When she was almost at the end of this long street, Cheng Xiran suddenly looked back. To her surprise, Helian Duo was still standing motionless at the door, his face seemingly turned in her direction.
From afar, his figure was tall and slender, yet there was an added tinge of desolation.
He truly exuded an air of solitude.
No, he was Helian Duo, the Regent King. All the women in the capital city wished to be with him. Some lusted after his good looks, while others admired his capabilities. Such people were not worth mentioning. It would not be difficult for him to pick one of decent qualities from them. Then why did he seem so lonely?
It must be that the sandstorm today was too strong and she had misseen for a moment.
Thinking of this, Cheng Xiran didn't look back again. She didn't know that Helian Duo had stared at her departing back for a long time without taking his eyes off.
Back home, it happened to be dinner time. Seeing the old lady was also there, she bowed and then sat directly beside her.
"Xiran, you're back a bit late today. Did something happen?"
"Not really. It was just a private matter of the king," Cheng Xiran replied vaguely. Fortunately, Father Cheng and Mrs. Liu's attention was all on Cheng Zhiyue and Gu Yuanqing.
Looking at Gu Yuanqing, it seemed that he wouldn't give up until he won Cheng Zhiyue's heart. Was he really that eager?
However, the old lady also liked Gu Yuanqing very much. She even forgot that Cheng Xiran was sitting beside her and only focused on chatting with them.
They were chatting merrily, but Cheng Xiran couldn't force a smile. She felt like a guest, or even more of a stranger.
After taking a few mouthfuls of food casually, Cheng Xiran left the table.
She originally wanted to go straight back to her room, but seeing that the moon was bright tonight, she pulled Zhuque out of the mansion.
Since the Lantern Festival was coming in a few days, every household was decorated with lanterns and there were also many onlookers in the streets.
"In preparation for the upcoming Lantern Festival, I secretly learned how to make lanterns from Cuicui. When the day comes, we can make some ourselves. What do you think, miss?"
Seeing Zhuque's full of expectations, Cheng Xiran didn't dampen her enthusiasm and nodded in agreement. "Sure. Let's see what our Zhuque can do."
Because there was a faint sound of the zither not far away, they followed the sound and finally arrived at the Huayan Pavilion.
By then, the sound of the zither had already stopped.
Suddenly, Cheng Xiran remembered the bosom friend that Xue Lianyu had mentioned yesterday, a girl named Ruoyue.
The one who could play such gentle, continuous and lingering zither music must be the top courtesan of the Huayan Pavilion. And judging from the sad and long - drawn - out music just now, if the owner of the zither didn't have such a temperament, how could she play such a tune?
So, by deduction, Cheng Xiran guessed that the music was played by Ruoyue.
"Zhuque, how about we go in and take a look?"
She wanted to see what kind of beauty and talent this girl Ruoyue had.
Cheng Xiran was full of anticipation. Zhuque didn't want to dampen her enthusiasm, but when she saw her about to go in, she quickly stepped forward to stop her. She subconsciously looked around, then lowered her voice and reminded her, "Miss, maybe we'd better not. If others find out, you'll surely be scolded when you get back. Not only that, you may also be despised, which is not good for your reputation. And Mrs. Liu has clearly been trying to find fault with you these days. Aren't you afraid that her people are following us?"