You've Got Mail: A Cautionary Tale

Chapter 74 — We Both Have Nothing, And So Coincidentally, We’re A Match

If Ping Yifan’s appearance had to be described, it was just like his name, common and ordinary. In this gathering of the Peng Society, where guests had been carefully picked and selected, he could only be called plain and forgettable.

This did not mean that he was bad looking. His facial features were gentle, like the spring breeze, and the angles of his face perfectly soft, as though they had been smoothed out by water. A glance at him gave off a pleasant and comfortable impression.

Looking from another angle, his face looked like it had been carved by water. The angles were well defined, the lines of his face smooth. When everything came together, he did not look extraordinary, but like water that would never boil.

Watching Ping Yifan play the flute, his hands fair and smooth as though carved from marble, his fingers slim and perfectly proportionate, and how they contrasted beautifully against the jade green flute, Wu Xingzi was dazed.

The gentle melody dancing through Lianxiang Residences was like the delicate spring rain, unobtrusively pattering into the hearts of the listeners. It carried along with it a spontaneous aroma of lotus flowers, as well as the imagery of dew dripping off bamboo stalks.

Eating the food made by the top chef in the capital, listening to the refreshing melody of the flute, and with the number one of his pengornises ranking in front of him, this was truly one of the best experiences in life.

When the melody ended, Wu Xingzi could not help but applaud, and the light shining so brightly in his eyes made Hei’er lament silently.

Hearing his applause, Ping Yifan gave a reserved smile, nodding slightly. He looked as though he was hesitating whether he should come up and speak with him. Wu Xingzi too was nervous as well. He was not someone ignorant of the world, and he naturally understood what could happen when two men found each other pleasing at the Peng Society gathering.

However, he had originally thought that he was only here in the capacity of a guest, someone by the sidelines. After all, this was the capital, where talents and scholars were everywhere. Not only was the version of the capital’s Pengornisseur thicker than the other cities, every man within was an outstanding one. Thinking about it, men from ordinary backgrounds would probably not want to be published within the pages of the Pengornisseur, as they would rather be a big fish in their small pond, than a small fish in the sea.

Wu Xingzi himself had not appeared within the pages of the capital’s version as well. His interest was not in finding a partner, but in the pengornis drawings instead. If not for Rancui’s warm invitation, he might not even have attended the Peng Society gathering today. After all, he was much more interested in the fair going on outside the wall.

But one could never predict what was lying in their future, and everything was destined! In this place where beauties were abound, a Ping Yifan had appeared… Wu Xingzi bowed his head, taking a few more bites of his food. His ears were tinged with a slight blush, and he wondered, should he be a little more initiative? Or should he wait for Ping Yifan to give a signal? Perhaps, he was also just attending the gathering as a simple guest.

Once this thought appeared in his head, Wu Xingzi shrunk back and buried his head back into his food. He had not drank a lot, drinking tea instead of wine for the past five drinks. The cup of wine Rancui had given him to dispel his grey thoughts was enough to make him a little muddleheaded already. Intoxicated, he wanted to indulge a little, but he was always missing that little bit of determination and courage.

However, before Ping Yifan had even taken a step, Young Master Bai had come by instead.

Young Master Bai was called Bai Shaochang, his courtesy name Qiuxiao. Living on Qingzhu Lane, his father was the Great Xia’s second to none qin musician. He learnt the art of qin from his father, and the pupil surpassed the teacher. Young Master Bai was now the top qin musician in the capital. His appearance was excellent as well, perfectly encapsulating the type that Wu Xingzi admired — beautiful like a jade statue, ethereal, and otherworldly. Even Mr. Lu would seem like an ugly duckling in front of Young Master Bai.

Following behind Young Master Bai was a footboy carrying a qin. He looked to be around thirteen or fourteen years of age, but he already had a rather tall stature. With a round face, he seemed very likeable, and his almond-shaped eyes were round and bright. Peering about impishly, he would give a friendly grin whenever he met anyone’s eyes. Their hearts would soften, and they would not be as guarded with this pair of master and servant. With the boy around, Young Master Bai’s unworldly and aloof temperament was reduced a little.

“Greetings to the manager.” It was as though Young Master Bai did not see Wu Xingzi and Hei’er at all, acknowledging Rancui only.

“Greetings to Young Master Bai.” Rancui returned the sentiment, then spoke apologetically to Wu Xingzi, “Mr. Wu, there’s something I have to discuss with Young Master Bai. Why don’t you walk around and take a look?”

