Chapter 220: Commonalities Among Sisters |
While Su Jingyi had long suspected that her close friend, Mu Qingshuang, might have a man in her life, hearing it from her own lips still filled her with a little surprise. Especially when she described her own young lover in a way that sounded strikingly similar to how Su Jingyi had described Lu Xun.
"A young, handsome, charming, strong, and talented young man," Su Jingyi furrowed her brow, muttering to herself, "Why does your man sound so similar to mine?"
Blushing furiously, Mu Qingshuang rolled her eyes and bit her lip, responding hesitantly, "It's not like there's only one man in the world who can be young, handsome, charming, strong, and talented. Don't assume things and breed mistrust between us sisters."
Su Jingyi sipped her tea and calmly said, "I was just joking. Look at how nervous you're getting. I don't actually believe it's the same man."
"It definitely isn't!" Mu Qingshuang pouted and whispered.
"Alright, if it's not, then it's not."
Mu Qingshuang bit her lip and said in a hushed tone, "Jingyi, for the next part of our conversation, if I tell you, promise you won't make fun of me? Swear in front of me, no making fun of me."
"Very secretive," Su Jingyi responded casually, "I swear I won't make fun of you."
Upon hearing this, Mu Qingshuang took a deep breath and said, "Actually… actually, nothing has happened between us yet. It's just my one-sided affection. I want him to be my man, but he doesn't seem to have that intention. He keeps his distance from me."
"I'm close to him, yet it feels like I'm far, far away," Mu Qingshuang said with a touch of melancholy. "We're both women, so you should be able to understand how I feel. I can't seem to win his heart."
What?
There's a man in this world who's so reserved? He can stay so composed in the face of Qingshuang's pursuit? If it were my little scoundrel, he'd have taken his clothes off already. Su Jingyi's eyes widened in surprise, disbelief, and a hint of shock.
"Is this person really so upright?" Su Jingyi exclaimed in amazement. "Facing your pursuit, can he truly remain uninterested? Could he be pretending?"
"I wish he were just pretending," Mu Qingshuang responded, "but he's genuinely so upright, it caught me off guard. You have no idea. That night, we were sitting here, chatting and having drinks. My tolerance is usually just two cups, but that night I had three. Then I got completely drunk, and guess what he did?"
"Given such an opportunity, he could have taken full advantage of it. He actually showed no interest and sent my maid to help me back to my room," Mu Qingshuang complained with a hint of resentment. "The next morning, I thought I had been taken advantage of, and I was about to use it as an excuse to have him completely in my grasp. But then, my maid told me that she had helped me back into the room."
Hearing Mu Qingshuang's words, Su Jingyi was now quite certain it wasn't Lu Xun. With Lu Xun's insatiable desires, he wouldn't have remained indifferent when faced with a beautiful drunken widow. He would have taken full advantage of the situation.
"Such a man exists in this world?" Su Jingyi sighed with emotion. "To be so righteous is unheard of. But…"
As she trailed off, Su Jingyi stared intently at the widow and said with a hint of annoyance, "Are you being too lenient? While giving yourself away isn't entirely wrong, your urgency seems a bit much. I feel like you want to strip him naked."
"Big sister…"
"I'm already in my forties. If I'm not eager now, should I wait until I'm a hundred before remarrying?" Mu Qingshuang seemed unashamed about her generosity and said firmly, "When you meet a man you like, you should act decisively. I've only fallen for him in my life, so if that's the case, I should be resolute."
At this point, she hesitated for a moment and cautiously asked, "Jingyi, you have experience in dealing with your young man. What should I do next?"
"I…"
"What experience could I have?" Su Jingyi rolled her eyes at her good friend and, slightly blushing, said, "I've also found a man for the first time, so in terms of experience, I might even be less knowledgeable than you."
Mu Qingshuang pursed her lips, "You don't need to be so modest. Regardless, at least you managed to snuggle up to your man, while I… I'm only experiencing unrequited love."
After a long pause, Su Jingyi whispered, "How about… you increase your efforts? Since you've already decided he's the one, you might as well go all the way. Have your maid buy some aphrodisiacs and secretly drug him. Then, put him on your bed and handle the rest yourself."
".."
