A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated 1

23

Pingting felt like she had been slapped. Her expression didn't change even when she went into Lady Hua's room.

Lady Hua only just woke at the sound of Pingting's footsteps.

Pingting was quiet throughout the usual routines of washing.

"What's wrong with you today?" queried Lady Hua.

"Nothing much." Pingting debated whether to tell Lady Hua about 'Dong Dingnan' but she chose not to as Lady Hua was bound to mock her.

She was still very worried about her Master, but she was more afraid of people uncovering her identity if she were to ask too much. This pressure in her chest was unbearable enough, so of course she didn't want Lady Hua to laugh at her.

Let that guy stand. He can stand all he wants.

Lady Hua and Pingting finally managed to get out of the bedroom when Pingting came out. Chu Beijie was nowhere in sight.

"What are you looking at? Has the courtyard suddenly become prettier?"

Pingting looked again but Chu Beijie really wasn't there. She thought that the next day he would personally tell the Lady that he sat vigil for her all night. She hadn't thought that he would quietly leave when Lady Hua woke up.

Lady Hua pushed her from behind, "Let's go. The florist agreed to give me two bundles of purple peonies, let's go to the front courtyard to see if they have arrived or not."

Pingting was still thinking deeply, about halfway there she suddenly exclaimed, "Ai-yaa!"

Lady Hua jumped back, "What?"

If Chu Beijie happened to stay in the morning, if the Lady and I happen to run into him, wouldn't our covers be blown? It's fine to let him know that I'm just a maid, but how do I explain my interest in Master's news? Pingting broke into a cold sweat, what was wrong with me last night? These things didn't even occur to me, I just stupidly watched that guy stand all night!

But whenever she thought of Chu Beijie and that night, she felt unexpectedly happy.

Pingting looked miserably at her dinner plate. Unexpectedly, Chu Beijie had not visited her that day but she however, had expected him to come and already prepared many questions for him.

The silence was so awkward that even Lady Hua thought that Pingting was acting strangely. She didn't boss Pingting around after dinner, letting her retire for the night immediately.

Pingting hadn't slept at all last night, and even though she was tired, she still could not rest. She opened her eyes wide and stared at the ceiling, her heat thumping madly. She rolled out of bed and peered out of the window.

As expected, there was an extra figure outside Lady Hua's bedroom's door.

He had that solemn, mysterious yet arrogant smile and Pingting quietly observed him. At first she tried to convince herself that he was just plain crazy, but after a long time, she decided that she didn't have the heart to leave him standing there alone.

Chu Beijie was going to stand all night again. He had had a lot of work in the Duke of Zhen-Bei Residence earlier, and when he returned tomorrow he was bound to have even more work. Yet he still came anyway, and he just stood there, thinking of the Lady playing the qin and their conversations, smiling.

He heard footsteps behind him and he turned around. "You again?"

Pingting lowered her eyes. In her hands, there was a chair with a leather cushion. She pointed at Chu Beijie then pointed at the chair.

"I'm not tired, I do not need to sit."

Her eyes which were probably the brightest in the world, suddenly looked sorrowful, piercing his heart. Those eyes made him feel sad at rejecting her kindness.

She stared at him, anxiety, concern and confusion hidden in her eyes. They challenged him until he finally gave up saying. "Fine, fine. Thanks."

Her cute eyes suddenly lit up, like there were two rare, glowing pearls in them. It was as if the ice in Chu Beijie's heart seemed to melt, making him feel very comfortable and that sitting down had been a good choice.

Pingting saw Chu Beijie sit down and turned to leave for her own room.

Chu Beijie watched her while she withdrew to the inner part of the house, perplexed. But he remembered his promise to protect his phoenix and looked away.

After a while, he heard footsteps approach him again. Chu Beijie narrowed his eyes, but did not turn around. As expected, Pingting came back. She put a large plate on the ground. On the plate there were little cups and a jug. It even had some cute snacks on it.

"You sure thought things through."

Pingting had walked a long way to get the snacks from the kitchen. When she heard him praise her she couldn't help but smile appreciatively in response.

Her smile slowly came out, however it wasn't like only her lips was smiling, but it seems like every inch of her face was smiling radiantly. Chu Beijie was suddenly dazed, she was truly beautiful. But when he looked closer, he realised that she was only the mute maid, with two big eyes but nevertheless still rather plain.