Chapter Seventeen: Laughing at Hua Guzi

  The sun sets in the west, and the whole world is bathed in a brilliant red glow. I get off at Xifengyuan, still feeling as carefree as if drunk on the March wind. Su Hui, with a scowl on her face, says: "You saved San Ye, now you'll be punished!"

  I clutched a plush toy in my hand, which was taken out from his pocket by Yuan Fei before he left. He said that all his young friends said this plush toy looked like me, and Biying also said so, so he bought it to give to me.

  It really looks like me, this doll even has a big braid on the back of its head just like mine. Just as I was overjoyed to receive it, he whispered in my ear, "Be careful, the original is not white."

  Just as I was about to ask him a series of important questions, such as whether his eyes were as good or bad as his IQ? When did he see me? Does he know what I look like? When is he deceiving me and when is he telling the truth?

  Unfortunately, he then seriously said to me: "Good girl, from now on if you want to see a man's body, just look at mine, don't ever go look at other men's, okay?"

  Then this extremely absurd moment was thoroughly broken, I was stunned there, seriously thinking if he had started IQ disorder again or was deliberately teasing me. But he immediately turned language into action, took off his top, revealing his strong chest muscles and abdominal muscles, proudly and seriously asking: "Mukou, how is it? Is my body better than Sanzhangzi's?"

  I stared at him in stunned silence...

  No matter what, people in love are blind, even when faced with the cruel and cold Yuan Fei, as soon as I think of Yuan Fei Jue, the fear in my heart immediately disappears...

  But it seems that I still have a little bit of fear, so I smiled at Su Hui and said: "If you don't tell San Ye, then it's settled?"

  Su Hui coldly snorted and settled the horse, then turned to walk back. I slowly followed behind him, saying coolly: "If you tell Third Master, I'll tell Third Madam that you peeked at the palace map."

  As expected, Xiao Qingdou stopped and turned around with a red face, gritting her teeth and saying: "You're such a bad girl, ugly girl."

  "Haha, it's a deal then, you naughty little brat, ugly little brat."

  Su Hui rushed towards me with her fists flying, and Qie Hele ran inside, almost colliding with Xie San Niang who was walking in the opposite direction. Su Hui immediately withdrew her fists: "Mother, mother, don't look so gloomy, it's Mu Yaotou who provoked me first."

  Unfortunately, Xie San Niang ignored him and only sighed, pulling me to the side and saying softly: "Miss, go take a look at Master San quickly, he's not in a good mood today."

  Wow! How did you find out that I and Yuan Fei Jue have a private agreement? Who is his mole? Yuan Fei Jue seems to know that there's a mole among his subordinates, could it be that these two brothers like to play with espionage?

  "I asked in confusion: 'Isn't Third Master expecting guests today?'"

  Third Sister looked at my face and said cautiously: "That guest seemed to be a certain someone, the two of them talked for a long time in the Xīnghuā Pavilion, then that child left, and Third Master's mood became very bad."

  I was stunned for a moment, and after making a big fuss all day, it turned out to be for personal reasons, maybe it's that Youyou or whatever!

  I was about to ask further when Su Hui rushed up and said: "Mother, why are you talking so much, let Mu Ya go see the young master quickly."

  Looking at Su Hui and his mother arguing, I thought for a moment, walked towards Mei Garden, Yuan Fei sat under a large elm tree, one leg flat, one leg propped up, he quietly gazed at the rippling surface of Mo Chou Lake in the sunset, as if he was really unhappy?

  Those birds with beautiful feathers that everyone has been talking about, and his smile, and that ambiguous kiss of his, were indeed deceiving me. When a man deliberately tries to please someone he doesn't like, there are usually two reasons: one is that the person has something to gain from it, and the other is for show.

  I'm poor and plain, so the second possibility is more likely. On the surface, he makes everyone think he's being overly affectionate towards me, but in reality, he's actually covering for someone else!

  Bad boy, no matter how many grievances you and your people have, or how deeply in love you are, you shouldn't use me to move the Jiangdong River. How can I still go out afterwards? Once I go out, I'll definitely be splashed with sulfuric acid by your little FANS team, and hacked to death by the group...

  I secretly seethed, humming a tune in my heart, and with a toss of my head, I walked away with an air of haughtiness. Unexpectedly, Han Xiuzhu suddenly appeared, laughing loudly as he said to me: "Mu'niang has finally returned, Young Master has been waiting for you for a long time."

  My face twitched: if he was waiting for me, I would have written three words "I'm sorry".

  I looked at Yuan Feibai, but he didn't turn his face back, still gazing at the lake surface. He slowly opened his mouth and said: "Muxin, come sit with me for a while."