"Are you a fairy or a bandit? Your techniques seem quite proficient," Mu Qingshuang playfully licked her lips and shook her head. "No, I can't do it. Using such despicable means, I'm afraid it would upset him. Even if I end up with his body, I won't have his heart. Besides, he's a cultivator, and aphrodisiacs won't work on him."
Huh?
Her young man is also a cultivator?
Su Jingyi was momentarily surprised but didn't harbor much suspicion. After all, the various statements had already proven that the man Mu Qingshuang liked wasn't Lu Xun. So, after a brief pause, she seriously advised, "Just throw yourself at him."
"Jingyi, it seems like I have no other choice but to do just that. Otherwise, there's no way," Mu Qingshuang sighed, a troubled expression on her face. She muttered to herself, "Why can't he be more proactive?"
"Who told you to fall for him?" Su Jingyi refilled her teacup and gently said, "Honestly, I must admit that I took the initiative back then. I asked him out and used various tactics to see if he had any feelings for me. When I was sure he was interested, I openly confessed my feelings."
"Ah," Su Jingyi sighed. "Never thought both of us sisters would end up in such a situation."
Taking a sip of her tea, Mu Qingshuang looked at her close friend and and hesitated with words on the tip of her tongue. She swallowed them back and whispered "Thinking about it, it's quite magical. I fell for him at first sight, and deciding to marry no one but him was due to a poem he wrote."
"The courtyard is deep, how many layers it holds, with clouds, windows, misty pavilions, the spring delayed. For whom has your elegance faded and beauty diminished? In the night, sweet dreams bloom, as if the southern branch is blossoming in delight." She recited dreamily, "Jade slender, sandal delicate, infinite regrets, like the distant echo of a flute in the southern tower. Whose understanding unveils the vanishing scent? As the warm breeze and late sun linger, parting ways with the apricot flowers' richness."
As she finished, Mu Qingshuang tightly held Su Jingyi's hand and said with excitement, "Jingyi, I feel like he's the man in this world who understands me the most. Using ‘Plum Blossom' as the theme, he used plum flowers to symbolize my life and expressed my loneliness and the melancholy of fleeting time in a sublime and profound way. When I heard it, my heart melted."
At the same time, Su Jingyi was also secretly amazed, not only at this mysterious man's talent but also how he was no less talented than her own little scoundrel.
"Quite close," Su Jingyi mumbled with tightly bitten lips, "I also fell head over heels for my lover because of a poem. ‘Before we were born, you and I were one. If you've grown old, then I've grown old. You resent my late arrival, and I resent your early birth.' When those words were spoken, I completely surrendered."
For a while, the two good sisters fell into silence, feeling like something was off but unable to pinpoint the exact problem.
"Maybe…"
"We both love literary adepts," Mu Qingshuang softly mumbled.
"Yeah."
"Handsome, elegant and talented men that no woman can resist," Su Jingyi added with a slight grin. "I'm no exception."
Both compromised a bit, but after careful thought, they couldn't possibly be talking about the same man.
"Jingyi," Mu Qingshuang continued, realizing they had reached a point where there was no need to hide anymore. She said in a hushed tone, "Our commonality isn't just falling for handsome, elegant and talented young men. It's also because of…"
At this point, she took a deep breath and continued earnestly, "I've fallen in love with a married man."
In the small pavilion, the two sisters sat close together, looking at each other, and an indescribable atmosphere gradually emerged between them.
"What are you saying?" Su Jingyi, coming to her senses, asked, bewildered. "You… I…"
"I've followed in your footsteps," Mu Qingshuang lowered her head, blushing, and replied, "The man I love also has another woman in his heart."
Su Jingyi was nearly losing her mind. Faced with her dear friend's confession, she appeared utterly bewildered and caught off guard.
What… what was happening?
The two sisters were both pursuing a married man…
"Jingyi!"
"You have experience in this area," Mu Qingshuang, clutching Su Jingyi's hand, said pitifully, "You've already succeeded. Please teach me how to handle this. I can't live without him. I really can't."
"I…," Su Jingyi was helpless, "Our situations are different. My love rival is someone I know. Do you know your love rival?"
"Yes, I know her," Mu Qingshuang replied awkwardly, nodding.
Comments 1