Chapter 532 - 535: Interest
Hua Manman hid in the latrine and changed into women’s clothes.
She pulled the door open a crack and peeked outside.
After making sure no one was there, she immediately ran out and slipped out the back of the silk shop.
Behind the silk shop was a small alley.
The alley was a dead end to the left and opened onto the main street to the right. Diagonally opposite was a small, vermilion door.
Hua Manman headed right without hesitation.
However, she hadn’t taken more than two steps when she saw a familiar figure walking down the street.
It was Ban Ren!
’He’s back so soon!’
Hua Manman quickly turned around.
Just then, the vermilion door nearby was pulled open from the inside, and a young servant stepped out.
He looked extremely anxious, as if he were looking for someone.
The moment he saw Hua Manman, his brow unfurrowed as if he had just seen his own mother, and he joyfully rushed to greet her.
"Miss Nan Jia, you’re finally here! We’ve been waiting for you for so long!"
Hua Manman was confused.
’Miss Nan Jia? He must have the wrong person.’
But she quickly calmed down.
’No matter who he’s looking for, this is an opportunity for me.’
So, Hua Manman feigned a calm and composed demeanor and responded softly.
"Yes, I’m a little late."
The attendant enthusiastically welcomed her inside.
After entering, Hua Manman realized it was a restaurant.
It was quiet all around, with almost no sound to be heard.
At first, Hua Manman thought it was because business was slow, but she later learned from the attendant that an important guest had paid to book the entire restaurant for the day.
And this Miss Nan Jia was an actor from a song and dance house in the capital, not only stunningly beautiful but also extremely skilled at singing and playing instruments.
The esteemed guest found just drinking to be too boring and was clamoring to hear some music.
So the restaurant’s Shopkeeper had sent someone to the song and dance house to hire performers.
They had invited several courtesans at once, and Miss Nan Jia was just one of them.
By now, everyone else had arrived; only Miss Nan Jia was still missing.
Hua Manman felt extremely uneasy.
’I can’t sing or play any instruments. I’m definitely going to be exposed.’
’What do I do? What do I do?’
The attendant reminded her, "There are stairs ahead, Miss. Be careful..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he heard a low gasp from behind him.
He quickly stopped and looked back to see the young lady, who had been perfectly fine a moment ago, now fallen on the ground with a pained expression.
The attendant was startled and hurried to help her up.
"Miss, are you alright?"
Hua Manman said in a trembling voice, "I accidentally tripped on the stairs just now. I think I sprained my ankle, and my fingers hurt a little too."
As she spoke, she raised her right hand, revealing a fingertip with a small scrape.
This kind of injury was nothing for an ordinary person, but for someone about to perform on a musical instrument, it was an absolute disaster.
Hua Manman forced out a few tears, crying beautifully.
"What should I do? I can’t play the zither now."
The attendant hadn’t expected this to happen and began to panic, pacing back and forth. "Oh, what are we going to do?"
’The guest today is someone important! We can’t afford any mistakes!’
Hua Manman said pitifully.
"Why don’t you go find some ointment for me? I should be fine after I apply some."
The attendant quickly agreed. "Alright, you rest here for a moment. I’ll be right back."
Just then, a door at the end of the corridor was pushed open, and a man in magnificent purple robes walked out.
The man was drunk, and he swayed as he walked.
Seeing someone ahead, he called out.
"Come here and help me."
When the attendant saw the man, he immediately abandoned Hua Manman and ran over to support him.
"Young Master, would you like to go to a room upstairs to rest?"
The man in purple burped from the alcohol. "I’m fine. My head’s just a little dizzy. I’ll be alright after getting some fresh air."
Seeing that they weren’t paying attention to her, Hua Manman prepared to sneak away.
However, before she could take a single step, she heard the man in purple call out.
"You’re Miss Nan Jia? Why are you only just arriving?"
Hua Manman had to temporarily abandon her thought of escaping.
She curtsied in the direction of the man in purple.
"Something held me up on the way. I apologize for making you wait, Young Master. It is my fault. I hope you can forgive me."
The man in purple looked at her, quite displeased. "What are you doing standing so far away?"
Hua Manman limped towards him.
Seeing this, the man in purple immediately asked.
"What’s wrong with your foot?"
Hua Manman replied with her head lowered, "I accidentally fell just now and sprained my ankle."
She paused, then added in a low voice.
"My fingers are also injured. I’m afraid I won’t be able to play the zither for you, Young Master."
The man in purple clicked his tongue, his expression displeased.
"If you can’t play, what did you come here for?"
He thought she would beg for forgiveness.
Instead, he heard the woman say aggrievedly.
"It is my fault for spoiling your fun, Young Master. I will take my leave now."
After saying this, she actually turned to leave.
The man in purple was taken aback for a moment, then immediately called out to stop her.
"I only said one thing to you, and you’re leaving? You’ve got a bigger temper than I do!"
Hua Manman kept her head down and said nothing.
The man in purple usually frequented pleasure quarters and had seen his fair share of courtesans, but this was the first time he had met one with such a temper.
His interest was piqued.
"Nan Jia, is it? Since you’re already here, come in and sit with me for a while."
Hua Manman could tell he was a bad sort.
She hesitated between knocking him out and running away, and waiting to see how things played out. She ultimately chose the latter.
She decided to first see who he was.
’If he’s just some ordinary rich kid, I’ll take him down without a second thought. But if his background is unusual, I’ll have to find a more tactful way to get away.’
Hua Manman limped over to the man in purple.
Only then did she realize the man was surprisingly young, looking to be in his early twenties.
His features were handsome; he was quite good-looking at first glance.
But because he had been drinking, his cheeks were a little flushed, and his brow was slightly furrowed.
Paired with his exquisitely made, obviously expensive clothes, he looked just like the rich, spoiled cannon fodder from storybooks, whose sole purpose is to be put in their place by the protagonist.
The man in purple looked her up and down, noticing that she was truly beautiful.
More importantly, she lacked the world-weary air common among women of the pleasure quarters. She looked entirely fresh and clean.
Like a glass of iced tea on a summer afternoon, she gave off a cool and refreshing feeling.
And this happened to be precisely the type the man in purple preferred.
He couldn’t help but extend a hand.
"Do you need me to help you?"
Hua Manman gave him a fake smile, the kind reserved for business.
"Thank you, but no."
His kind offer rejected, the man in purple felt displeased. Just as he was about to scold her, he heard her ask a question.
"May I ask what I should call you, Young Master?"
The man in purple immediately forgot his earlier displeasure and answered with renewed vigor.
"My name is Li Yu, and I am the Princely Heir of the Prince Qing Mansion."