"Jing Qian, please introduce me?" Luo Huaizhou glanced at Lin Wanwan beside Su Jingqian, raised his eyes at him, and smiled meaningfully.
Su Jingqian glanced at him lazily, and before he could speak, he saw Lin Wanwan smile and look at Luo Huaizhou, "A commoner girl has met Prince Lu in the evening."
"No gifts, no gifts." Luo Huaizhou looked at her happily, with undisguised joy on Feng Shen's handsome face, and said very kindly: "I don't have so many rules here, so there is no need to be formal."
"Yes." Lin Wanwan lowered her head and responded, looking very decent. She then turned around and bowed slightly to Shi Manzi, who was standing aside, as a greeting.
Shi Manzi looked at her slightly absent-mindedly, but when the maid next to her gently pulled her sleeves to remind her, she came back to her senses, quickly returned a salute to her, and blessed Su Jingqian.
Su Jingqian nodded lightly, turned to Luo Huaizhou and said, "Go in and talk."
"Yes, yes, let's go in and talk." Luo Huaizhou said and walked into the boat side by side with Su Jingqian with a smile.
Shi Manzi wrung the handkerchief in her hand and stared at her toes, looking a little embarrassed.
This Mr. Su was indeed as rumored, a man of unparalleled splendor and beauty. She finally understood why those women were so obsessed with him and regarded him as the man of their spring boudoir dreams. With such appearance and elegance, How many women can remain unmoved?
The woman walking with him was also the most beautiful person she had ever seen in her life. She was like a fairy on the moon palace, making people want to get close to her unconsciously, but they did not dare to blaspheme.
She knew that Prince Lu didn't mean that to her at all, and was even a little...disgusted. It's just that the emperor's orders are hard to disobey. If the Queen Mother hadn't personally issued the order, how could she have offended him so much and only made him disgusted.
Now, standing next to this graceful and beautiful woman, she felt even more ashamed. Prince Lu... had an obvious attitude towards them. He probably disliked her very much. If possible, she really wanted to say goodbye and go back.
Seeing Shi Manzi still standing there motionless with his eyes lowered, his expression was reserved, and there seemed to be a trace of sadness between his eyebrows. Lin Wanwan walked up to her, looked at her with curved eyebrows, and said warmly: "Are you Miss Shi? My name is Yue Wan, and I have long admired your name."
Shi Manzi raised her eyes in surprise, "You... know me?"
Seeing her confused expression due to the accident, Lin Wanwan smiled generously at her, "Before I came to Nanling City, I heard someone mention that there was a young lady from the Ministry of Official Affairs who was gentle and lovely. She was not only talented, but also good at calligraphy and painting. The attainments are so profound that many people spend huge sums of money just to get a piece of Miss Shi's calligraphy."
Shi Manzi smiled lightly and lowered her eyes in embarrassment, "It's all just compliments from others. How can my writing and ink compare with that of everyone in calligraphy and painting?"
Lin Wanwan followed Su Jingqian's example and raised her hands, looking at the noisy long street under the night, and said leisurely: "Miss Shi is so good, why should you belittle yourself? I was also fortunate enough to get a calligraphy by Miss Shi. You can feel your true feelings in every stroke. The essence of calligraphy and painting is to use pen and ink to capture the charm of objects and images to express feelings. Compared with some calligraphy and painting masters who only have a false name for the purpose of making money, Ms. Shi is indeed better. Nothing less.”
Shi Manzi was startled, looking at the sincerity and calmness shown in her radiant eyebrows, she couldn't help but asked: "Which picture is it...?"
"'Picture of a Girl's Hairpin'." Lin Wanwan replied without hesitation.
Shi Manzi's eyes suddenly curved up, and as she smiled, her eyes were filled with moving luster, "It turns out that the painting passed into Miss Yue Wan's hands. To be honest, I really like that painting too."
Lin Wanwan blinked at her and raised her eyebrows playfully, "It seems that heroes see the same thing."
Shi Manzi was so amused that she covered her mouth and chuckled, and her beautiful face gradually returned to the charm of the past when she was painting. It was no longer a bit reserved and had a faint sense of inferiority like before. She soon became friendly with her. Lin Wanwan started talking eloquently.
"Why are you still outside? It's windy by the river at night. Fasten it."
While the two were chatting heatedly, Lin Wanwan was slightly startled when she saw Shi Manzi, and then heard a deep voice accompanied by a layer of warmth coming from her back.
Smelling the familiar white sandalwood fragrance, she unconsciously raised the corners of her mouth and looked back at the visitor, "No, we'll go in in a moment."
Seeing her trying to take off her cloak, Su Jingqian frowned somewhat displeasedly and reminded: "The boat will be sailing soon. The wind will get stronger on the water soon, so tie it on."
After saying that, he walked straight inside without waiting for her to speak again.
Shi Manzi looked at his back in astonishment. For some reason, although his voice was pleasant and gentle, she felt an inexplicable sense of oppression in it. She was about to persuade Lin Wanwan to put on her cloak when she saw him turn around and come back to Lin Wanwan and said, "There are osmanthus sugar cakes you like inside. Come in quickly after we finish talking."
The voice is still smooth and the sound is still pleasant, but it feels much softer.
Lin Wanwan tied up her cloak in a funny yet helpless manner, nodded obediently to him and said, "Okay."
After getting the answer he wanted, Su Jingqian's lips curled up in a subtle arc, and he turned away with a comfortable look on his face.
Shi Manzi glanced at Su Jingqian's tall back, covered his mouth with a handkerchief, smiled, and said with a bit of joking: "It seems that Mr. Su is very interested in you."
When Lin Wanwan heard this, her ears felt inexplicably hot. Suddenly, he remembered his cold and cold attitude in the study last time. His face suddenly drooped and he complained: "You have never seen him criticize me harshly. He is so picky and cunning."
"I've definitely never seen that before." Shi Manzi said with a smile.
She was actually a little curious now. This Yue Wan girl was generous and interesting, and had a bit of free and easy temperament that ordinary women didn't have. If she got into an argument with someone, she wouldn't look like someone who would fall behind. If these two immortals quarreled, who would have the upper hand?
Just as Shi Manzi was thinking about it, she saw a guard coming towards them and saluting them: "You two ladies, the ship is about to leave. Your Majesty, please come in."
Lin Wanwan nodded, turned to her and said, "Let's go in."
Shi Manzi bit her lip, still feeling hesitant when she thought of Luo Huaizhou's indifferent attitude towards her.
When Lin Wanwan saw this, she took Shi Manzi's hand and walked into the boat. She smiled and said, "I will hold you so that you won't fall when the boat is sailing. Don't be afraid."
Shi Manzi stared blankly at Lin Wanwan holding her hand, and a layer of warmth gradually appeared in her gentle almond eyes.
She clearly has the appearance of a celestial being that she is proud of, yet she always appears to be down-to-earth and generous, and yet so... considerate. Starting from the bow of the boat, she probably noticed her uneasiness and came to comfort her. And she must have seen something just now, so she said she was afraid that she would fall...
She seemed to know everything, but she never pointed it out and always left room for her. Such a woman is like a light that makes people unconsciously want to get close to her, but she warms others in her own way. How can people dislike such a person?
The smile in her eyes spread all over her face, she said "hmm" softly, and firmly held Lin Wanwan's hand.
