The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

29

To avoid being separated by the crowd, Shang JunLin always protected Shen Yu with one arm.

Both of them were wearing similar wide-sleeved robes, one dark and one light, and both of them were men with outstanding looks. As they walked together through the crowd they attracted the attention of countless people.

"Young masters, please wait a moment."

Shen Yu was talking to Shang JunLin when he heard a woman's voice behind them and stopped.

When the men looked back, they saw two gorgeously-dressed ladies coming towards them, and there wasn't a trace of shyness in their faces. The reason these ladies called out to them was plain.

The people of Da Huan had open customs, and there were few restrictions on women. If they saw someone they liked, bolder women would come forward and speak to the person directly. Every year around this time, quite a few widely-known tales would be spun which were initiated by women.

It was common for young men and women to look for a partner on this day. If things went well, they'd return home and ask their families to go to the other person's home to propose marriage. Shen Yu and his partner had met two of these more daring girls.

The two sides were getting nearer and nearer. Just as the women were about to begin flirting a little, the man beside Shen Yu took his hand.

His five fingers were separated without any chance to refuse. Shang JunLin's bony fingers pried into Shen Yu's grip little by little until their fingers were tightly interwoven.

Shen Yu lifted his hand, but the grip didn't loosen, and he was held even more tightly.

"Your Majesty?" Shen Yu whispered.

"Ah Yu used the wrong name," Shang JunLin corrected him with a calm face.

Under the cover of their wide sleeves, the hands of the two men with their clasped fingers weren't visible. Then Shang JunLin moved his arm, and the women coming towards them saw their interlocked fingers.

The two young ladies looked at each other and read the embarrassment in each other's eyes. The first thing they'd noticed about these two young masters was their good looks and extraordinary bearing. They wanted to see if they had a chance, but they had no idea these two would turn out to be a pair.

The older lady felt embarrassed but forced herself to speak. "Sorry for interrupting you."

"We're sorry to disturb the two young masters. I wish you both happiness," the other woman said hastily

"It's fine," Shen Yu said with a smile. "I hope the two of you find sweethearts soon."

After making such a big mistake, how could they stay? The ladies left in a hurry.

Shen Yu burst out laughing and collapsed against Shang JunLin. "They beat such a hasty retreat. How did Ah Lin come up with that technique?"

Shang JunLin wasn't pleased. "Does Ah Yu mean to say you wanted to talk to them?"

"Ah Lin, don't slander me. The only reason that happened is because Ah Lin attracts so much attention." Shen Yu could hardly restrain his laughter. In the end he heaped the blame on Shang JunLin.

"Ah Yu should reflect on yourself before you speak. Am I the one who attracts attention or is it Ah Yu who attracts too many birds and butterflies?"

They happened to be standing before a stall that sold masks. Shen Yu pulled Shang JunLin forward, chose a wolf mask and a fox mask, and put the wolf mask on Shang JunLin's face.

"This way people can't see you."

Shen Yu put on the other fox mask.

The masks only covered the upper half of their faces. Below the mask, Shang JunLin's sharp jawline was still visible.