed to quicken, the atmosphere growing enchanting and moving, clothes disheveled, minds hazy, when suddenly like thunder from a clear sky, a cool voice came from outside as a maid stood in the courtyard: “Third Young Master! Third Young Master! Minister Lu requests your presence, the clan leader and other young masters are all there!”

“Minister Lu is very urgent!”

Minister Lu was Lu Er-lang Lu Xian’s father, the current head of the Lu family. In the chamber, they awakened as if from a dream. Luo Lingyu forcefully pushed Lu Yun away, and after a pause, Lu Yun rose with her push. He leaned against the bed catching his breath, hand rubbing his forehead, wiping the sweat from his face. Luo Lingyu didn’t know whether to relax be happy, or feel somewhat lost. She only managed to kneel up, smoothing her rapidly beating chest, adjusting her collar, and then secretly observing Lu Yun.

The maid outside: “Young Master! Young Master!”

Lu Yun replied hoarsely: “I heard, wait a moment.”

Lu Yun instructed Luo Lingyu: “I’ll change clothes then leave, you wait a while before going.”

Luo Lingyu didn’t make a sound. Lu Yun smiled, thinking she must have heard but was too shy to speak. He again felt the urge to tear off his gauze to look at her: he wanted to see what she looked like now, to see how the beautiful crabapple flower looked after being nourished…

What a pity, what a pity!

Not worried about Luo Lingyu peeking, Lu Yun changed clothes naturally. Luo Lingyu turned her face away, her mind still in chaos. When Lu Yun had changed and was about to leave, Luo Lingyu finally got off the bed, calling out “Ah!” to stop him. Luo Lingyu hesitated, though feeling the atmosphere wasn’t quite right at this moment, but feared Lu Yun would forget in his busyness, so she could only honestly remind him: “…Are you satisfied with my sacrifice? Will you compete with Lord Fan and ask to marry me from the Luo family?”

Lu Yun: “…”

How could this young woman be so practical? Must she make him say it explicitly?

Lu Yun was made to laugh by her persistence: “Satisfied… naturally satisfied. Little sister Lingyu, wait for good news.”

Only then did Luo Lingyu happily watch Lu Yun leave. Through the gauze window, she saw several servants standing in the courtyard, following Lu Yun, speaking to him about something. No longer anxious, Luo Lingyu sat down in the chamber. The entire room was filled with his scent; after he left, the room still retained traces of when he was there. Sitting on the bed, her skin tingling, as if still feeling his passionate manner when their necks and lips had been entwined earlier. She sat dazed, suddenly lost in reverie.

She felt unlike herself as if she had truly fallen for him… under the mix of truth and pretense, had the pretend play become real? Her heart, which had never wavered for any young lord, why was it beating so wildly now?

After spacing out for a while, her thoughts returned, and she wondered: why was Lu Yun called away so urgently? With his eyes impaired, why would Uncle Lu still seek him?

…

When Minister Lu gathered all the Lu family’s young masters, it was about one matter: Lu Er-lang, Lu Xian, had been missing for two days and nights. Unlike usual outings, he had gone without return.

After asking the servants about when Lu Er-lang left and the current time, Minister Lu was almost certain: “…Something must have happened to Er-lang.”

The Lu family began searching for Lu Er-lang, mobilizing their entire network of connections, investigating clues throughout Jianye, seeking where Lu Er-lang was and what had happened. The Lu family’s approach was very clear – if something had happened to Lu Er-lang, whoever was involved would not get away with it. They investigated everything from what Lu Er-lang was doing before he left, what he said to the servants, all the way to whom he had met, and any unusual news in Jianye these past two days…

Lu Er-lang was the Lu family’s direct-line young master; his disappearance was no small matter.

As the Lu family’s young masters busied themselves searching, clues gradually converged, circling several households as key suspects. Among these suspects, the Prince of Hengyang’s manor was included. There were witnesses that Lu Er-lang had recently been close to the Prince of Hengyang; the prince’s manor had changed its guards these past days, for unknown reasons. The Lu family’s young masters naturally used their connections to investigate these matters.

Peeling away layer by layer, they drew closer to the truth.

While the Lu family busied themselves searching, Lady Lu wept anxiously at home. Lady Lu thought of many things, daily imagining how her son might have met with misfortune, encountered villains, been held hostage… she even imagined Lu Er-lang losing his memory, becoming destitute in a foreign land, enslaved or begging, suffering abuse.

In her misery, Lady Lu could neither tell the Old Lady and make her cry together, nor could she confide in her sister-in-law Lu Ying, who had never gotten along with her. Lady Lu sought out young lady Luo Lingyu, lamenting to her about how pitiful Lu Er-lang was.

Luo Lingyu: “…”

Luo Lingyu was completely puzzled: “But without finding him, how can you assume the worst?”

