ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 99

The next day, the weather was clear and beautiful, a delightful time in early July. Just after dawn, a hint of summer heat was already present. The East Market Street remained lively with the hustle and bustle of merchants and pedestrians weaving through the crowded street. Calls and shouts from vendors filled the air.

Next to the Worldly Flavor Tea House stood the Azure Sea Pavilion, a bustling tavern with good business. However, as it was not yet noon, there weren’t too many customers. The waiters inside were idly swatting flies when a customer entered.

One waiter quickly perked up and greeted the customer enthusiastically. The customer said, “I have an appointment with someone, in the elegant room of your Azure Sea Pavilion.”

The waiter nodded in realization, smiling warmly, “Certainly, miss, this way, please.”

The customer was a young girl of fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a lilac-colored gown. She had a delicate and pet.i.te appearance, with slender eyebrows that added a touch of charm when slightly furrowed. If Li Zhizhi were present, she would surely recognize this young girl as Li Suwan.

With her head lowered, Li Suwan followed the waiter and ascended to the second floor of the tavern. Having received an invitation from Song Lingyun the day before, Li Suwan was not particularly eager to come. After the incident where she was frightened by Madam Li, she had promised not to interact with Song Lingyun again.

But circ.u.mstances change, and now that Li Zhizhi had been appointed as a Princess, enjoying a splendid life, Li Suwan felt a sense of awkwardness in her current position within the Li family. Even though she had severed ties with the Li residence and refused to return, she could sense that Madam Li still harbored some concern for her, though not as warm as before.

Li Suwan’s status in the Li household was now quite precarious—neither up nor down, neither close nor distant. This left her feeling uneasy. If one day Li Zhizhi were to return to the Li residence, how would Li Suwan handle the situation?

Recalling the advice given by Xiao Man during their last encounter, Li Suwan gritted her teeth and decided to gather her courage to meet Song Lingyun secretly, without Madam Li’s knowledge. For this occasion, she even wore the white jade concentric pendant that Song Lingyun had given her.

The lad led her to the entrance of the elegant room, warmly saying, “If Miss needs anything, feel free to command.”

After speaking, he withdrew, and the person inside the elegant room probably heard the commotion outside. Before long, the door opened, revealing none other than Song Lingyun.

Today, he wore a sand-colored brocade robe, adorned with a jade crown, presenting a cultured and refined appearance. Upon seeing Li Suwan, he immediately smiled, stepped aside, and said, “Cousin has arrived, please come in quickly.”

Li Suwan entered the elegant room and saw that the table was already set with food and wine, clearly prepared for a while. She smiled modestly and said softly, “I apologize for being late, making cousin wait for so long.”

“No harm done,” Song Lingyun laughed heartily, expressing deep affection. “As long as the one I’m waiting for is my cousin, any amount of time is bearable.”

As he spoke, he took a step forward, holding Li Suwan’s hand and leading her to sit at the table. He didn’t let go and continued to gently squeeze her hand, feeling the slender and boneless fingers. He couldn’t help but be enchanted, pulling her into his arms and sweet-talking.

Li Suwan had no particular feelings for Song Lingyun, but the fact that he was someone liked by her cousin Li Zhizhi made him more pleasing in her eyes. Even his somewhat dull nose seemed handsome to her. She reluctantly allowed him to hold her, and as they were getting close, they suddenly heard a shout from outside the window.

Immediately following were hurried footsteps, sounding chaotic and disorderly. The voices included both young and old, male and female, creating a noisy commotion. Both Li Suwan and Song Lingyun were startled, standing up simultaneously. Li Suwan’s small face turned slightly pale, and she anxiously asked, “What’s happening?!”

Song Lingyun quickly rea.s.sured her, saying, “Don’t be afraid, cousin. I’ll go and see.”

He said, immediately pushing open the window to look outside. Only to see many pedestrians on the street stopping, pointing in this direction. Thick smoke was billowing from somewhere, making Song Lingyun cough repeatedly, and tears streamed down his face.

At this moment, someone loudly shouted again, “Flooding! Help!”

“Help, quick!”

“Run, run fast!”

For a moment, cries of alarm, pleas for help, coughing, all mixed together, chaos ensued. It was indeed a flooding! Without thinking, Song Lingyun turned and ran. Li Suwan also panicked, shouting from behind, “Cousin, cousin, wait for me!”

She was quite agile, afraid of being left behind by Song Lingyun, tightly grabbing his hand. In such a critical situation, with life at stake, the two didn’t care about anything else, rushing out the door, running downstairs. In the lobby, there was no sign of the staff, probably having fled for their lives.

Song Lingyun didn’t have time to think much. He pulled Li Suwan and rushed out of the Bihai Building. When they reached the street, they felt safe and stopped. Breathing heavily, they suddenly noticed strange looks from pa.s.sersby.

It seemed that only they two were fleeing in a hurry. Just as Song Lingyun was puzzled, a loud shout came from behind, “You little guy, daring to come to our Bihai Building for a free meal! Quick! Catch him for me!”

It was the Bihai Building’s owner and staff chasing after them. Some onlookers, including a few brave young men, upon hearing this, rushed up. Without saying a word, they pinned Song Lingyun to the ground, and a round of punches and kicks was inevitable.

Song Lingyun was frightened, yelling in pain and desperately explaining, “You misunderstood! We heard someone shouting about flooding, and we just escaped. We didn’t intend to get a free meal.”

He continued to explain, and others burst into laughter, saying, “Flooding? That was just a performance skill.”

Song Lingyun and Li Suwan both looked puzzled until they heard the detailed explanation. They then realized that a nearby teahouse had hired a performer for vocal mimicry, and they had mistaken it for a real flood, rushing downstairs in a panic.

