Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 29: “The Second One. It's prettier.”

　　[Why aren't you asleep? Can’t fall asleep?]

　　[I had a dream.]

　　[Was it a bad one?]

　　[Sort of.]

　　[Don’t be upset… Want me to tell you a joke?]

　　Maybe it was the peaceful moonlight tonight, or maybe it was the identity of ‘Fei Yi’ that gave Pei Ji a fleeting sense of safety.

　　When he saw the note brought back by the owl, he actually went along with her conversation.

　　He even… unconsciously revealed some of the frustration buried in his heart.

　　This was something Pei Ji would never do—

　　But Fei Yi could.

　　And she would never know that the person exchanging letters with her wasn’t her ‘beloved,’ but rather the cripple she hated during the day.

　　The owl flew in again, landing on the windowsill. Its round amber eyes sparkled—utterly adorable.

　　An Jiu grabbed a handful of roasted rice from the fruit box on the table and offered it to the hardworking messenger.

　　The owl tilted its head, glanced at her, then at the roasted rice in her palm, completely unmoved.

　　“Why aren’t you eating?”

　　An Jiu thought for a moment and remembered that owls weren’t ordinary birds—they were carnivorous and didn’t eat rice or fruit.

　　Resigned, she set the rice down and gently reached out to stroke the chubby little creature a few times, finally satisfied enough to check the letter.

　　That’s right, chatting was just a bonus—petting the bird was the real business!

　　She opened the letter. Four words were written on it: [What’s the joke?]

　　An Jiu thought for a moment, then picked up the pen and wrote: [One day the little bear cut his nails, and then it became... Xiao Neng! Hahahaha, isn't it funny]

　　When Pei Ji received the letter, he was mildly curious before opening it. But after reading the joke, he was left speechless.

　　Was his emotional sensitivity really that bad? Why didn’t he even feel the slightest urge to laugh?

　　He sent back six dots: [……]

　　Strangely enough, after reading the joke, the gloom in his chest seemed to dissipate without him noticing—mainly because it was replaced by sheer speechlessness.

　　An Jiu got the reply, pouted, tossed the paper aside, and focused on petting the owl.

　　The owl was exceptionally well-trained. No matter how she ruffled its feathers, it didn’t fly away—at most, it would gently peck at her hand a couple of times, obedient and adorable.

　　After getting her fill of petting, An Jiu wrote back.

　　Clearly, Pei Ji couldn’t grasp the charm of modern-day cold jokes.

　　[Shall I tell you another joke?]

　　[No need. Go to bed early.]

　　Receiving this classic way to end a conversation, An Jiu cheerfully ended the chat and focused on petting the owl.

　　She petted it for quite a while, until the little one's feathers were all fluffed up. Feeling a bit sleepy, she finally let the owl go and went to bed.

　　The next morning, they all went downstairs for breakfast. He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan had taken on a bounty mission recently and were planning to continue it after eating.

　　“What kind of mission did you take?” An Jiu asked Lin Qingyan.

　　With one of them transmigrated and the other reborn, the plot had already changed.

　　In the book, the male and female leads should still be chasing Wu Sheng with the Huashan Sect at this point, too busy for any bounty missions. After resolving the Huashan incident, they didn’t stay long in Pinglan City, because news of a legendary martial art was about to emerge.

　　Lin Qingyan replied, “Catching a notorious thief. It’s said he murdered an entire wealthy family in Pinglan City and stole a fortune. The Yamen couldn’t catch him, so they put out a bounty.”

　　He Ziqing took a bite of steamed bun and mumbled, “It is said that he is a master of using blades. I must catch him.”

　　An Jiu nodded. “Oh, good luck.”

　　After a pause, she turned to Pei Ji. “Pei Ji, what are you doing today?”

　　The young man in white, with delicate features, lifted his eyes slightly, a faint curve at the end of them. “I’m planning to volunteer at the city clinic. What about you, Miss An?”

　　The young lady expressed she had nothing to do and wanted to tag along.