“There’s no need for the courtesy, Manager. The things I’m mentioning are not important, and you don’t have to ask your friend to withdraw.” Young Master Bai was very open, or perhaps he just did not care about them at all. After his footboy arranged a cushion for him, he lifted his robes slightly and took a seat, crossing his legs.

Since that was the case, Rancui did not stand on courtesy anymore. He shifted the few dishes in front of him over to Wu Xingzi and baded him to eat, before pouring up cups of tea for both himself and Young Master Bai each.

“Go ahead, Young Master Bai. This is the bailu green tea produced from Panyun Mountain, please try it.”

“Thank you, Manager.” With half-lowered lids, Young Master Bai picked up the cup and had a sip. His brows twitched slightly, seeming a little surprised, and his expression too gentled by a lot, and it added more life to him.

Sitting by the side, Wu Xingzi sneaked looks at the beauty. Long ago, in Bastion City, he had felt that Young Master Bai was very good looking, and he had been thinking about his music as well. To be able to fulfil his wishes today, he wondered if it was his ancestors bestowing their care and concern for him.

However, the longer Wu Xingzi stared at Young Master Bai, the more uneasy Hei’er was. Periodically, he would look up, glancing over towards Ping Yifan’s direction. As for Ping Yifan, he completely ignored Hei’er, holding up his wine cup as he ate and drank with amusement.

On this side, after a moment of silence, Young Master Bai finally spoke quietly, “Manager, you must have heard the news. I’ve found my right person already.”

“Congratulations, Young Master Bai.” Rancui neither denied nor confirmed his statement, smiling as he toasted him with a cup of tea instead of wine. “Here’s to Young Master Bai having a happy ever after with your partner.”

“Thank you for your well wishes.” Young Master Bai put his cup down, cupping his hands together. His fair and flawless face revealed a slight blush, momentarily livening up his ethereal, fairy-like face.

“Is your partner featured in the Pengornisseur?” Rancui had not placed any emphasis on his words when he spoke, but Young Master Bai froze slightly, inexplicably revealing some distress as he shook his head.

“No, he’s not.” Young Master Bai shot a probing glance towards Rancui, but he could not see through Rancui’s expression. Stroking his teacup, his tone was a little hesitant. “Did the news not reach your ears?”

Others had said that the Peng Society was very well informed, especially with regards to the matters of its members. Although in the capital, only his intimate friends, which could be counted on one hand, knew about what had happened to him recently, the Peng Society should already have found out about it, and it was a little inappropriate for them to invite him to this gathering.

As such, he deliberately sought Rancui out to speak to him. After all, his heart now belonged to another, and he should no longer remain as part of the Peng Society. However, due to his partner’s special status, Young Master Bai had to hide this from his family as well, and thus he still had to look to be part of the Peng Society. The letters from his partner also had been disguised as letters from other penpals, and when Bai Shaochang thought about how unknowing Peng Society members were still sending him letters, he felt very sorry. Thus, he gritted his teeth, coming forward to confess to Rancui instead, and he hoped that Rancui could do him a favour.

Rancui smiled, not giving a response. Instead, he filled up both their teacups again.

After waiting a few beats, Bai Shaochang knew that the other party had no intentions of giving a reply, and he had no choice but to continue, “The partner I’ve met is not in the Peng Society. I know that the Peng Society has its rules, and people with partners should step down from the Pengornisseur.”

“Young Master Bai is very understanding.” Rancui nodded, a smile curling around his lips and his eyes were half-lidded. This frightened Bai Shaochang.

“I know that this is against your will, and it also doesn’t comply with the Peng Society’s rules, but…” Bai Shaochang gritted his teeth, glancing towards Wu Xingzi. Wu Xingzi happened to just shove an egg into his mouth, and he met the eyes of Young Master Bai with bulging cheeks. A moment later, he curled up into himself, retreating with awareness.

Both leaving and staying were awkward. Wu Xingzi was unable to extricate himself from this difficult situation.

Although he had only withdrawn a slight distance, Young Master Bai’s voice was no longer that clear.

Wu Xingzi wondered silently, what sort of strapping man was worthy of Young Master Bai, who was so very wonderful. However, his thoughts were quickly drawn to Ping Yifan, seated nearby.

Ping Yifan was currently drinking alone. His playing of the flute just now did not attract the appreciation or curiosity of too many people. After all, in this gathering, outstanding people were abound. Although Ping Yifan played the flute very well, in the ears that were used to the best music, he could not be classified as a brilliant musician. Instead, he was thought to be rather unimaginative. Furthermore, he had played after Young Master Bai’s “The Tree of Jianmu”, and in comparison, his song was unable to cause any waves or ripples.

