Chapter 12: Man, You're Playing with Fire

Hearing the sound, Yan Jun’s eyes met Song Lan’s. In an instant, he was like a mouse seeing a cat, panicking and attempting to turn around and flee.

As luck would have it, tonight's moonlight was as bright as day.

Yan Jun gazed at that beautiful, gentle face. When the corners of her lips curled slightly, two perfectly symmetrical dimples etched themselves into her cheeks. Like silver moonlight, the light fell plainly upon her, making the young girl's complexion appear even more pale and cold.

A delicate flower blooming brilliantly over the water.

It was rare for him to see her looking so quiet and beautiful; for a moment, he even forgot to blink.

He could only sigh helplessly in his heart, knowing that at this moment, he had undoubtedly been seen clearly by her.

If he simply turned and left, it would seem far too deliberate.

"Greetings, Miss."

Yan Jun cupped his hands in a formal salutation. "I have offended you."

Remembering that she seemed to have asked him something just now, he quickly added, "His Highness has granted me the great kindness of allowing me to return home to rest for two days."

Glancing up at the sky, he had to brace himself and continue his fabrication. "I have just finished dining with several colleagues who were on duty with me, and I was just heading home."

He sounded incredibly humble.

He kept his head lowered, seemingly unwilling to let anyone see his face clearly.

"My home is in Yujian'er Alley. From here, just walk a few dozen steps east, turn in, and it's at the very end." He insisted on answering with meticulous detail.

She had only asked a casual question; why was this man reporting to her like he was filing an official document?

Song Lan blinked.

She had a fleeting sensation that when this man first saw her, he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Was it an illusion?

She observed the man for a while—the obvious traces of his acting, the sheer falseness of it, and his earnest attempt to play the part of a well-behaved person before her. Her mind felt cluttered, and she began to question her very reality.

Logically speaking, she was merely a distant cousin staying at the manor of a minor sixth-rank official, having lost both her parents.

And the man before her was a guard serving the Eldest Princess—a woman so sought-after in the capital that her status even surpassed that of the imperial princes, and who held military power.

At the very least, he was an official.

There was no need for him to try and curry favor with her, was there?

Furthermore—"You are too polite, Brother Guard."

Song Lan bowed slightly in etiquette. "During the Spring Banquet, it was thanks to your help that I was able to escape a difficult situation. I have yet to formally thank you."

"A life-saving debt should be repaid like a flowing spring."

"If you do not mind, I shall host a banquet at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion tomorrow to treat you to a meal. How does that sound?"

The charming girl blinked her eyes slightly, her voice as soft as a spring breeze.

If it weren't for the dense, overwhelming resentment surrounding her—so thick it could almost cover the entire city, surging and rolling—Yan Jun would truly have thought she was a quiet, shy, gentle, and harmless little lady.

He couldn't help but sneer inwardly: *What a great actress!*

However, caught off guard, he accidentally let his inner thoughts slip out.

"Since it is a life-saving debt, shouldn't you offer yourself in marriage?"

By the time Yan Jun realized what he had said, it was too late to take it back.

"No, what I meant was..."

He tried desperately to explain and fix the mistake, but his mouth felt as if it were glued shut; the more anxious he became, the less he could speak.

"Eh?"

Song Lan was genuinely stunned.

Offer oneself in marriage?

She blinked, looking at the man who was now flushed red and looking for a crack in the ground to hide in, and found it inexplicably funny.

As for offering herself in marriage—her past life's marriage had been unfortunate, leading to many tribulations. Having been harmed by her kin and living as an evil ghost for two thousand years, working for free in the underworld for two millennia, her heart had long since become as still as water. She felt no desire for romance.

But, if this was what her benefactor requested...

Song Lan thought, marrying the man before her didn't seem like a bad idea.

After all, in her previous life, she had caused someone to lose their life in vain, and even their corpse could not be laid to rest.

She owed a life.

This was karma, and it had to be repaid.

"If you wish for me to repay you in that manner, well, that is also fine."

Song Lan considered it with a serious expression. "However, I have not yet formally broken my engagement with the Zhang family, nor have I completely severed ties with the Xie family. If I were to marry my benefactor as a wife now, I fear it would be inappropriate."

"It would also tarnish your reputation. How about you wait for me a little longer, benefactor?"

"Also, you are currently serving in the Eldest Princess's manor. Regarding matters of marriage, do you need to report it to your master for an arranged match?"

Before her words had even finished falling, the man had already fled in a frantic rush.

However, he was running in the wrong direction. Facing a dead end, he was forced to turn back.

When he came face-to-face with Song Lan again, his foot slipped, and he landed hard on his backside.

"Ouch... hiss!"

Yan Jun cursed this mortal body for being so weak and fragile.

He looked up to meet Song Lan's eyes, but quickly lowered his gaze again, pretending to be a polite and humble man. He scrambled to his feet, stood steady, and bowed with cupped hands.

"I was too outspoken just now and was disrespectful to you, Miss. This talk of 'benefactors'—you flatter me too much."

"It was my failure that you encountered trouble during the Eldest Princess's Spring Banquet. Rescuing you was merely my duty."

"The fact that you do not blame me, and even... even plead for me to avoid punishment... in terms of kindness, it is you who has been kind to me..."

Yan Jun realized something was wrong and wished he could bite his own tongue off.

Of all things to say, why did he have to say she was the one being kind?

Wasn't he just circling back to the same problem?

"No, what I meant was—"

Song Lan blinked. "Then, will you marry me?"

Yan Jun: "..."

*There is no need to be so obsessed with romance and marriage, is there?*

"It is getting late. Why haven't you gone back, Miss? If it gets too late, your family might worry."

Yan Jun changed the subject abruptly. "The roads are unsafe at night, so I won't see you out!"

With that, he turned and ran.

Song Lan stood frozen on the spot.

*The roads are unsafe, so he won't see me out?*

*Is that even human speech?*

She looked up toward the direction the man had fled, and unexpectedly, her eyes met those of a man peeking out suspiciously from around a corner.

Yan Jun:!!!

*What do I do, what do I do? I want to find a hole to crawl into.*

Song Lan let out a soft chuckle.

Thinking of the tragic love stories the devoted ghosts used to wail to her about in the past, she seemed to understand something.

Was he—playing hard to get?

That was likely the "domineering emperor" style of love.

Standing there, watching the fragment of a sleeve remaining at the corner, Song Lan flashed a wicked, charming smile, as if a character from a storybook were performing a scene of a powerful ruler's forceful love before her.

*Very well, man. You have successfully captured my attention!*

***

Yan Jun leaned against the wall at the corner, not even daring to breathe too loudly.

He stayed pressed against the wall, motionless, until dawn approached. Still feeling no sign of Song Lan's presence, he steeled his resolve and stepped out, intending to confront her directly.

"Song—"

Stepping around the corner, Yan Jun stared blankly at the empty street before him.

Where was she?

***

Song Lan had already arrived at Liu Yueniang's house. She was crouching in a large tree in the courtyard, listening to the rustling of leaves in the wind—and the approaching glint of blades and shadows.

"Who are you!"

"Why have you broken into my home?"

The youth's shout seemed fierce, but it was like a paper tiger; his momentum was weak, and his voice trembled.

"Are... are you after money?"

"I can give you all the money, just don't—" hurt my mother.

Before he could finish his condition, the youth began to wail heart-wrenchingly, "Mother! Mother!"

Crouching in the tree, Song Lan watched the thin, weak youth being kicked to the ground by the intruders, and let out a disdainful click of her tongue.

It seemed that one of her "husbands" from the Zhang family in her previous life was a bit weak!