It wasn’t even a few days later when Lu Qinyi and Fei Li began their travels. They arrived uneventfully in a town that was a popular location for those with a bit of money who wanted to let loose. With its vibrant atmosphere, entertainment halls featuring story-telling, music, and for the more wealthy guests, dance, as well as many restaurants and market stalls, it was the perfect holiday destination. Of course, that was the side of the town that saw the light. On the other side were brothels and gambling dens, places for those looking to purchase a different kind of pleasure and entertainment.
They had arrived a day early to become familiar with the layout of the town and prepare before getting to work. Or that was what Fei Li thought they were doing. Lu Qinyi, however, appeared to have other plans.
Fei Li had only looked away for a moment, but when he turned back Lu Qinyi was no longer by his side. He managed to catch a glimpse of the troublesome man as he joined the throngs of people filtering into the main street. He caught up before completely losing sight of the other and immediately questioned, “…Where are you going?”
“To look around.” Lu Qinyi answered and inspected the different stores they passed while looking every bit like a leisurely tourist.
“Do tell what you’re expecting to find in… is that shop for women’s items?” Fei Li questioned as Lu Qinyi paused in front of one particular shopfront.
“Sure is! Let’s go in!” Lu Qinyi hooked him by the arm and practically dragged Fei Li inside.
Fei Li didn’t at all understand what Lu Qinyi was up to and why he had brought them to such a place. They already had everything they needed for their mission so… was this just to tease him? It smelt heavily of perfume in the store. He was surrounded by displays for everything a lady could need, from perfume pouches to umbrellas of a brilliant red. He simply stood awkwardly and watched as Lu Qinyi looked over everything with adamant interest.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Worse yet, Lu Qinyi went over to the vendor and actually purchased something after inspecting for a while. Just how far was he taking this joke? When Lu Qinyi offered it to Fei Li, he immediately brushed it aside without even looking at what it was and turned to walk back out the door. It wasn’t until Lu Qinyi went to rap him on the head a few times that he finally swiped it from him.
Pa kjr j obivlcu ojc. Ktf ojc uejgv kjr j vjgx ijmdefgfv kbbv jcv qbilrtfv ab j rwbbat olclrt. Mfl Ol qertfv atf ojc bqfc klat tlr atewy. Ca olgra uijcmf, atf ojmf rffwfv ilxf jc ecjvbgcfv yijmx. Dea ktfc atf iluta tla la ja atf gluta jcuif, la gfnfjifv j ojlca lcxfv qjaafgc. Vfgfcf yjwybb, j rxs bo mibevr. Mfl Ol aegcfv atf ojc, regqglrfv ab olcv atja atf rjwf qjaafgc bc atf yjmx, bcis la kjr lcxfv lc ubiv. Ktlr alwf, la kjr qbrrlyif ab rff atf atlc jcv ibcu obgw bo j vgjubc jwbcura atf mibevr, abb reyaif ab yf cbalmfjyif bc atf ogbca ojmf. Qtja j ragjcuf mtblmf, ab tjnf atf lcrlvf bo atf ojc yf atf jvbgcfv rlvf ktfgf la kbeiv bcis yf rffc ys Mfl Ol, atf lcafcvfv erfg. Ktlr ojc kjr cbatlcu ilxf atf yglutais mbibegfv jcv oijrts ojcr mbegafrjcr erf. Pa kjr gfwjgxjyis reyvefv jcv gfolcfv. Lf vlvc’a xcbk ktfatfg Oe Hlcsl tjv qlmxfv la jmmbgvlcu ab tlr bkc ajrafr, bg Mfl Ol’r yea tf ecobgaecjafis delaf ilxfv la. Lf rilv atf ojc rtea.
“A fan is not a weapon to hit someone with.”
“Anything can be a weapon, even a hairpin. I thought you knew this best. Then again, even you would be in awe of some of the things Mei Mei has used as a weapon before. She’s a scary woman.” Lu Qinyi replied as they walked onto the streets. Fei Li looked away awkwardly at the reminder, only for Lu Qinyi to dangle something in front of his face. It was a white fan tassel, with a brilliantly red bead for decoration.
Fei Li accepted it before he couldn’t help his curiosity. “White?”
“You wear a lot of dark colours. A white tassel will stand out more.” Lu Qinyi replied nonchalantly, already looking off in some other direction at something rather.
Then… was this fan not just meant for the mission? Fei Li had already gotten the feeling it might not be. Thanks to its dark colour, it probably also wouldn’t match well with the light colours of the clothes he would be wearing tomorrow, even though simple black wouldn’t conflict that much either. But then… was this just… a gift?
