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墨書 Inktalez
Mei Shuang ate slowly in the end, looking around the restaurant at the diners who were chatting and enjoying their meals happily. It seemed that no one was in her predicament, and no one could understand the embarrassment she was about to face.
Waiter noticed that Mei Shuang was almost done and draped a towel over his shoulder as he approached with a bow, saying, "How is the food, miss?"
Mei Shuang looked up and smiled, "It's very good, but please don't rush me; I'm waiting for my family."
At that smile, Waiter felt a jolt as if struck by electricity, and his face turned red. "Alright, take your time..."
Mei Shuang appeared calm on the surface, but inside she was extremely anxious.
What was she going to do?
She had never dined and dashed before, but given the current situation, even if she wanted to, it wouldn't be easy to escape.
As dusk deepened outside, she put down her chopsticks and was lost in thought when she suddenly heard Waiter's urging voice, "Excuse me?"
"Oh," Mei Shuang snapped back to reality, shrugged her shoulders, and said frankly, "I'm sorry, but I might not be able to send the money right away..."
Upon hearing there was no money, Waiter straightened up from his previously bent posture, the smile in his eyes vanished as he smirked slightly. "Oh? Looking at you with such delicate skin, I thought you were the son of some wealthy noble. Why would you want to dine and dash? Sigh, everyone look here; this young lady wants to eat for free. Our establishment runs on a tight budget; we don't allow this..."
Waiter's voice trailed off abruptly as a shiny silver Yuanbao appeared on the table. The gleaming silver made Waiter's eyebrows twitch; he recognized its worth. Looking up, he saw a man dressed in pale blue standing next to the young lady who intended to dine and dash. He had striking features but sported hair that was awkwardly half-long.
Of course, as long as there was money involved, how strange it looked was none of his business.
He immediately switched to his most charming smile. "Ah! Has your family come to bring you money? Why didn't you say so earlier? Just wait a moment! What did I just say about dining and dashing? That's not allowed! Hold on; I'll go get your change..."
With that, Waiter left. The other diners found it uninteresting and turned back to their own conversations.
Mei Shuang set her chopsticks down with a sigh. "Why didn't you show up earlier? Were you just waiting to see me embarrass myself?"
Yun Kong smiled lightly and walked around the table to sit in front of Mei Shuang. "I thought if the other party pressed you hard enough, you would pick up a dagger..."
"This time I am in the wrong. I don't have a single coin in my pocket and I'm starving, so naturally, I must feel grateful to those who let me eat. If it comes to it, being scolded a few times is just a way to vent..."
Mei Shuang had also learned to be thick-skinned, responding lazily to Yun Kong's words.
It had been nearly a year since they last met, and the woman before him had changed a lot; her brows and eyes had matured significantly. She had clearly gone through extraordinary experiences, giving her an air of calm detachment as if she could see through the ways of the world.
Yun Kong's gaze deepened. "Why don't you ask me why I am here?"
Mei Shuang looked up, sizing up Yun Kong with a light laugh. "You are someone who makes the world your home, so I wouldn't be surprised to see you anywhere. It's just that your hair has grown quite fast; after some time, it will look good..."
As she spoke, Mei Shuang raised her delicate hand to pour a cup of tea for Yun Kong and handed it over with a faint smile on her lips. "Our meeting isn't just a coincidence, is it?"
Yun Kong gazed at Mei Shuang, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepening slightly. "Indeed... you are still as clever as ever..."
"Don't tell me you didn't know I've already... You haven't been looking for me all this time, have you?" Mei Shuang asked casually.
"I heard about it." Yun Kong lifted the teacup and took a sip. "However, after hearing about your supposed death, I felt that the rumors were not to be trusted..."
"Why? Can't I just accidentally fall into the water and drown?" Mei Shuang paused for a moment before replying irritably.
Seeing Mei Shuang puffing out her cheeks in displeasure as if she had been exposed and was embarrassed, Yun Kong couldn't help but smile. "You could fall into the water by accident, but your purpose was not to 'die'; you were trying to 'escape'..."
Mei Shuang fell silent.
Since he had made himself so clear, she simply omitted her intended question of "How do you know?"
Having been exposed, there was no need for her to hide anything anymore. She straightforwardly asked, "What do you want from me?"
As she lifted her teacup to drink, the waiter had already returned the silver coin.
Mei Shuang unceremoniously reached out to take the silver and tucked it into her bosom. "In this day and age, there's nothing worse than being broke. Let me borrow this for now..."
Yun Kong suppressed a laugh. "Let's go, someone wants to see you..."
Mei Shuang was speechless. "Can I have some time to prepare? This outfit..."
Yun Kong shook his head, his tone gentle. "It's fine, the men's clothing is convenient and looks good on you too."
"......"
If those words had come from another man, Mei Shuang would have thought he either had ulterior motives or was trying to flatter her. However, coming from Yun Kong, she only felt a hint of curiosity.
Of course, she wasn't worried that Yun Kong would harm her. The fact that he could walk out of Dazhao Temple and return to secular life proved that he had come to terms with things.
However, thinking of Dazhao Temple reminded her of the experiences there, particularly the scene of Yun Kong carrying Mei Ru away.