　　Upon hearing this, Lin Qingyan immediately declined gently. “Miss An, that thief is extremely brutal. As a regular person, for your safety, you should stay at the inn.”

　　He Ziqing also nodded repeatedly. “That’s right! Why not go with Brother Pei to the clinic? There’s no danger at the clinic!”

　　Pei Ji: “……”

　　Had these two considered his feelings at all? (T/N: Poor him. 😂)

　　Pei Ji's folding fan creaked as he clenched it tightly, but when the girl looked at him with bright eyes, he still offered a warm smile. “If Miss An is willing.”

　　Of course An Jiu was willing! Who wants to stay at the inn and grow mushrooms?

　　And so, their day's plan was happily decided—He Ziqing and Lin Qingyan would go capture the criminal, while Pei Ji, An Jiu, and Ah Qi would go to the clinic.

　　The clinic Pei Ji was heading to was not far from the inn, so the three of them decided to walk. It would have taken about a quarter of an hour, but because they brought Miss An, the time was greatly extended.

　　“I want to buy that!”

　　“And this one, Pei Ji, you get in line for me! I'll go buy something else first!”

　　“Ah Qi, carry my things for me, can you be more helpful?”

　　The master and servant were ordered around by the Eldest Lady. She wanted to buy sticky rice cakes, then sugar figurines, and then couldn't move from a display of jewelry.

　　Pei Ji ended up standing in line in front of a cosmetics stall, while Ah Qi was dragged off to carry An Jiu’s bags. Of all places, Pei Ji was stuck in front of a rouge stand, surrounded by women. Seeing Pei Ji sitting alone in his wheelchair, waiting to hold their place, the ladies couldn’t stop stealing glances at him.

　　Although the young man in white was physically impaired, his appearance was outstanding.

　　Dressed in a flowing white robe that fluttered like snow, his face was handsome and refined, his eyebrows gentle and elegant. At first glance, it was clear he was from a prestigious family, a noble young master.

　　In Pinglan City, there were many martial artists, and the atmosphere here was more open compared to other places.

　　Soon, a woman with a playful laugh approached Pei Ji: “Young Master, are you here to buy rouge for your wife?”

　　Pei Ji subtly furrowed his brow, but his lips still held their usual faint smile. “No.”

　　“Then it’s for your sisters at home?” The woman took a step closer, dressed luxuriously, her face finely powdered, and the scent of perfume wafting toward him. “Young Master, you’re so handsome. Where are you from? Are you married?”

　　This woman was the daughter of a wealthy family in Pinglan City and a well-known figure in the area. A few years ago, she had married, but things didn’t go well with her husband. They fought every few days, and eventually, they had to part ways.

　　After the divorce, she was taken back to her parents' house, and from then on, she completely let herself go. She kept several handsome young men in a separate estate, living a carefree and indulgent life.

　　Her parents doted on her and always allowed her to do as she pleased. Moreover, the woman was straightforward, only engaging in relationships where both parties were willing, so no major scandals had arisen.

　　Today, it seemed that she had clearly taken a liking to the young man sitting in the wheelchair.

　　However, before the woman could reach Pei Ji, a girl in a red dress suddenly jumped out and blocked her path. With large, bright eyes and her willow-shaped brows raised in anger, she glared at the woman and yelled, “What are you doing! This is my spot!”

　　The woman halted her steps, her eyes flickering as she glanced between the two. After a moment, she seemed to understand the situation.

　　She covered her lips and smiled, saying, “Alright, alright, my apologies. Since it's your spot, I won’t take it.”

　　The woman sensibly left, and only then did An Jiu, with a huff, turn around to meet the gaze of the man with eyes as dark as ink.

　　The girl put her hands on her hips, looking dissatisfied as she said to him, “How can you let someone cut in line just like that? I saw her trying to do it from far away, so I had to hurry over. Next time you see someone so rude, don’t pay any attention to her, alright?”

　　Pei Ji slowly withdrew his fingers from where they had been resting on the ribs of his fan. He looked at the girl's face for a long moment before lowering his gaze, offering a faint smile, “Alright.”