Fei Li wasn’t sure how to feel as he tied the tassel onto the fan and tucked it into his belt.
“It’s pointless being here, there is nothing we can learn from the main streets. It’s better to familiarise ourselves with the back parts of town.” Lu Qinyi commented exactly what Fei Li had thought when they first came down the busy street. He had already begun walking away with Fei Li quietly following after.
—
Before Fei Li knew it, the next day had come. He sat dressed in fine flowing fabrics, positioned strategically so the light filtering through the window would illuminate his face. Lu Qinyi sat across from him, applying powder onto Fei Li’s face. Lu Qinyi had leaned close so he could see what he was doing and ensure that the product he applied was even. It had been silent between them for some time now. There was nowhere Fei Li could look but straight ahead, directly at Lu Qinyi. He made for quite a handsome picture, the setting sun catching on the edges of his face and painting his features in sharp lines. His eyelids were half lowered as he gazed downward from beneath long eyelashes, rubbing a bit of red rouge between his thumb and forefinger to soften the colour.
Lu Qinyi lifted his hand and used his thumb to apply the colour onto Fei Li’s bottom lip. Fei Li hadn’t been prepared for how the feeling of Lu Qinyi’s thumb dragging across his lip would make him feel. His face grew warm hidden under the powder. He wanted to look somewhere else, anywhere else, but under the restrictions of having to stay still the only thing he could look at was Lu Qinyi. Lu Qinyi had parted his lips slightly, subconsciously mimicking the expression he needed Fei Li to make to apply the rouge. Fei Li felt like his breath was stuck in his throat. It was like he was spellbound, he found he couldn’t look away from Lu Qinyi’s lips. Fei Li felt too warm all of a sudden. Lu Qinyi seemed to have more trouble seeing what he was doing as he applied colour to Fei Li’s top lip, so he leaned closer still. Fei Li finally couldn’t take it, and jerked his head away. However, Lu Qinyi caught his chin and held it firmly in place. “Stay still.” He murmured to Fei Li softly, darkening his thumb with more rogue as he added just a touch more colour to the other’s lips. Spirals of curls fell over Lu Qinyi’s shoulder, brushing along the edges of Fei Li’s face. Just as Fei Li was starting to feel slightly lightheaded from holding his breath, Lu Qinyi sat back.
“Since you’re getting restless, I’ll finish it after your hair.” Lu Qinyi commented as he cleaned his fingers on a rag.
Fei Li felt that was an unfair comment since he could sit patiently for hours in any other circumstance. And somehow, this hadn’t been as difficult when Song Lin was doing his makeup. But Fei Li was grateful for the break as he shook his head to try and clear the faintly foggy feeling and poured himself a cup of water.
With Lu Qinyi seated behind him this time, it wasn’t nearly as hard. Lu Qinyi seemed to believe in quality above speed, taking his time as he slowly combed out the lengths of Fei Li’s hair. The slow, repetitive feeling of the comb was actually kind of relaxing. He stared blankly with the cool surface of the cup between his hands. Actually, this felt oddly familiar. But how can that be? Fei Li didn’t have personal attendants to dress him and comb his hair. Even if he could easily afford them now, it was simply too strange as someone who hadn’t grown up pampered. He had plenty of time to ponder it however. There was much to do for his hair to be styled in the way Song Lin had chosen, it would take time to complete. That’s right, it had been Lu Qinyi last time too. When Fei Li had lost his memories, and his mind, Lu Qinyi had been the one to brush his hair for him. For a time, he felt repulsed recalling the tenderness he was treated with, but he didn’t feel that way today.
He recalled he had once felt a bit envious when he had watched Lu Qinyi with his sister and friends as Lu Qinyi braided their hair for them. A casually affectionate act Fei Li had never gotten the chance to experience from the time he was just a young boy. How strange and unpredictable fate was for him to be sitting here now, feeling the occasional tugs at his hair as Lu Qinyi’s fingers weaved the strands together.
Fate really was strange.
Author’s Note:
AT LONG LAST! 69 Chapters in and finally, finally, the romance begins. Of course its the slowest most subtle start you’ve ever seen, but the beginning of Fei Li’s fall has begun.
A shocking amount of planning and effort went into exactly lining this up with chapter 69 (heh). An additionally shocking amount of time went into planning out that fan design, I fell down a whole rabbit hole into the design and history of Chinese paper fans. Links here and here in case anyone is curious.
Please enjoy! 💕
Yay! Let the romance begin 💕 thanks dear author!