Chapter 119: Lingering Melody (Part 1)

Yuan Jin'er moved stealthily down the long corridor inside the building, her eyes searching for her target at the staircase across the way. Upon spotting a figure descending, she quickened her pace and ran a short distance forward. When several young women in the corridor looked at her with confusion, she finally lifted her head, tugged at a small strand of hair, and adopted a dignified demeanor as she continued, though her brisk, short steps still maintained a rapid pace.

Sister Yunzhu had great confidence in him, a sentiment she didn't share. Still, Ning Yi was an insider, connected to the Zhuji establishment. Regarding the current situation, Lu Xia was already set to side with Xue Yan, making victory impossible. It would be better to concede slightly and learn from it. If they simply stood by and watched him lose face, Sister Yunzhu would likely feel bad. Ning Yi had achieved his reputation with difficulty, and it wouldn't be right to see him humiliated like this.

Of course, the plan was to scare him first.

Silently observing through gaps in the corridor that offered views of the central garden, the two approached the converging intersection from different directions. Yuan Jin'er first hid outside the corridor corner, quietly listening to the approaching footsteps as songs from the main hall drifted over. Meanwhile, on another corridor converging towards this point, Liu Qingdi, walking quickly, also neared the intersection. As Ning Yi's figure appeared in sight, he smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Brother Ning, what a pleasure to meet you..."

"Whoops..."

"Uh..."

Suddenly, Yuan Jin'er emerged from behind Liu Qingdi, facing Ning Yi. At what was originally a three-way intersection, the three individuals displayed varied expressions. Liu Qingdi's expression remained one of normal greeting, but Ning Yi froze momentarily, his mouth agape in astonishment, as he suddenly saw someone, then two people appear simultaneously.

Yuan Jin'er had intended to scare someone, but at that moment, she was probably even more startled. She had taken a graceful, dance-like step forward, planning to block Ning Yi's path, her triumphant smile forming an arc as her body straightened and rose. No sooner had she stepped out than a man's back suddenly appeared before her. Her eyes widened as she lifted her head and puffed out her chest. Realizing it was Liu Qingdi, she clapped a hand over her mouth, letting out a soft "Whoops," then smoothly turned, lowered her head, covering her puffed cheeks, and swiftly, like a ghost, slid back away.

Ning Yi watched the entire sequence unfold, his cheek twitching a few times, unsure whether to laugh or what to do. Yuan Jin'er's sudden appearance with wide eyes was indeed a bit startling, but in retrospect, it was quite comical. His expression was momentarily complex and rich. Liu Qingdi, who had approached with an extremely enthusiastic greeting, cupping his hands, lowered his head somewhat unsurely before he had even finished his salutation, glancing down at himself and wondering if there was something funny about his attire.

"Brother Ning, today..."

"Heh... Are you off to the lavatory, good sir?" Ning Yi thought for a moment, looking towards where Yuan Jin'er had disappeared, then smiled and took a step back from the man in front of him, spreading his hands towards the end of the path: "My apologies."

This time, Liu Qingdi was truly taken aback. His original reason for approaching Ning Liheng was simple: Ning Liheng never participated in such social events, and it was a rare opportunity to encounter him tonight. Liu Qingdi himself was confident and merely wanted to engage in a poetry or literary contest to create a memorable story. Since the man was usually reserved, or perhaps eccentric, it wouldn't hurt to come over, stir things up a bit, and make a few sarcastic remarks. Who would have known that his greeting would be met with such a peculiar reaction?

Ning Yi seemed to be lost in thought, his expression peculiar, and he was clearly not paying much attention to Liu Qingdi. It was as if he had been doused with cold water. He still wanted to restart the greeting and initiate a conversation, but looking at the other's friendly expression, it was clear Ning Yi was absentmindedly, yet kindly, saying, "Oh, it's fine, you can go ahead." With just one sentence, one gesture, and one expression, Liu Qingdi found he couldn't find the right atmosphere to continue speaking. Finally, gritting his teeth, he cupped his hands with a smile, then unhappily headed towards the lavatory...

In truth, he didn't want to go to the lavatory at all...

After walking over ten meters, he looked back and saw Ning Yi still standing there, lost in thought. Ning Yi seemed to notice his glance, smiled and cupped his hands in a greeting. Liu Qingdi returned the gesture with a smile, then walked away dejectedly.

Ning Yi found the man's retreating back somewhat boring. The moment Liu Qingdi appeared and displayed his attitude, Ning Yi knew his true purpose. Honestly, it wouldn't have mattered to him to compose a poem today, especially considering Li Pin's reputation and the Su family's standing; a few perfunctory words for this man would have been fine. However, seeing Yuan Jin'er emerge from that direction, he suddenly couldn't be bothered to chat for half the day. He had heard that Liu Qingdi and Yuan Jin'er used to be quite close, and lingering here and letting Liu Qingdi see Yuan Jin'er might not be good for her reputation.

When he didn't want to talk, what insightful words could the other party possibly offer? A few friendly gestures implied his disinterest, and the other party, feeling bored, simply left. Only when that figure disappeared did Ning Yi take a few steps forward, past the intersection, to see Yuan Jin'er around the corner.

How embarrassing...

Nearby, Yuan Jin'er leaned against the wall, reflecting on her utterly mortifying situation...

