Chapter 237: Chapter 103 Tong Tong_2
Over a decade had passed in a flash, and her dancing skills showed no sign of improvement. Not dancing would have been fine, but the moment she started, she feared her lack of progress would be immediately exposed.
Pei Yunmeng was leisurely waiting for her.
Lu Tong suddenly felt that perhaps she and the man before her were incompatible by destiny, naturally born to be her bane.
But faced with Pei Yunmeng’s interested gaze, she simply couldn’t bring herself to utter a word of refusal.
A dancer might not know how to play the zither, but she must know how to dance. The flaw was too obvious, especially since Pei Yunmeng was a clever person.
Lu Tong had no choice but to walk a few steps forward, slowly moving to the center of the room onto the golden coral carpet. For a moment, she felt an impulse to just give up and throw caution to the wind, not caring about the consequences for Qi Yutai later on, and just poison the troublemaker before her.
Just as she stiffly raised her arms, a voice came from behind her: "Forget it."
Pei Yunmeng said, "The ashes from the incense burner are scattered all over the floor; it’s not suitable for dancing. Come and massage my shoulders instead."
Lu Tong breathed a sigh of relief internally, while also secretly grinding her teeth.
This person had toyed with her again and again, clearly doing it on purpose—or was this the kind of amusement those from noble families took delight in? She had heard from Yin Zheng that they insisted on others doing things they themselves were capable of, and sought things only through a veil, a favorite move among lovers, euphemistically called "adding flavor to the relationship."
Lu Tong didn’t understand this kind of flavor or the joys between men and women. If the situation hadn’t been so pressing, she might have felt a sudden urge to kill Pei Yunmeng on the spot.
But as one has to bow under the eaves, Lu Tong walked behind Pei Yunmeng, took a deep breath, and placed her hands on his shoulders.
With his back to her, Pei Yunmeng’s expression was invisible, but from his posture, he seemed very relaxed.
Of course, he was relaxed. It was someone else being tormented, after all.
Lu Tong suppressed the urge to finish him off with one strike and started to gently rub his shoulders instead.
In the medical halls, patients often came in with sore shoulders and legs, which Lu Tong had tended to by massaging. Her technique was neither too light nor too heavy and generally satisfactory to most. At this moment, as the storm raged outside, it was warm as spring within the cozy chamber below. Finery and beauty abound, with nightly revelries and faint singing from musicians creating an almost enchanting atmosphere.
Lu Tong lowered her eyes halfway.
Pei Yunmeng had broad shoulders and a slim waist, looking strikingly handsome in his official uniform. His appearance was contradictory; the stern cut of his Palace Front Office uniform clashed with the lavish embroidery on the collar and cuffs, much like the impression he gave others.
He seemed approachable, yet like frost-covered jade, he concealed a coldness beneath the surface.
There was no trace of Qi Yutai in this room. Qi Yutai was not here, and in order to find him, she first had to extract herself from Pei Yunmeng’s company. The medicines she carried were either lethal or inappropriate for him. He had drunk wine yet wasn’t drunk... She needed to think of another method.
Could she simply knock him out? The only thing at hand in the room was an incense burner, and its contents were already scattered on the floor. Her needles would be effective, but that would draw blood. And there might be guards of Pei Yunmeng nearby—if anything went wrong, escape would be difficult.
She had come today to find Qi Yutai and did not wish to cause further trouble.
As she was pondering, a voice unexpectedly reached her ears: "Why so distracted?"
Before she could react, the next moment, Lu Tong’s hand was caught, and she felt the world spinning. She was pulled forward, suddenly toppling towards Pei Yunmeng.
They faced each other.
The candles on the table flickered twice, and the shadows on the wall trembled in tandem, gradually solidifying on the surface like a dim, old dream.
Lu Tong was slightly moved.
Ever since she learned she would be infiltrating Yuxian Tower, Yin Zheng had often talked to her about the affairs of such pleasure quarters. Scholars and courtesans, princes and Qing Gui, famous beauties and literati, all manner of convoluted and splendidly exaggerated tales, amounted to nothing more than affairs between men and women.
The back-and-forth tugging, chasing, and teasing between those men and women ultimately led to tumbles in bed. To her, these stories never felt quite real, but now with Pei Yunmeng so close, Lu Tong suddenly felt it palpably.
She looked at the person before her.
Pei Yunmeng was handsome, with fine features and brooding eyes, exuding an air of elegance and nobility, yet the dimples at the corners of his mouth added a dash of Shao Lang’s charm to his appearance. This made him seem less pretentious than other wealthy gentlemen and more refreshingly candid.
But no matter how refreshing, in the midst of all the finery, he was just another ordinary man.
He too would visit brothels, seek out girls, make advances on dancers.
Lu Tong didn’t know what he intended to do; after all, once a man truly debases himself, there’s little he wouldn’t do.
Pei Yunmeng stared at her, then suddenly smiled.
He said, "Miss Hong Man of Yuxian Tower is exquisitely beautiful, surpassing even Wu Ji, but in my eyes, none can compare to her."
He grasped Lu Tong’s arm and pulled her close, his bright eyes reflecting her image: "We have known each other for some time, yet recognition has been delayed. Why not let me have a look at your face—"
With that, he reached out to grab Lu Tong’s veil.
Lu Tong, startled, leapt backward. Although he seemed forceful, he really hadn’t used much strength, and Lu Tong shook off his hand almost immediately, retreating a few steps as her beaded hairpins and silver ornaments clinked noisily from the movement.
The tassel of the beaded veil lightly brushed his hand, like a soft blue dancing shadow slipping away from his fingertips.
Lu Tong recovered from her surprise, suddenly understanding something, and stared intently at the person in the room.
Outside, the rain poured down heavily, the sound of the wind unrelenting.
Inside, the lights were dim and the warmth beckoned, with the rouge glow illuminating the surroundings.
The young man sat on the chair, his black attire adorned with clusters of silver clouds, his smile glowing with a soft warmth under the lamplight, as if he couldn’t help but indulge in mirth.
"Xiang Xiang’s singing is clear and beautiful, and Cui Cui’s dancing is graceful and lingering. A smile from Qing Qing is worth a thousand pieces of gold," he mused.
He looked at Lu Tong, slightly raising his eyebrows.
"Lu Tong, what can you do?"