　　The girl, seemingly worried that something like that would happen again, stayed by his side for the rest of the time, standing next to him as they continued to wait in line.

　　Soon, the people in front of them finished their purchases, and An Jiu stepped forward to examine the rouge boxes on display.

　　From the conversations around her, An Jiu had already figured out that the rouge in this shop was particularly popular for its beautiful colors and a variety of pleasant fragrances, making it a favorite among the women in the city.

　　The shopkeeper was a woman in her thirties or forties. Seeing that An Jiu seemed hesitant, she proactively picked out two boxes and handed them to her.

　　“I believe these two colors would suit you well, miss, based on your complexion.”

　　An Jiu, suffering from decision paralysis, always bought only one item when shopping. If she bought two, she would spend a lot of time debating which one to use every day, which could take forever and end up wasting a lot of time.

　　She had long realized this ‘flaw’ of hers and had since made it a rule to only keep the best of anything around her, never giving herself the option of choosing between two.

　　An Jiu asked, “Excuse me, could I try them?”

　　The shopkeeper smiled and said, “Of course, miss. These are for trying. Once you've decided, I'll pack a new one for you.”

　　An Jiu walked over to where the white-robed young man was standing with the two boxes of rouge.

　　Pei Ji looked at her curiously as she dipped her pinky into one of the boxes and gently applied the red pigment evenly onto her lips.

　　She then leaned toward him, her pale face suddenly coming close.

　　“Pei Ji, do you think this color looks good on me?”

　　Her face was bare of makeup, and her skin was flawless, clearly the result of being carefully nurtured since birth. Her complexion was pale and luminous, making her lips appear small and a vibrant red, like freshly picked cherries, delicate and tempting.

　　Her bright peach blossom eyes were clear and bright, reflecting the sunlight, resembling two small, sparkling stars.

　　Pei Ji: “...”

　　He remained silent for a while before slowly responding under the girl's intense gaze, “Isn't it... the same as usual?”

　　An Jiu: “???”

　　Where did this big straight guy come from! Can't he even tell the difference after she applied lipstick?

　　Pei Ji really couldn't tell. He just felt that the girl's lips seemed a little redder, but her lips were already naturally red...

　　An Jiu, frustrated by this blunt answer, gritted her teeth and wiped off the first color, applying the second one.

　　The first color was a fairly standard watermelon red, perhaps similar to her natural lip color, so it was understandable that he couldn't notice the difference.

　　The second color was a sparkling pink, probably with added oils, giving it a shiny, glittering appearance.

　　After applying it, she turned her face toward Pei Ji, slightly pouting her lips, seriously showing it to him: “What about this one? Surely you can see the difference now!”

　　Indeed, this time, he could see the difference.

　　The girl's lips were full, with a round and cute cupid's bow on her upper lip. She slightly puckered her lips, making them appear even softer and more alluring, like something one would want to pluck.

　　The delicate red lips were covered with a layer of pinkish gloss, sparkling under the sunlight. There was also a faint fruity scent that gently drifted into the air with her words.

　　When that woman walked by earlier, Pei Ji had been overwhelmed by the heavy, cloying scent of her cosmetics. But the fragrance from the girl in front of him was unexpectedly fresh and pleasant.

　　The girl continued chattering non-stop: “Pei Ji, which color do you think looks better? I think both are nice, but I just can't choose…”

　　Her pink lips parted and closed, revealing a soft, pale pink tongue between her lips, as delicate as a newly bloomed lotus bud.

　　The young master in white paused for a moment, then cleared his throat and diverted his gaze. His clear voice sounded slightly hoarse as he said, “The second one.”

　　“What?” The girl blinked, as if she hadn't heard clearly.

　　“The second one. It's prettier.” He tilted his head slightly, and the pale skin behind his ear unintentionally turned a soft shade of red.

　【Pei Ji's favorability toward you +5, current favorability: 5.】

　　“Alright, I'll buy the second one!”

　　The girl happily went to pay, her brows and eyes full of joy, as if she had found a lipstick she was completely satisfied with.

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