On one side was a descendant of the Eastern Kingdom, and on the other was a complicated relationship with Mei Ru, all while acting under the orders of the emperor of the Great Qin Empire. It was surprising how well Yun Kong handled everything.
After stepping outside, Yun Kong held the horse for Mei Shuang as they walked in silence.
Unable to shake off her thoughts, Mei Shuang turned her head and asked, "How is Mei Ru doing?"
At the mention of Mei Ru, Yun Kong paused slightly, his gaze faltering as he replied softly, "She has been taken back to Yamataikoku..."
"Indeed, one life for another. The emperor of the Great Qin Empire keeps his word; finally, there’s a time when it counts!"
Mei Shuang pouted, feeling exceptionally frustrated.
He once promised himself that when he returned safely, he would grant himself one condition.
Unexpectedly, he returned from the brink of death, but instead of giving him the chance to propose his condition, others had already blocked it off.
What I want is freedom, yet you have forced me into the palace to live out my days in solitude!
Hmph, damn it, this emperor keeps his word to others, so why is he the only one who breaks his promise to me?
The more Mei Shuang thought about it, the angrier she became. If it weren't for this situation, would she have to live such a sneaky life?
Yun Kong, hearing Mei Shuang's muttering, stopped and asked, "What do you mean by a life for a life?"
Mei Shuang replied, "You wouldn't know? Do you think it's easy for me to survive until now? As long as Mei Ru is safe, I can live in peace; otherwise, I would have been tormented to death by that poison countless times..."
Yun Kong fell silent.
He certainly knew Mei Ru's methods.
But things had changed; he and this woman were ultimately not on the same path. Even if he exerted all his efforts hoping she would find her way back, she only thought he had betrayed her...
The past was like smoke; recalling it was still piercingly painful.
Yun Kong's expression did not escape Mei Shuang's notice. It was inevitable that mentioning Mei Ru would stir up his heartache. She said softly, "When a person is blinded by power and ambition, they can do terrible things... Actually, it's better that she was taken away; as long as she no longer clings to her mistakes, at least she can be kept safe..."
Yun Kong paused slightly, turned to look at Mei Shuang, and eventually nodded slightly, pressing his lips together and remaining silent.
In truth, they both understood that if it came to politics, Mei Ru was Yun Kong's mortal enemy. Therefore, everything Yun Kong did to protect her was a grave mistake.
It was unclear whether Yun Kong handled things so well that the emperor of the Great Qin Empire did not pursue him or if the emperor simply turned a blind eye.
Moreover, regarding the disgraceful acts committed by Mei Ru, even she herself felt embarrassed to mention them, yet Yun Kong still couldn't let go.
Regardless of the situation, it seems that not only women get caught up in their emotions; once a man falls in love, he also finds it hard to move on.
It appears that those who can take things lightly and let go simply do not love deeply enough.
As for Yun Kong's unrequited love that ultimately led to nothing, Mei Shuang didn't know what to say, and the atmosphere grew tense once again.
Both of them were lost in their thoughts, remaining silent.
The Flower Festival was not only about attending the Temple Fair for blessings; the evening lantern festival by the river was also a great opportunity for wealthy families to show off their riches.
Records state, "Those who display lanterns often have two to three hundred of them, interspersed with colorful Wu Ling folded flower lanterns... or they create pavilions as high as three or four zhang, adorned with dragons and phoenixes, using mica stones for scales, illuminating brightly from top to bottom, casting light for several zhang."
The customs are similar to the Lantern Festival celebrated in the north.
In pursuit of good fortune, everyone went to the riverside to enjoy the lanterns.
At this moment, as dusk fell, the riverside was ablaze with candlelight. From afar, one could hear lively laughter. A tall pavilion over four zhang high, constructed by some family, stood out at the lantern festival, attracting countless people eager to join in the fun, excitedly discussing around the radiant pavilion.
Such liveliness made Mei Shuang feel a bit restless. She was someone who loved excitement but sighed inwardly after reconsidering.
Suddenly, she heard Yun Kong say, "What did you just say about the emperor of the Great Qin Empire not being trustworthy?"
His words pulled Mei Shuang's thoughts back to reality. Sighing again, she replied with some annoyance, "It's nothing. He is a ruler of a nation; whatever he says is right. I’m just an ordinary commoner who was merely speaking nonsense earlier."
Yun Kong stopped in his tracks and glanced at Mei Shuang. "Are you pretending to be dead and running away just to avoid the emperor?"
"......"
Mei Shuang felt a sudden tightness in her chest and exhaled lightly, "Why should I hide from him? Don't you know what I've been doing?"
"I do," Yun Kong nodded.
"Oh... uh, how do you know?" Mei Shuang raised an eyebrow.
"I was following you the whole time..." Yun Kong said casually.
"......"
Mei Shuang was taken aback, as if struck by lightning. The figure she had seen fleetingly in the grass from a distance suddenly flashed in her mind. She had thought she was imagining things, but it turned out to be him.
"You? Were you the one collecting those route markers behind us?" she asked in astonishment.
"Yes," Yun Kong replied with a slight nod.
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