  I was hesitating, but Han Xiuzhu smiled and said: "Don't keep the young master waiting, go quickly!"

  I pouted and walked over with a heavy heart, reluctantly sitting down beside Yuan Fei with my knees hugged to my chest.

  He didn't speak either, and I was too lazy to talk to someone like him. The two of us appreciated the lake's scenery together, but each thought about our own matters.

  The sunset was slowly falling, and the evening glow was even more colorful, as if the gods' paint bottle had been knocked over, reflecting the sky's unparalleled beauty. I stood up and said, "Third Master, it's late, let me escort you back to rest."

  I had just stood up, and that stuffed animal fell down. I was about to bend over to pick it up when Yuan Fei quickly grabbed it in her hand before me.

  It's broken!

  His face was half hidden in the shadow of the sunset, and the other half looked unusually cold and pale. He stared at the puppet and a strange expression appeared: "What is this?"

  I was there sweating profusely and chuckled twice: "This is... this is my third aunt, called Auntie."

  I naturally pulled the wool doll out of his hand, but his gaze froze me to tremble. I waved the wool doll in front of him and imitated Xiaoding's voice: "Yuan Fei Bao Ye, nice to meet you, nice to meet you."

  He glanced at me and then smiled faintly at the girl: "Girl, why are you as ugly as your wooden puppet?"

  Is this doll ugly? As expected of Sohwi's master, originally not white, you finally revealed your true heart, you finally showed that you only value appearance and are shallow! Hmph!

  I sneered to myself and continued in a gentle tone, "Third Master, although I may be ugly, I am very gentle and knowledgeable about the world. I have a wealth of learning at my disposal. It seems like you have an unresolvable knot in your heart; why not let me help you untie it?"

  Speak up, confess your crime of deceiving the innocent with your appearance, and I'll let you off leniently. Resist and you'll face severe consequences. This will also give me a good reason to happily and blissfully jump ship to Fei Yu's side.

  However, he seemed to have lost interest in me and turned around to continue watching the sunset glow, ignoring me.

  I was thinking wildly, could it be that the kid is really Youyou, and Yuan Feibai is the one who's been dumped? How dare someone dump Yuan Feibai! Or maybe Youyou does exist, and Yuan Feibai had a secret meeting with her, but got caught in the act, so he's extremely depressed?

  Just as I decided to leave him, he suddenly spoke up: "Sister, tell me a story!"

  "Huh? Tell a story? I thought for a moment, then sat down across from him: "Well, let me tell you the story of a little mermaid, a long, long time ago..."

  So I told a tragic epic of Andersen's fairy tale, The Son of the Sea.

  In the distance of the sea, the water is so blue, like the most beautiful daisy petals, and at the same time it's so clear, like the brightest glass...

  The smallest of the mermaid's daughters is considered the most beautiful, her skin is smooth and delicate, like rose petals, her eyes are azure, like the deepest lake water...

  That fatal encounter made the little mermaid fall in love, she gave up her comfortable life in the fairy world and her 300-year lifespan for love. She lost her beautiful voice, endured the great pain of her tail splitting, and endured every step like walking on a knife's edge, and came to the land to accompany her beloved prince without any regrets.

  In my past life, I participated in a storytelling competition and won second prize. Then I worked as a telemarketer, deeply understanding how to use my voice to entice people's hearts. In this life, my voice is again clear and moving, so Yuan Fei gradually becomes focused from being distracted.

  It's been a while since I've talked about this story, thinking of the little mermaid facing cruel choices, the human great soul reflected in the story, the unyielding will and self-sacrificing spirit, I'm also moved.

  When I say that the mermaid is faced with a choice, she will either kill the prince who doesn't love her and return to the sea's embrace, continuing to live carefree, or turn into ocean foam in order to save her beloved prince.

  I still bought a guanzi and asked Yuan Fei if he was a little mermaid, what kind of choice should be made.

  Yuan Fei thought for a moment and then asked, "If I were the little mermaid, I loved the prince so deeply, why didn't I just ask the witch to cast a spell on him from the start? Why did I have to become human, suffer all sorts of hardships, and end up with nothing accomplished? And as the daughter of the sea king, there must be many capable people under his command who could think of a way to force the witch to cast another spell to rescue the mermaid back into the sea. Why was it necessary to go kill the prince or turn into sea foam?"

  I was completely convinced on the spot, he is indeed a child prodigy who could compose poetry at six and excel in archery at ten, this idea is also one of a kind, obviously it's a touching moment, but he took it to an extreme, without any romance, looking back at my friends circle, only Song Mingyue had the same answer.