"What's wrong?"

At the corner of the long corridor, a man and a woman were furtively speaking. Soft music drifted from the main hall, and nearby, the sounds of clinking cups and chatter occasionally resounded. People passed by from other intersections, casting a glance their way before moving on. Ning Yi posed the question to Yuan Jin'er, and her already vexed expression, at his appearance, transformed into a hint of resentment.

No matter, she always seemed to have a bit of resentment whenever he saw her anyway.

"Nothing much. What's wrong with wanting to scare you?"

"Oh... I was indeed startled just now," Ning Yi said, nodding with a smile. Seeing Yuan Jin'er's expression, as if she had to swallow her pride, he added, "I saw you two upstairs earlier. What are you doing here?"

"Promoting preserved eggs, of course. I know Mama Chen here."

"The very beautiful one?"

"Mm-hmm," Yuan Jin'er nodded, then frowned. "I didn't intend to talk about who's pretty! Hmph, if it weren't for Sister Yunzhu, I wouldn't have bothered to come and remind you... I'm warning you, don't show off with any poems. If you want to write, do it next time, but not here!"

"Whoa," Ning Yi thought for a moment, then nodded. "Has Miss Lu Xia's relationship with someone from the Xue family already progressed to this stage?"

Yuan Jin'er raised an eyebrow at him, then her expression softened slightly. "It's good you understand. Lu Xia's drink tonight is for Xue Yan. You can't win, no matter what. The better your poem, the more people will say you're getting a cold shoulder from someone you're trying to impress, hmph..." She then looked at Ning Yi again, "So you've figured it out a bit too?"

"Heh, I was just talking to Dexin upstairs. Xue Jin suffered a huge loss last time. Although Xue Yan is his older brother, he wouldn't act recklessly without a sure chance of winning. But if it weren't for your words, we might really have made a fool of ourselves..."

"Good that you know." Jin'er's expression cleared, and she added, "Sister Yunzhu is here; that's why I came to inform you. You should thank Sister Yunzhu properly tomorrow."

Ning Yi smiled and nodded: "Mmm, right, you and Liu Qingdi..."

The moment he asked that, the almond-shaped eyes opposite him glared: "I don't know him!"

They chattered away for a good while. Yuan Jin'er even offered some advice: "Why don't you just hide outside? Pretend you're not even here." They then parted ways. The second round of performances in the main hall had already been underway for some time.

Yuan Jin'er returned to her previous room; Sister Yunzhu wasn't there.

She wouldn't have left early; she must have gone to find Mama Chen. Yuan Jin'er left the room again, this time noting Liu Qingdi's location to avoid an awkward encounter. There were also some women in the Swallowtail Pavilion whom she knew; if they weren't busy, they would greet her with surprise and chatter. While asking for Mama Chen's location, the beauty named Lu Xia in the main hall had been pondering on stage for a long time. Then, she was seen stepping down from the stage, pouring a cup of wine nearby, and biting her lip in hesitation before lowering her head and walking towards the Xue family's table, her expression slightly shy.

She then offered the cup of wine to Xue Yan.

In the main hall, some laughed and some cursed; at such a moment, there were inevitably some displeased reactions. The Su family's private room on the second floor was slightly silent, and one could imagine the atmosphere there.

Before this, Liu Qingdi and Li Pin had both composed poems, and both parties had spent a considerable amount of silver, but Ning Yi ultimately did not make a move. Yuan Jin'er shrugged slightly and headed towards Mama Chen. Fortunately, she wasn't entertaining guests at the moment. After pushing open the door to what appeared to be a dressing room, she saw Mama Chen, then glanced at several busy women nearby.

"Oh? Where's Sister Yunzhu?"

"Your Yunzhu?" Mama Chen thought for a moment. "Haven't seen her."

"Ah..."

A moment later, she heard a somewhat familiar zither melody begin.

At this time, Lu Xia, the star performer of Swallowtail Pavilion, had just finished her performance and chosen her companion for the evening. Although a few other women would also make such choices, Lu Xia was the main attraction. Although there were a few more performances afterward, this outcome caused the main hall to erupt in a noisy buzz for a time. These subsequent performances, one could say, unfolded in the worst atmosphere of the night. Everyone was either commenting on the Xue family's extravagance, discussing the talents of Liu Qingdi and Li Pin, or, of course, shaking their heads, ridiculing, or mocking the Su family's minor setback. It was under these circumstances that the zither melody began to play from the stage.

The boisterous clamor continued. The zither melody was faint and initially drew no attention. It was as if a subtle breeze intertwined with the crowd's conversations, neither appearing aloof nor out of place, but simply accompanying the sounds. Probably not many people noticed it, but Yuan Jin'er was perhaps the most sensitive to this zither melody. She took a few seconds to distinguish it, then, with a slight, disbelieving frown, she furrowed her brow.

"Sister Yunzhu..."

Her low voice was uttered, like the zither melody, almost inaudible. Immediately, Mama Chen's expression also began to change. And then, the zither melody seemed to grow clearer. Amidst this music, the two moved towards a nearby room. Yuan Jin'er reached out, took a deep breath, then pushed open the window that overlooked the main hall.

In truth, she had already seen the figure playing the zither in her mind's eye...