42 The Smells of Life (1/2)
Through it all, Yuan Zhaoxu rested on his chair and continued enjoying the pair's endless squabble even in the changing room.
”How was the bath? Refreshing?”
”Squeak, squeak!”
”Can you speak like a human?”
”Squeak, squeak!”
”Oh right, you're a guinea pig, sorry sorry...”
”Squeak!”
Yuan Zhaoxu crooked his head and listened, his eyes curling into two crescents. It was genuine and warm, unlike his usually deep and hazy smile.
His gaze lingered on the curtain. The fire from the oven cast a statuesque silhouette. He could see her long, slim back and trimmed, delicate shoulders. The width of her chest tapered down to her thin waist in a smooth curve before extending out to her pear-shaped hips in yet another charming arc. She was absolutely beautiful.
Amid the cold winter and inside the warm pavilion with the spring-like curtains was standing a certain someone, not knowing that her body had been scanned thoroughly. Meng Fuyao turned to her side, casting an alluring outline of her breasts. It was hard to imagine that such a well-balanced and perfect figure actually existed.
Yuan Zhaoxu slowly diverted his gaze to the lake and smiled. ”Does the tube top fit?”
”Ah!”
The figure behind the curtain jumped before scuttling in panic, seeking out the hole through which Yuan Zhaoxu must have been peeping. Making a round and not spotting any gap between the curtains, she soon figured it out and hurriedly put out the flame from the charcoals.
The changing room dimmed, and the feminine body could no longer be seen. Yuan Zhaoxu kept the smile on his face, nevertheless. Unbeknown to Meng Fuyao, the charcoals were made from sago palms, found only on the highest, snow-peaked mountains. The flames they produced were solid and condensed, not something any average being could handle. Even with her strong martial art background, Meng Fuyao wouldn't be able to hold it any much longer. She had turned it off at the perfect timing.
Yuan Zhaoxu grabbed his jade-white cup and sat down lazily. His head was directed at the vast sky as he was waiting.
A short while later the curtains were lifted, and Meng Fuyao strode out, frustrated. She glared at Yuan Zhaoxu with her big, crow-black eyes but was ignored. The intended recipient simply raised his cup, asking, ”Does it fit?”
”It's slightly big,” she answered with black lines on her face.
Not speaking, Yuan Zhaoxu took his time to sip and savor the wine. As she was feeling pleased over his silence a murmur shot through her eardrums, ”Impossible, I've felt those curves... Have your breasts shrunk?”
Meng Fuyao blinked a few times before throwing her head toward the sky and letting out a deep breath, determined not to start another verbal war. She plopped down beside him and, without permission, poured a cup of wine for herself. ”Aren't you despicable? Why didn't you save me earlier?”
”There's nothing more pleasurable in life than witnessing a beauty fall into the water. It's a feast for the eyes, and I get to offer clothes and warmth. If the beauty catches a cold, I get to offer a bed, hot tea, and my attention. Am I foolish enough to pass such a wonderful opportunity?”
Meng Fuyao had been sitting on standby, ready to strangle him if he was stupid enough to mock her. Yet, his answer was so precise that it made her blush. While he sounded half-serious and half-teasing, his eyes were clear and sparkly. It was as if all the water from the lake had been drawn into them.
Meng Fuyao's heart skipped a beat as she got reminded of the little moment they had shared on the night in the Taiyuan Palace – the deeply meaningful way he had fixed his slightly smiley gaze on her, and those haze-layered eyes of his that carried a certain mystery she hadn't dared to puncture.
Or rather, she hadn't been willing to.
She let out a noiseless breath before downing her cup. ”Why are you here?” she digressed, placing the cup back onto the table.
It wasn't that she hadn't expected to meet Yuan Zhaoxu in Wuji, but she hadn't imagined their reunion to happen that soon. It felt more probable that a certain someone had calculated her arrival and specially waited for her.
The thought left her mind as quickly as it came. How would he know that he was coming to Wuji? And how could he have guessed that she would come to this palace residence? It had been an impromptu decision on her part.
She thought about this and that until she received an answer. ”I'm the official in charge of the Canglan residence and also the advisor of the crown prince's Shangyang Palace.”
”Oh, Official Yuan.” Meng Fuyao smiled, narrowing her eyes. ”Not going to take me on a tour around this palace?”
”There will be a chance in the future,” he responded while holding her hand. ”Go somewhere with me now. You'll be interested.”
”Where?”
”A brothel.”
There existed a type of people who spoke and did things different from the rest, and Yuan Zhaoxu was one of them.
Meng Fuyao hadn't met any man who could so blatantly suggest a visit to the brothel before the girl of his interest.