  Now, I'd like to tell everyone about the choices of my other relatives and friends regarding The Little Mermaid:

  Biyin:

  Tears streaming down, sobbing uncontrollably: "I, I, I must save that prince, even if it means turning into foam, I won't regret it." Then, as usual, the old illness relapses, and she lies in bed for a month or two, nothing out of the ordinary.

  Brocade

  Don't ask, I'd rather die than become a stepping stone for that stupid prince. Killing him would be a relief, wouldn't it? That day, I reflected on my actions and felt that my education had been a complete failure.

  Song Mingkui:

  She smiled lightly and asked me a lot of questions, almost as if she was interrogating me.

  Yu Fei

  Dazed, he let out a long sigh, pacing back and forth several times, looking at me, then dazing off again, letting out another long sigh, pacing back and forth several more times, before anxiously asking: "After turning into foam, can I still turn back?"

  Yu Feiyan:

  Tears welled up in his eyes, and he grasped my hand tightly: "Where did you hear such a tragic and righteous story? Brother must befriend the person who wrote this story. It's really moving, isn't it? If brother were that little mermaid, he would definitely want to fulfill the wishes of his beloved, even if it meant turning into foam, just to stay by the prince's side and watch him live happily." At the time, I was also moved to nod in agreement, thinking that Andersen had a kindred spirit in this world.

  I withdrew my thoughts and smiled at Yuan Feibai, saying the choice of the mermaid. In the end, she became a bubble on the sea, but had an intact soul, and got the chance to go to heaven.

  "I began to speak slowly: 'Third Master is right, in my humble opinion, the most important thing about this story is to let people know the meaning of love. Love is the sweetest wine in the world, it makes you drunk, but also the deadliest poison that can make you wish you were dead. If love could be conjured up with magic spells, if Little Mermaid could go ask her father for help, then what's the point of calling it true love? Once you fall into the web of love, you have to bear many consequences, your choices can change your life and also change the other person's life.'"

  "If the little mermaid chose to kill the prince to save herself, Mu Qin thought it was a normal thing and no one would blame her because it was an instinct for survival. But if she did so, even if she returned to the sea, Mu Qin thought that she would not be able to become the carefree mermaid princess again. So Mu Qin could understand why she was willing to turn into foam, which was also a kind of fulfillment, fulfilling her loved one and herself."

  So, originally it wasn't white, you should understand, let me go earlier, and quickly turn yourself into the foam of the sea, so as to fulfill my union with Fei Jue.

  I stood up again, smiled at Yuan Fei Bai, and stretched out my hand. His eyes gradually focused, emitting a sharp gaze. My smile slowly disappeared. Before I could withdraw my hand, he suddenly grabbed it and pulled me into his arms, scaring my heart to a standstill.

  "Mulberry, do you want to lecture me?" His voice was soft and gentle, but I felt like it was hell. I regretted telling him this story. With difficulty, I swallowed a mouthful of saliva and forced a smile: "This is what the nun said, not what I said."

  He chuckled softly and pulled me into his arms, whispering in my ear: "Mù jiǎo, never betray me..."

  This person is really unreasonable, they secretly met with someone else behind my back and then come to tell me not to betray them?

  Ha! I raised my head just about to protest, but in the dim light, facing his sparkling eyes, all I heard was him continuing to say: "Otherwise, I'll turn you into sea foam."

  "Alright, Third Master, but before you turn me into foam, can we go back first? I'm starving to death." I'm being nice, but I'm really hungry.

  His originally calm eyes stared at me, I realized I had misspoken again. He glared at me discontentedly and called out "Wei Hu", and Wei Hu pushed the wheelchair over.

  As I walked back, I yawned beside him. He took the opportunity to snatch the book from my hand and flipped through it, saying: "I really like the story of the girl, so send her to me."

  I grabbed her back: "That's not possible, Third Master, she is mine."

  "You're all mine now, and you are too." He said lazily, like a rogue, and snatched back again. Wei Hu stared with wide eyes beside him.

  So on the way, we two chatted while competing for the girl. I was afraid he would spoil the poor girl, so after I got the girl in my turn, I ran forward a little and laughed back: "Third Master, I asked the girl, she said she didn't want to follow you."

  She raised an eyebrow, propped her elbow on one hand and smiled coldly at me: "What's that for?"

  "The aunt said that Third Master is not a good person, so she doesn't want to follow you." I said loudly.

  Yuandi suddenly burst out laughing: "How am I not a good person?" And Comrade Wei Hu's eyes were almost bulging out.

  I also burst out laughing: "Think for yourself, Third Master!"

  I spent another day of joy and sorrow, the jade rabbit quietly emerged from the clouds, under the moonlight, the non-white smiled at me with a profound and mysterious smile.