Chapter 237: Chapter 103 Tong Tong_2
Over a decade had passed in a flash, and her dancing skills showed no sign of improvent. Not dancing would have been fine, but the mont she started, she feared her lack of progress would be imdiately exposed.
Pei Yunng was leisurely waiting for her.
Lu Tong suddenly felt that perhaps she and the man before her were incompatible by destiny, naturally born to be her bane.
But faced with Pei Yunng’s interested gaze, she simply couldn’t bring herself to utter a word of refusal.
A dancer might not know how to play the zither, but she must know how to dance. The flaw was too obvious, especially since Pei Yunng was a clever person.
Lu Tong had no choice but to walk a few steps forward, slowly moving to the center of the room onto the golden coral carpet. For a mont, she felt an impulse to just give up and throw caution to the wind, not caring about the consequences for Qi Yutai later on, and just poison the troublemaker before her.
Just as she stiffly raised her arms, a voice ca from behind her: "Forget it."
Pei Yunng said, "The ashes from the incense burner are scattered all over the floor; it’s not suitable for dancing. Co and massage my shoulders instead."
Lu Tong breathed a sigh of relief internally, while also secretly grinding her teeth.
This person had toyed with her again and again, clearly doing it on purpose—or was this the kind of amusent those from noble families took delight in? She had heard from Yin Zheng that they insisted on others doing things they themselves were capable of, and sought things only through a veil, a favorite move among lovers, euphemistically called "adding flavor to the relationship."
Lu Tong didn’t understand this kind of flavor or the joys between n and won. If the situation hadn’t been so pressing, she might have felt a sudden urge to kill Pei Yunng on the spot.
But as one has to bow under the eaves, Lu Tong walked behind Pei Yunng, took a deep breath, and placed her hands on his shoulders.
With his back to her, Pei Yunng’s expression was invisible, but from his posture, he seed very relaxed.
Of course, he was relaxed. It was soone else being tornted, after all.
Lu Tong suppressed the urge to finish him off with one strike and started to gently rub his shoulders instead.
In the dical halls, patients often ca in with sore shoulders and legs, which Lu Tong had tended to by massaging. Her technique was neither too light nor too heavy and generally satisfactory to most. At this mont, as the storm raged outside, it was warm as spring within the cozy chamber below. Finery and beauty abound, with nightly revelries and faint singing from musicians creating an almost enchanting atmosphere.
Lu Tong lowered her eyes halfway.
Pei Yunng had broad shoulders and a slim waist, looking strikingly handso in his official uniform. His appearance was contradictory; the stern cut of his Palace Front Office uniform clashed with the lavish embroidery on the collar and cuffs, much like the impression he gave others.
He seed approachable, yet like frost-covered jade, he concealed a coldness beneath the surface.
There was no trace of Qi Yutai in this room. Qi Yutai was not here, and in order to find him, she first had to extract herself from Pei Yunng’s company. The dicines she carried were either lethal or inappropriate for him. He had drunk wine yet wasn’t drunk... She needed to think of another thod.
Could she simply knock him out? The only thing at hand in the room was an incense burner, and its contents were already scattered on the floor. Her needles would be effective, but that would draw blood. And there might be guards of Pei Yunng nearby—if anything went wrong, escape would be difficult.
She had co today to find Qi Yutai and did not wish to cause further trouble.
As she was pondering, a voice unexpectedly reached her ears: "Why so distracted?"
Before she could react, the next mont, Lu Tong’s hand was caught, and she felt the world spinning. She was pulled forward, suddenly toppling towards Pei Yunng.
They faced each other.
The candles on the table flickered twice, and the shadows on the wall trembled in tandem, gradually solidifying on the surface like a dim, old dream.
Lu Tong was slightly moved.
Ever since she learned she would be infiltrating Yuxian Tower, Yin Zheng had often talked to her about the affairs of such pleasure quarters. Scholars and courtesans, princes and Qing Gui, famous beauties and literati, all manner of convoluted and splendidly exaggerated tales, amounted to nothing more than affairs between n and won.
The back-and-forth tugging, chasing, and teasing between those n and won ultimately led to tumbles in bed. To her, these stories never felt quite real, but now with Pei Yunng so close, Lu Tong suddenly felt it palpably.
She looked at the person before her.
Pei Yunng was handso, with fine features and brooding eyes, exuding an air of elegance and nobility, yet the dimples at the corners of his mouth added a dash of Shao Lang’s charm to his appearance. This made him seem less pretentious than other wealthy gentlen and more refreshingly candid.
But no matter how refreshing, in the midst of all the finery, he was just another ordinary man.
He too would visit brothels, seek out girls, make advances on dancers.
Lu Tong didn’t know what he intended to do; after all, once a man truly debases himself, there’s little he wouldn’t do.
Pei Yunng stared at her, then suddenly smiled.
He said, "Miss Hong Man of Yuxian Tower is exquisitely beautiful, surpassing even Wu Ji, but in my eyes, none can compare to her."
He grasped Lu Tong’s arm and pulled her close, his bright eyes reflecting her image: "We have known each other for so ti, yet recognition has been delayed. Why not let
have a look at your face—"
With that, he reached out to grab Lu Tong’s veil.
Lu Tong, startled, leapt backward. Although he seed forceful, he really hadn’t used much strength, and Lu Tong shook off his hand almost imdiately, retreating a few steps as her beaded hairpins and silver ornants clinked noisily from the movent.
The tassel of the beaded veil lightly brushed his hand, like a soft blue dancing shadow slipping away from his fingertips.
Lu Tong recovered from her surprise, suddenly understanding sothing, and stared intently at the person in the room.
Outside, the rain poured down heavily, the sound of the wind unrelenting.
Inside, the lights were dim and the warmth beckoned, with the rouge glow illuminating the surroundings.
The young man sat on the chair, his black attire adorned with clusters of silver clouds, his smile glowing with a soft warmth under the lamplight, as if he couldn’t help but indulge in mirth.
"Xiang Xiang’s singing is clear and beautiful, and Cui Cui’s dancing is graceful and lingering. A smile from Qing Qing is worth a thousand pieces of gold," he mused.
He looked at Lu Tong, slightly raising his eyebrows.
"Lu Tong, what can you do?"
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