eunoia | bl | tgcf

Chapter 5: Part Three

Chapter 5
The Bride, the Ghost, and the Flower

Part Three
A path lined with xinlan flowers

.

.

Then, her eyes shift farther down, to 'that' part of the male anatomy. "... what is this? Why is it the size of a hundred-year-old tree?" Even though there is nothing on the statue.

It is Fu Yao who cannot control himself anymore and explodes into uncontrollable laughter. He wheezes and gasps for air but ends up choking after the air goes down the wrong pipe.

Xie Lian, on the other hand, hugs himself while biting his inner cheeks. Don't laugh. Don't laugh. Don't laugh!

Nan Feng, whose dignity has been crushed into nonexistence: "..." Fuck, this lady shouldn't have followed us!

.

.

.

.

The next day, back at the Little Shop of Chance Encounters...

A cold cloth touches Xie Lian's cheek.

"It still looks swollen," Yunmei says in a helpless tone. "I told you that I should have gone instead." Last night, there was a young girl who entered the temple of General Nan Yang to pray. Her skirt had been slashed open, and neither Nan Feng nor Fu Yao wanted to help the poor girl.

Yunmei wanted to as well but Xie Lian stopped her and did it himself.

Only to receive a rather resounding slap on the cheek and the title of a pervert.

"You were already half asleep," the Crown Prince takes the cloth from her hand and presses it on the cheek himself. "It would have been rude of me to have you deal with such a minor thing when you were already resting."

"... I think that would be much better than being labelled as a pervert, Xie Lian."

"Ah," the Crown Prince chuckles, a little embarrassed. "Maybe. But what's done is done."

"Next time, leave the women thing to me lest you get called a pervert again. I only had to hand a coat to her, such a simple thing, and yet you refused to let me do it."

Her reprimanding tone, instead of making him feel down, fills Xie Lian with so much warmth. He cannot help but lean against her touch, the cold cloth pressing his swollen cheek. It's been so long since someone was worried about me!

This little mishmash of a group takes a table by the window, and after settling down, the first thing Yunmei did is to ask the tea master a piece of cloth soaked in cold water. Xie Lian smiles warmly at this and soon holds the cloth on his own so that they can discuss things.

"Yunmei, what have you heard about the ghost groom before coming here?"

"Wait," Nan Feng interjects. "Should we really discuss things here? Wouldn't there be people listening in?"

Xie Lian shakes his head. "It's fine. Even if they eavesdrop, they'll only think we're insane."

"Nan Feng and Fu Yao might be considered insane, but not us." Quickly, Yunmei draws a line between their litt group. Obviously, this lady intends to act like she does not know Nan Feng and Fu Yao once the people start scrutinizing them.