You've Got Mail: Cautionary Tale (YGMCT)

Chapter 80 - Showdown

Wu Xingzi sipped at the tea, observing this drawing room that was of an average size. The furnishings within were all very simple and elegant, and due to the proximity of the neighbours, laughter and chatter of the craftsmen could be heard indistinctly. Combined with the sound of the wind and cicadas, it was not noisy. Instead the ambient sounds inexplicably gave people a peace of mind.

Today, Ping Yifan was a lot more silent than their previous meeting. With lowered lids, he drank his tea, looking just like a picture. Wu Xingzi could not stop sneaking peeks at him, and finally, he was lost in his admiration of Ping Yifan’s long and thick eyelashes.

“Why?” A wave of heat swelled up within Ping Yifan, and he sighed. Putting down the teacup in his hand, he turned and looked at Wu Xingzi. “Staring at me like this, won’t you get tired of it?”

With a smiling yet resigned look from Ping Yifan, Wu Xingzi shrunk into himself, turning his face away in bashfulness. “Eh? Did we come too early?”

Ping Yifan stared at him in amusement, but he did not persist in questioning him. “No, it’s not too early. If we were to arrive a bit later, I’m afraid we would’ve ended up bumping into the other two guests outside.”

“That’s true…” Was there a significance implied in those words? Wu Xingzi rubbed his nose, unable to resist looking at Ping Yifan again.

This gentle gaze felt like hooks, scratching again and again against Ping Yifan’s heart. He could not help but sigh, “Wu Xingzi.”

“Eh?”

“Don’t look at me like this.” The way he was looking at him, Ping Yifan was almost unable to contain himself anymore, and he wanted to reveal his true identity, dragging the man into his arms for a good cuddle. However, now was not the right time. The person he was waiting for was about to arrive, and he definitely could not allow all his previous efforts to come to waste. As such, he could only forcefully suppress the passion surging up within him.

“Ah?” Wu Xingzi blinked. He seemed to realise that his gazes had been rather impolite, and the tips of his ears gradually reddened. “I’m just, I’m just… a little nervous.”

This was not a lie. Although the Bai residence was decorated in a very plain and simple manner, it was still a place unknown to him, and Adviser Wu could not help but feel a little shy.

Ping Yifan was aware of this too. He struggled internally for a moment, then clasped Wu Xingzi’s hand, tightening his grip around it. “Don’t be nervous. Bai-gongzi wouldn’t eat you up, hmm?”

His hand felt hot, and it took no time for a thin layer of sweat to cover it. However, Wu Xingzi still could not bear to let go, and held Ping Yifan’s hand tightly as well. The two people did not speak anymore, quietly drinking their tea. Just as they finished, the steward came at the perfect time to invite them towards the qin compound.

The qin compound was located in the midst of a bamboo forest at the back of the Bai residence, three storeys high. The roof was not surrounded by walls, and in the summer, bamboo curtains were strung around. The thin and delicate bamboo strips swayed gently in the wind, and as the sun shone through the drawings on them, onto the floor made of a bamboo weave, it formed a beautiful drawing to accompany the sound of the qin. The scattered light was like sands of gold.

Young Master Bai was already seated in front of his qin. Seeing the two of them, a small smile appeared on his face. He stood up, cupping his hands in welcome. “Mr. Ping, Mr. Wu.”