Chapter 39: The Meeting (2/2)

“You’ve never invited me to the South Mountain Pavilion for a meal, but you often invite Lord Duan. You care more about romance than friendship.”

Lin Ting didn’t want to talk.

He turned to the manager: 

“Please take us to Lord Duan.”

The manager, of course, knew who he was referring to. 

He checked the register and called over a waiter to take them upstairs to Lord Duan’s private room: 

“Take them to the room Lord Duan reserved.”

When they reached the private room on the third floor, Lin Ting wanted to leave even more.

What a coincidence the room Lord Duan had reserved was the same one where she had kissed him that day.

Before entering, Jin Anzai noticed she seemed off: 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

As Lin Ting walked in, she hesitated about whether to ask Lord Duan to change rooms. 

But if Lord Duan could calmly reserve this room today, did it mean he really no longer minded that she had kissed him?

Moreover, since Lord Duan had reserved this room, as a guest, it would be too rude to ask him to change rooms.

Thinking this, she looked into the room.

The furnishings in the room were almost the same as they had been a month ago: a redwood tea table, a jade spring vase with fresh, blooming flowers, and a small incense burner on the lower right corner table.

Lord Duan had arrived earlier and was now sitting in front of the incense burner, his posture relaxed yet dignified. 

He held the lid of the incense burner in one hand and was adding incense with the other, stirring it with a thin stick. 

Soon, fragrant smoke rose up.

The smoke blurred his features, making him look like a deity worshipped by the people.

But deities are kind and compassionate towards the world. 

He, with his hands stained with blood, could not empathize with ordinary people and was destined not to become a deity.

Lin Ting averted her gaze from Lord Duan and unconsciously looked at the curtain hanging in the east. 

He didn’t seem to have noticed the bed with a bell and folded mandarin duck quilt behind the curtain.

He probably hadn’t noticed, otherwise Lord Duan wouldn’t have chosen this room to meet Jin Anzai.

Thankfully, Lord Duan hadn’t noticed, because Lin Ting really didn’t know how to explain why she had chosen such a room that day. 

Could she claim ignorance? 

She had kissed him forcefully that day; would he believe she didn’t know?

Perhaps he would even misunderstand that she had deliberately chosen such a room, intending to take things further after kissing him. 

Lin Ting walked up to Lord Duan, waved her hand, and called him: 

“Lord Duan.”

Jin Anzai, wearing a mask, stood beside her and said calmly: 

“Lord Duan.”

Lord Duan took out the stick used to stir the incense, covered the incense burner, and smiled gently: 

“You’re here. I guessed Seventh Miss Lin wouldn’t feel at ease and would accompany Master Jin… Did you think I would harm Master Jin?”

Lin Ting would never admit to that; it would be too rude: 

“Of course not. Jin Anzai is a martial artist and doesn’t understand the etiquette of noble families. I was worried he might offend you.”

Lord Duan softly repeated the phrase: 

“Doesn’t understand the etiquette of noble families.”

Jin Anzai: 

“She’s right. I’m a martial artist and don’t understand the etiquette of noble families. I was worried I might offend Lord Duan.” 

The room was filled with the fragrance of incense. 

Lord Duan walked around the incense burner and sat at the table laden with food and wine, his eyes smiling as he looked at them: 

“It doesn’t matter. Martial artists are naturally free-spirited, and I wouldn’t mind. Please, both of you, have a seat.”

Lin Ting agreed and casually sat down opposite Lord Duan, next to Jin Anzai.

Lord Duan paused while pouring wine, then poured a cup for each of them and pushed it over: 

“This is Autumn Dew White. Please, try it.”

Lin Ting stood up, wanting to take the wine jug from his hand: 

“How could we trouble Lord Duan to pour wine for us? Let me do it.”

As she reached for the wine jug, her hand inadvertently brushed over Lord Duan’s fingers holding the jug. 

From a certain angle, it looked like she was trying to envelop his cool fingertips in her warm, soft palm.

Lord Duan’s eyelashes fluttered, and he avoided her touch.

Their hands touched briefly, leaving only the warmth and scent of each other.

He set the wine jug down and looked directly into Lin Ting’s eyes: 

“No need. You and Master Jin are guests, so it’s only right that I pour the wine.”

Lin Ting suddenly noticed that Lord Duan liked to look into people’s eyes when he spoke. 

Was it out of politeness, or because he had a “hobby” of collecting eyeballs? 

She subconsciously rubbed her eyes and sat back down, no longer trying to take over the task of pouring wine. 

Jin Anzai picked up his wine cup and downed it in one go, completely unfazed by whether the wine had been tampered with.

Lord Duan also raised his cup and drank, his gaze sweeping over the fresh flowers on the tea table. 

For some reason, he unconsciously pursed his lips.

He then pinched his wrist, which was itchy from a scabbing wound, and put his thoughts aside, asking casually: 

“Master Jin, are you from Suzhou?” 

Jin Anzai remained composed: 

“No, I just lived there for a few years.”

Lord Duan seemed to believe him and said leisurely: 

“No wonder I thought Master Jin’s speech had a hint of Suzhou dialect. I guess you picked it up after living there for a few years.”

“Why does Lord Duan suddenly want to know if I’m from Suzhou?”

Lord Duan poured more wine for Jin Anzai, appearing kind: 

“I just came back from Suzhou and had a lot of interactions with people there. I thought Master Jin resembled them, so I asked.”

Lin Ting interjected: 

“Why are you two only drinking and not eating? Be careful not to get drunk.”

She wanted to eat.

Hearing this, Lord Duan said softly: 

“Seventh Miss Lin, are you worried I’ll get drunk? On the day I left the capital, didn’t you want me to drink more?”

