Chapter 38: His Remarks
Chen Rong’s horse-drawn carriage slowly drove on the street. It was at a time when the lights were beginning to go up. Rows of lanterns swayed under the eaves, pedestrians were getting spa.r.s.e on the streets, and only when they pa.s.sed by small alleys could they come upon rosy lights and laughing sounds behind the windows that gave rise to a sense of prosperity brought about by extravagant cosmetics, fragrance and music.
Inside the carriage, Chen Rong was now bowing her head and looking to be very calm, but her hands were tightly wringing her skirt. Her nurse looked on worriedly, afraid that the only formal gown she owned would be ruined.
At this point in time, Chen Rong freed her skirt and took a deep breath. “Nurse, I’m feeling a little nervous,” she whispered with her eyes closed.
“Miss,” Nurse Ping watched her with pity, “w.a.n.g Qilang belongs to the sky above. Forget him.”
Chen Rong wanted to laugh. She pressed her lips together to suppress her laughter as she replied: “Your words make me feel a lot better.”
Nurse Ping only looked at her confusedly.
Chen Rong reached her hand out to lift the shade. She murmured while looking up to the spa.r.s.ely dotted sky: “I’ve died once. What is there to be afraid of?” Her voice was very low.
At this time, the carriage had turned into a small lane to cut to another street. Once there, the road ahead was awash in light, and amid the flurry of noises, carriages were weaving in and out in every direction.
“We’ll be there soon, miss,” Old Shang told her from outside.
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Chen Rong was about to answer him when another carriage pulled up to their side.
It was a great ebony carriage, its two pulling horses also jet black and tall. As Chen Rong gazed toward the vehicle, its cover slightly lifted to reveal a handsome yet grim-looking face.
Chen Rong almost instinctively pulled her curtain down at the sudden sight of this man. She stopped herself, however, just as her hand touched the draping fabric.
His intensely dark and chilly eyes paused on her right hand before moving to its owner.
Whatever gesture he gave, his coach began to move closer to Chen Rong’s.
All of a sudden, the two vehicles were separated by only an arm’s length. Chen Rong pinched herself and forced a smile onto her face. “Good greetings, General Ran.”
Who else could he be but Ran Min?
Ran Min ignored her h.e.l.lo. He studied her fixedly and, after some time, his deep, authoritative voice made its way into her ears: “Little miss, though you’ve tried to collect yourself, you always seem different from your usual self every time you see me. Now why is that?”
He was so close that when he spoke, his breath gently swept past her hair and into her ears.
Chen Rong stiffened. She pinched her palms and tried her best to suppress her rus.h.i.+ng emotions as she slightly lowered her eyes to avoid his. “General, you jest. How can I be different to you when I’ve never known you?”
She at last looked up.
Under the lights, her eyes were just like his – dark and bottomless.
As they locked gazes, her lips upturned to say: “I’d venture to say that with your being so remarkably handsome, there is no shortage of women in this world who would act differently when they see you.”
“Is that so?”
Chen Rong nodded.
Ran Min laughed. He watched her with an intense gaze, asking: “Do you like w.a.n.g Qilang?”
Chen Rong paused before slowly nodding her head.
He laughed again.
Laughing for a while, his voice lowered to a deeper note but retained its softness as he asked her, “If I ask the Chen house for your hand, would you agree?”
Boom —
It was a clap of thunder straight from the sky!
Everything was becoming a blur to Chen Rong. Her heart thumped unendingly, almost threatening to leap out from her throat. A feeling filled her heart, she couldn’t tell whether it was bitterness or hilarity. Suddenly, she wanted to laugh.
But she did not laugh, only slowly raising her eyes.
She studied the man from her b.u.mpy carriage. She hadn’t had a close look at him since meeting again after her rebirth. Chen Rong’s mouth twitched; she matched his tone to say: “General Ran, this joke isn’t funny.”
And then she decisively pulled down the curtain. With the thin cloth standing between them, Chen Rong sank against her seat and almost collapsed into Nurse Ping’s arms.
The nurse was about to question her when Chen Rong’s right hand outstretched to cover her mouth – she’d never want to reveal her vulnerability in front of this man. It was she who was stupid and stubborn in the past…
On the other side, Ran Min’s deep eyes remained to stare at the fluttering curtain; his brow furrowed, but his mouth unknowingly curved upward.
Slowly, he also leaned back into his carriage. He closed his eyes and relaxed the grip from his strong and large palms that usually wielded weapons, tapping them as if he was strumming a musical instrument.
At length, the carriage made a jerk and came to a stop. Old Shang called: “Miss, we’re here.”
Chen Rong gritted her teeth, wanting to sit up but her body was still too limp to do so. Nurse Ping swiftly lent her a hand. She dismounted the carriage first, and with the help of Old Shang, supported Chen Rong down.
As soon as she left the coach, Chen Rong could feel a pair of eyes staring at her. She turned her head and once again came to face with those intensely dark eyes. Almost instinctively, she turned around and straightened her back, then threw off Nurse Ping and Old Shang’s support to stalk forward.
The grounds outside the w.a.n.g estate’s main compound were crammed with parked carriages. In the lantern light, waves of laughter and whiffs of scents floated to them. Chen Rong’s eyes made a turn to find that the people present were all wearing exquisite clothing and appeared to be fully at ease; and she was not acquainted with very many of them.
While she was scanning the area, strong footsteps pa.s.sed her as Ran Min strode into the illuminated area.
All eyes turned to him almost as soon as he appeared.
He was wearing a black robe with red patterns, his long hair left loose over his shoulders as was the fas.h.i.+on. He was already very tall, with broad shoulders and a tapered waist. When he was dressed this way, he possessed a kind of blinding handsomeness like that of the rising sun.
This type of imposing good looks and aura were entirely different from that of the moon and clouds, the popular feminine style everyone appeared to favor.
Ran Min seemed unaware that he had become the center of attention. He marched to the door and went inside.
Silence surrounded Chen Rong after he went in, for the crowd ceased their noises and began to take turn entering.