Falling into the mortal world

On the stage, Lan Qingqing, dressed in a red dress and wearing a veil, floated down from the air along the silk.

Petals drifted down around her, and Lan Qingqing danced to the music. With memories of her past life, Lan Qingqing's dance became even more alluring, her movements delicate and boneless. This caused the men in the audience to shout and shove wildly.

Red lotus, red lotus, red lotus! The audience erupted in cheers.

After the performance, Lan Qingqing went down from the back. The people in front swarmed forward, trying to get past the servants who were blocking their way.

Brother Nancheng, I'm going to give you a real eye-opener today. See Honglian on the stage? I've spent a fortune to have Miss Honglian dance a song just for us.

The speaker was Lin Shaoyuan, the young master of the Lin family, one of the wealthiest families in Hongcheng.

Brother Shaoyuan said today that the good place he brought me to was a brothel. Min Nancheng resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This Lin Shaoyuan really has no ambition at all.

If the Master finds out we've come here, we'll be in big trouble.

Lin Shaoyuan said, "Brother Nancheng, what you're saying is true. As long as you and I don't tell, how will the teacher know? Don't worry, I'll cover all the expenses today." With that, he pulled Min Nancheng upstairs to a private room.

Lan Qingqing looked at herself in the mirror and was so beautiful she almost intoxicated. Large eyes, arched eyebrows, skin as smooth as jade, so tender it seemed like it could be squeezed for water. If this weren't Ming Wang's property, a mere brothel probably wouldn't have been able to protect her.

I still need to find a way to leave this place.

Miss, your guest today is Lin Shaoyuan, the young master of the Lin family. He is in room number 2 of the Dream Chamber.

Lan Qingqing replied: Okay, I understand. You can go now. I'll be there in a bit.

"Okay, miss." With that, Xiao Tao left.

"Brother Nancheng, please have a seat." Lin Shaoyuan helped Min Nancheng sit down. "Today we're here to see what the legendary beauty looks like. You can't spoil the fun!"

Min Nancheng was also quite helpless, wondering how he had ended up on Lin Shaoyuan's pirate ship.

Master Lin valued his academic abilities and hired him as Lin Shaoyuan's study companion, with Master Lin covering his tuition. His only responsibility was to supervise Lin Shaoyuan's studies. He would now live and eat with Lin Shaoyuan.

Actually, Master Lin's intention was quite simple: Min Nancheng's advancement to high school was only a matter of time. Seeing that Min's family was poor, he had the financial means to help him, and his own son could study under him every day. Perhaps he could achieve something great. Since his son was close to him, if Min ever passed the exams, he could, out of consideration for their past relationship, offer his son some assistance.

Min Nancheng disliked brothels intensely. One could even say he loathed them. He especially disliked seeing those women flirting and seducing men.

He advised Lin Shaoyuan: "You'd better stay away from the women here. There are plenty of good women out there. Once you've achieved success, you can have any woman you want."

Min Nancheng thought of his father, who had abandoned his wife and children for a courtesan.

The mother refused to share a father with a courtesan, saying that it was a matter of either her or me.

In the end, the father resolutely chose the courtesan.

In a fit of anger, the mother divorced the father and then left with her child, raising them alone.

Seeing Min Nancheng drinking alone, Lin Shaoyuan said, "Brother Nancheng, can a woman from a respectable family be as seductive as a courtesan?"

Min Nancheng put down his wine cup and said: "Women in brothels come and go every day."

You're treated like royalty as long as you pay me.

A pair of jade arms, a thousand men's pillows; a touch of crimson lips, ten thousand men's tastes.

Don't you find this kind of woman disgusting?

Lin Shaoyuan's initial enthusiasm was almost completely dampened by Min Nancheng's words.

Lin Shaoyuan said: Brother Nancheng, you're such a spoilsport. I could have spent a fortune today.

Miss Honglian is an honest official; she's not as filthy as you make her out to be. You mustn't offend her.

Min Nancheng said: "It's best if you don't get too close to the women here."

That sounds nice, but it's all a scam to make money. Even if you haven't slept with anyone, countless people have touched you. Only you would be so foolish as to rush to give them your money.

And have you ever seen a courtesan talk about feelings with you? She's always asking how much money you can give her.

Lan Qingqing overheard Min Nancheng's words just as she reached the door. Everyone says brothels are heartless. But do the men who frequent them have feelings?

The men who came all showered the girls in the building with sweet words. But once they were dressed, who could recognize whom?

The words they spoke were nothing but flowers in the water and the moon in the mirror.

Lan Qingqing pushed open the door and bowed slightly to the two people sitting at the table. The room was spacious. A zither was placed to the side, perfect for singing and dancing in the middle.

Xiao Tao, who entered next, closed the door and bowed slightly to the two guests. She then sat down next to the zither, preparing to play.

As the music began, Lan Qingqing started dancing. Lin Shaoyuan's interest in Lan Qingqing was purely out of curiosity. Min Nancheng, on the other hand, held prejudices against courtesans, so he didn't really watch the dance.

Halfway through the dance, the veil fell off—a deliberate act by Lan Qingqing. She wanted to see if this so-called gentleman was truly as unmoved as he claimed. When Min Nancheng saw Lan Qingqing's face, he was indeed momentarily stunned. His heart pounded wildly at that moment.

He had to admit that the woman had a face that could bewitch anyone.

However, he quickly suppressed that excitement.

Lan Qingqing observed his reaction. Sure enough, men's words are deceiving; one second he said he didn't want anything to do with courtesans, the next he was completely captivated by her. Lin Shaoyuan was utterly smitten when he saw Lan Qingqing's face.

He felt he would never fall in love with anyone else again.

After Lan Qingqing finished her dance, she bowed slightly to the two people.

Lin Shaoyuan clapped his hands and cheered, "As expected of Hongcheng's number one courtesan. You probably couldn't find anyone with such a stunning beauty as Miss Honglian in the entire Great Yu Dynasty."

Lan Qingqing walked over, sat down, poured herself a glass of wine, and drank it down. Holding the glass with a playful expression, she said, "So-called stunning beauty is nothing more than a shell."

Lin Shaoyuan said with a look of infatuation, "Not everyone can have a girl's appearance."