Most students of the martial arts had excellent hearing and Fengsheng was one of them, so he overheard the conversation between Li Hongmei and Ye Xiaoxian.
Fengsheng sighed to himself. Young master, I told you your plan wouldn’t work. You not only pay for their snacks but are being mistaken for an admirer. The point is that Ye Xiaoxian isn’t interested in you at all.
Fengsheng’s face hardened when he bought the snacks. When Li Hongmei bagged the snacks up for him, she looked him up and down as if he were a rapist. This made him quite uncomfortable.
After buying the snacks, he went back to Li Chengru looking unhappy and told him what the two women had said.
Li Chengru’s face was dark with rage. “Did they really say that?”
“Yes!” Fengsheng was firmly on Li Chengru’s side. How could these two ignorant women criticize such a devastatingly handsome man?
Li Chengru couldn’t wait to argue with Ye Xiaoxian and teach her how to have an eye for beauty. Who gave her the confidence to think that he liked her? But then, he changed his mind. This may be a useful misunderstanding.
This way, they won’t know my real aim. What an excellent opportunity!
He lay on the bed after returning to the inn until a waiter delivered lunch for him. The types of dishes in this inn were so limited that Li Chengru was tired of them. He threw the carrot pieces lazily into his mouth and soon put down his chopsticks.
Fengsheng’s meal was the same as Li Chengru’s, but he was not a fussy eater. Even if he got picky about the food, Li Chengru would be even more so.
“Young master, don’t you like the dishes? I can buy some for you from outside,” Fengsheng asked as he chewed the food.
Li Chengru waved his hand and stared firmly at Fengsheng.
“Young master, why are you staring at me?” Fengsheng asked.
After a while, Li Chengru said, “I have a bold idea. Although it’s somewhat immoral, I think it’ll work well. After all, no one’s tried it before. Perhaps I can get the information I want.”
“What is it?” Fengsheng asked.
Li Chengru came just for one thing, and that was to find Xiao Baoshan’s relatives and learn of his whereabouts from them.
But actually, he had no idea how to do so. During all these past days, the only method he had figured out was to remain watchful. Now, he finally had a different plan.
Fengsheng cocked his ears to listen.
Rather than explaining his plan directly, Li Chengru asked, “Do you think I’m handsome?”
Fengsheng studied him for quite a while.
Li Chengru grew impatient. “What are you doing? How many years have you been with me? Is this your first time seeing me?”
Fengsheng finally replied with a smile, “You look gorgeous. You’re the most handsome man, not only in the capital but the entire world. I’ve never met anyone else that is as good-looking as you. I’m not flattering you. I have evidence — The Empr…erm, your mother is also an attractive woman. You must have inherited her beauty, so you look perfect in every way.”
Involuntarily, Li Chengru brushed his imagined hair back from his forehead, though he had actually tied up his hair neatly. He asked, “What kind of lady do you think I can marry?”
“Young master, if you want to marry, any girl in this world would scramble to be your wife. But why do you ask this?” Fengsheng was confused.
Only then did Li Chengru reveal his plan. “What if I want to court Ye Xiaoxian? Of course, I won’t marry her. I just want to let her fall in love with me. During that time, she might then tell me where Xiao Baoshan is.”
“What?” Fengsheng’s mouth fell open.
“Do you mean that you’re going to sacrifice your virginity? Do you plan to sleep with her in the same bed?”
“Bah! That won’t solve anything! I told you that I just want her to love me and tell me her secrets.”
Fengsheng was still stunned. “Your sacrifice would be too great!”
“What sacrifice? I’m sure I’ll succeed in the end.” Li Chengru glared at Fengsheng. “If I don’t sacrifice anything, I’ll never get the information from her. General Qian sent people here, but they finally went back empty-handed. Are they stupid? If they don’t have a good brain, how can they defend our country against overwhelming enemy troops? Do they lack money? Without money, how did they stay here for so long? I considered this for a whole morning and I came to a conclusion; they didn’t figure out the right way to get the information.”
Fengsheng finally faced the fact that Li Chengru was determined to lure his prey with his beauty. This was the only method he came up with after a whole morning.