Upon learning the truth, Song Lingyun felt extremely embarra.s.sed. He bowed to the innkeeper and said, “It was all a misunderstanding. I never intended to get a free meal.”

Someone teased, “Well, the young master didn’t get a free meal, just a taste of the young lady’s lipstick.”

It turned out that when Song Lingyun and Li Suwan were intimate earlier, they had accidentally smeared some rouge on his lips. They hadn’t noticed it until now, and when it was pointed out, Song Lingyun wasn’t fl.u.s.tered. He replied, “I apologize for the misunderstanding.”

He even bowed gracefully, thinking he was charming. Li Suwan felt a bit anxious, cursing him in her heart. She lowered her head, covering her face with a handkerchief, trying to blend into the crowd.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, someone tripped her. She stumbled, almost falling, but someone quickly caught her, asking with concern, “Are you okay?”

Li Suwan’s body froze, and she heard the person’s voice with a laugh, saying, “Well, what a coincidence, Sister Wanwan. Life is full of surprises. I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

As soon as she heard the voice, Li Suwan felt a chill running down her spine. It was as if a cold snake had coiled around her neck, and for a moment, she forgot how to breathe.

Li Zhizhi.

How did she end up here?

Song Lingyun also turned his head when he heard the sound. When he saw Su Tangyu beside Li Zhizhi, his expression froze for a moment. Then, his face became unnatural, and he hurriedly walked over, trying to hold Su Tangyu’s hand, pretending as if nothing happened, and said, “Ah Yu, you—”

Before he could finish his sentence, he received a slap in the face, very loud, drawing the attention of the onlookers. They looked with surprise as Su Tangyu, with red eyes, tightly bit her lip and stared at him. Due to her intense anger, her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

Song Lingyun stood with his mouth half-open, taking a while to come to his senses. He looked both anxious and angry, attempting to grab Su Tangyu’s wrist. However, she dodged and retaliated with another slap, shouting, “Help! There’s a scoundrel!”

As soon as this was said, the few courageous young men who had intervened earlier emerged from the crowd, grabbing Song Lingyun and pinning him to the ground again. One of them sternly rebuked, “In broad daylight, you lay hands on a young girl. Isn’t there any sense of decency left?”

“That’s right! Looking so dignified, yet still a scholar. Truly a disgrace!”

The crowd began to jeer and curse, and Song Lingyun, pinned to the ground, couldn’t move. He even received a couple of kicks, causing him to cry out in pain, repeatedly saying, “It’s a misunderstanding! We know each other! I’m not a scoundrel!”

Unfortunately, no one believed him, and someone mocked, “Shameless thing, the girl called you a scoundrel. Where’s the misunderstanding?”

“Ah Yu, Ah Yu!” Song Lingyun, helpless, called out to Su Tangyu again, pleading, “Quickly tell them, we know each other. I’m not a scoundrel.”

Su Tangyu remained indifferent, only turning her head to look at Li Suwan. Her gaze fell on Li Suwan’s waist, where a white jade concentric pendant hung, so familiar that it was glaring.

Including the one from Jiang Ziyu, this was already the third one. It was ridiculous. She still remembered the words this person said when he gave her the jade pendant. Now, recalling them made her nauseous.

Su Tangyu looked coldly at Song Lingyun, who was being held down by someone, covered in dust from head to toe. His jade crown was crooked and almost falling off, no longer the refined and elegant appearance of the past. There was even a smear of bright red lipstick on his face, looking comical. Su Tangyu was somewhat surprised. How could she have thought this person was good before and wanted to spend her life with him?

Were her eyes blinded by mud?

Just before today, she still had some expectations for this person. After all, she only heard one side of the story from Jiang Ziyu. People could lie, and the gift of the jade pendant could be a coincidence, or there might be other reasons…

But all of this was shattered just now. Su Tangyu had to admit that she was blind before, to fall for such a sc.u.m.

She averted her eyes, afraid that she would vomit if she looked at him any longer. Song Lingyun was still calling her, each call increasing Su Tangyu’s anger. Worried that she would lose control in front of so many people, she turned and ran.

The attendants from the Su family quickly caught up, and the one holding Song Lingyun down asked, “What should we do with this guy? Just let him go?”

Li Zhizhi gave a signal to Xu Tingfeng in the crowd. He immediately suggested, “Since this person is a troublemaker, why not tie him up and throw him in front of the county office?”

This proposal gained unanimous approval from the crowd. There happened to be a butcher selling pork on the street, and someone borrowed a bundle of straw rope from him. They tied up Song Lingyun, ignoring his struggles and explanations, and pushed him towards the county office.

The shopkeeper and the a.s.sistant of the Bihai Tower watched the commotion for a while. When the crowd dispersed, they suddenly remembered an urgent matter. The shopkeeper exclaimed, “That guy hasn’t paid for his food and drinks! Huh! This freeloader!”

Shouting angrily, he chased after the departing crowd.

Li Zhizhi chuckled, and Li Suwan listened with a frightened heart, wishing to distance herself. However, Li Zhizhi held onto her wrist, making it difficult for her to break free. She asked in a soft voice, “Sister Wan, what were you and Cousin Song doing in the restaurant? Having fun?”

Li Suwan felt both embarra.s.sed and angry, replying, “What’s it to you?!”

Li Zhizhi suddenly laughed and said, “I’m just showing some concern, no need to get angry. By the way, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Cousin Song. I do miss him a bit.”

Upon hearing this, Li Suwan regained her composure and sneered, “Give it up. Cousin Song will never like you.”

A hint of melancholy appeared on Li Zhizhi’s face momentarily, but she quickly pretended to be indifferent, saying, “It’s okay. I’m willing to wait.”

Suddenly, Xu Tingfeng raised his head, looking puzzled and suspicious as he glanced in their direction.

What did he just hear?