Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter Sixty-Four: Mystery

"You know martial arts." These were Ji Meiqing's first words as soon as she landed.

Lu Yu gave her a speechless look, then left.

Ji Meiqing stood there blankly watching him go back into the house. He knew martial arts... She didn't even know that, and asked like a fool.

He followed her back to the house. Lu Yu was fetching water to wash up, and Ji Meiqing went straight back to her own room.

After a while, Lu Yu came out of the house. He was clean and fresh, and the pungent smell of alcohol was gone.

He stared blankly at Ji Meiqing's door, unsure of what to do.

She didn't come out of her room until noon. There were several plates of food on the table, which looked quite plentiful.

She looked at it for a while and saw a note on the table. The handwriting was strong and vigorous, yet elegant. It suited him well. Looking at the food on the table, she quietly sat down and began to eat. She wondered what Lu Yu was doing; he was never home.

He rested his chin on his hand, staring thoughtfully at the food in front of him. Suddenly, he lost his appetite; his mouth felt empty. The food on the table was simply unpalatable.

Ji Meiqing put down her chopsticks and looked towards the door, as if Lu Yu might come over at any moment.

After opening her eyes for a while, Ji Meiqing went to Li's side to continue her work.

In the afternoon, Lu Yu suddenly arrived, carrying a lunchbox, which surprised both Ji Meiqing and Li Shi.

She wiped her hands and walked over. Looking at Lu Yu, who had a calm expression, Ji Meiqing asked in surprise, "Why did you come here?"

"Come and take a look." He looked around, placed the lunchbox in her hand, and said, "The princess has already replied and agreed."

"Huh?" She paused, looking at the two of them with some confusion.

Lu Yu glanced at her, then looked at the dazed Ji Meiqing and said gently, "It's alright, I'm here for you."

"Mmm." She nodded silently, not knowing what to say, or what she could say at this moment.

Li sighed and left with her son.

The room was now empty except for the two of them. Ji Meiqing felt a little uncomfortable; she always felt out of place in his presence.

Ji Meiqing sat down, opened the lid of the lunchbox, and took out a few side dishes.

"Ji Meiqing".

"Ok?"

"I..." he drawled, hesitant and uncertain, the rest of his words wavering, "When do you plan to get married?"

"What?" She paused, as if she hadn't heard clearly, and pressed on, "What did you say?"

"It's nothing, you eat." He glanced at her one last time, then turned and left. Ji Meiqing looked at him, then at the dishes on the table, and for some reason, felt a sudden loss of appetite.

She went home that evening, washed herself, and went to bed early. Perhaps because she had too many worries, she didn't sleep well, and kept having unpleasant dreams.

She suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. Looking at the dimly lit room and the window that let in the moonlight, she breathed a sigh of relief and got up to pour herself some water.

The tea was cold. After finally getting through, she heard a sound from the roof. Startled, Ji Meiqing immediately ran out.

Lu Yu was lying on the roof, drinking, with a wine jar beside him, taking sips one by one. His voracious drinking was truly astonishing.

"Brother Lu, why are you still drinking?"

She asked the question, her voice not loud. Lu Yu glanced at her, then flipped down, displaying legendary lightness skill, his clothes fluttering in the wind.

Ji Meiqing stared as he approached, then pulled her into his arms with one hand. She felt a force pulling her up into the air, and Lu Yu carried her forward.

She didn't know how high Lu Yu's martial arts skills were, but now... they seemed to be so high that they could almost touch the hanging moon.

Looking down, Ji Meiqing immediately shrank into Lu Yu's arms, disregarding everything else. She was afraid of heights, a fact known only to those close to her; no one else knew.

Now, nestled in Lu Yu's arms, her fingers unconsciously clutched at his clothes. Once she calmed down, she softly said, "Put me down. I... I'm afraid of heights."

Lu Yu seemed not to hear her and continued flying upwards, seemingly without end. Ji Meiqing couldn't take it anymore; her fingers tightened, and her mind began to go blank. She glanced at him only once, then broke free from Lu Yu in terror.

Seemingly bewitched, she struggled free from him and plummeted downwards. Lu Yu noticed, his drunkenness instantly vanishing, and he followed her, grabbing her fingers and pulling her into his arms. Due to inertia, their descent accelerated.

The wind whistled past her ears. Ji Meiqing curled up, not daring to look at anything outside.

A moment later, a faint voice came from above: "All done."

She then let go of Lu Yu, and after finding him safely on the ground, she immediately released her grip.

She didn't dare look Lu Yu in the eye, so she lowered her head and hurried back. Lu Yu took two steps forward, fueled by alcohol, before instantly sobering up.

Ji Meiqing had already returned to his room. He stood outside, the cold wind blowing through his hair, making him shiver.

She leaned against the door, staring at the bed in front of her, her heart pounding. Her face flushed, her heart raced—so this was what it felt like.

Lying on her back in bed, the scene from just moments before kept replaying in Ji Meiqing's mind. Just thinking about Lu Yu made her heart race inexplicably.

She clutched her chest, the very heart of her being. That place seemed to begin beating for someone else.

"Are you asleep?" Lu Yu suddenly asked her from outside.

Ji Meiqing subconsciously pulled the blanket over herself, her voice muffled as it came from the cup, "She's asleep."

The steam made her face flush red, and Ji Meiqing rolled around several times, unable to fall asleep again.

Ji Meiqing was unaware that he was sitting right outside her room. She stared blankly at the doorway, not knowing why, but just wanting to look there.

After a while, she did another somersault and continued lying down.

Lu Yu listened to the sounds inside from outside the door and smiled faintly. The wine bottle in his hand gleamed with the light of white jade. The two of them, separated by a door, spent the night peacefully.

The next day, Ji Meiqing came out of her room. She yawned, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes.

She took a couple of steps, feeling rather weak, intending to go back to sleep, but she couldn't fall asleep no matter what she did. Helpless, she had no choice but to get up, and once she did, her body felt as if all her strength had been drained.

Lu Yu walked past her, seemingly unaware of the dark circles under her eyes.