Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Sima Langye watched me eagerly following Aunt to see the beautiful figure, pondering slightly. What kind of youth was this? At times innocent like a child, at times sorrowful like an old man, sometimes carefree, and at other times deeply melancholic. He looked at her, charming and pure, yet brimming with talent, like a hidden genius. No matter who it was, we would be sworn brothers in this life. It was only now that Sima Langye took the matter of swearing brotherhood at the Friend Gathering Pavilion seriously. As he looked into my gaze, curiosity and interest gradually filled his expression, like a lion that had found its prey, exuding a dangerous aura. I remained blissfully unaware, like a hunted animal.
Aunt left us at the door of Dan Yi Beauty's chamber, and the crowd that had come with us dispersed. It seemed this courtesan was still held in some esteem. Yun Ying and the pale-faced Shen Qing waited outside.
Upon entering, I saw a lonely figure inside. Hearing our voices, she turned around and smiled gently at us. What they called a glance back with a smile that could charm a hundred hearts—I witnessed it today. My eyes sparkled as I felt my steps lighten.
As soon as I entered, I revealed my mischievous side and called out lewdly, "Sister Beauty, please don’t test us with any more riddles! My brother and I just want to enjoy some drinks on your turf. Today has exhausted me! The so-called talent of Jiang Lang has been completely drained by such torment."
Dan Yi looked at my carefree demeanor in surprise. The Peerless Youth who had just gained fame overnight was nothing like what she had imagined or what others had described. Sima Langye beside me twitched his lips slightly.
However, Dan Yi composed herself and walked over with a smile, saying, "Dan Yi would never make things difficult for you two young masters. I have prepared fine wine in advance, thinking no one could drink with me, but it seems I've encountered kindred spirits."
I stared blankly at her warm and gentle smile, unfortunately losing focus for a moment. She truly resembled a neighborly sister.
I couldn't help but walk over and wrapped my arm around hers, smiling back, "Sister Beauty, there’s no need to be so formal; just call me An Jin from now on. This is my elder brother Sima Langye. Sister Beauty, can I call you sister from now on?" My smile was as innocent as a child's.
Sima Langye...? Could it be...? How is that possible!
Dan Yi's hand trembled slightly as she poured the wine; some spilled unintentionally. She widened her eyes and looked up at Sima Langye. Suddenly, the air around them thickened with tension; the killing intent was palpable to the point where breathing became difficult. Truly impressive... even his aura was so chilling. Dan Yi gazed into his cold eyes and realized that if she said anything more now, she wouldn't be able to leave this door again. Then she glanced at me holding her hand—my expression was blissfully ignorant and clear.
With a sigh in her heart, she steadied herself and continued pouring wine while saying to me, "Alright then, from now on I'll call you Little Jin. Having such a cute younger brother is indeed Dan Yi's fortune."
Feeling inspired in the moment, I cheerfully exclaimed, "How about this—since we have such good fortune today, let’s swear brotherhood too! You seem younger than my brother but older than me; from now on I'll call you Second Sister."
Dan Yi was taken aback; Sima Langye's expression grew complex while I remained oblivious to the strange atmosphere surrounding us.
Suppressing her helplessness towards my naivety, she forced a smile and said, "Dan Yi is just a courtesan after all; my status is lowly and perhaps not worthy of such an honor. Little Jin should give up on this thought before it causes trouble for your sister."
"What? Such severe feudal thinking..." I muttered under my breath.
"Little Jin, what did you say?"
"Nothing," I waved dismissively. "Actually, I believe everyone is equal; there are no distinctions in status. You don’t need to worry about me looking down on you; my own background is even lowerly—I’m the son of a servant from a wealthy family; my mother was also one of their girls. From birth, I've been considered lowly too. But our little family lived happily together; I think that’s better than the scheming and deceit among those rich families. After my parents passed away, I escaped and now barely make ends meet with some small business ventures. So how about that? Isn’t it even lowerly than yours? Besides, I really don’t care about these issues of background." Forgive me for telling such tall tales; my parents would have to forgive me too—I only said it to counter her ridiculous sense of hierarchy; it wasn’t intentional to belittle anyone like that! However, they probably wouldn’t believe me anyway—who would think of a lowly servant dressed so lavishly with attendants following?
However, although I was very reluctant, I had to admit that my behavior did not resemble that of a wealthy young master; rather, I seemed like a rogue.
"What's wrong? Are you starting to dislike me now?"
"No, Dan Yi doesn't mean that. It's just—" I followed her gaze and realized she was worried that my brother would look down on me.