Fengsheng looked more than worried. “Young master, is that feasible? Isn’t the risk too great? She comes from an obscure village, although…”
“Although what?” Li Chengru asked.
Fengsheng shook his head, swallowing his words. Since he bought Ye Xiaoxian’s snacks the first time, he had come into contact with her for many days. She talked and behaved like an ordinary person, but he felt that she was wiser than most people. He was sure that she wasn’t a simple woman. He insisted, “Young master, I’m really worried about you.”
“Don’t persuade me. I’ve made up my mind. Now we have to think about how to approach her and how to win her trust. You have read more books, so you must have more experience than me. Think carefully and give me a complete plan.”
As could be expected, Fengsheng again didn’t know what to say. He was now lost in deep thought, and the dishes did not seem so delicious anymore.
Usually, Ye Xiaoxian only worked for a morning. After that, she would take a good rest. This day, the flour and other materials had now almost been used up, so she needed to go to the market and buy some more.
Soon after she went out, she noticed Li Chengru not far from her. He was so handsome and always sent Fengsheng to buy her snacks, which gave her no chance to forget him. Usually, he just stood under the tree and stared at her in an unfriendly way. But to her surprise, he greeted her this time.
“Is he waiting for me?” thought Ye Xiaoxian.
Li Chengru was wearing a faint smile which was much more charming than that of many young stars. As was always said, appearance was power. Ye Xiaoxian hadn’t met such a gorgeous man in a long time. For this simple reason, she didn’t detest him, no matter what aim he had in approaching her.
“Mrs. Xiao, are you going shopping?” Li Chengru asked.
Ye Xiaoxian nodded and smiled brightly.
He was stunned for a second. After observing Ye Xiaoxian for a few days, he could easily recognize her even if she veiled her face. But now, her smile presented her as a brand new lady. Her smile was quite attractive and she was in no way vulgar.
Just as a dashing man would do, Li Chengru unfolded his fan and waved it gently in front of his chest. According to Fengsheng, ladies in novels always fell in love with a white-robed handsome man waving a fan. But Ye Xiaoxian just nodded before she went on past him to buy flour.
Standing still, Li Chengru did not hasten to catch up with her. Fengsheng had told him that trying too hard would scare the lady.
As Ye Xiaoxian was carrying 10 kilograms of flour and other ingredients back, she met Li Chengru on the road again. Chance encounter as it seemed to be, Ye Xiaoxian felt that Li Chengru had been waiting for her on purpose.
“Mrs. Xiao, you’ve bought so much. Do you need my help?” Li Chengru folded his fan and tucked it into his clothes at the waist Fengsheng had advised him to do more to please the lady if he wanted to gain her affection.
Li Chengru would carry the flour bag on his shoulder although he didn’t want to nor he had ever done this before in his life. He could have let Fengsheng do it for him, but Fengsheng insisted that he should fight for her alone. If he didn’t, Ye Xiaoxian might think that Fengsheng was the one who liked her.
On such a bustling street, Ye Xiaoxian didn’t dare to ask him for help, afraid to make herself the target of common gossip. Since Xiao Baoshan had disappeared, many people had been keeping a watch on her. There was no doubt that the widow was always the subject of gossip.
“No,” declined Ye Xiaoxian. “I’m used to this. They’re not heavy for me.”
As she walked away, Li Chengru followed her. “Please let me help you. I always buy your snacks in the morning. They’re very delicious. I’ve been here for days just because I like your snacks, especially those lovely and tasty ‘rabbits’.”
“Really?” Ye Xiaoxian was perplexed. Would anyone stay in Qinghe county just for her snacks? But this man didn’t seem like someone running a catering business. Was he a foodie? That seemed even less likely.
Ye Xiaoxian looked somewhat adorable when she was hesitant.
Li Chengru took over carrying the bag of flour immediately and said, “Let’s go. I can help you carry it home.”
Ye Xiaoxian was stunned by his speed. She thought that Li Chengru must have learned martial arts to a high level. He reminded her of Xiao Baoshan who could also grab something from her hands so easily. As such, she couldn’t refuse Li Chengru’s help anymore. If they scrambled to carry the flour on the street, there would be an even bigger misunderstanding.
Therefore, she followed Li Chengru back to her home.