With regards to appearance, Ping Yifan was too dull looking. His temperament was clearly rather carefree, but very unremarkable. Naturally, he was quickly forgotten by the various noble attendees. After all, if one did not have an excellent family background, they should at least have talent, and at the very least, they should have a face of unsurpassable beauty.

Both Ping Yifan and Wu Xingzi met none of these criteria. As such, even though the gathering was very lively, there was a radius of quiet around the both of them.

Wu Xingzi could not put to words why he was so attracted to Ping Yifan. Just last night, he had dreamt about Guan Shanjin, and the two had been so intimate in his dreams. His semen-stained pants were still hidden in one corner of his chest, and he really had to find an opportunity to throw it away.

As though noticing his gaze, Ping Yifan lifted his head, his view slowly shifting. Very quickly, his eyes met Wu Xingzi’s. He blinked, looking a little startled, then his lips curled up into a faint, warm smile.

Wu Xingzi rubbed his chest unconsciously. His heart pounded, and it seemed as though it was going to pound its way out.

Ping Yifan glanced towards Rancui and Young Master Bai, his eyes finally falling upon Hei’er. The towering man trembled slightly without Wu Xingzi noticing. Putting down the chopsticks in his head, his tanned face seemed to turn even darker.

“Master.” After a moment of hesitation, Hei’er stood up and called out to Wu Xingzi.

Wu Xingzi was biting on his chopsticks. He had just shoved a chunk of braised pork into his mouth, and his cheeks puffed out, like a mouse stealing food, as he looked at Hei’er blankly.

“It’s a rare opportunity to come to Lianxiang Residences. Won’t you like to explore the place?” Actually, there was no need for that. The scenery of Lianxiang Residences could be seen completely from within the bamboo pavilion. If they walked over to where there were no lotus flowers, it would even become dull and boring, the places hidden away. This was why Rancui had selected such a place after great thought, as the corners were very convenient for people who caught each other’s eyes.

Wu Xingzi hurriedly swallowed the braised pork in his mouth, nodding away. “I should, I should… Rancui…”

Young Master Bai had already left at a time unknown to him. Rancui was holding a cup, sipping from it. It seemed like he had drank a little too much, his cheeks blushing a peony-red, and he was eyeing Hei’er, a faint, vague smile on his face.

“Of course it’s good that Mr. Wu wants to walk around. There’s no need for Commander Hei for that. Would you accompany me for a drink?”

“Manager, please excuse me. I’m only a boorish man, and I’m afraid of causing any offence if drunk.” Hei’er had to stick to Wu Xingzi and protect him, so he naturally refused Rancui.

“I’m not afraid of you offending me.” Rancui chuckled lowly, lifting his hand and waving it at Hei’er. His wide sleeves slid down, revealing a well-proportionate, fair and slender arm. Under the summer sun, it was smooth and clean, causing one’s desire to lick at them.

Wu Xingzi saw that Rancui was clearly a little drunk. Although he had some employees with him, they were busy running about, and they probably had no time to take care of Rancui. He also did not want to speak with Ping Yifan under Hei’er’s watchful eyes, and after weighing it, with a slight unnaturalness, he spoke to Hei’er guiltily, “Why don’t you just stay with Rancui? Lianxiang Residences is only so big, and everyone’s from the Peng Society. Nothing will happen.”

Hei’er wanted to say something, but his neck and shoulders stiffened abruptly. Although the movement was fleeting, Wu Xingzi still noticed that something was wrong. Just as he was about to ask, Hei’er spoke up, “I’ll listen to your instructions, and I’ll have a few drinks with the manager. Master, you… don’t go too far from the lotus pond.”

“Yes, yes.” Wu Xingzi’s head bobbed a few times. He only just wanted to go over to Ping Yifan’s pavilion and speak to him. After all, this was just their first meeting, and he could not do anything so lewd and daring!

Watching Wu Xingzi joyfully head towards Ping Yifan, Hei’er sighed gloomily. Turning his head, he took away the wine cup in Rancui’s hand, tossing its content back before saying, “Don’t drink anymore, you’re still ill.”

“Oh? You’re actually showing me some concern?” Rancui snorted a laugh, turning and supporting himself against the railing. Seeing how Wu Xingzi’s thin body was so happy, as though it was about to bloom, his chest felt stifled. “Hmph, I’ll see how you’d explain this to Mr. Wu in the future.”