Chapter Thirty-Four: An Oscar-Worthy Performance

Skin as smooth as porcelain, delicate enough to shatter at a breath…
Perfect score!
A wasp waist and curving hips, her figure graceful and alluring…
Perfect score!
Shyness tinged with panic, panic drenched in fury, fury mixed with a hint of helplessness…
Still a perfect score!

Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm, stay calm!
My heart is beating fast—very fast! Incredibly fast!
I’m hot, my cheeks are burning—burning up!
Stay calm, stay calm!
My nostrils itch, something is about to burst forth.
No! Absolutely not!
I am a man who has received advanced enlightenment from the Land of the Rising Sun. Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm…
I must not get a nosebleed!

My name is Wu Lao Jiu, a man who embodies both composure and wisdom!

“Ah!!!”
A shrill, heart-piercing scream yanked Wu Ning right out of his self-hypnosis.

Calm! I must stay calm!
Wu Ning quickly assessed the situation around him.
Two women, a drenched and stylish man, a large bed, and clothing scattered everywhere…
No good! The scene was ambiguous—far too, exceedingly, especially awkward!
At this moment, the woman’s fury was rising, about to overflow.
She was about to explode, lose control!
He was on the verge of being branded a lecher.

So, just as Xianglan was about to shout “You brazen scoundrel!”
Wu Ning decided to tell a lie:
He stepped back with his right foot, shifted his weight, and let his body crash into the door frame… yes! Just that sort of panicked, flustered look.
He quickly slammed the door behind him, just in case Wu Li and Wu Qi—those two oafs—tried to barge in.
He widened his eyes, unfocused his gaze, dropped his jaw—look…
Move!
Damn it, move! His eyes darted toward the bed, thirty degrees away from the woman… yes! Just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye, but making her think he wasn’t looking at her at all.

He raised his arm, pointing at the bed, trembling…
Add a little more trembling…

Perfect!
Now… let the performance begin.

———

“You brazen scou—”
Before Xianglan’s furious shout could leave her lips, Wu Ning had already pointed at the empty bed and cried out in panic,
“Who?! Who trespassed in my room?!”

Perfect!

———

This Oscar-worthy performance conveyed two crucial points:

First, this is my room! Yes, mine! That’s very important.
Second, I am blind—a man who can see nothing at all!

“……”
“……”

It worked. Xianglan’s anger slowly ebbed, while in Qin Miaoniang’s eyes, panic, rage, and helplessness were now tinged with doubt.
Xianglan hunched over, frantically trying to cover herself with both hands—but it was impossible. Instinctively, she shrank behind Qin Miaoniang, using the other young woman’s body as a shield.

Well done!

Wu Ning was delighted, but the show wasn’t over. He had to keep going.
He felt around the corner and grabbed a broom, waving it wildly in front of himself.

“Who’s there! Speak up!!”
With this, the women’s guard dropped further. Xianglan glared at Wu Ning, suspicion in her voice:
“You… you have eye trouble?”

Damn it, I’ve been waiting for you to ask that!

Wu Ning turned toward the sound, looking straight ahead.
“No, I do not!
My vision is just fine!”

“You…”
“Don’t come any closer!”

“Whew…” Xianglan finally relaxed, patting her chest in relief. So he’s blind after all.

“Don’t be nervous. We’re not bad people—the lady outside told us to come in and take shelter from the rain.”

Qin Miaoniang also relaxed a little, but her face remained tense.
Dressed in nothing but the barest scraps, trapped in a room with a man—even a blind one—she felt so wronged she wanted to break down.
Eyes rimmed red, she hurried to snatch her dress from the lounge chair and hugged it to her chest.

“Auntie?” Wu Ning echoed, “The pregnant woman?”
“Yes, yes! That’s right!”
Xianglan nodded quickly, flashing a playful smile. “See, we weren’t lying to you.”

“Oh…”
Wu Ning finally set the broom aside.

“That’s Fifth Aunt from next door—she watches the shop for me.”
Saying this, he felt his way to the table, found a low stool, and sat down with perfect self-assurance.

“Are you pilgrims visiting the mountain?
Unfortunately, Master Xiao has gone to the city to perform a ritual—he won’t be back for seven days. I’m afraid you’ve come for nothing.”

Qin Miaoniang and Xianglan: “…”

“But it’s fine. My courtyard is an inn open to guests. If the rain doesn’t stop, you’re welcome to stay the night.”

Qin Miaoniang and Xianglan: “…”

“Did Fifth Aunt light the fireplace? Do you need me to add more wood for you?”

Qin Miaoniang and Xianglan: “…”

“Changluo Mountain is beautiful in all seasons—you should visit again.”

“Young sir…” Qin Miaoniang was on the verge of tears, urgently interrupting, mortified, “Young sir, could you… step outside for a moment?”

So that I can put my clothes on, please?

Go outside?

Wu Ning thought, How cruel can you be? Every second here is a blessing, and you want me to leave?

He put on an innocent face and shook his wet clothes. “If anyone’s leaving, it should be you two young ladies. Let me change into something dry first.”

But as soon as Wu Ning said it, he regretted it.
Wait, wasn’t I just trying to defuse a crisis? How did this turn into harassment?

Anxiety suddenly seized his heart, leaving him feeling hollow.

On the other side, when Xianglan heard him ask them to leave, she instinctively protested,
“How can we go out?!”

Then she realized that was the wrong thing to say…
She couldn’t let this country fellow know they were… naked.

Qin Miaoniang, meanwhile, stiffened all over, completely at a loss.
She dared not explain, but couldn’t refute Wu Ning’s words either.
Never in her life had she been in such an awkward situation.
The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt, until two crystal tears slipped down her cheeks.

Her pitiful appearance made even the shameless Wu Lao Jiu’s heart ache.
Worse still, as Qin Miaoniang hugged her arms across her chest, she trembled, her delicate breasts pressed together to form a deep valley, the edge of her camisole barely holding—and she didn’t even notice.

“Sigh!”
Wu Ning, utterly dejected, let out a long sigh and groped his way to his feet.

“You are guests here. I’ll take my leave…”

The two women, as if granted amnesty, quickly bowed, “Thank you, young sir.”

Wu Ning waved his hand as he walked out, “No need, no need. In a bit, I’ll prepare two bowls of ginger soup and have Fifth Aunt bring them over.
It’s a cold day—don’t catch a chill.”

With that, he stepped out and closed the door behind him.

Only when he’d shut the door tight did the two women feel finally at ease. Like springs released, they hurried to dress.

Qin Miaoniang, her face still streaked with tears, sobbed softly,
“I’m never coming back to this Xuncuiju again.”

As for Wu Ning outside…
He stood before the door, tilting his head up to savor the memory.

After a long moment, he wiped below his nose—his hand came away crimson, streaked with blood.

“Sigh…
How can someone so young be so… fierce?”

From the main building came the distant sounds of Wu Li, Wu Qi, and Huzi laughing and joking.

He thought it over, then remained standing outside Qin Miaoniang’s door.

The door latch was broken; apart from me, no one else can be allowed in.

———

What Wu Ning didn’t know was that, beneath the thatched eaves at the gate, a pair of crafty eyes was fixed on him.

That man, dressed as a scholar, was almost too handsome for words. Huddled under the eaves, he was nearly unrecognizable in the pouring rain.

When he saw Wu Ning come out, nose bleeding, he spat fiercely:
“Why couldn’t you just bleed to death, you country bumpkin!”

Sun Bo’an was secretly pleased:
Lost track of Qin Miaoniang, but at least saw this brat catch a nasty illness—not a wasted trip after all!