I flashed what I thought was a brilliant smile, and he indeed looked a bit dazed by it.
I walked over and affectionately linked my arm with his, sweetly pouting, "Brother Sima, do you care about Little Jin's background?"
Seeing him lost in thought for a long time, I pretended to be heartbroken and choked out, "Now that you know Little Jin's origins, you really do care. Then we might as well not be brothers anymore to avoid gossip. Even Sister Beauty knows and looks down on me. Boohoo..." My voice was filled with an exaggerated sense of grievance. It felt like such a waste not to be an actor.
The two of them changed their expressions and spoke in unison, "That's not true..."
"Then that's settled." I wiped away the tears I had just pretended to shed and instantly jumped up in joy.
Sima Langye and Dan Yi exchanged glances, finally realizing they had been played. They shared a rare moment of mutual understanding and smiled wryly at each other. A crow flew by... cawing...
"Little Jin," he called me that now too, filled with helpless affection, "I really can't do anything with you."
I turned to look at him, feeling a bit flattered. His gaze was filled with tenderness. For the first time, his smile seemed so genuine and heartfelt. Dan Yi also looked surprised; she hadn’t expected the rumored cold-hearted person to show such warmth toward someone. It seemed Little Jin was important to him.
"Bring the wine," I laughed boldly, tossing each of them a blue-and-white porcelain wine flask before tilting my head back to drink. Pulling them over to the window, under the moonlight, I vowed, "Today we three are fated to meet and shall swear brotherhood here. From now on, we will share blessings and bear hardships together. We will not abandon each other until death. If anyone breaks this vow in the future, they shall endure eternal Loneliness. I, An Jin, will not let them off the hook. Haha, let’s drink! We won’t return until we’re drunk." With that, I tilted my head back again for another hearty drink. The alcohol seeped into my sorrowful heart, bitter to the core.
"I forgot to tell you both," why was everything in front of me becoming blurry? Even their faces seemed to multiply; I shook my head vigorously trying to clear my mind. "I... I wanted to tell you that today is my birthday—An Jin's birthday! But no one is celebrating for me, no one is singing me happy birthday, no one is letting me blow out candles or make wishes... The whole world has forgotten that today is An Jin's birthday... No one remembers..." My voice gradually weakened. Why did my head feel so heavy? Hey, why is the world spinning? Is there an earthquake...
"An Jin is such a pitiful creature..." I mumbled hazily.
The last thing I felt was myself falling into a warm embrace; I didn’t know whose it was but it felt so comforting, like my father's... Instinctively shifting slightly to find a comfortable position, I sweetly drifted off to sleep with an unconscious smile on my lips... Mom and Dad, I miss you so much...
Sima Langye watched as An Jin slept peacefully in his arms like a child. He was moved by her serene expression; such unguarded trust in others and such innocence radiated from her smile—pure as a newborn baby’s. It had been so long since he found someone he could trust enough to fall asleep beside.
“Let me handle this, Young Master Sima. Since Little Jin is drunk, why not let him stay here for the night? I will instruct the servants to prepare a guest room for him,” Dan Yi said, reaching out to take the heavily sleeping boy. However, Sima Langye swayed slightly, missing Dan Yi's outstretched hand, and calmly replied, “I’ll take care of it.” He held the peaceful boy tightly in his arms and slowly walked towards the Carved Bed in the inner room.
Dan Yi felt puzzled but maintained his composure, saying in a low voice, “Then I will go prepare a room for him.”
Just as he was about to push the door open, Sima Langye suddenly warned coldly from behind, “I don’t want Little Jin to know anything about me.”
Dan Yi nodded, “I understand.”
“And,” came the lazy tone, “to avoid raising any suspicions with Little Jin, you should call me ‘Elder Brother’ from now on, Second Sister.”
The calmness in his voice made Dan Yi shiver involuntarily, but he still responded steadily, “Yes, Elder Brother.”
After Dan Yi left, Sima Langye sat by the bed silently gazing at Little Jin’s serene sleeping face, which was unlike that of other boys. His eyelashes were long and curled, gently swaying in his dreams. His breath was soft and silent as he curled up like a baby in the womb—fragile like a porcelain doll.
At that moment, the sleeping boy suddenly smiled gently in his sleep and murmured, “Mom and Dad… Dad, Mom, I miss you so much…”
Sima Langye was taken aback and smiled softly in return. Like a warm spring breeze, it strangely blew into An Jin’s dreams. It felt like a beautiful fairyland; An Jin found an unusual sense of peace.
Comment 0 Comment Count