Jin Anzai turned to look at Lin Ting, his expression becoming very subtle. 

Did she forcefully kiss Lord Duan that day at the South Mountain Pavilion too? 

Such audacity.

Lin Ting quickly came up with an excuse: 

“I’m not worried you’ll get drunk, I’m worried Jin Anzai will get drunk.”

Jin Anzai: “Thanks a lot.”

She slapped his shoulder heavily: 

“He has a low tolerance for alcohol and tends to act out when drunk. It wouldn’t be good if he caused a scene in front of Lord Duan.”

Lord Duan rubbed the uneven patterns on the outside of his wine cup with his fingertips and glanced at Lin Ting’s hand on Jin Anzai’s shoulder: 

“So, you’ve seen Master Jin drunk before?”

Lin Ting hadn’t, but to cover her previous statement, she had to say: “A few times.”

Jin Anzai gave her a sidelong glance.

There was one thing he could never match Lin Ting in, and that was her silver tongue. 

She was smooth and could talk her way out of anything.

Lord Duan set the wine jug down: 

“In that case, let’s drink less. Master Jin’s health is more important. I see Master Jin is still young. When did you start your martial arts journey?”

Lin Ting tried to minimize their conversation to prevent Jin Anzai from answering differently than she had said before, which could expose them: 

“I know, he started at the age of ten.”

Lord Duan smiled faintly: 

“Ten, that’s quite early. What about Master Jin’s family? Did they allow you to start so young?”

She answered again: 

“He has no family, which is why he started so early.”

Lord Duan showed a look of regret: 

“I’m sorry for bringing up a painful memory. I’ll punish myself with a drink.” 

With that, he took a sip of wine.

Jin Anzai: “It’s fine.”

Lord Duan: “It’s not easy to survive in this world. What does Master Jin do now?”

Lin Ting continued to answer: 

“He works for me now. I have a fabric shop, as you know, Lord Duan. We need to restock every now and then, and he handles that.”

Lord Duan tapped the table with his knuckles: 

“That seems a bit of a waste of talent. Master Jin, would you be interested in working for the Imperial Guards? With your skills, you’d definitely be valued at the Northern Office.”

Jin Anzai said indifferently: 

“I don’t get involved in court affairs.”

“That’s a shame,” 

Lord Duan lowered his eyes, 

“But that’s understandable. Many people join the martial world to stay away from court politics. Seventh Miss Lin mentioned that you two met a year ago.”

Lin Ting immediately sensed his probing: 

“Lord Duan, you must be mistaken. I said we met two years ago, not one.”

She and Jin Anzai had met a year ago, but she had previously told Lord Duan it was two years ago.

Lord Duan’s expression didn’t change: 

“I must have remembered wrong. You did say it was two years ago.”

She felt that his words were full of traps and couldn’t help but take a sip of wine to calm her nerves. 

They had both drunk the wine, so it should be safe. 

Even if it wasn’t, Jin Anzai would handle it.

Autumn Dew White was indeed one of the finest wines fragrant and with a long, sweet aftertaste. 

Lin Ting drank the first cup and wanted a second. 

She decided she would look into starting a wine business when she got back.

Lord Duan watched her pour the wine and then drink it, but asked Jin Anzai: 

“Master Jin, when did you come to the capital?”

Lin Ting: “Also two years ago.”

Lord Duan’s smile didn’t fade as he said gently: 

“Seventh Miss Lin seems to know Master Jin very well, answering so many questions for him. One might think you were Master Jin yourself.”

At that moment, the crystal cup in his hand fell to the floor. It didn’t break but rolled along the ground into the curtain on the east side of the room.

Lin Ting stood up abruptly: 

“Lord Duan, I’ll get it for you!”

She was too late. 

Lord Duan, sitting closer to the east side, had already lifted the curtain, revealing the bed inside, with its bright red quilt and bells hanging around it, especially eye-catching.

Jin Anzai also stood up: 

“A bed? Why is there a bed in this private room?”

Duan Ling bent down to pick up the crystal wine glass, then turned to look at Lin Ting: 

“Last time you invited me here, you booked this same room. Was there a bed back then?”

Jin Anzai was momentarily stunned, his gaze at Lin Ting filled with disbelief.

She had invited Duan Ling to Nanshan Pavilion and booked this very room. 

Her intentions were quite obvious; it wasn’t  just about wanting to kiss him.

Lin Ting’s mind worked quickly: 

“There wasn’t one back then. The owner must have moved it in over the past month. Lord Duan, you’ve been away from the capital for a while, so you wouldn’t know.”

She distanced herself from the situation: 

“I haven’t been to Nanshan Pavilion in the past month either, so I didn’t know. Should we switch to another room now?”

Duan Ling slowly lowered the gauze curtain.

“No need to trouble yourself. Just leave it as it is,” 

He said, holding the crystal wine glass as he sat back down.

Jin Anzai didn’t believe Lin Ting’s words. 

He had a feeling she knew there was a bed behind the curtain, but he didn’t say anything.

Lin Ting felt extremely guilty and quickly downed several glasses of wine to soothe her fragile nerves.

Duan Ling kindly reminded her: 

“I’d advise Miss Lin Qi not to overindulge in alcohol. When you drink too much, aren’t you fond of kissing people?” 

Jin Anzai’s expression grew even more.

Lin Ting choked on her wine, coughing so hard her face turned red: 

“Cough, cough…”

[Triggering Task for the Villainess: Seduce Duan Ling, time limit one and a half months. Failure will result in elimination. This is a Villainess Task. Upon success, you will receive five points.]

Lin Ting’s coughing intensified, as if she were about to cough out her entire lung.

Was she really going to have to follow this original plot line?