Luo Lingyu optimistically consoled: “Perhaps second cousin just went to some temple with friends to listen to Buddhist teachings or learn painting. The second cousin hasn’t made enemies, and the Lu family has some reputation in Jianye, who would deliberately harm him?”

Lady Lu’s eyes were swollen from crying, her mood low: “You’re so young, not yet a mother, how could you understand my worries? Ah.”

Luo Lingyu: “…”

This was the first time she discovered this aunt to be so sentimental, thinking so much!

…

With Lu Er-lang missing, the entire Lu household was busy, even Lu Yun with his impaired eyes hadn’t been home for days. Lu Yun had deep feelings for his second brother; with Er-lang missing, Lu Yun searched especially diligently. Seeing everyone in the manor so busy, Luo Lingyu’s face flushed red, too embarrassed to keep pressing Lu Yun about Lord Fan’s marriage urgency.

How could Lu Yun have so much time to both search for his second brother and help resolve her marriage issues? He probably had no mind for romance now.

And just as the entire Lu family was busy searching for Lu Er-lang, Luo Lingyu could only silently endure Fan Qingchen’s daily pressing. Yet Fan Qingchen was a madman – though initially somewhat gentle, his temper grew increasingly agitated, and the way he stared at her maids made cold sweat run down Luo Lingyu’s spine.

She constantly feared Fan Qingchen wouldn’t tolerate her delays and would do something uncontrollable.

Luo Lingyu hesitated: Lu Yun was too busy to help her, and she couldn’t ask him again, should she seek help from other young lords?

She counted through the young lords she knew who admired her, still hesitating, remembering Lu Yun’s words to “keep her promise.” But it seemed not to be working well.

…

All of Jianye was searching for Lu Er-lang, and the Prince of Hengyang’s manor was affected, lately feeling watched by Lu Sanlang. Yet Liu Mu remained impassive, pretending not to know. As long as Lu Xian died cleanly and the scene was cleared well, even if Lu Sanlang suspected him, there would be no concrete evidence.

They didn’t know that Princess Ningping Liu Tang had rescued Lu Er-lang Lu Xian, who had been washed up by water, while she was relaxing at her mountain villa in the suburbs.

Not only did the Lu family’s young masters not know, but Liu Tang herself didn’t know either.

Liu Tang naturally knew Lu Er-lang.

But when her servants pulled that person from the water, Liu Tang only glanced once. The person was so waterlogged as to be unrecognizable; Liu Tang couldn’t tell who it was, so she handed him over to the servants to care for, not managing it herself. Even though Liu Tang had a gentle and mild temperament, she was still a proper princess – no matter how kind-hearted, with servants present, she wouldn’t personally tend to a young lord’s heart and soul.

If only Liu Tang had gone to look at that person once more, she would have recognized him as the Lu family’s missing second young master.

But Liu Tang hadn’t.

Lu Er-lang fell into the care of the princess’s maids, running a high fever, and plagued by nightmares. He struggled to wake, but nightmares kept entangling him—

Constantly dreaming of cousin Luo.

Dreaming that she kept crying.

Lu Sanlang was busy with official matters, not at the manor, and she escaped from the Prince of Hengyang’s grasp, going out to find Lu Yun. Unfortunately, she didn’t meet him. Instead, she met her fiancé Fan Qingchen who was looking for her, and she naturally wouldn’t admit to Fan Qingchen that she had come to find Lu Yun. When the Prince of Hengyang came searching again, she could only pretend to be happy to see him.

Missing that possibility, with Lu Yun never at home, he had no idea to what extent Luo Lingyu was being pressured by both sides.

On the nineteenth day of the sixth month, Fan Qingchen came again to press for marriage. He said if she wouldn’t go with him, he would take measures she wouldn’t like.

It was on this day of injury that Luo Lingyu, after much hesitation, walked into the Prince of Hengyang’s manor, thoroughly seeking refuge with the Prince of Hengyang…

…

The nineteenth day of the sixth month.

Was Luo Lingyu’s birthday.

On this day she came of age.

But she was just a cousin staying at the Lu family home; the Lu family was busy searching for Er-lang, and even if they weren’t searching for him, no one would remember Luo Lingyu’s coming-of-age ceremony. Originally, Luo Lingyu had wanted to use the opportunity of helping Lady Lu host a banquet to invite all the young ladies to the Lu manor for a feast. Without them knowing, she would have celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony.

But Fan Qingchen interfered, and with Lu Er-lang missing, the Lu family had no mood for banquets now.

Opening her eyes upon waking in the morning, Luo Yunwan stood outside her sister’s bed curtain, smiling: “Sister, today is your birthday, Lingxi sister and I made a gift for you!”

Luo Lingyu happily got up—a girl’s fifteenth birthday was naturally different from usual days.

Only her sister remembered.